Xiao-Mei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Xiao-Mei | |
|---|---|
 Gwendoline Yeo as Xiao-Mei |
|
| First appearance | Silly People (episode 2.14) |
| Last appearance | It Takes Two (episode 3.02) |
| Cause/Reason | Moved to an apartment in Chinatown |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 20s |
| Occupation | Maid |
| Relationships | Carlos Solis (ex-lover) |
| Portrayed by | Gwendoline Yeo |
| Created by | Marc Cherry |
Xiao-Mei was a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character was played by actress Gwendoline Yeo.
[edit] History
Xiao-Mei is an illegal immigrant from China, sold by her uncle to Maxine Bennett (an acquaintance of Bree Van De Kamp's) as a domestic servant. After being liberated by the authorities, she is brought to the Solis home by Father Crowley. After revealing herself to be an excellent cook and seamstress, Gabrielle begins a subtle campaign to make Xiao-Mei want to work for her, thereby replacing their former Chinese housekeeper, Yao Lin, who had been fired some time prior; this includes a seemingly off-handed gift to Xiao-Mei of a silver bracelet the girl had admired. When it comes time for Xiao-Mei to leave, she begs Father Crowley to let her stay, as she has come to think of the Solises as family. Gabrielle uses this to get her own way, and Xiao-Mei becomes the Solis' new housekeeper.
During the brief time that the Solis' had Lily, the baby girl they planned to adopt, Gabi also showed her intent to have Xiao-Mei act as the child's nurse/nanny. Xiao-Mei appears to be quite capable at this as well, causing Gabi to give Xiao-Mei a day at her spa. Not realizing which day Xiao-Mei had chosen to take her up on her kindness, Gabi leaves the baby alone in the house to have lunch with Bree; when Bree tells her that she has just seen Xiao-Mei at the spa, Gabi runs home to Lily and discovers that she does have maternal instincts after all.
After Lily is taken away from the Solises, they begin to explore the idea of surrogacy. This coincides with Xiao-Mei's need to avoid deportation, which the ICE and INS have been threatening Xiao-Mei with since her liberation from Maxine Bennett's house. Believing she has found a way to have her cake and eat it too, Gabrielle convinces Carlos that Xiao-Mei's surrogacy would solve both problems. After some reluctance, he agrees to propose the idea to Xiao-Mei; Xiao-Mei, in turn, is horrified by the idea, believing that she will be ruined by the loss of her virginity and unable to find a suitable husband. When she confesses her fears to Gabrielle, Gabrielle (in another extremely selfish move) convinces Xiao-Mei that her virginity would be a liability in her efforts to find a husband, especially if Xiao-Mei wants a rich husband like Carlos. Xiao-Mei then agrees to become a surrogate.
Confusion is not entirely abated, however, as Xiao-Mei does not understand the process which Gaby and Carlos are proposing. Catching Carlos in the master bath before the appointment at the fertility clinic, Xiao-Mei slips off her robe to reveal that she is wearing nothing, and then scoots into bed as Carlos turns to stare at her and gives the classic 'be gentle' line. Carlos, dumbfounded, is then jolted from his stunned stupor by Gabrielle, who is not happy that Xiao-Mei has misunderstood and less happy that Carlos did not instantly correct her misconception. Later, at the fertility clinic, Gaby tells Carlos that Xiao-Mei is a virgin before he goes to give his sperm sample. Intrigued by her innocence and the memory of her young, naked body, Carlos remembers that Gabi had given him a free pass to have an affair and begins to consider Xiao-Mei as a candidate.
It is unknown when Carlos actually begins his affair with Xiao-Mei. After Xiao-Mei becomes pregnant, it is assumed that the insemination took hold, but Carlos begins behaving oddly. He shows Xiao-Mei an unusually high amount of consideration and affection, and at one point calls her "the mother of my child". When Gabrielle eventually does discover that Xiao-Mei and Carlos are having an affair (the combination of an unguarded comment by Xiao-Mei and some well-placed baby monitors), Gabrielle has Xiao-Mei help her throw Carlos' clothing out of the bedroom window, and then informs Xiao-Mei in a dangerous tone that Xiao-Mei is carrying her child, and that under no circumstances is Xiao-Mei going to leave and join Carlos; Gaby intends to keep her in the Solis house doing her normal job for the next nine months. This proves an unenforceable threat, however, as Xiao-Mei is placed on bed rest during the latter part of her pregnancy and Gaby is forced to do everything herself, including cater to Xiao-Mei.
During Bree Van De Kamp's wedding, Xiao-Mei's water breaks and she is taken to the hospital. The baby Xiao-Mei delivers is of Black descent, making it impossible that the baby was conceived due to Carlos and Xiao-Mei's affair. The hospital administrator informs an irate Gabrielle and Carlos that a mix-up at the fertility clinic resulted in Xiao-Mei being implanted with another family's embryos. Xiao-Mei has not been seen or heard from since delivering.
| Desperate Housewives | ||
| Episode list | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | ABC official site | ||
| Production | Marc Cherry | Characters | Actors | Awards | Broadcasting | DVD releases | Music | The Game | |
| Main characters |
Susan Mayer | Lynette Scavo | Bree Van De Kamp Hodge | Gabrielle Solis | Edie Britt | Mary Alice Young Carlos Solis | Tom Scavo | Julie Mayer | Orson Hodge | Mike Delfino Andrew Van De Kamp | Danielle Van De Kamp | Preston and Porter Scavo | Parker Scavo | Ian Hainsworth |
|
| Former main characters |
Betty Applewhite | Rex Van De Kamp | Paul Young | John Rowland | Zach Young | Karl Mayer |
|
| Minor characters |
Carolyn Bigsby | Sophie Flickman | Maisy Gibbons | Ida Greenberg | Alma Hodge | Gloria Hodge |
|
| Locations | Wisteria Lane | |
