Carlos Solis

Carlos Solis is a fictional character on Dirty Little Secrets and formerly Desperate Housewives. The character is played by actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira.

Desperate Housewives Background
Carlos was born in Guadalajara, Mexico to Juanita and Diego Solis. His father beat both Carlos and his mother so she told him that his father left them for a waitress in El Paso, but in Come In, Stranger, Juanita told Gaby that when Diego beat Carlos when Carlos was 4, "[she] made sure that Diego Solis never hurt [her] son or [her] ever again." It is implied that Juanita murdered Diego to protect Carlos and herself from his domestic violence.

Carlos entered college on a golf scholarship. He soon started a successful career in finances. While at a fashion show, he met his future wife to whom he proposed on their third date.

Season 1
Carlos wants a family so much that he replaced Gaby's birth control pills with sugar pills as she was against the idea. Due to financial difficulties, Carlos took a plea bargain and served 8 months in jail; separately, he was tried for hate crimes against two gay men who he thought were sleeping with Gabrielle. She was actually sleeping with John Rowland, their teenage gardener. John told Carlos that he beat up the wrong guy, causing Carlos to attack him and be convicted of the hate crimes. Gabrielle originally refused to get him off doing extra time after finding out he messed with her birth control, but made him promise he would take care of the baby in exchange for her testimony.

Season 2
After the loss of the baby, Carlos got early parole from a program for Catholic inmates. Through the program, Carlos met a nun, Sister Mary Bernard, who inspired him to live a more religious life. Gabrielle was jealous of Sister Mary's looks and because she was turning Carlos against Gabrielle. Following her miscarriage, she told Carlos that she did want children but she wanted Carlos to want her for her, not just because she was capable of having children.

Sister Mary invited Carlos to accompany her to Botswana, and he agreed initially. When he went to the doctor in preparation for the trip, he left Gabrielle to fill out a form for him. She neglected to mention his allergy to eggs, resulting in Carlos suffering an allergic reaction to a vaccine so he stayed in Fairview. While delirious, he talked about Sister Mary in a very unreligious way, which Gabrielle reported to her priest. He had Sister Mary transferred but not before she and Gabrielle had a fight.

In the season finale, Gabrielle thought Carlos was dead but discovered that he paid the gardener, Ralph, to do his community service and Ralph was hit by a car. She also discovered Carlos was having an affair with the maid/surrogate, Xiao-Mei.

Season 3
In the third season opener, Gabrielle and Carlos decided to divorce but it was complicated, due to the baby that their suurogate, Xiao-Mei, was expecting. However, she went into labour on Bree & Orson's wedding day and gave birth to a black baby. The doctor admitted that the embryos were accidentally switched and their embryo didn't take, simplifying the divorce. However, it got nasty and took a hostage situation at a supermarket to make them realize what they had turned into. Carlos's attempt to stop scheming had limited success. He moved in with Mike Delfino, taking advantage of Mike's amnesia by claiming that they were best friends. He also began dating again although he and Gaby still had feelings for each other.

He bonded with little Travers McLain after finding Travers wandering outside late at night. Spending time with him and his mother, Edie Britt, reignited his desire for children. Carlos and Edie began dating but kept it secret. However, when Carlos tells her that he doesn't want Gaby to know, Edie thinks he's still in love with her and tells Gabrielle, prompting Gaby to say that she was unhappy with Edie and Carlos dating but Edie ignored her. Carlos removed Gaby from Travers's party when he saw her making a scene and she said she was in love with Victor but he said that he and Edie would never be serious. Gaby realized he was still in love with her.

Edie's ex-husband, Charles, came to collect Travers and Edie spoke to a lawyer about shared custody, suspecting Carlos was losing interest. Charles and Edie argued and Edie threatened to go for full custody. Carlos persuaded her not to, convincing her to think of Travers's best interests, which was to stay with Charles. For the sake of Travers he agreed to commit with Edie, not to let her feel lonely and in need of a family; this made her call off the custody. Edie was upset by Carlos laughing at the idea of getting married so she asked him to move in but he refused, having signed a lease with Lillian Simms. Determined to make Carlos move in with her, she visited Lillian and lied about Carlos so Lillian cancelled the lease and Edie offered him a place to stay. Carlos guessed she was responsible and she asked why he wouldn't commit. He said that he didn't love her and she said that she could be pregnant. She wasn't and Carlos was disappointed. Seeing this, Edie suggested they try for a baby and he agreed. Edie, however, was still taking birth control pills which Carlos found and dumped her, leading her to attempt suicide in the season finale.

Season 4
In the fourth season, Carlos went home to find Edie hanging. He thought she was suicidal about their relationship but it emerged that she faked her suicide attempt. She nearly died as Karen McCluskey complained to Carlos about the garbage cans but saw something in Edie's bedroom window. They went to investigate and found Edie. They rushed her to hospital and Carlos rang Gabrielle, telling her that they couldn't leave. Edie used her suicide and knowledge of Carlos's finances to make him stay but pushed Carlos too far. She took her blackmail further, proposing marriage and telling him if he refused, she would tell the IRS about his illegal bank account so Carlos agrees but quietly moves the money.

Edie realized Carlos was having an affair and got pictures of him and Gaby kissing. She also told the IRS about the offshore bank account but they told her that the account doesn't exist. She gave the pictures to Victor and dumped Carlos. Carlos goes to see Gabrielle and she tells him that Victor tried to kill her while out at sea so she knocked him overboard. They go back to get him and when they do, Victor and Carlos fight. Victor went to stab Carlos and Gabrielle knocked Victor overboard again. When they look for him, they can't see him so Gabrielle and Carlos decide to frame it as suicide and let the boat go out to sea.

Carlos wants to go the police, but Gaby stops him. However, Victor is found alive. He claims to have amnesia and has forgotten what had happened on the boat, but when alone with Gaby, he threatens her, declaring that he remembers everything. Gaby and Carlos plan to leave but don't, due to the tornado warning. As the storm intensifies, Gaby goes to confront Edie about Carlos's finances. In the meantime, Victor attempts to kill Carlos. He runs out into the storm and Victor follows, firing multiple shots but is killed when impaled by a flying fence post. Carlos is hit on the head, rendering him unconscious and blind. Carlos tells Gaby that his sight will return, but Gaby discovers from Edie that Carlos's sight will never return. Edie congratulates her for accepting the lifelong task of caring for a disabled husband. Gaby is upset that Carlos lied but he explains that he was worried that she would not marry him, had she known the truth. She says that she would have come around but he robbed her of this. Gaby tells Carlos that she is with him "for better or worse."

At the end of the 4th season, in the 5-year leap, we see that Carlos and Gaby are happily married and have two daughters, Juanita and Celia Solis.

Season 5
Five years after Season 4, Carlos's life has changed dramatically. Despite medical doubts, Gaby unexpectedly got pregnant twice. While Carlos viewed Gaby's pregnancies as "miracles", she was less enthusiastic and worried about money. Carlos became a massage therapist to keep them afloat. Early in the season, Carlos learned that his sight can be restored. He happily anticipated seeing his wife for the first time in years and his daughters for the first time. Gaby, however, was worried that he wouldn't recognize her and find her unattractive. When his sight is restored, Carlos finds his daughters and wife beautiful and notices that Gaby sold nearly all her valuable belongings to support their family. He eventually took a high-paying business job so he could give Gaby and his daughters a better life.

In episode 17, Carlos became president of the company he was working at, due to the death of Bradley Scott. Later in this episode, he hired Lynette Scavo.

In the season finale, Aunt Connie claims she is dying and needs someone to care for her granddaughter, Ana. Carlos agrees, to pay back the aunt who did so much for him, despite Gaby's protests. Ana seems nice but is a schemer who can get guys to do what she wants by flirting.

Season 6
Two months have passed and Carlos and Gaby continue to look after his niece, Ana. While Gaby complains about Ana's bad behaviour, Carlos is more sympathetic and urges his wife to sign the papers that would make them Ana's legal guardians. Eventually, Gaby agrees. Lynette tells him she is pregnant and he makes her choose - her job or her family. When Lynette threatens to sue, Carlos responds by giving her an impossible amount of work to do in one night and when she couldn't complete it, fires her for incompetence. However, he rehires her after she saves Celia from an out of control aeroplane and she agrees not to sue.

However, one evening, Carlos finds Danny and Ana fooling around and attacks Danny. Angie overhears Carlos threatening her son and comes running, throwing a vase against the wall and proves that she is just as strong willed as Carlos, who releases Danny. When he and Gaby try making amends, they overhear her and Nick arguing about her shaded past.

Season 7
At the beginning of the season, Carlos learns that Juanita was switched with another baby at the hospital. Carlos decides to keep this from Gabrielle, not wanting to hurt her. He is clean-shaven, for the first time since the series started. He is also much skinnier. He also showed no interest in meeting his biological daughter, as this would mean having to give up Juanita. In You Must Meet My Wife Gabrielle was told that Juanita was not her child, due to a mix up at the hospital. Carlos then had to tell Gabrielle the truth after she believed that Carlos was not Juanita's father.