Orson Hodge | |||||||||||
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Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge
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Portrayed by | Kyle MacLachlan | ||||||||||
Duration | 2006–10, 2011, 2012 | ||||||||||
First appearance | "Don't Look at Me" 2x19, April 16, 2006 |
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Last appearance | "She Needs Me" 8x15, March 4, 2012 |
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Created by | Marc Cherry | ||||||||||
Profile | |||||||||||
Occupation |
Former Part Owner of Mrs. Van de Kamps Catering Caterer Dentist |
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Residence | Lakeview Drive in Fairview, Eagle State - pre series until very beginning of season 3 4354 Wisteria Lane in Fairview, Eagle State - season 3 - 6 with the exception of three years in prison inside 5 years time leap Prison - three years in the five-year time jump Apartment in Fairview, Eagle State - very beginning of season 7 to second half of season 8 |
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Parents |
Gloria Hodge (mother) Edwin Hodge (father; deceased) |
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Spouse |
Alma Hodge (ex-wife; deceased) Bree Weston (ex-wife) |
Children |
Unborn Child (via Alma) Andrew Van de Kamp (former step-son) Danielle Van de Kamp (former step-daughter) |
Grandchildren | Benjamin Katz (former step-grandson) |
Other relatives |
Mrs. Mason (former mother-in-law; deceased) Henry Mason (former father-in-law) Eleanor Mason (former step-mother-in-law) Alexander Cominis (former step-son-in-law) Leo Katz (former step-son-in-law) Fern Mason (former aunt-in-law) |
Orson Hodge is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by Kyle MacLachlan. Orson is introduced in the final episodes of the second season of the series, and becomes the main mystery of the third season. MacLachlan left the main cast in season six, but he has made guest appearances after his departure.
The character of Orson Hodge was originally planned as a romantic interest for Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), according to executive producer Tom Spezialy, until Cherry decided to pair Orson with Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross). For the third season's mystery, series creator Marc Cherry wanted to incorporate more of the series' regular characters rather than bringing in various new ones, like they had done in the second season with Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard) and her family. They developed the Orson plot line around the "idea that one of our women marries a guy who has dark secrets and possibly a violent streak." Cherry opined: "I thought there was something exciting about that, but real and relatable." Greenstein commented that the writers worked backwards from the second season's cliffhangers to develop the Orson storyline, forsaking the original material that had been developed earlier. The cast responded positively to the new material for the season.
When Orson was introduced toward the end of the second season, he was originally to be a con artist. A character portrayed by Julie White appeared in the second season finale and would have been Orson's accomplice, but the entire storyline was discarded in favor of the mysterious disappearance of Orson's wife and White's character was not seen or mentioned again. MacLachlan commented that his character is "desperate to make this relationship with Bree work. Anything that tries to knock that apart becomes a threat." Cherry called Orson Bree's perfect match, but added that their similarities "will ultimately prove to be the downfall of the relationship."