It boggles the mind why anyone would want to live on a street filled with corrupt husbands and lying housewives. But in spite of all the crazy, it was the friendships between Susan Mayer , Bree Van de Kamp, Gabrielle Solis and Lynette Scavo that made viewers tune in every Sunday. As “Desperate Housewives” gets ready to wrap up its eighth and final season, CTV.ca looks back at the four women who entered our homes in 2004, and made us a part of their scandalous lives.

Lynette Scavo worked as a marketing executive, raised five  children (not including Tom’s daughter from a previous marriage), returned to work, survived cancer, operated a pizzeria with her husband and kept her marriage (mostly) in tact over the last eight years. There’s a reason her friends dub her “the smart one” in their circle. She knows how to plan, prepare, execute and clean up any mess she gets herself into.

Lynette Scavo (played by Felicity Huffman)

BEST HOOK-UP:
Tom Scavo. Up until season eight, this was the couple to beat for the longest (and most faithful) marriage. No matter what life threw at them, they always managed to come out on top, together.

MOST EMBARASSING MOMENT:
In season four, Lynette mistakenly ate marijuana-laced brownies. In the resulting confrontation, Lynette boldly told off her mother and threw her out of the house. She later regretted what she said, but the damage was done. However, the pair eventually reconciled.

BEST MOMENT:
Lynette discovered Bree had a problem with alcohol. After a mishap that involved Bree passing out while watching Lynette’s kids, it was Lynette’s non-verbal technique that forced Bree to own up to the fact she had a problem. Knowing Bree had been  confronted about her alcohol problem already, Lynette silently lined Bree’s veranda with the empty bottles of wine Bree consumed in one week, leaving a note asking Bree if she still thought she didn’t have a problem.

WORST MOMENT:
When a tornado hit Wisteria Lane, Lynette and her family sought shelter with their elderly neighbour Karen. Karen previously invited her own elderly friend Ida and Ida’s cat to wait out the storm as well. However, Lynette’s husband Tom was allergic to the cat, forcing Lynette to secretly let the animal out of the house. Outraged, Karen went after the cat in the tornado, causing Lynette to run out after her. When the storm was over, they returned to Karen’s only to learn Ida died saving Tom’s life when Karen’s house collapsed. Lynette realized everyone’s family was important to them, even if it’s only a cat.

BEST ZINGER:
Lynette: Hi. My baby-sitter cancelled.
Bree: I've got millions of errands to run so...
Lynette: Please hear me out, this is important. Today I have a chance to join the human race for a few hours - there are actual adults waiting for me with margaritas. Look, I'm in a dress, I have make-up on.
Bree: If it were any other day…
Lynette: Oh, for God's sake, Bree, I'm wearing pantyhose!

WORST STORYLINE:
The eighth season focused on the dissolution of Lynette’s marriage to Tom. We cite this as Lynette’s worst storyline because for seven seasons, their marriage survived all the problems it came up against. They couldn’t have stuck it out one more year and lived happily ever after?

BEST STORYLINE:
In one of the show’s more dramatic storylines, a pregnant Lynette discovered the Fairview strangler was Eddie, a troubled teen she had invited to live in her home. Lynette decided to convince Eddie to turn himself in, but ended up Eddie’s prisoner in his house. Lynette went into labour, with only Eddie to help her deliver her baby. Eddie helped her give birth, and then decided to hand himself over to the authorities with Lynette’s help.

WHY WE HATED HER:
Lynette always had to be the alpha leader in her family. She couldn’t stand to share the spotlight with anyone else, including her husband. It was a recurring problem that ultimately led to their divorce in the final season.

WHY WE LOVED HER:
Lynette was the smart one.  She was a marketing executive who gave it all up to raise her many kids, but never lost her sharp wit, her marketing knowledge or the ability to schmooze people to get what she wanted. She was the ultimate matriarch on the show and always put her family first.

Make sure to relive the ups and downs of the other desperate housewives of Wisteria Lane with our yearbook entries on Susan Mayer, Bree Van de Kamp and Gabrielle Solis.

Don’t miss an all-new episode of “Desperate Housewives,” followed by the two-part series finale, on Sunday, May 13 starting at 8pm ET on CTV.