the role because of her similarities to Hatcher, who commented, "It's almost scary how much we are the same person." Series creator Marc Cherry, who had become a fan of Warren following her performances in Cinderella and Victor Victoria, deemed her "the Teri Hatcher of the 1970s". James Denton recalled that "Lesley Ann looked at some episodes, came in and basically is Susan." Warren was initially turned off by the thought of portraying the mother to Hatcher's character, as there is only an 18-year age difference between the actors; however, she was comforted when Cherry assured her that Sophie "would be portrayed as girlish and flirtatious." Entertainment Weekly Ann Hodgman criticized Warren's four-episode storyline in the first season, opining: "Every time she's on screen ... the show devolves into generic sitcom and becomes an old Bewitched episode where Endora drops in uninvited." Hodgman stated that guest actors "breach the security" of the "claustrophobic, sealed-in quality" of the series. Stransky praised the return of Warren as Sophie in the seventh season and called her final scene in the episode "touching."<ref name="zach attack">Stransky, Tannter (January 9, 2011). "'Desperate Housewives' recap: Zach Attack". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 26, 2011.</ref> Reverend Sykes Reverend Sykes (Dakin Matthews) is reverend at the local Presbyterian church. He first appeared in the episode "Live Alone and Like It", when he met with Andrew about his sexual orientation. Andrew tells him he plans on getting revenge by "rocking" Bree's world (which Sykes cannot warn Bree about due to the rules of confession). Sykes presided over Rex's funeral and was the celebrant at Bree and Orson's marriage. He is later seen in numerous occasions for the rest of the series, giving Bree advice whenever she needs some. Introduced in season two Phyllis Van de Kamp Phyllis Van de Kamp (Shirley Knight) is Rex's mother. She has always had a very cold relationship with Bree, disapproving of her marriage to Rex and accusing her of making her son's life miserable. After Rex's death, she continues to disrupt Bree's life. Phyllis first appears in the second season when she arrives for Rex's funeral. She clashes with Bree on the stories the Vicar would tell about Rex, or the tie he was going to wear. Soon after, Phyllis calls a detective who is looking into Rex's death and informs them that Bree has a boyfriend. Suspecting foul play, the detectives exhume Rex to