WATCH: 'Desperate Housewives' Major Character Death

In exactly two months, ABC's Desperate Housewives will close the book on its eight-season run, and the show is already starting to pull out all the stops.

Monday night's episode, called "You Take for Granted," witnessed the death of James Denton's Mike Delfino in a drive-by shooting while wife Susan (Teri Hatcher) helplessly watched. The departure of Denton, who helped make the series the success it has been, foreshadows a season wrap-up that's not afraid to shock and upset both viewers and actors alike.

Hatcher, for one, had no problem calling the decision "a bad idea," she told EW, reports the Daily Telegraph. "It's sad to me that Susan, who started the series as a single, unloved mother, ends now in the same way," she said. "I always thought the audience wanted to see Mike and Susan finally happy and safe, but that place did not sustain itself for [creator] Marc [Cherry] or ABC, I guess."

On the other hand, Denton was not particularly upset with Cherry's decision. "I had finally — after seven years of worrying about being killed off — I'd realized, well, I made it till the end," he told EW. Then, [Cherry] called and he said, 'We have this idea,' and he told me …. The whole time I'm biting the inside of my cheek because I was trying not to crack up because it's fantastic for me. We're almost through, anyway."

In a surprising move, Desperate Housewives actually revealed the news of Mike's death before the airing of the show in a promotional ad. This may have something to do with details being unintentionally leaked at the court trial of Nicollette Sheridan, who is suing DH and Cherry for wrongful termination.

You can catch the rest of the seven episodes of Housewives on ABC Sunday night at 9 p.m.

Watch the drive-by and Mike's death here:

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