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Bree Hodge
Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge
Desperate Housewives
Portrayed by	Marcia Cross Carolyn Howard (stand-in) [1]
First appearance	Pilot (episode 1.01)
Created by	Marc Cherry
Profile
Aliases	Bree Mason (maiden name) Bree Van de Kamp (first married name) Bree Hodge (current married name)
Gender	Female
Age	45
Occupation	Housewife
Relationships Parents Henry Mason (father) Mrs.Mason (mother; deceased) Eleanor Mason (step-mother) Spouse(s) Rex Van de Kamp (first husband; deceased) Orson Hodge (second husband) Romances George Williams (ex-fiancé) Ty Grant (ex-fiancé) Peter McMilian (ex-boyfried) Children Andrew Van de Kamp (son; with Rex) Danielle Van de Kamp (daughter; with Rex) Benjamin Hodge (adoptive son; with Orson) Grandchildren Benjamin Hodge (grandson; via Danielle) Aunts and uncles Aunt Fern Other relatives Phyllis Van de Kamp (former mother-in-law) Edwin Hodge (father-in-law; deceased) Gloria Hodge (mother-in-law)

Bree Hodge (formerly Bree Van de Kamp) (née Mason) is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives, played by Marcia Cross.

Bree Hodge (born 1962) is a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, the conservative Republican widow of Rex Van de Kamp, the wife of Orson Hodge and one of the four main characters in the series Desperate Housewives. Bree is recognized for her perfectionist attitude and work ethic, which at times borders on neurosis and obsessive compulsion. While the writers have shied away from officially diagnosing the character as suffering from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, the character herself refers to her “quirks” in terms of anal retentiveness and not obsessive-compulsiveness. She drives a Chrysler 300 for the show

Bree is known for her cooking, gardening, doing her lawn, and reupholstering her own furniture, on the level of Martha Stewart. Besides being a dedicated homemaker, she also is well-versed in regards to firearm training: she owns four guns and is a card-carrying member of the Nation Rifle Association. She is a staunch conservative, owning and displaying a framed photograph of noted Republican President Ronald Reagan in her home. She is also a conservative Christian and homophobic, though as of the third season Bree has slowly renounced her disdain for homosexuals with the revelation that her son Andrew was gay, and also his revealing that her homophobic response towards him when he came out of the closet was the driving force towards the pain he inflicted upon Bree during season two.

Bree is introduced as the perfect wife and mother,^[2] however, it becomes apparent that her emotional coldness and obsession with appearance causes the rest of her family to resent her.^[3] She is forced to take part in marriage counselling when her husband Rex asks for a divorce,^[4][5] and her son Andrew's rebellious behaviour leads her to cover up a hit-and-run accident to protect him. Bree eventually discovers that Rex is having an affair with a prostitute,^[6] and leaves him, seeking companionship with local pharmacist George Williams. Hoping to restore her marriage, Bree reluctantly takes part in S&M scenarios with Rex in an attempt to satisfy him sexually.^[7] As she and Rex begin to reconcile, the conservative Bree is horrified when Andrew comes out of the closet,^[8] and her attempts to "correct" her son's homosexuality only succeeds in alienating him further. Bree continues to confide in George about her family problems, and unbeknown to Bree, he begins plotting to murder Rex by replacing his heart medication. When Rex has a heart attack and the doctors discover his medication was tampered with, Rex believes Bree was the one trying to kill him, and writes her a note forgiving her. He then dies of a stroke, leaving Bree devastated.

Bree is disgusted when she discovers that Rex suspected her of poisoning him, and she begins to rely on George for emotional support. George manipulates Bree into agreeing to marry him, but when his obsessive and jealous behaviour becomes too much, she angrily breaks off the engagement. As Bree discovers that George is responsible for murdering Rex, George attempts a fake suicide in order to win her back. However, now knowing his part in her husband's death, Bree watches coldly as she allows George to die. Following these events, Bree slips into alcoholism, and Andrew's vendetta towards her reaches a head when he falsely accuses her of child abuse. To combat this, Bree reluctantly attends Alcoholics Anonymous, and begins a relationship with her sponsor, Peter McMillan, who is also a sex addict. Bree thwarts Andrew's attempts to achieve legal emancipation, so he takes revenge by having sex with Peter. Unable to cope with Andrew any longer, Bree kicks him out and falls into a deep depression. When her remaining child Danielle then runs away with her boyfriend Matthew Applewhite, Bree suffers a nervous breakdown and checks herself into a psychiatric clinic, where she meets Orson Hodge. However, after discovering that Matthew is a murderer and Danielle is in danger, Bree escapes the facility and confronts Matthew at gunpoint. Matthew is shot dead by the police, and Bree and Danielle reconcile.

Bree marries Orson after a six-month relationship, but their marriage is plagued by the revelation that Orson may have not only physically abused his first wife, Alma, but also murdered her. Shortly after the wedding, Andrew returns home, and the rift between him and his mother is healed through Orson's mediation. However, the arrival of Orson's mother, Gloria, and the return of Alma, causes a rift in the family once more. When the two women successfully drug Orson for the purpose of allowing Alma to rape him, Bree intervenes and learns that Gloria was responsible for murdering Orson's mistress Monique Pollier, in order to keep him trapped in a loveless marriage to Alma. Gloria then tries to murder Bree in the bathtub and make it look like suicide, but Orson intervenes and in defense of Bree, causes his mother to suffer a terminal stroke. With Gloria paralyzed, and Alma dead after falling from a roof, Bree and Orson are finally able to go on their honeymoon. When she returns, Bree announces to her friends that she is pregnant. However, it is in fact Danielle who is pregnant, but Bree plans to raise the child as her own to avoid scandal by wearing a series of false bellies and keeping Danielle hidden in a convent until she gives birth.

Bree desires to have another chance at motherhood by lying to the neighbours about Danielle's pregnancy. Bree develops a rivalry with new neighbour Katherine Mayfair, who she finds out is keeping a secret. Phyllis Reynolds-Van de Kamp, Rex's mother, later turns up at Bree's baby party and the two soon come to blows, with Phyllis discovering Bree's secret. However, she keeps it quiet but she goes and takes Danielle from the place where she is being looked after.

Bree is spoofed in MADtv's Desperate Housewives parody[1], in which they mock the character's plastic exterior and demeanor.

In a 2006 interview with Charmed Magazine, Michelle Stafford admitted that her character Mandi in Charmed was almost entirely modelled on Marcia Cross as Bree. Looking at pictures and episodes of Bree to gain a sense of her posture and body language, she laughed, "I'm just mimicking her. I'm just ripping her off."

• Bree is based on creator Marc Cherry's own mother, as the entire Van de Kamp family is based on the family in which he grew up. Bree's family was based on Marc Cherry's teen years, while Lynette Scavo's family is based on Marc Cherry's childhood years.
• Bree has been warned not to get married twice. The first time, she was warned not to marry George Williams by his ex-girlfriend and the second time she was warned by Carolyn Bigsby not to marry Orson Hodge.
• Marcia Cross originally auditioned for the role of Mary Alice Young, but Marc Cherry thought she was Bree the minute she walked in.
• Bree and her first husband Rex were both named after the overtly vain characters on two of Marc Cherry's previous failed sitcoms, The Five Mrs. Buchanans (Bree) and The Crew (Rex).
• In the 3rd season episode 'My Husband, the Pig', Bree is played by Marcia Cross' stand in, Carolyn Howard, and in most scenes viewers will only see her backside. This is due to Marcia Cross' pregnancy. The character then proceeds to leave town to see her parents and go on to meet Orson for their honeymoon, which explains her departure.
• Bree is the only character, from the leading four females, not to appear in every episode because of her maternity leave towards the end of Season 3.

• Bree Hodge at Wikia
• Bree Van De Kamp at IMDb
• Bree Van De Kamp at What's on TV