Brothers & Sisters

Five questions from last Sunday’s episode still rattling in my brain today.

1. What was that thing on Justin’s shirt? I’ll admit, I’m not up with the clothes the kids wear today, so maybe that target-like thing was some sort of logo with which I am unfamiliar. What it looked like to me was the CBS eye that gets superimposed in the corner of the screen during shows on that network, and it kept jolting me — wait! isn’t this ABC? oh, no, it’s just Justin’s shirt. Took me out of the story, is all.

2. Honestly, what ever happened to Julia? She was a presence in this episode. Her father-in-law wanted to talk with her about her job. She had an opinion on Justin. She and Joe had a little bit of outsider rapport, and a dishwashing gig. I generally like the new characters that were brought in over the course of the show, but it seems a shame to just totally waste an old one. The plot crumbs thrown her way throughout the season were just too few and far between to build up much sense of character or interest. Maybe that will change next season.

3. Do people really serve up engagement rings in food? Maybe they do. I saw a show about Disney weddings recently in which a guy had a ring put in a chocolate dessert, so I suppose it happens. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around the point at which you hand a huge diamond to a stranger and expect to see it come back again. And then hope your sweetie doesn’t eat it, or recoil a little at a martini-wet ring. Maybe I’m just not such a romantic. The senator’s producing of a ring in a non-edible container about the size of a shoebox is more my speed.

4. How did William Walker, keeper of Big Dark Secrets, spawn such a brood of confidence-spillers? Even here, right from the beginning, we see secrets having the briefest of shelf-lives among these siblings. Maybe Rebecca got the secret gene — surely the affair with the teacher would have involved some subterfuge, and we’re not even sure yet that what she told Justin was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but. Still, under the influence of her newfound clan, she does seem to be getting more talkative. Apparently, secrets really did die with dad.

5. What’s the best Sarah smackdown ever? She’s sure had a lot of experience this season putting people in their places with sharp words. Holly’s been the victim most frequently, and there has been a lot of deliciousness in their exchanges for sure. But Sarah’s response to Saul in this episode, I loved. Quiet, to the point, and absolutely firm in sticking up for herself, to someone who is truly family and is not truly hated but is nonetheless out of line. The kind of thing most of us wish we could say to an older relative, whereas thankfully few of us have call to chasten a parent’s mistress.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Patriarchy, pilot, commentary

As a follow-up to the recap, here are some memorable lines from the episode “Patriarchy.” Did I miss your favorites? Add them in the comments.

Kevin: Is there any chance you may have garlic, pasta, frozen peas and chicken broth?
Kitty: No peas, but you know what, I do have a little sage left over from the dead chickens.
Kevin: Okay, good, you can have a delicious meal ready in 10 minutes that anyone in Milan would die for … and that was too gay a sentence even for me.

Kitty: I have a right of safe return, Kevin, to L.A., it’s written in the Constitution.

Justin: You didn’t bring Jonathan?
Kitty: No, I didn’t want Dad to challenge him to a boxing match or a horse race or something.
Justin: I’d love to have seen that.

Justin: So you’re really going to be saying pompously relevant stuff on TV?
Kitty: Well, they need someone young … ish from the right.

Nora: You look wonderful. Just wonderful. … You could use some sun. Maybe some raisins or something.

Justin: If you ever get arrested again, Sweetie, Kevin’s your guy.
Fawn: They dropped the charges.

Kitty: What’s up with this counseling?
Sarah: Two little kids, we have Gabe three nights a week, too much management, so little touching. So little touching.

Sarah: Being a working mom is like being a currency that never has enough value.
Kitty: Oh my God, I’m going to steal that line.
Sarah: Plus, it’s not easy having these two parents who have this absurd, iconic romance.
Kitty: I know. They’re so Ron and Nancy.
Sarah: Who made you this way?

Sarah: It’s such a relief when they’re finally asleep.
Tommy: The kids?
Sarah: No, the folks.

Justin: Hey, does anybody want to go out? There is this great bar in Chinatown we could tear up.
Tommy: Do they allow people with jobs to go there?
Kevin: Or is it just for unemployed hipsters who know every episode of Scooby.

Joe: You all do the Walker Watch on him, anybody’d get spooked by that.

Kevin: If you lived here, you’d have more control over what’s said about you.
Kitty: You think I care? … What do you say about me?
Kevin: You’re fat.

Kevin: No, we like him.
Kitty: Oh. But.
Kevin: But it’s you with him I’m not over the moon about. You seem slightly, I don’t know, smaller to accommodate what you see as his very large presence.
Sarah: He’s a little self-involved.

Kitty: You know what, Kevin, you’re going to have to get over thinking that my politics are just poses geared to annoy you.

(more…)

The overall ratings rankings for the prime time 2006-7 season are in, and Brothers & Sisters came in at a respectable 37 out of 140, not high enough to beat the Joneses like Grey’s Anatomy and CSI and American Idol, but comfortably in the company of Ugly Betty and Numbers and ER.

Looking just at the favored 18-49 demographic, the show ties with CSI:NY for 25th place, just below October Road and a night of Deal or No Deal, and just above Law and Order: SVU.

Not a bad first year for a show that was supposed to die an early death. Congratulations to all involved. While the cast and crew has some time off now, this blog will keep going through the summer with recaps and commentary on early episodes and news on the brothers’ and sisters’ summer exploits. Stop by daily for the latests.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Dear old dad. Daddy. What a guy, that William Walker. Smooth talker. Peacemaker. Great hair, even when he’s dead in the water. Icon of business and marriage. Makes grown daughters melt into adoring children. Okay, sure, he has tense and secretive phone conversations, he hobnobs with mysterious blondes, he blames his brother-in-law for financial indiscretions that he knows more about than he’s telling. But you’ve got to give it to the guy — he knows when to make an exit.

At first, this pilot gives you the impression that the show’s going to be all about Kitty. The wayward daughter, the Republican radio host, come from NYC to LA to see about a TV show, and also see if her mother’s forgiven her yet. No, not so much. Mom’s willing to make tense happy talk and hug stiffly for the sake of Dad’s approval, but that shouldn’t be mistaken as actually indicating she’s happy Kitty’s there. Also not so happy she’s there is her controlling New York boyfriend, Jonathan, who makes it pretty clear that this whole being a TV star thing is way less worthy than accepting his engagement ring and going home to make babies like a good little Republican wife.

Happier that Kitty’s home are her four interfering siblings, who fall instantly into the sort of bitchy rapport viewers will come to know and love in episodes to come. Also happy to see her is the producer and co-host of the TV show, who do their best to inspire her to come out of her radio shell and really make a difference. ‘Cause, you know, high-minded discourse and inspiring beliefs are what point-counterpoint pundit shows are all about, people!

And it all seems so important, for about five minutes. But it doesn’t take long to realize that there are more interesting things going on in the Walkers’ lives than whether Kitty will choose the handsome rich guy or the star-making job. Things like sister Sarah’s business and personal travails — a job where she doesn’t get enough respect and a marriage where she doesn’t get enough touching; hyperactive kiddos; and an ex-co-worker for whom she had feelings enough to ditch her job and go to work in the family business, whatever she may say to the contrary.

There’s plenty of business intrigue set up here, too — is Uncle Saul lying about the accounts? is William lying about Saul lying about the accounts? where’s the pension money? who’s the broad in the short skirt? — and a clear indication that little brother Justin, who Served In Afghanistan, is spiraling out of control. There’s also a fair amount of forced banter about Kevin being the Gay Brother, and just in case you missed it, did we mention he’s gay, and hey, his mother would like him to bring home a nice guy for dinner, because he’s gay, don’t you know?

And then there’s brother Tommy and his wife, Julia, who … well, you know, they’re just about exactly as nondescript in this pilot as they will be throughout the rest of the season, but at least they get some lines.

By the end of the episode, Nora and Kitty have made a baby-step toward reconciliation, with Nora admitting she loves her daughter, albeit while making a face that looks like she bit into a lemon. We also find out that Nora blames Kitty for inspiring Justin to go Serve In Afghanistan. Despite her mother’s merely warmish embrace, Kitty’s leaning toward staying in L.A., taking the job, and ticking off the boyfriend, although any man who serves up an engagement ring in a martini is probably no loss. Sarah’s discovered her dad’s financial shenanigans just about in time to discover his dead body in the pool, felled by a heart attack while looking at the stars with his granddaughter. That death and its aftermath will spin this close-knit, touchy family into whole new directions, casting away some of these extra characters and plot points as if by centrifugal force.

Still, they do seem like folks you’d like to settle in and spend some time with, don’t they? And have a few drinks with, most certainly.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, pilot, Patriarchy, recap

Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. When William Walker was alive. When Holly was just a mysterious blonde. When Kitty was dating a rich Republican who is not Rob Lowe. When nobody thought Brothers & Sisters would last the month, much less the whole season.

It’s the debut so nice they made it twice, ditching cast members and show runners along the way. The second draft, the “Patriarchy” being broadcast as a re-run tonight, is usually tagged as an inauspicious beginning. Watching it now, will we feel like we’re watching a different show? Will we miss the rhythms that the cast fell into over the course of 23 episodes? Or will we wind up saying, “Hey, now, that wasn’t so bad.”

Tune in tonight to find out. And read the recap here tomorrow.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers & Sisters, ABC, Patriarchy, pilot, debut

So what does a show have to do to get on iTunes?

I was checking out the iTunes store today, looking through the special gathering of season finales, and darned if “Matriarchy” wasn’t there. So I checked the ABC section of the store. Let’s see, Lost, Grey’s, Betty, Housewives, sure, okay, Alias … huh? The Nine … cancelled, no? And what’s this? Commander in Chief? They’ve got Geena Davis here but no Sally Field? What’s with that? Also represented are Night Stalker, America’s Funniest Videos, and Schoolhouse Rock. But the Walkers? Can’t get ‘em.

Which is not such a huge thing now, since you can watch them for free on ABC.com. But can you load ‘em up and take ‘em with you? No. And what happens when ABC starts pruning that entire season’s worth of episodes available? For goodness sake, this show ended the season in the top 20. Show a little pride, ABC! Let Brothers & Sisters hang out at the iTunes store with the cool kids.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, iTunes

A few items on the B&S cast members, from round and about.

There’s a cute interview with Rachel Griffiths popping up in many online publications, which portrays her as being pretty down-home and down-to-earth, more interested in playing with her kids than in going on star trips (that’s her with her son, above). Of her castmates, she says “They definitely are becoming my brothers and sisters. We get on like a house on fire.”

If you can stand this much adorableness, the Celebrity Baby Blog has a photo of Rob Lowe and his sons swimming with dolphins. Awwwww.

Apparently someone still likes Joe Whedon. TV Guide’s jeer of John Pyper-Ferguson’s performance got a jeer back in this week’s issue from a fan, Julie Staedler of West Allis, Wisc., who wrote: “He’s astonished his fans with his versatile performances for years, starting with his scene-stealing turn in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. To see him on a show as good as Brothers & Sisters is a thrill. I got goose bumps during his confrontation with Rachel Griffiths as his wife. I’d throw myself at him in a heartbeat!”

Still holding a candle for the Dave Annable-Kate Walsh romance? Blow it out. She’s engaged, to someone else. Wow, the speed of romance in Hollywood just kind of boggles the mind, doesn’t it?

Dave and his TV brother, Balthazar Getty, were on The View last week. Read a recap from the blog Watching the View.

Brothers & Sisters, ABC, Rachel Griffiths, Rob Lowe, Dave Annable, Balthazar Getty, John Pyper-Ferguson

Five questions from last Sunday’s episode still rattling in my brain today.

1. Can we be done hating Holly and Rebecca now? Please? Like Holly, I don’t have the energy for it. Diabolical villains don’t really suit a series like this well, and this mom and daughter have always seemed to me more like messed-up humans than soap-opera vixens. There are some good, thoughtful dilemmas set up for next season — Saul coming out, Sarah and Joe’s marital problems (of which the Joe-Rebecca kiss was more a symptom than a cause), health problems for the new baby preemie, parenting struggles for Tommy and Julia, Tommy’s new business, Justin’s return from war, Kitty’s wedding, the senator’s campaign, a Kevin-Jason romance … maybe it’s time for the show to follow Nora’s lead and let go of William Walker and all the mess he created in his two-timing life. Let’s move on, shall we?

2. Speaking of Tommy, is he in denial or what? Okay, he was surfing with Justin ’cause Justin’s leaving, and he was at the party because it was for his sister. But he seemed to be having himself an awfully good time, pointing out babes on the beach for his bro and ogling the crazy McCallister cousin. Does he really think Julia’s okay? Should he not be spending his time with her, or at the hospital, or fixing up the pretty nursery his own self? Denial among dads is a recurring theme in special-needs parenting literature, and I hope that’s where they’re going with this. Otherwise, Tommy’s kind of a jerk.

3. What was the timeline again? Maybe I missed something. Help me figure this out in the comments. Wasn’t Justin supposed to report at 8 a.m. Sunday? If the party was on Sunday, then he was late. If the party was on Saturday, then what was the problem? I’m so confused.

4. Where was Paige? Cooper got to play hide-and-seek with the mean lady Mommy hates, but the young lady of the family, normally an efficient little scene-stealer, was nowhere to be found. Maybe she’s with Joe for the day? Or did Coop lock her in a closet to make up for the fact that she always gets the good lines?

5. Did the Walker men take their wallets out of their pockets before taking the plunge? See, this is why I’m not fun at “everybody into the pool” parties. These poor people are washing a bad year away with a cathartic mass swim, and I’m thinking, “Their personal documents and photographs are going to be ruined!”

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Matriarchy, commentary

TV Guide’s latest issue features a big splashy article called “They Did What?!” in which “Insiders answer this season’s biggest burning questions.” And you wouldn’t think Brothers & Sisters would have anything to contribute to that, having peacefully ended its season without the kind of cliffhangers, bodily peril, or explosive revelations so popular these days. But there our little show is, amongst all the splash and flash, with one simple question for show creator Jon Robin Baitz: “Why did you decide to make Saul gay?”

Personally, I didn’t think this character move was such a surprise, since Saul himself has been such a mystery throughout the season, the loyal elder statesman with no discernible life of his own. It almost seemed as though Saul had been written as deliberately vague with this sort of twist in mind. But nope, as it turned out, they just ran out of ideas and went fishing for one. As Baitz told TV Guide:

“The story lines for Saul [Ron Rifkin] were just starting to run on fumes, and we kept looking for more areas to explore with him — the business and stuff — but none of it seemed as juicy as this. Next season, Saul’s going to struggle to come to terms with himself and confront his shame — ‘I’m a nice Jewish boy. I can’t be gay.’ But it took me a month to ask Ron. It wasn’t what he had signed on for and I thought, ‘Is this really what he wants to be doing?’ I hadn’t even finished the sentence and he was like, ‘That’s great — why would that be a problem?’ He’s thrilled.”

I’ll bet. It’s nice, in a big cast like this, to have some actual work to do. Saul’s drifted and out of the story this season, and Rifkin’s too good an actor to keep in the … well, closet, I guess. Who’s going to pay the price for that extra screen time, though? Sarah Jane Morris, who’s also been enormously underutilized this season, better hope that sleeping-pill scene in the finale was pointing toward a big post-partum depression storyline, and not a quick fatal overdose.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, Saul, Ron Rifkin, season finale, TV Guide

As a follow-up to the recap, here are some memorable lines from the episode “Matriarchy.” Did I miss your favorites? Add them in the comments.

Justin: Bro, I’m a recovering addict who’s going to Iraq in 10 days.
Tommy: That’s my point exactly, a military man, going off to war? You could get some serious sympathy action.

Justin: It’s like what they say, life is what happens in between big sets.
Tommy: Who says that?
Justin: I have no idea, but it sounded pretty poetic in my head.

Saul: This is the “meet the ring” dinner.

Nora: Have you seen this list? Your darling fiance has decided to invite the entire state of California. Honey, I really don’t think he should be using his engagement party as a way to get votes.
Kitty: Mom, he’s only inviting his family.
Nora: Were the McCallisters part of a breeding experiment?

Kitty: Mom, do you remember the vineyard? I don’t want another pastry smackdown.
Nora: Oh, that tension is all settled now.
Kitty: Well, for the record, I really want this marriage to happen.

Robert: Jace, why don’t you help Nora out with the party?
Jason: And the connection would be … gay person, brilliant party planner?
Robert: Tell me I’m wrong.
Jason: No. And I’m glad to be of service.
Kitty: Wow, how come I didn’t get a nice brother like that? How come I got stuck with Larry, Moe and Curly?
Robert: Don’t forget, he’s already met Moe.
Kitty: Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking, fixing you two up.
Jason: I’m sure I just caught Kevin on a bad day.
Kitty: No, he’s always like that. Well, anyway, at least I’m marrying into a nice normal family.

Nora: You know, “I told you so” is so ungracious.

Kevin: I know he hates musicals, but after he sees “Wicked,” everything will change.

Nora: You know, I’ve been talking to the others. You took Tommy surfing the other day. You took Sarah and the kids to the zoo. You’ve asked me to go to the museum tomorrow. What are you going to do with Kitty, take her to the Reagan library?

Justin: Life’s not permanent and you of all people should know it, so don’t be telling me I can’t say goodbye to my family.

Nora: Justin, you told me how you talk to soldiers on the battlefield, that you look in their eyes and you promise them that they’re going to live. Why can’t you give yourself the same benefit of the doubt? Why?
Justin: Because I was lying, Mom.

Catering-Hall Guy: Like the bougainvillea, it’s bright and pink.
Kevin: You know what, it’s just a little antacid pink.
Catering-Hall Guy: Your mother absolutely fell in love with it on our virtual tour.
Kevin: Really. Does the virtual tour include a picture of the carpet?

Jason: I was told I’d be meeting your mother, but it looks like both sides sent the gay scouts instead.

Catering-Hall Guy: The Bougainvillea Court is famous for its character and texture.
Kevin: If by character and texture you mean cockroaches and columns, then yeah, you’re really on the money.
Jason: Kevin …
Kevin: Oh, come on, you hate this as much as I do. It’s like the first fifteen minutes of Extreme Home Makeover, before they tear the house down.

Nora: Who is this “we” we’re talking about?
Kevin: Jason McCallister and I. My future whatever-in-law.
Saul: That’s the senator’s brother. He hates you.
Kevin: He doesn’t hate me.
Saul: Oh, no, he hates you.
Kevin: He does not hate me, it’s a secret crush turned inside out. Anyway, we both share the gay party planning gene, so all you have to do is relax.

Sarah: So, Mom, I’ve decided that I don’t think I should be the primary toaster. No, come on, I’m always the one talking, and quite frankly, I’m sick of me. Let’s give someone else a chance.
Justin: There’s a new one.
Sarah: Shut up, dirtbag.

Nora: All right, I want you all to leave until you have something positive to tell me!
Justin: We’re going to see “Wicked.”
Kevin: Yay!
Tommy: It’s not enough you’re going to Iraq?

(more…)

Nobody puts the Walkers in a corner!

Apparently, the creators of Brothers & Sisters didn’t get the ABC memo that all finales should be downers, leaving viewers on the edge of depression and dreading death and devastation. After last week’s “No happy couple shall survive!” Grey’s Anatomy season-ender, and with Wednesday’s “We promise many deaths!” Lost extravaganza lying in wait for me, I sunk into last night’s Walker good-bye like a warm … swimming pool. They brought the silly, and the silly was appreciated. They also gently wrapped up some Season One conflicts and laid some good groundwork for Season Two’s.

Best of all, they created some lovely bookends between this and the first episode that makes this season look a lot more planned out than it probably was. That episode was “Patriarchy,” this one “Matriarchy.” That one had Kitty coming home, this one, leaving. And while the season started with William Walker in the pool, dead, this one offers the people he left behind in the pool, finding their way back to life. Nice, in a way that most “gotta leave ‘em in suspense over the summer” finales never attempt anymore.

There was, of course, a thread of sadness running throughout, with Justin’s impending departure for Iraq. He’s attempting to spend some quality time with each family member before he leaves, which means surfing with Tommy, having a playdate with Sarah and her kids, and going to see Wicked with Kevin. It should also mean taking his mom to a museum, but she’s having none of it. No “goodbye” activity for her! Nora’s in some serious denial about the possibility of her dear boy never coming home, and not even an exhibit she’s been wanting to see can lure her out of it.

Justin’s not the only one leaving home — Kitty’s moving out, too, and in with Robert. Nora drowns her sorrows in a ferocious bout of party-planning, determined to throw Kitty an engagement party whether she wants one or not. Kevin and Jason, as their families’ designated gay ambassadors, check out the chosen venue, but Kevin winds up offending the proprietor with his comments on the color scheme, and inevitably the party moves to the Walker house. Honestly, where else would you ever throw a party?

There’s quite a guest list for this get-together. McCallister has, apparently, hundreds of relatives, most of whom wind up acting like extras from My Name Is Earl. Nora, not wanting to be outdone in the awkward relatives department, insists that both Rebecca and her mother attend, and also invites an old friend of Saul’s who he doesn’t seem all that eager to see again. You have to wonder why, oh why, Nora didn’t invite her old friend Emily Craft — wouldn’t she have just been completely awesome with the McCallisters? But she’s not the only one not making the scene. Joe, natch, is not among the invitees. And Julia appears to be going through some post-partum, or maybe post-baby-death, depression, and is not up to doing much more than taking pills and sleeping. Which begs the question of why Tommy is spending so much time with the family and away from her, but I guess we all have our own ways of coping.

The party provides a stage for a variety of plot-closing and plot-furthering vignettes, including:

Saul having a chat with that old friend, Milo, who has left his wife and come out of the closet. Milo still fondly remembers their long-ago trip to the Keys, and would like Saul to come and see him. Saul looks quietly terrified. There’s no specific reveal that our favorite bachelor uncle is definitely gay, but he clearly has a history he’s not at peace with.

Sarah and Holly calling a truce, mostly because neither of them really has the energy to keep up the appropriate level of burning hatred.

Kevin and Jason sucking face, at the conclusion of one of those nasty shouting matches that always seem to end with kissing in TV and the movies. Later, it’s revealed that Jason is a Methodist minister, but Kevin gets over the shock and suggests that they meet for lunch sometime, downtown, near Kevin’s law office and Jason’s congregation.

Rebecca telling the truth to Justin, about her complicity in the Joe kiss, and her history with older men. She had an affair with a married teacher when she was 16, and when it was finally discovered, she begged her mother not to press charges against the man. He moved with his family to Chicago, and called her to join him. He put her up in a hotel room there, and when his wife found out again, he killed himself. This kid’s sure got the Daddy issues, doesn’t she? How on earth did she avoid getting on Oceanic Flight 815?

Justin leaving for the airport unannounced, having been called to report two days earlier than expected and not wanting to ruin the party. He tells Rebecca, though, and she proves herself a true Walker by spilling the secret to Nora and Kitty. Those two race to the airport and just manage to catch their boy and give him an appropriate goodbye send-off. And it may be a shame that he’s going to war, but dang, does the guy look good in a uniform.

The Walkers, at the end of their most trying year, reclaiming their title as Most Wacky Family by plunging into the pool, fully clothed. Joining them in their baptism of impropriety are Robert, truly one of the family now, and Rebecca and Holly, likewise. Until next year, anyway, when Rebecca ‘fesses to Sarah that she led Joe on, Robert finds out about Kitty’s blackmail management, and Holly finds some new way to cause outrage. For now, though, they’re united in wet shoes and ruined dry-clean-only garments. Happy First Season, you crazy kids! Can’t wait to see you back in September!

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Matriarchy, recap, season finale

Party episodes seem to bring out the best in this show (or worst, if you agree with TV Guide about that food fight), and tonight is yet another shindig at the Walker home. This one’s an engagement party for Kitty and Robert, and if the clip below is any indication, it explains why the good senator seems to take all the Walker wackiness so in stride: His family is way worse. I wonder, did they actually write dialog for Garry Marshall in this scene, or just turn on the camera and let him ramble?

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Matriarchy, Garry Marshall, finale

What did you think about the food fight between Nora and Holly in the “Grapes of Wrath” episode a couple of weeks ago? TV Guide gives it a thumbs-down in the current issue’s “Cheers & Jeers” section:

“Jeers to Brothers & Sisters for subjecting Sally Field and Patricia Wettig to a silly food-fight sequence. The ABC drama atypically stooped to soap-operatic stereotypes by having the award-winning actresses throw strawberry cake and lettuce at each other. To paraphrase Field, we didn’t like it. We really didn’t like it.”

Well, I really don’t like writers who have to keep falling back on that old Oscar speech to make a cheap joke. And I really don’t like the perception that once an actress has won an award, she has to do only stiff respectable work. The food fight was silly, sure, but I thought it worked as just a cathartic outburst of emotion between two women caught in an impossible rivalry. I thought it went on just long enough, and ended in the only way appropriate — laughter. And I thought it was entirely worth it for the way the guys kept creeping in and creeping out, mom-whipped.

Maybe it’s soapy, but there’s been plenty of suds about this show. One soap-opera situation after the other, really. What’s set the show apart, I think, is the wit and emotion it brings to those situations, and that held true here. And even if not, can’t we have a little fun? My favorite episodes have all had a silly side to them, and I think last Sunday’s episode, Favorite Son, suffered from a lack of that lightness.

What did you think about the food fight? Share in the comments.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Patricia Wettig, Sally Field, food fight

Five questions from last Sunday’s episode still rattling in my brain today.

1. What was the point of Baby William? It seems sort of manipulative to make a big deal about having twins only to kill one off right away. Don’t get me wrong — I’m happy that this didn’t turn out to be some sort of sudsy “twins with different biological fathers” twist-up; I’m glad that they didn’t raise medical complications only to wave them away with the magic heartwarming TV wand; and I understand that in real life, bad things happen for no good reason at all. But this isn’t real life, it’s a story, and there’s no actual need to have had twins in the first place. These are the only reasons I can think of for little William’s existence:

• To symbolize the need to let big William go.
• To score “see, life is hard and random” points while still having a new healthy baby, too.
• Because something like this happened to someone the writers know, and they thought it would make a good story.
• To give the cast a different William to be sad and wistful about in Season 2.

None of those reasons justify a “death of baby” plot, and that makes it all seem gratuitous and honestly, not all that moving. Am I just hard of heart?

2. Didn’t that grouping of siblings around the nursery window look fake (see above)? Something about it made it look like everybody wasn’t there at the same time, and they kind of computer-combined them. Maybe it’s just something about Emily VanCamp’s largish head looming on the left, or some trick of flat lighting, or the way it reminds me of a similar scene in the movie How to Deal and probably many, many others. Just something weird about it, to me.

3. Is Kitty going to tell Robert about the blackmailing attempt? Please? Pretty please? I’ll even forgive if they do it between episodes. I’m bored with this secret, and don’t want to just sit around waiting for it to explode and place artificial impediments in the way of their relationship. Can we just call a Secret Day, and everybody just tell everybody what they need to know, and move the heck on? It’s not like anything can stay buried in this family anyway.

4. What’s Sarah going to do about childcare? That’s the trouble with kicking a stay-at-home dad out of the home. It takes a lot of the separate out of the separation if the man’s hanging at your house every day after school waiting for you to leave work. Hey, maybe Rebecca babysits … uh, then again, nooooo.

5. Will the McCallisters be the first significant in-law experience for the Walkers? Julia’s family is conveniently out of the country when big life events occur, and Joe’s family doesn’t really like each other. But judging from the previews, the McCallisters look like a pretty, um, hands-on bunch. Nora’s not going to like it if Kitty and any future kittens have to spend alternate holidays in someone else’s house.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Favorite Son, commentary

As a follow-up to the recap, here are some memorable lines from the episode “Favorite Son.” Did I miss your favorites? Add them in the comments.

Nora: Parental panic. It will be with you for the rest of your life. So pace yourself.

Kevin: You know, my whole life, I’ve been waiting for this chance to do something heroic, and I get this opportunity to save these two babies, either of which may be biologically mine, you know what, Uncle Saul, I have nothing. Justin, however, is trained for this.
Justin: Okay, stop, alright? I wasn’t heroic.
Kevin: It was heroic.
Justin: The paramedics got there quick.
Saul: I hardly think that delivering premature twins in a vineyard in Southern California is what the army had in mind for Justin when he enlisted. Anyway, they could just as easily be his.

Tommy: We’re a tight family. Kind of like a vise.

Saul: Okay, anybody who wants to get whiplash, go with Kevin.

Robert: You know, I think I came off as the love child of Winston Churchill and Dan Quayle.

Robert: A man waiting for you. Personal. So exactly how many other guys did you kind of, sort of, but not really propose to while I was away in D.C.?

Kevin: Okay, you know me my entire life. Was there ever a day that gave you the impression I like Scotch?
Kitty: What, I can’t visit without some agenda? I just came by your office last week.
Kevin: Yeah, you needed parking validation. The fact that you’re here bearing gifts this time means you want a bigger favor.
Kitty: Kevin, you know what, don’t be so bitter. Just …
Kevin: 21 years old, Highland … this is a senator-sized favor, isn’t it.

Kevin: Too bad I don’t represent Republicans. What? Even lawyers have some scruples.

Kevin: Okay, first of all, calm down. You sound almost Nora-esque. … You know what, I’m actually glad you brought the Scotch. At least this way when I refuse to help, you’ll be a little more relaxed.

Kevin: Wow. … Wow. I mean, what’s a bigger word than wow.
Kitty: I know. I know. It’s very surprising on so many different levels.
Kevin: C’mon, it’s not surprising Senator McDonald’s isn’t all he’s been cracking himself up to be, and it’s not surprising someone’s trying to cash in on it. You coming to me to help clean things up, that’s a little surprising.
Kitty: Would you please just be honored?

Kitty: Just forget that I’m your sister. Yes, and by your reluctance to help me, I can see that you already have.

Joe: There’s some leftovers in the fridge.
Sarah: No thanks, I’m still digesting Oxnard’s best roadside shrink-wrapped burrito.

Sarah: You were right to come, and you were right to go. As trying as “us” has become, I certainly don’t need my family’s mob mentality making it worse.

Justin: Kind of feel like the guy who’s about to get whacked in a mobster movie. You know, the one where the Don says, “Hey, come take a ride with me,” and he ends up in the Pine Barrens, buried in five pounds of lye.
Robert: Maybe they’ll find you later swinging from a hook in a refrigerated meat truck. … Fish taco?
Justin: So, is this some sort of like brother-in-law hazing thing?
Robert: I think we’re a little bit beyond that, don’t you?
Justin: Look, I can’t get Kitty to re-propose to you, if that’s what you’re after.
Robert: No, that’s not it, but boy, your family could teach the CIA something about obtaining classified information.
Justin: And not keeping it classified.
Robert: Got that right.

Robert: Justin, I know your feelings about the war have changed. And in many ways, so have mine. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a soldier and you have a job to do. Your unit needs a good medic and you gotta be there for them because when you’re over there, they are your brothers and sisters. You gotta love them, you gotta protect them, but you can’t do it unless you’re prepared.

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