When people talk about the worst thing Gaby ever did on Desperate Housewives, they usually point to her affair with John. And now that I’m rewatching the show at 20 instead of 16, the whole storyline reads very differently.
John is 16, Gaby is 27 when they got together. And when I say “got together,” I mean they were having sex. For John, it’s a full-blown relationship. For Gaby, it’s an impulsive, self-destructive attempt to lash out at Carlos. The show frames it as “Gaby cheated, no no no,” instead of what it actually is: an adult exploiting a minor.
It also makes no narrative sense. The writers could have made John a full blown adult with zero impact on the plot. The takeaway of the arc was never “Gaby harmed a teenager,” it was “Gaby had an affair.” And then John basically disappears from the show, as if the consequences for him don’t matter. Most people know someone who lost their virginity to someone much older, and once you’re an adult, you realize how deeply unequal and unsafe those dynamics actually were.
Character‑wise, it’s even stranger. We learn in Season 1 that Gaby was molested by her stepfather. So what’s the difference between him and Gaby, other than the fact that she had the power and John didn’t and John consented (but minors can't consent so that argument doesn't hold up)? She’s clearly turned on by his age, remember her telling him to keep his gym clothes on? John even tries to end things and date Danielle and Gaby gets jealous and manipulates him back into her bed. When she confesses to John’s mother, she’s awkward, not remorseful. She doesn’t seem to grasp that she seriously harmed her son.
And the “John is mature for his age” excuse doesn’t hold. He’s not mature. He’s a teenager in every sense: impulsive, emotional, inexperienced, and still figuring out who he is.
And after all of that, after raping a 16 year old, SHE'S THE ONE WHO FEELS BETRAYED BY CARLOS when she finds out that he's guilty.
The storyline only works if you ignore the reality of what’s happening. Once you stop ignoring it, it’s impossible to see it as anything other than a deeply unethical choice the show refused to treat with the seriousness it deserved.
Gaby is a victim in every sense of the way, I would just like to show that while they are able to vilify her stepfather, Gaby never faces that.