Brothers & Sisters

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the third part of Episode 5. Read Part 1 and 2 and then hop right in here.

17:09
This is the way I like Justin, sort of light gossipy comic relief, lying on the couch snacking and sharing secrets. Whatever level of meds he’s on right now is where he should stay.

17:16
We cut from Justin siting sideways on an off-white couch at his mother’s house to Paige sitting sideways on an off-white couch at hers. Deliberate? Or are they recycling furniture from set to set?

18:46
Tommy … really? You’re finally talking to your wife, who you complain has been dodging your calls, and you’re going to hang up on her to find out who’s on the other line? Bad form, dude.

18:58
Especially since it turns out to be your little office manager girlfriend.

20:10
And, Tommy and Lena start kissing in the car right out in public, oh joy. Oh stupidity. Oh highly annoying plot thread.

20:41
Robert worries that there’s something holding the voters back from committing to him. Maybe they’re seeing another candidate at the park, and he’s bringing them frozen yogurt.

21:35
How to passively aggressively determine if your girlfriend is pregnant and hasn’t told you: Bring home sushi and champagne. (”Think of it as ginger ale, only more fun.”)

22:48
And Kitty’s resentment of Robert’s political career starts … right … now, when she complains that she can’t be giddy about her pregnancy and rush out to buy booties because she has to worry about his campaign. Essentially, this is the point at which she starts unilaterally changing the ground rules of their relationship, and though Robert comes off looking like an ambitious jerk, I can see where he’d feel betrayed.

24:14
That was a pretty Season 3 sort of argument there, hurtful and with neither of them entirely in the right. The sort of thing that makes me want to hide under the couch.

Continue on to Part 4.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Domestic Issues

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the second part of Episode 5. Read Part 1 and then hop right in here.

10:36
Rachel Griffiths’ Australian accent is slipping out a little in this emotional scene. In other news, I’m still hating that dress.

12:09
Kitty is currently the only Walker having sex. I feel sad for all of you too, Justin.

12:22
Justin shares with Rebecca the History of the Pantry, Epicenter of All Walker Secrets and Juicy Gossip.

13:57
Great figuring-things-out face on Travis, while Robert picks up zero signals about Kitty’s pregnancy. Clearly, Travis doesn’t need a smoking-gun pantry to know the score.

14:06
You know, I like Lena’s top and hairstyle, she looks adorable, but also about twelve. Not really the best office look. Or the best tramp look, either.

14:31
I wonder if Holly’s official job description at Walker’s Landing specifically mentions being all up in everybody’s business.

15:09
Oh, poor Sarah, about to find out that Joe has preemptively gotten referrals from everybody they know. But not from Nora! I bet he doesn’t have a book-long referral letter from anybody.

16:06
Joe is all about the kids needing stability. After he broke their family up and refused to consider getting back with their mother, of course. No referral letter from me, jackass.

16:22
Self-righteousness does not coordinate well with Joe’s unkempt musician look. If you’re going to pretend to be Mr. Family Values, get a trim and a shave.

Continue on to Part 3.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Domestic Issues

This week, we’ll continue our summer-long journey through the second season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Three. I’ll be looking for contradictions between where the Walkers were then and where they’re at now, and also commenting on how the episodes look in retrospect. I’ll time my observations to the playback of the DVD, for those who want to view along. Share your own reflections in the comments.

And now, Part 1 of Episode 5, “States of the Union.”

00:45
This is the episode in which Sarah got blindsided by Joe’s custody request, isn’t it? As well done as that was, not a ton of fun to watch again.

01:01
I’m interested in the wardrobe choices for Sarah. I very often don’t like what she’s wearing — like this grey dress that looks like it’s maybe related to a religious order of some sort, or maybe on backwards — but it’s definitely a very distinct look. Maybe Sarah needs to go on What Not to Wear and make a change.

01:34
Blatant focus on the permission slip there. Just in case we’d forget, like Sarah.

02:01
In light of what happens later, Joe’s “I figured you might” response to Sarah saying Kevin’s representing her is less, “Yes, thanks for the warning that my former brother-in-law will be going up against me,” than, “Yes, you sucker, I figured you’d go with family while I hire the biggest divorce shark lawyer out there.”

02:14
Travis! Eventually I’ll get over the need to say that every time he appears on the screen. But not yet.

02:52
Travis, to Robert: “Use humor! It makes you seem like a real person.” Robert: “I am a real person.” And Travis just laughs.

03:47
Lovely phone juxtaposition between Kitty retching and Nora pulling out big gobs of pumpkin goop. I think I’m feeling a bit queasy.

04:37
I’m glad that Nora’s excited about grandchildren, but jumping up and down over Kitty’s possibly being pregnant under pretty difficult circumstances calls for maybe a little less glee. I mean, Nora, it’s a baby Republican.

04:59
It says a lot about Lena that she is afraid to get fired because she just bought a really amazing purse that cost her a fortune. The girl’s about as deep as a clutch bag.

05:25
Lena’s not naive, she knows Tommy has a wife and kid, and she doesn’t want to ruin that. So did you ever think about, I don’t know, not sleeping with him in the first place?

06:57
Ouch! The custody stuff. Joe thinks Sarah is unable to provide a stable home. Because, like, she has no ex-spouse to hook up with.

08:11
Love that the first name Nora suggests is “Ainsley.” I’m going to take it as a shout out to Ainsley Hayes of The West Wing whether it’s meant to be or not.

08:34
Busted! Justin overhears the “p” word and witnesses the flight into the pantry. See, Nora, here’s where your plan to medicate him backfires. When he was bedridden and writhing in pain, he couldn’t sneak up on your private conversations.

09:38
Kitty lies to her mom about the plus sign on the pregnancy test. Like that’s going to slow the secret down.

Continue on to Part 2.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Domestic Issues

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the third part of Episode 4. Read Part 1, 2, 3, and 4, and then hop right in here.

35:44
So, do you think they costumed Lena in that blatantly flowery shirt so that we’d notice she was still wearing the same thing the next morning?

37:06
I wonder if scenes like this, where Holly lectures Tommy more like a mother than a partner, and he takes it with head hung down less like a partner than a child, were the beginning of the end for their partnership. I think Holly’s right, but not sure calling your colleague on the carpet that way is smart politics — especially when the fatherly footsteps you’ve been urging him to follow include an affair with you.

37:55
You know, Nora’s grown children are really pathetic. They’re at that “hate you, love you” phase with their mother that most kids get over after their teenage years. Too bad the name Arrested Development has already been used, because it’s perfect for this crew.

38:54
Now, see, if Nora could have given her opinion that succinctly in the first place, without all the dithering about magazine articles, they could have had a much nicer weekend. This is about the pitch at which I like Nora — opinionated and fresh but not nuts.

39:16
Love Rebecca’s top. I’ve been looking for one like that, though not so low-cut. There’s about a mile between her necklace and that top button.

39:38
What happened to the “I know a lot of drug addicts, and Justin is going to be a lying scumbag for a while” speech Rebecca gave Nora? Now she’s falling all over herself apologizing Justin for doubting him? She should be searching his bedroom while he’s busy burning toast.

40:17
So awkward that Kitty’s got the bouquet in her purse, right there and obvious and odd, but the scene in which she caught it got cut.

41:09
Robert doesn’t want Kitty to sign a pre-nup, because he has faith in their union. Ooh, buddy, might be reconsidering that now, huh?

41:55
People really need to stop leaving Justin alone so he can conveniently sneak some pills. That’s probably why the toast was burning.

42:23
The show is addictive, ha! Right? Right? Addictive? Get it? How about if I punch you in the arm?

Continue on to Episode 5.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, States of the Union

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the third part of Episode 4. Read Part 1, 2, and 3, and then hop right in here.

30:30
Justin uses the same “unsettle your accuser with outrage” defense with Rebecca that Saul did with Kevin. She’d have had better luck with this question if she still looked like the old bad-seed wild-child Rebecca instead of Miss Goody-Two-Shoes with the bangs.

30:58
What’s this “everything” that Justin and Rebecca have been through? A few bad Walker parties and some wartime e-mails? A bunch of episodes of “The Hills”? (Okay, I’d need combat pay for that.)

31:56
So what’ s Lena’s thought process here: “Gee, I’m so sorry to hear about your dead baby. Wanna have an office affair?”

32:39
Life wisdom from Lena: “Sometimes, you need to just think about yourself.” Something she is apparently good at.

34:45
So, indeed, Sarah and Kitty and Nora seem to be sharing a hotel room. If Sarah had managed to remember the right room with the son of the groom? Awk-ward.

34:58
The girls are arguing about how Nora is too wrapped up in them. So she did manage to start something for herself with her totally improbable Ronald McDonald House … but not to the extent of keeping a relationship at the expense of child-obsession time.

35:15
Though Nora should have made a tape of this to play when her children freaked out so severely over her prospective move to Washington with Isaac.

Continue on to Part 5.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, States of the Union

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the third part of Episode 4. Read Part 1 and 2, and then hop right in here.

17:30
Would a pricey spa honestly have no restaurants open and not tell people that before they came?

17:32
Memo to maitre d’s: When you’ve just told three women who’ve already been kicked out of the quiet room that they can’t enter the restaurant, that is not a good time to take a phone call and leave them alone. Get that stern spa lady over here.

18:08
Nice facial expressions on Nora as Kitty tells Sarah to join them because “What happened to the girl who used to throw back bourbon and dance on bars?” A flash of “she did what?!!” horror mixed in with the “Yes, yes! Come crash this wedding with us!”

18:38
Holly says, of Tommy’s behavior in the negotiations, “Your father never would’ve done that.” Correct. But William had Saul to, say, go to Arizona and pay someone to bump off Julia’s parents. Tommy’s all on his own.

19:33
Who is this guy hanging around with Robert today, eating burritos in the car? Where’s Travis?

19:47
Alternate title for this episode, from Robert: “What the hell is happening at that spa?”

21:32
Good luck, Kevin, playing “gotcha” with Saul, the only living person in the extended Walker family who can keep a secret.

23:00
Saul did a good job of the “use outrage to mask the fact that you are not really denying the accusation,” but if Kevin could just hear the Music of Poignant Intrigue that’s playing now, he’d know the truth.

23:42
And … Nora makes a break for it! This episode does a bad job, I think, of balancing Nora’s serious and silly qualities, skewing way too much toward over-the-top, but this is a pretty slick little maneuver. She’s going to be one of those old women who give their kids the slip and go wandering around the neighborhood.

25:25
Wow, I want one of those corkscrews like Tommy has that opens a bottle instantly. Though, in this particular case, I’d have preferred he and Lena were drinking cork. Nice focus on his wedding ring while he’s opening the bottle.

26:59
I think they missed the boat here, because Tommy jumping into a car and driving to Phoenix, with his mother along to tackle those awful in-laws, would have been a heck of an interesting Walker road trip.

27:13
Three words that Nora — oh, heck, any mom — will always disregard: “Don’t worry, please.”

27:39
Nora’s Mom radar is off, though, if she’s not worried about Tommy and the blond office manager in the office after hours with an open bottle of wine. Don’t go! Only you could have prevented this insufferable plotline.

28:05
An errant key card (or bad room-number memory) saves Sarah from a Wedding Crasher fling. Which is just as well, because … isn’t she sharing a room with her mother or sister? That’s gonna be awkward.

Continue on to Part 4.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, States of the Union

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the second part of Episode 4. Read Part 1 and then hop right in here.

09:07
Ooh, I want Nora making me sandwiches and Scotty making me pancakes. Those don’t quite look like gourmet restaurant fare, but still yummy.

09:24
Kevin says he thinks he would know if his uncle were gay. Hey, we’ve only known the guy a little more than one season, and it seems pretty obvious.

09:29
Scotty cites as proof the way “he and this Milo guy” were looking at each other. Mostly, I think Saul’s been looking at Milo with terror.

10:37
Tommy’s showing off that incredible business acumen we’ve been hearing about by checking his cellphone during an important meeting and giving up quickly.

11:52
Yeah, it’s funny and all that the Walkers can’t function in a “quiet room,” but really, how old is Nora? Surely they have a hotel room where they can discuss her magazine article, or a lunch table later. She can’t shut up for a few minutes? I bought this “noisy Walkers, quiet place” thing better in the Season 3 season ender, when it made sense that she would be impatient to talk to Tommy. Here? For goodness sake, woman, put a sock in it.

13:43
Kitty wants Robert to be honest with her, but without her having to be honest about having seen the prenup. And this is a professional communicator?

14:30
Oh, horrors! Somebody thinks that Rebecca is Justin’s girlfriend! Oh, unthinkable thing!

15:26
There’s no talking allowed in the quiet area, no cell phones, I bet there’s a rule about no secret spilling too, Sarah.

15:34
Why do they always swear each other to secrecy before telling a secret? Has that vow ever, ever held?

15:56
That military hospital in San Diego should hire this spa lady to man their front desk. She doesn’t take any Walker guff.

16:16
Are Nora and Kitty wearing identical sweaters? Actually, Nora’s entire outfit is very Kitty-like. Maybe she lost her suitcase and had to borrow.

17:07
Memo to physical therapists: When the guy in the wheelchair who’s as high as a kite rolls up to the guy with the busted knee who’s just gone back to pain pills despite a history of addiction, this is not a good time to leave the room for a few minutes. Use some sense.

Continue on to Part 3

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, States of the Union

This week, we’ll continue our summer-long journey through the second season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Three. I’ll be looking for contradictions between where the Walkers were then and where they’re at now, and also commenting on how the episodes look in retrospect. I’ll time my observations to the playback of the DVD, for those who want to view along. Share your own reflections in the comments.

And now, Part 1 of Episode 4, “States of the Union.”

00:57
The bangs! Rebecca’s bangs make their debut. I was remembering her as having them at the start of the season, and was wondering when she’d get that fateful haircut. Well, one thing I remembered right: They look awful.

01:17
I want Nora making me Swiss and avocado and nitrate-free turkey bacon sandwiches while I laze in front of the TV. Justin doesn’t know how good he has it.

02:04
The current state of the Walkers, as per Justin: “Sarah’s going through a divorce, and Kitty’s planning a wedding, Tommy’s got a newborn, and Kevin’s in, like, a long-distance relationship with a minister, which is possibly the scariest thing I’ve ever heard.”

03:36
I’m distracted in this scene by Kitty’s blouse, which is … a perfectly normal white blouse with puffy-ish sleeves, rather than the slinky camisole-y thing she usually wears under jackets and sweaters. Did she forget to do laundry and had to pull some old thing out from the back of the closet?

03:41
Kitty’s get-rid-of-mom cell-phone method: “Hello, Mom. Hi, how are you? I can’t talk right now. Bye.” Click. They should use that more often.

04:10
Kitty finds a copy of a prenuptial agreement on Robert’s desk. Illustrating, as we’ll learn again in Season 3, that one must never leave something on one’s desk that one would not want just anyone — like a fiancee, or a business foe — to find.

04:56
When Julia’s the one needing “space,” Tommy’s not so sympathetic.

05:30
Per Milo, 30 is the new few.

06:04
And here’s Scotty, your cater waiter! Introducing himself to Saul thusly: “Scotty. I’m Kevin’s ex? We met last year at Nora’s. The most awkward dinner party ever. The one with the fantastic mango peach salsa.”

06:20
Excellent “busted!” facial expression there, Saul!

07:47
Kitty may have a good “get Mom off the phone” maneuver, but it pales in comparison to Mom’s “get myself invited somewhere I’m not wanted” technique. That’s art.

08:20
Nora says, of Justin, “He survived Iraq. You would think he could survive one night in Pasadena without his mother.” And with his pain pills, you know, the ones his mother forced him to take with the vow that she would rigorously supervise his medication. Well, heck, how addicted could he get in one night?

Continue on to Part 2.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, States of the Union

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the second part of Episode 3. Read Part 1, 2, 3, and 4, then hop right in here.

30:25
Looks like Kitty should have brought a parka, too.

30:41
So here’s Robert’s first wife on why she’s making him suffer: “This is about identity. You see, mine. Not his. You actually have no idea what it’s like, do you? To have your whole life with someone erased. To be by his side and to have given up some very real part of yourself, your own dreams, so that your mate can save the world.” Given the episode title, there should be some parallel here to problems we’ll see with Robert and Kitty down the road, but … not quite, is it? I suppose Kitty, with her book, was establishing an identity that took her away from Robert’s world-saving quest, or re-claiming her own pundit identity — but despite her complaints around the wedding, she was never just a fiancee/spouse, she had an actual professional role in the campaign. I don’t think her identity was as subjugated to Robert’s as Courtney’s probably was. What she seemed to want in Season 3 was for Robert to give up his identity, about which he’s always been pretty clear.

31:08
Kitty does the Brigitte bluff. Really pretty gutsy — how does she know Courtney doesn’t know where Brigitte is, or that some element of her story is false (like, maybe, saying Brigitte loved Courtney). Maybe Courtney’s stricken expression is supposed to have tipped her off.

31:44
Courtney’s McAll-analysis part 2: “You think you’re his partner? Nobody’s his partner. He does it all alone.” Was Kitty not Robert’s partner? He did listen to her about the vice president spot. Seems like she removed herself from the inner circle before he sought the governorship without her. He’ll do it alone if he has to, I guess. But this scene should have been the template for future Kitty/Robert problems, and it kind of misses the mark.

33:09
It seems to me that the line “I don’t know if I can” gets said an awful lot on this show, after somebody proposes something reasonable but emotionally difficult. I’d like to overlook that, but I don’t know if I can.

33:13
This is a nice scene of Tommy/Saul bonding and all, but really, if Tommy wanted somebody to get riled up about Julia leaving and help him do something about it, he should have gone to his mom. (Maybe that’s why he didn’t.)

33:25
Kitty’s sitting on a bed working on a laptop, and as I write this, I’m sitting on a bed working on a laptop. Sadly, Rob Lowe is nowhere in my vicinity.

34:17
Is it just the brightness setting on my new laptop, or is Robert’s level of orange-y tan-ness lower than usual in this scene?

35:35
The sweetness of this scene with Tommy letting Julia go and telling her she’s the love of his life is severely undercut by the knowledge of what a mess he’s going to make of things from here on out.

36:27
Nora says, “I’ll keep track of your dosage. I’ll be with you.” At least until the girls want to go on a spa weekend, and then the kid’s on his own.

38:43
Hey, another person sitting on a bed with a laptop! Rebecca’s actually looks exactly like mine. I just need a big picture of Dave Annable.

39:28
“You are a part of the family, Rebecca,” says Nora. For a little while, anyway. And maybe again by marriage.

40:27
The Walker boys were all the smallest in their fifth-grade class. Love how stricken Tommy is at that.

Continue on to Episode 4.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, History Repeating

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the second part of Episode 3. Read Part 1, 2 and 3, then hop right in here.

21:49
Boy, don’t you just wish life had commercial breaks that let you skip over difficult things, like how Rebecca managed to get Justin home when last we saw him on the floor of a restaurant writhing in pain? Just — poof! a few messages from your sponsor, and there he is.

23:45
Nora says the only good that will come of any of this is when it finally stops, so that’s why she wants Justin to take the pain meds. Of course, then, a whole ‘nother round of bad begins.

25:00
Kevin and Scotty toast to changing their lives. As indeed they do this season.

25:08
Travis is introducing Robert to an audience. But he’s got some kind of weird wincing sarcastic facial expressions while he’s doing it. Work on that, guy.

25:09
Robert says of his meeting with Courtney, “I had frostbite. I could have used a parka.” Could have saved it, too, for his relationship with Kitty in late Season 3.

26:22
This whole “I blame you for William’s death!” plotline still seems completely bogus and out of the blue to me. They could have dropped some breadcrumbs during the winery opening episode to indicate that Tommy forced Julia to go, but they didn’t, did they? I guess we’re supposed to feel as ambushed as Tommy.

27:56
Scotty notes that Kevin seems to have picked another guy who’s not really available. Unlike Scotty, who’s available immediately. Kevin’s listing of famous features of Jason’s Malaysian home is pretty cute, though.

29:40
Because Nora is Nora, she’s already called the pharmacy, just waiting for Justin’s okay to pick it up. But, Nora being Nora, seems she could have went and got it as well, and had the bottle in her pocket. Now the guy’s got to lie there in pain while his mom runs to CVS.

30:03
Kevin says his only gay friends are his sisters. Seems like his only friends of any type are his sisters. And same thing for the rest of them. Surely one of these successful witty beautiful people would have a buddy. Kitty’s park dad doesn’t count.

Continue on to Part 5.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, History Repeating

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the second part of Episode 3. Read Part 1 and 2, then hop right in here.

15:11
Under Kevin’s questioning, the officer describes Scotty’s demeanor as “a lot of catty backtalk.” That sounds more like Scotty 1.0 than the kinder, gentler version that developed over this season and on into Season 3. Hard to imagine the current version of Scotty getting involved in anything like this at all. He’s been domesticated.

15:49
Love the look the judge shoots the cop when Kevin mentions him putting on gloves to inspect Scotty’s license. Kevin could have just stopped talking then.

17:06
This room Justin’s in looks like the kind of room we’d stay in when we went to visit my grandparents when I was young, a little cluttered and old looking. Doesn’t look like a Walker room, though it’s probably just the disruption of having a bed in the middle of it.

18:52
The general level of snippiness and depression in Courtney’s conversation with Robert reminds me a little of Kitty’s in Season 3. Which means either that he drives women to this, or that he picks women who drive themselves there.

19:15
Saul: “I would rather spend all eternity at a dinner party seated next to Britney Spears than waste an afternoon lugging clubs around with a bunch of over-fed, overprivileged Arnold Palmer wannabes.” Sing it, brother.

20:15
Well, it may have been unwise for Tommy to open up hostilities with his father-in-law, but at least it got Saul off the hook for the golf.

Continue on to Part 4.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, History Repeating

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the second part of Episode 3. Read Monday’s post for the first part, then hop right in here.

09:51
Ah, I remember peppy, professional Kitty. Not that Calista Flockhart hasn’t done great work this season exploring Kitty’s dark side, but I so enjoyed her relationship with Robert when it was spirited instead of dispiriting. Doesn’t win Emmys, though.

10:16
And … it’s the start of Kevin + Scotty 2.0.

10:57
Is Kevin allowed to be flexible about payment when he’s taking a meeting at his law firm’s office? Can he do pro bono work for personal friends on the side, on company time?

11:43
Scotty’s trying to be a grown-up. But still living in his car.

12:05
Gads, is Julia’s dad annoying. At this point, he didn’t really have cause to hate Tommy this much, did he? I mean, sure, by the end of Season 3, I’d applaud this kind of attitude, but to this point we’ve never seen Tommy be anything less than devoted to Julia.

13:16
“Trouble. Sign me up,” says Tommy. But you know he’s not thinking so much about embezzlement as murder on the golf course.

14:02
Nora acknowledges that whatever Justin sets his mind to do, she can’t budge him. Has she tried arguing the other side, a little reverse psychology? Maybe if she insists that Justin Must Not Take Painkillers! he’ll decide that’s exactly what he wants to do.

14:15
Rebecca: “Nora, have you tried telling him all of this? … Of course you have. You’re you.”

14:48
Rebecca’s hair keeps flopping in her face in this scene with Nora. Time for a haircut!

Continue on to Part 3.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, History Repeating

So ABC released its fall premiere dates today, but though Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Desperate Housewives will be back on September 27, Brothers & Sisters is one of those “Additional premieres will be announced at a later date.” Wonder what’s up with that?

Meanwhile, there’s been a little casting news this week about Gilles Marini, of Dancing With the Stars and Sex and the City movie fame, guesting as a potential love interest for Sarah. I agree with Entertainment Weekly blogger Mandi Bierly’s assessment: “I’d personally like to live in a world where Sarah could meet that online.”

Don’t know when the Walkers will be back, but Retcon Patrol resumes tomorrow.

This week, we’ll continue our summer-long journey through the second season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Three. I’ll be looking for contradictions between where the Walkers were then and where they’re at now, and also commenting on how the episodes look in retrospect. I’ll time my observations to the playback of the DVD, for those who want to view along. Share your own reflections in the comments.

And now, Part 1 of Episode 3, “History Repeating.”

01:14
Justin Takes a Bubble Bath. Wouldn’t some in his condition be more likely to take a shower, with one of those shower chairs or something? I guess it’s more photogenic to do the tub, so he can banter with Kevin, but … that’s gotta hurt.

01:30
The water level in Justin’s tub keeps going from almost-overflowing to quite-a-ways-from-the-edge, not in a normal bath sort of a way but in a continuity over a number of sloshy takes sort of way.

02:14
Justin says he doesn’t need Kevin to stay with him, but he’s slipping lower and lower into that tub. Serious drowning risk.

03:44
Maybe Robert should get some more of that Presidential After Shave. Kitty seems to enjoy it. As opposed to the Governor After Shave.

04:16
Kitty tells Robert that voters want to make sure he didn’t throw his wife under a bus on his mad dash to power. Is that what she thinks he’s done to her now?

04:53
What’s with all the cute primary-color hardhats? It’s like an episode of Bob the Builder here. Though the blue one does match Rob Lowe’s eyes.

05:19
Ooh, Lena put his schedule up so he can access it from home! Tech whiz knows how to, what, work Google calendar? Holly would like to clone her, but I think there’s one too many already.

06:08
Too bad Tommy did not indeed pack up and take Julia to Hawaii, and maybe stayed their with Lizzie, far from embezzling temptation, far from Lena …

06:26
… and far from the in-laws from hell.

07:15
Julia says they don’t always know when Tommy’s family stops by. Have we ever seen Tommy’s family stop by? Maybe, I don’t know, once? Everybody stops by Nora’s.

08:04
Justin points out to his mom that he’s not 12 years old. And yet, she seems to have a hard time remembering that.

08:14
Justin asks if Nora called his sponsor. And that’s a really good question. Isn’t he supposed to stay in touch with his sponsor indefinitely? Why would Nora not have gathered that opinion before, say, the pediatrician?

08:26
Nora: “When life does something this horrible to you, there are no rules as to how to get over it. You just have to do whatever you can, anything you can to make it better.” So is that supposed to be the rationale for Julia and Tommy’s irrational behavior, too? They sure didn’t seem to be held to any rules after their mutual affairs.

Continue on to Part 2.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, History Repeating

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters second season with a look at the final part of Episode 2. Read Part 1, 2, 3, and 4,then hop right in here.

32:45
Memo to Nora: Your overbearing mothering is what sent Justin to war in the first place. Lay. Off.

33:13
Nora says he’s not the same boy she sent off four months ago. But have we seen anything so different in these short scenes? I think the problem is more in her approach than in his reaction. I bet that Mother’s Manual specifically said, “Do not smother your returning soldier.”

33:51
Justin invited Robert to his homecoming. And … when did that happen? With Nora watching him every dang second?

33:54
I really like the Justin-Robert relationship. It’s so much more realistic and less WTF than Kevin’s sudden allegiance to his brother-in-law. Robert’s the only person who treats Justin like an adult.

34:47
Justin: “Mom is being so … Mom.”

37:01
Nora: “This whole thing makes me want to move to France.”
Robert: “It would be so helpful if you would.”
Where’s Roger and his trips to Paris when you need him?

37:40
Did Holly always have such a spectacular view out of that window? She’s not moved since she came into money, has she?

38:00
Rebecca wonders why her mother always lets her off the hook. Of course, at the end of Season 3, when Holly thinks too much about past indiscretions, she doesn’t like that either.

38:31
Holly is apologizing all over the place for this terrible thing she did of not letting Rebecca know who her father was. And … still not quite there, are we, Holly?

40:09
Nice speech by Robert, but in the real world, no way a professional loudmouth like Luther Reeves is left speechless by anything. He’d be right back into confrontational mode in a blink.

40:42
Travis is speechless. But not really. Have I mentioned how much I miss Travis? Yes. Yes, I have. And shall continue.

41:26
Memo to Nora’s children: She will take “leave me alone” as a sign that she should do anything but. Even if she has to follow you to Mexico.

Continue on to Episode 3.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, An American Family