Gloria Hodge
| Gloria Hodge | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Children and Art (episode 3.08) |
| Last appearance | The Little Things You Do Together (episode 3.15) |
| Created by | Marc Cherry |
| Portrayed by | Dixie Carter |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Children | Orson Hodge (son) |
| Relatives | Alma Hodge (ex-daughter-in-law) Bree Hodge (daughter-in-law) Andrew Van De Kamp (step-grandson) Danielle Van De Kamp (step-granddaughter) |
Gloria Hodge is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by Dixie Carter.
History
I should have smothered you in your crib when I had the chance!
— Gloria Hodge
When first introduced, she was just Orson's mother who had a drinking problem (even bribing Andrew Van De Kamp for it) but it was soon revealed that she knew many secrets of Orson's past. He still managed to get her kicked out of the Van de Kamp's home but she then met Alma Hodge and devised a plan with her.
She reappeared, trying to convince Bree Van De Kamp to leave Orson but did not succeed and subsequently gives Orson knock out pills so that he can be raped by Alma, who is simply desperate to have a baby.
Bree, realising that Alma has raped Orson, punches her and knocks her out and attempts to get Orson home.
When Alma threatens to call the police and implicate everyone, Gloria locks her in an upstairs closet and then attempts to get Bree out of the way, once and for all.
After Bree returns home from the hospital after her accident, Gloria goes over to their house. Danielle is watching Bree, but Gloria tricks her into bringing her mother a bowl of soup with sleeping pills in it, then sends her off to the party at the Scavo's pizzeria opening. With Bree alone, she then takes a knife from the kitchen and heads upstairs to finish Bree off.
Once Andrew finds Danielle at the pizzeria, he races home to protect his mother from Orson's "crazy mother." She surprises him as he runs up the stairs, hitting him in the face with a cane and causing him to fall down the stairs.
Orson, after finding out his mother's plan, also races home from the hospital. He finds Andrew first, then finds Gloria trying to slit Bree's wrists in the bathroom (a scene strikingly similar to the one he found his father in). At this point, he realizes Gloria had killed his father. He stops Gloria from hurting Bree, but in doing so, causes her to have a stroke she needs an ambulance for. Before taking her to Alma's lawn, he says, "you need an ambulance. It's too bad there's no one here who'd dream of calling you one."
As he carries his mother to Alma's house, he finds Alma herself, killed by a fall from the roof. He leaves Gloria with her and returns home. By the time Ida Greenberg finds Alma and Gloria, Gloria's stroke had caused total paralysis, unable speak or move (though her brain remained active). In the hospital, Orson says, "I don't have to worry about putting you in jail. You're already there." He then turns her head toward the door so she can watch him walk away for the last time.