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Danielle Katz (née Van de Kamp) is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. Danielle is the 23-year-old daughter of Bree and Rex Van de Kamp. She is the younger sister of Andrew and does not receive as much attention as her brother. The character is played by actress Joy Lauren.

Criticize my parenting all you want. I don't care, because you don't get to decide how he's raised anymore. I'm his mother. Oh, and by the way...mark your calendars 'cause seven years from next Saturday: Benjamin's Bar Mitzvah!

— Danielle Katz

Character's background

Season 1

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 and heartbroken; this is also the first step towards Danielle becoming a bit strained of being around her mother because she thinks she will give her as much attention as her brother gets for his behavior.

Season 2

She convinced 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 found love in Matthew Applewhite, a new African-American neighbor on Wisteria Lane. While looking for his brother in the Van de Kamp yard, Danielle finds 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.

Season 3

Take it from a girl who's known at school as Little Miss Van de Tramp.

— Danielle Van de Kamp

Later, it is discovered by Bree that Danielle was sleeping with her history teacher, and attempts to sabotage the relationship. Bree later goes to the teacher and sabotages the relationship further, 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 criminally charged. 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. 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 is expected to be studying abroad throughout the duration of the pregnancy. 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 arranged 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 have commented 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.

Season 4

Danielle cares about only three things in her life: Danielle, fun .. wait I was wrong, there are just two.

— Andrew Van de Kamp

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 to, and Danielle packs her things. She then goes to live at Phyllis's nursing home. Danielle wanted to birth and bring up the child there. Bree seems unable to change her mind, until Andrew tells her how "Danielle's little brain" works. So they decided to surpass Phyllis by allowing Danielle to attend the party-college in Miami and giving her a convertible. Of course Danielle chooses the car over the baby and decides to give the baby to Bree. In episode 4.06 Danielle attends a Halloween party hosted by Bob and Lee. She tells people that she is a clone of Bree Van de Kamp Hodge. While Bree is yelling at her for coming she realizes that her water broke. On the way to Bree's house she realized that she wasn't going to make it to the hospital and would 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 delivery. Danielle gave birth to a baby boy named 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.

The next morning, Danielle left Wisteria Lane, and moved to Miami to go to college.

Season 5

The first episode of the season showed a flashback during the five-year time jump showing Danielle taking back Benjamin from Bree. She is also married to a lawyer now. Danielle, Leo and Benjamin are all vegetarians, but Bree does not accept this. During their conversation it comes up that Danielle is homeschooling Benjamin, and she and Leo are raising Benjamin in the Jewish faith. Ironic as Bree had promised to raise Benjamin Jewish when she had him circumcised during Season 4.

• Misplaced Pages articles with plot summary needing attention from September 2008
• Desperate Housewives characters
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