Desperate Housewives: Listen to the Rain on the Roof

"Listen to the Rain on the Roof" is the third season premiere episode of the American comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and the 48th episode overall. The episode premiered on ABC (American Broadcasting Company) on September 24, 2006. It was written by series creator Marc Cherry and series writer Jeff Greenstein, and was directed by Larry Shaw. The episode takes place six months after the events in the second season. In the episode, Bree (Marcia Cross) becomes engaged to Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan), who is accused of murdering his missing wife by his former neighbor, Carolyn Bigsby (Laurie Metcalf). Meanwhile, Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) deals with the ramifications of her impending divorce and Lynette (Felicity Huffman) copes with her husband's illegitimate daughter and the girl's mother. Also, Susan (Teri Hatcher) meets a new man, Ian Hainsworth (Dougray Scott), while waiting for Mike (James Denton) to awaken from his coma. According to Nielsen ratings, the episode drew just over 24 million viewers, indicating a 4 million viewer decrease from the previous season premiere a year earlier. The episode received mostly positive reviews. Critics complimented the six-month time jump and generally agreed that the episode showed improvement over the quality of the second season.