Danielle Katz

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Danielle Katz

Name

Danielle Katz

Age

22

Marital Status

Married

First seen

Pilot

Status

Alive

Occupation

Student

Portrayed by

Joy Lauren

From first impressions, Danielle is hardly an unusual teenage girl: she's obsessed with how she looks and is only ever happy when she has a boyfriend on hand to bolster her confidence.

But when those boyfriends include her school teacher and even a local murderer, it's time for her mother Bree to take severe measures.

However, Danielle soon changes her ways - marries a lawyer, raises a child and becomes vegetarian.

[edit] Season One

Danielle is the 15-year-old daughter of Bree Hodge and Rex Van De Kamp. She is the younger sister of Andrew and does not receive as much attention as her brother.

During her sophomore year, Danielle was the head of her high school's abstinence club. After finding a condom in the laundry basket, Bree discovers that Danielle is planning to give up her virginity to her ex-boyfriend, John Rowland, in order to lure him back to her. Bree then pays a visit to John and advises him not to accept Danielle's offer. John then permanently ends the relationship leaving Danielle devastated.

[edit] Season Two

She convinces her mother to let Phyllis Van de Kamp (Rex's mother, Bree's mother-in-law) stay for her father's funeral after the two quarrelled over the arrangements. Danielle soon finds love in Matthew Applewhite, a new African-American neighbor on Wisteria Lane. While looking for his brother in the Van de Kamp yard, Danielle sees him and asks if she is looking for someone. Matthew politely lies and asks her out on a date. Danielle accepts and soon the two rendezvous in the park secretly at night.

After her mother discovers Matthew hiding under Danielle's bed, Bree attempts to put the brakes on their relationship. However after Danielle exchanged family secrets with Matthew about Andrew's hit-and-run, Betty uses the information to her advantage to keep Bree quiet about Caleb.

Danielle appears to need a boyfriend in order to feel good about herself, and is preoccupied with her looks. She proved that she can be just as amoral as her brother when she played as an accomplice to Matthew's scheme in order to have Caleb "put down" so that he and his mother would not have to move. Danielle then discovers Matthew locked in the basement as punishment and frees him after hitting Betty on the head with a crow bar. Danielle then runs away with Matthew leaving her mother no other choice than to voluntarily admit herself to a mental institution. Bree escapes from there, desperately trying to protect her daughter.

[edit] Season Three

Later, it is discovered by Bree that Danielle was sleeping with her history teacher. Bree goes to the teacher and sabotages the relationship, convincing him to end the relationship with Danielle, lest suffer the consequences. When Danielle is dumped by him she reveals to her teacher's wife their affair, going as far as to get him fired and possibly criminal charges. Soon afterwards it is revealed that Austin and Danielle were conducting an affair behind Julie's back, and later blackmailing Austin into not ending it, or she would reveal it to Julie. They are discovered by Susan and Edie, and Susan tells Julie.

While Danielle is left alone looking after her mother, Gloria turns up at their house with the intention of killing Bree. Gloria tells Danielle that she will take care of Bree to allow Danielle to go to the pizzeria, and as Danielle is leaving, she fails to notice Alma Hodge calling her for help from the roof of the house across the street Danielle without noticing Alma, Alma fails to warn Danielle of Gloria's plan and she falls off the roof to her death. Danielle shows up at the pizzeria, where Andrew is shocked to learn that Gloria is looking after Bree.

As of "My Husband, the Pig", Danielle is pregnant with the now gone Austin McCann's child. She refuses to have an abortion when Austin suggests it, and does not argue with Orson's decision that the child will be put up for adoption. After telling Andrew and Orson that she is expecting, Orson arranges to take Danielle to Switzerland with himself and Bree, while she is there, Andrew will tell friends and family that she is studying abroad. It is believed that Bree will pass the child off as her own and stage a few months of a fake pregnancy to avoid suspicions. Bree and Orson tell their friends that Danielle is studying abroad, although she is still in America and within visiting distance by Bree; she is located at a convent where she is being cared for by nuns.

[edit] Season Four

In the premiere episode, Danielle is still at the convent and calls Bree demanding a DVD player for her room, however Bree refuses to get one for her, telling Orson it's enough to forgive someone for doing something bad but to reward it is wrong. Danielle makes her first Season four appearance in the episode "The Game" and Orson informs Bree that Danielle had a fall due to her rollerblading, Bree is furious and tells the nuns caring for Danielle to restrict her to her room until the baby is born and Orson also tells Bree that the baby could be in danger due to the fall and that they need to take scans. When Bree is getting the DVD Player for Danielle, Orson answers the phone and tells Bree that the baby is fine and Bree sobs with relief. In the episode "If There's Anything I Can't Stand" Phyllis Van De Kamp discovers Bree's secret and despite disliking Bree she keeps it a secret for the rest of her family's sake. At the end of the episode Phyllis turns up in Danielle's room at the convent and tells her that she can leave with her if she wants too, and Danielle packs her things. She then goes to live at Phyllis' nursing home but Bree using her crave for fun talks her into leaving it to go back home, bribing her with the promise of a car and the chance to go to a "party college".

In episode 4.06 Danielle attends a Halloween party hosted by Bob and Lee. She is not allowed by Bree to attend due to the pregnancy. Bree tries to have a heart to heart with her and tells her that she will be just like her when she has the baby and becomes a mother. However Danielle mocks this and attends the party dressed as Bree Van de Kamp Hodge, and relishes in imitating her mannerisms in front of Julie, Andrew, Dylan and Mrs. McCluskey. While Bree is yelling at her for coming she realizes that her water broke, Bree pretends that it was part of the costume and gets her out to clean her up. On the way to Bree's house she realizes that she isn't going to make it to the hospital and will have to deliver at home. Bree runs to Adam for help, since he is a gynecologist and Orson is a dentist (and also quite drunk). Bree makes Adam swear not to tell anyone about the delivey. Danielle gives birth to a baby boy who Bree names Benjamin. At the very end of the episode Bree and Danielle were talking about what was best for the baby. Danielle agreed with Bree that giving Bree the newborn baby would be more solid and he would be more protected. Danielle began to cry over the thought of giving her son up. Danielle has not been seen on the show since. It is assumed that she went to the University of Miami.

[edit] Season Five

Danielle with her husband Leo Katz.

It is revealed that Danielle returned following a marriage to lawyer Leo Katz, and took her son Benjamin from Bree while Orson was in jail. When protesting this, Danielle threatened Bree with a lawsuit should Bree try to stop her. During the current storyline of the Fifth Season we see Danielle return to Bree's home on Wisteria Lane with her husband and Benjamin. During their visit Bree attempts to feed Ben meat, when she learns that the family has become vegetarian. Bree is concerned about this decision, believing her grandson will no longer get protein. She tricks Benjamin as a result feeding him a hot dog saying his mother use to eat them all the time. That night at dinner however, due to having had so much vegetarian food and then having a hot dog, Benjamin gets sick causing Danielle to overreact and leave with Benjamin once again, leaving Bree heartbroken. Danielle has not been seen since.