While it was great to hear from out-of-town Jackson on this week’s episode of Desperate Housewives, surely Susan would prefer that her pretty painter beau be with her in the (abundant) flesh, to keep their nascent romance percolating. But when, if ever, might the lovers really reconnect?

Although Gale Harold — who was critically injured in an Oct. 14 motorcycle accident, fracturing a shoulder and, by one account, developing swelling on the brain — was able to drop by the Housewives set to record Jackson’s aforementioned phone call, a timetable for the actor’s on-screen return still is up in the air.

“We are working on bringing him back to the show. We just don’t know when,” Housewives producers say in a statement to TVGuide.com. “Because we had to work around his absence, the story doesn’t require him immediately. But we would like to have him back on the show very soon.”

To buy some time, Housewives wrote in a phone call establishing that Jackson had reconnected with a pal in Riverton and wanted Susan to move to be with him. Judging by Susan’s initial reaction to the suggestion — and her subsequent all-night bender with Lee — Edie probably shouldn’t put a “For Sale” sign outside the Mayers house anytime soon.

As Harold continues to recuperate fully from his accident, rumors have swirled that he might not ever return to Housewives, or at least not until next season. Rebuffing such buzz, his spokesperson assures us, “Gale is terrific,” adding, “He’s the Gale we know and love.”

Similarly, Housewives producers described Harold’s recent drop-by as “fantastic,” saying, “He looks great, he’s completely himself and we had a wonderful time.”

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