Brothers & Sisters

Today we continue our search for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the third part of Episode 5. Read Part 1 and Part 2 if you need to catch up, then dive right in here with Part 3.

14:57
David is like a contractor and a designer all in one. And male escort. He’s a full-service kind of guy.

15:16
David’s going to take out an entire wall and fill it with French doors. Maybe that’s why I don’t recognize this little room they’re in. It’s not William’s office, because I’m pretty sure that was off the kitchen. This looks to be off the dining room. Am I just blanking here, or was this room not a regular fixture?

15:52
“My son and I are no longer seeing each other socially.” Love that line. It reminds me of how ticked my mom would get when I wouldn’t go to one of her functions. But in a good way.

16:37
Why do Walkers even bother to tell one another not to tell a secret, like Nora warns Kevin not to tell his sisters about her not-a-date with David? You know it’s going to happen, why waste the breath?

17:23
How old was the character of Amber supposed to be? The actress was born in 1978, so would have been about 28 when this was filmed in 2006. Do you think she was pressing the impressionable blonde ditz pedal a little hard? Someone that age working as an intern at a TV show should be a little less fluttery, no? It’s making me think about Emily Rose, who’s a few years younger and played someone who was fairly clear-headed and unapologetic about getting involved with the boss. As much as I hated the character of Lena, I maybe wouldn’t have minded seeing her take Kitty on in this situation.

19:04
Again I’m reminded of how much more I liked Sarah when she was an over-her-head working mom, before she became completely unhinged by her hatred for Holly. I can see why she would have latched on to Holly as the one thing she was allowed to really let her anger loose on, but I don’t think it did the character any favors.

19:31
Nora performs the very difficult “Flip an attack your child makes on you into an attack on them” maneuver, of which she is a master. Extra points for doing it when the subject is bra wearing.

20:55
This is how Nora describes Jonathan and every other boyfriend Kitty’s picked out since seventh grade: “Self-satisfied, smug men who have pathologically high self-esteem. Handsome, arrogant, self-centered Republicans.” Kitty calls her out for basically describing William. But would we say this description also fits Robert?

21:13
Nora claims that she wouldn’t attack Jonathan if Kitty really loved him, and my first impulse is to say, “Yeah, sure.” But she did pretty much stop dumping on Robert once Kitty got serious about him.

21:39
Nora goes from knowing exactly what to say to zing her children and torpedo their self-confidence to being absolutely tongue-tied in David’s presence. And as much as I wince when she’s harsh, I really hate when she’s a babbling idiot.

21:56
Nora sees Saul and Holly in a booth and is stricken. But didn’t she just recently give him (unasked-for) permission to date her?

22:10
Holly sees Saul looking ashen and asks if he had a bad scallop. I liked her in these early scenes before she was hateful and the subject of Sarah’s wrath — but as we learned in Season Two, a Holly who’s not causing trouble is a Holly who has nothing useful to do. Seems like we’re not going to have that problem in Season Three.

Continue on to Part 4.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Date Night

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the second part of Episode 5. Read yesterday’s post for the first eight minutes or so, then hop right in here.

7:50
So is this the fax machine in William’s old home office that’s churning out all this paper for Jonathan? When Nora opened it up to add more paper, she didn’t find some crumpled mis-sent fax page with Swiss bank account numbers or the names of unknown illegitimate children on it or anything? How disappointing.

8:06
Kitty didn’t tell Nora Jonathan was cooking. She’s setting her sweetie up for trouble, apparently, maybe as revenge for him agreeing to stay in the house.

8:36
Nora of Jonathan, in a funny tone of voice: “You love those surprises.” Glad they’re noticing the weirdness of that, too.

9:02
Kitty’s a fine one to be lecturing Warren on the perils of sex in the workplace. Didn’t Sarah say of her, in “Valentine’s Day Massacre,” “Sleeping with co-workers is like a reflex for you. … When have you ever slept with someone you didn’t work with?” Hey, how did she and Jonathan meet, anyway?

11:04
In a lot of the early Scotty scenes, I’ve felt that he was overly judgmental and Kevin was kind of a mope. But there’s a nice little bit of a scene here when Kevin finally starts bantering with Scotty a little bit — Scotty says he’ll have to check with his “boyfriend” before planning a date with Kevin, and Kevin says the boyfriend can come too because he’s hot — that finally shows some chemistry.

11:42
Tommy says if Jonathan keeps cooking like this, he can stay as long as he likes, and Nora gives him a look like Tommy’s going to be in the doghouse a lot longer than that.

12:05
Sarah asks how to say “I told you so” in France, and Kitty says something like “Baissez ma derriere,” and if I remember my four years of high-school French correctly (or really, my one year of college French, when they taught us the naughty expressions), that’s not “I told you so” but “Kiss my ass.” Interestingly, the closed-captioning just says [Speaks French.]

12:41
Justin comes in late for dinner … and sits in the seat that Sarah just left to go give Paige her insulin. Did they not set a place for Justin in the first place? Isn’t there, like, a plate of half-eaten food there? And most importantly, with Paige’s and Joe’s seats empty too, why would he pick the one next to grouchy Tommy?

13:18
Jonathan’s job is investing wealthy people’s money, but he hasn’t learned not to talk with his mouth full.

13:36
Nora makes a comment about the irony of Jonathan’s making cassoulet, “eating like the poor peasants while we discuss his bazillion dollar hedge funds.” Wow, where does she get off being so rude? Jonathan didn’t even bring up the subject of money, he was just politely answering questions. I’m not crazy about the guy, but I don’t think cooking dinner for your girlfriend’s family is call to be lambasted.

13:50
And the painful discussion is broken up by actual pain. Poor Paige. But there’s not a bedroom upstairs where they could have done this?

13:56
Oh, well, it’s worth having Paige within audible screaming distance for this awesome scene of Justin sweeping into action and, for the first time in this show, being good for something. If you want help with drug administration, people, you know who to go to.

14:31
Of course, it would be nice if his family didn’t stand there staring at him in utter slack-jawed disbelief that he was, for one brief shining moment, not a screw-up.

Continue on to Part 3.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Date Night

Today continues what I hope will be a summer-long journey through the first season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Two. As with our re-view of Episodes 1, 2, 3 and 4, 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, “Date Night.”

1:10
Alright, this shadowy blue-lit shot of Jonathan is just creepy. He looks like a serial killer setting some poor schlub up for extinction. I believe this is the episode in which I finally started disliking the guy.

1:30
While I generally enjoy the use of phone calls on this show, fake phone sex between Kitty and Jonathan is just wrong.

2:03
Was Jonathan hiding in the infamous pantry? Man, that place gets a lot of action.

2:33
Nora never did get that Rottweiler, though it may yet come in handy.

2:38
Kitty lets Jonathan off with a kiss, but really, this is the third time he’s made a surprise visit. Enough already.

2:44
David! So at least Jonathan’s ambush of Kitty was good for one thing, bringing the handyman around to fix the broken shelf, and maybe the broken widow.

2:58
Wait, Nora’s blaming the breaking of the pantry shelf on Kitty’s fear of the wind, and not on the fact that her estranged boyfriend was hiding in her house? You don’t have to be afraid of the wind to be bowl-tossingly shocked out of your skin by an unexpected man in your pantry.

3:36
Aw, David thinks he’s heard all of Nora’s expletives over the years. Jonathan can go, but I do so wish David could have stayed around a lot longer than he did.

3:43
Having Jonathan stay at the house is a bad idea in so many ways, but if I was Kitty I’d be ticked that I didn’t get to stay with him in a suite at the Ritz. (As long as it’s not the one with the big stain on the rug.)

3:57
The moment Jonathan accepts Nora’s invitation despite Kitty shaking her head is the moment their relationship is doomed. No good can come of staying in that house, fella.

4:20
Is this the siblings’ first speakerphone conference? I believe so. A milestone!

4:40
And, true to form, the speakerphone conference starts small, and grows as more family members come in and must hear the story repeated. Jonathan! Staying in Mom’s house! Cooking dinner in Mom’s kitchen! Doomed. So doomed. He might as well go back to New York right now.

5:35
I do so like the way Kevin is not Super Lawyer, able to handle all sorts of cases without breaking a sweat, but someone who calls in the proper professional. Like now, to discuss the embezzlement mess.

5:51
Amber! Warren’s day just got 100 percent better. And Kitty’s, about that much worse.

6:40
Is it me, or does this lawyer look a lot like the doctor who diagnosed Paige’s diabetes? I looked it up and they’re different actresses, but … it’s freaking me out a little.

7:18
The lawyer says they have to find $12 million by the end of the year. Doesn’t Jonathan, like, have that in pocket change?

This re-view of Episode 5 will continue tomorrow.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Family Portrait

Today we continue our search for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the fifth and final part of Episode 4. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 if you need to catch up, then dive right in here with Part 5.

32:31
Sarah’s beating herself up for not noticing Paige’s diabetes. Hey, what about Joe, super-involved and superior father Joe? I don’t remember him saying anything about it.

33:35
Aww, Joe and Sarah still love each other, at least in the context of worry over a sick child. Hey, that talking stuff’s overrated anyway.

34:13
Tommy clearly did not get the memo that crisis Brings the Family Together. Justin is supposed to have a “Get Out of Being Hassled About Being High Free” card here. C’mon, man!

34:20
The doctor who complimented Sarah for having a tribe full of Walkers in the waiting room is now probably calling hospital security.

35:32
Childhood health trivia: Tommy had a broken arm and a broken ankle; Kitty had asthma; Kevin and Sarah had a “super glue mess,” the details of which are probably better left unspoken.

36:39
Kitty lets Nora off the hook for the “driving away” thing by saying they both did it and it was supposed to happen. Nora in turn says she needs Kitty — which, okay, does match up with the “Separation Anxiety” conversation — and is sorry about the picture. This, I think, marks the official end of the Kitty-Mommy Cold War.

37:29
The Walkers reconvene at home to the tune of Neil Halstead’s “Hi-Lo & In Between.”

37:54
Saul makes a high-falutin’ speech about wine, to which Tommy responds, “I never understand you, Saul, but I like your wine.” Perhaps Saul’s the one who should have spun off the wine business.

38:08
Aw, Kitty booted the big interview because of Paige’s health crisis. Warren seems to be able to do it without two all-nighters’ worth of preparation. His hair looks a little messy, though.

39:09
Kitty tells Sarah she’d trade lives with her in a second. At which Sarah should have said, “You’re on, sister!” and hopped a plane to go have a wild weekend with Jonathan. But no.

40:08
Saul characterizes his feelings for Holly as being not on a grand scale, just human sympathy and the beginnings of a friendship. Nora gives her blessing for something more, although from what I recall from “Date Night,” that doesn’t include dating-type feelings.

40:27
k.d. lang’s singing “Helpless” as Saul tells Nora he doesn’t need her blessing. But Saul, your dating her husband’s mistress could destroy her!

41:01
Tommy doesn’t want to talk to Justin — he’s done. Except, as we know, not so much.

41:55
“Helpless, helpless, helpless” is playing full blast now, with no interfering dialog, as the family gathers for a new photo, with Paige running across the lawn like she’s in a commercial for insulin or something.

42:14
Should we consider Saul’s pink sweater to be foreshadowing of some sort?

42:40
And there we have it — a new, complete, up-to-date photo of a good-looking family. But of course, pretty soon they’re going to have to take another portrait, with Rebecca in it. Then another, with Lizzie included. Then another, without Joe and Gabe. Another, with Robert. And another, with Scotty but without Rebecca. Unless she and Justin get married, and then she’s back in. Really, Nora ought to just put a photographer on retainer and get one of these done every month. The Walkers take some keeping-up with.

And that’s five days of catch-up on Episode 4. Retcon Patrol will continue tomorrow with Episode 5.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Family Portrait

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the fourth part of Episode 4. Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 if you need to catch up, then dive right in here with Part 4.

25:40
Kevin and Saul bond over being owned by Nora. See, right here we should have suspected Saul was gay.

26:10
Considering how whipped Saul and Kevin are by Nora, they probably oughtn’t to be so concerned about things “destroying” that delicate flower. How many things did this family hesitate to talk about because it would destroy Nora? Holly, the business, Rebecca — anything else? Mom really doesn’t destroy that easily, folks.

26:36
Really, the reason Saul “can’t let that happen” — that being telling Nora about William’s embezzlement — is that he swore to his sister that there were No More Secrets. Saul is still in oily lying mode here.

26:43
Wait, who are these arguing people? Oh, okay, there’s Justin behind them, carrying their bags and being Troubled. Fake out!

27:06
If one rude remark from a jerk sends Justin scrambling for the pills, he truly is not cut out to be a bellboy. Or, you know, really anything where you have to be in contact with the general public.

27:20
Joe and Sarah are talking about how they’re not talking. I’ve had that conversation, actually.

28:22
Coop asks what’s for dinner, and Sarah says “your grandmother’s crazy spaghetti.” I would like a recipe for that, please. (Assuming it’s Nora’s, and not Joe’s mother’s, in which case Cooper’s “Blech” is probably right.)

28:28
Paige is asleep! For almost three hours! And that should be about our last anvil, as Sarah rushes upstairs all concerned.

28:46
Nora is trying to convince Kevin that he had a choice about going to the golf tournament, and he is responsible if he didn’t want to go. Yeah, right.

29:20
No way has Kevin really had free choice in this matter, but … he does sound awfully whiny. I mean, saying he should have been out on a date with Scotty instead of “out on the town with my friggin’ Mom” sounds more like a Justin line of dialog.

29:24
Blaming Nora for being manipulative is like blaming the sky for being blue.

29:32
Oops. Kevin outed Uncle Saul for being whiny about Nora, too.

30:03
Line of the night, from Nora: “Kitty, am I insensitive?” Um, what was that thing you hung in the hall again?

30:22
Nora is in full tantrum mode. Paige and Cooper should come take lessons.

30:38
Kitty says it wasn’t her decision to move to New York, that Nora drove her away. That would have been before the Justin-enlisting argument. Again, I wonder how this matches up with their conversation at the end of “Separation Anxiety,” where Nora regrets not telling Kitty that she needed her. That sounded more like not providing something that would make her stay, as opposed to actively driving her away. Hmm.

30:43
Saved by the bell! Just when they needed it, one of those crises that Brings the Family Together. Paige is not waking up!

31:21
And Justin is not standing up. Sober up, Buddy. Your boss has a crush on you, and there’s a Family Crisis to attend to.

32:01
Tyler knows who Justin used to be in high school — the boy with the sweetest smile. Yeah, he was loaded then, too.

Continue on with the conclusion, Part 5.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Family Portrait

There’s no Brothers & Sisters re-run tonight, and that’s okay, ’cause I’d be watching the Tony Awards anyway. But the lack of repeat to write about means we can spend this Father’s Day evening thinking about one very flawed father, the Unknowable King, William Walker. Here’s a smattering of quotes from past memorable lines round-ups by and about that bad dad.

“The world outside this house we can’t control, not with bombs, not with diplomacy, not even with love, we know that now. The best thing we can possibly do now is just appreciate one another right here, right now, together. This family is the only sure thing in life, always was, always will be.” William, “Mistakes Were Made Part 1″

“He’s my dad, and he’s dead, and I can’t kill him, and I can’t ask him why.” — Kitty, “Affairs of State”

“You were willing to be sloppy seconds for some rich jerk with a wife and kids, and my dad didn’t want to fess up to having a bastard child with his mistress because he didn’t want to risk his Norman Rockwell life.” — Rebecca, “The Other Walker”

“The thing about becoming a father, is it makes you think about your own dad. Our father wasn’t perfect. Maybe it came with the territory. I don’t know.” — Tommy, “Grapes of Wrath”

“Your father loved and respected you both very much. He just had a hard time showing it, I don’t know why. Get over it.” — Nora, “36 Hours”

“There is one person in my life who embodies … embodied all of my ideals, everything I’m talking about, and that is my father, William Walker. … He was a man who created jobs, he was a man who built a business. He was somebody that you could look up to. He was somebody that I am very happy to say that I could believe in.” — Kitty, “State of the Parties”

“He was a good father, he was a good businessman, he was very smart, he could be very kind. He also carried on a 20-year affair, embezzled from his own company, and kept a child from me. Now that’s the whole truth.” — Nora, “Three Parties”

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, William Walker, Father’s Day

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the third part of Episode 4. Read Part 1 and Part 2 if you need to catch up, then dive right in here with Part 3.

16:50
In this babysitting scene, young Maxwell Perry Cotton was clearly practicing for his direct-to-video role as Dennis the Menace.

17:11
Cooper wants two of something and is willing to lie to get them. Boy takes after his grandpa.

17:31
Diabetes anvil #3: Paige has to pee!

17:55
I’m not sure Kitty should let Warren in the house. He could be a very dangerous role model for Cooper.

18:00
How does Warren know Kitty’s babysitting on the eve of her big interview? Doesn’t sound like the kind of thing you’d mention to your professional rival.

19:50
On the golf circuit, apparently, William was Bill. But did anyone call him “Billy”?

20:51
Trivia: Justin went to San Marino High, where he and Tyler were in classes called “Choices and Challenges” and “Ancient History” together.

20:53
So what’s more embarrassing: Having somebody recognize you from high school who you absolutely don’t remember …

21:05
… or having that person ask, what the hell happened to you?

21:21
Gus Black’s “Trillion Things” accompanies a smile from Tyler that suggests she had a crush on Justin in high school and still thinks he’s cute despite the fact that he’s a stoned loser …

21:44
… and continues on Warren and Kitty’s study date, where Warren clearly has a crush on Kitty.

21:47
Kitty is calling out Warren for lying in the same way she called Cooper out for lying earlier. And she’s shutting him down for future dating the way she shut Cooper down for Fudgie Pops. (Although it’s worth noting that Cooper went ahead and took a Fudgie Pop anyway.)

22:39
Paige is thirsty again!

23:56
Scotty told his “friend” that Kevin is very honorable. Is that a compliment?

24:48
Doctor Kitty’s health concerns for Paige are not well-received by Sarah. But you know, Mom, those anvils have been falling pretty hard. It’s not like Kitty’s being House here.

25:04
Busted! Sarah knows about Kitty’s conversation with Joe, of which it was clear nothing good could come. Wait ’til she finds out how many Fudgie Pops Cooper ate on Kitty’s watch. And that she let her boyfriend come over.

Continue on to Part 4.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Family Portrait

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the second part of Episode 4. Read yesterday’s post for the first ten minutes or so, then hop right in here.

10:21
For those who, like Sarah and I, have never heard of the baked good that Kitty brought over, Wikipedia explains that “a canelé is a small French pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust.” Just the thing for the undiagnosed diabetic in your family!

10:49
First “Mommy,” now “Paigey”! Everybody’s getting a y, it’s the cool thing.

11:03
Random childhood friend name-drop, for future reference: Diana Vakili was good with a Ouija board, but Kitty is pretty sure she couldn’t really help them switch lives. Which for some reason makes me flash back to a Disney movie with a very young Katherine Heigl trading lives with her sister … Never mind, I’m back now.

11:12
Diana was a very powerful girl, says Sarah. Maybe they should look her up now and see if she can put a hex on Holly. And turn Rebecca back into a Walker.

11:17
Cooper is a man who knows what he wants. Fancy bakery purchases? Nah. Toastee Treat! We really didn’t see much of this kid in Season Two, did we? Has he had some sort of freakish growth spurt, like Walt on Lost?

11:27
Diabetes anvil #2: Paige is very tired!

11:40
Sarah is a hard one to sell on babysitting services. She requires prospective minders to be Democrats. And to, you know, have some child-tending experience. And to not call her daughter “Paigey.”

12:38
Alright, let’s see how much time passes between Nora insisting to Kevin that she’s not upset about missing the golf tournament, “that dreadful thing” …

13:08
… and telling him what a doll he is for insisting on going. Thirty seconds. Ladies and gentleman, this is the way the pros do it.

13:16
And Kevin is left to quietly ponder how very thoroughly his mother owns him.

13:22
Hey, it’s Tyler! Remember Tyler? What on earth did she see in Justin, anyway?

13:47
And again, someone calls Justin “Stonehenge,” which we’ve now figured out refers to being stoned. Is that a common epithet, or should we assume Tyler and Tommy are having a secret affair in which they make up nicknames for fun?

14:08
Jack seems to be the only person who drinks even more than the Walkers, if that’s even possible.

14:34
The costume designer on this show likes the big-floppy-bow-around-the-neck look for women. Do people still wear them? I’m thinking I might have had a couple in the early ’80s.

14:22
Big story for Kitty’s show: Somebody named David Silver is quitting the Democratic party and running for president as an independent. Did we ever hear anything about him during Robert’s campaign storyline?

14:46
Whit wants to flip a coin to see who gets to do the big interview, Kitty or Warren. I think he should have made them mud wrestle for it.

15:14
Kitty talks her way into the story, which is less than 48 hours away. So presumably, this is Monday, after the show’s taped. It looks like it’s still light outside, so if Kitty’s an 11:30 smartass, she’s either a pre-taped smartass or an a.m. one. Anyway, Kitty says she’ll have to pull an all-nighter, but doesn’t she have two all-nighter’s worth of time?

16:02
And when Sarah calls asking for babysitting tomorrow night, with light definitely coming in through her window, doesn’t Kitty have the rest of the day Monday, Monday night, and all day Tuesday to prepare before babysitting begins? She acts like the babysitting and the all-nighter are the same night, but there’s a whole all-nighter between there and here, no? The fast-and-loose stuff this show does with time always makes my head hurt.

Continue on with Part 3.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Family Portrait

Today continues what I hope will be a summer-long journey through the first season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Two. As with our re-view of Episodes 1, 2, and 3, 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, “Family Portrait.”

0:37
Four siblings are checking out the new picture Mom’s hung up in a prominent place, and the one sibling that’s missing is the siblings that’s missing in the picture, too — Kitty. They can’t imagine why Mom would put it up. Have they ever met their mother, the Queen of Passive Aggression?

0:50
Sarah says Kitty was missing because she had a speech to give in NYC, Kevin says it was the Kitty-Mommy Cold War … wait, Mommy? Does anybody ever call Nora that? Mom, certainly, and Mother when fed up, but Mommy? I guess he just wanted it to rhyme, kinda.

1:00
Kevin admires his haircut in the picture. Man, are the men on this show obsessed with hair.

1:07
Justin’s comment on the photo: “Julia is a babe!” And the Tommy-Justiny Cold War continues.

1:37
The diabetes anvils start falling: Paige is very thirsty!

1:55
Actually, come to think of it, Joe could use to be a little more hair-obsessed.

2:17
Nora says it’s a really good picture, and Kitty was busy that weekend. And you know, it is a really good picture. Should it never see the light of day because one person is missing? Tape a wallet-size headshot of Kitty in the corner and be done with it.

3:07
Tommy officially becomes Justin’s father, taking on William’s role of finding demeaning jobs for Justin and expecting him to shut up and take them.

3:32
Julia gets a line! Not just a babe, but a babe who can talk.

3:47
Two lines! You go, Sarah Jane Morris!

3:58
Kitty says Kevin plays golf. I thought Tommy was the one who golfs? Wasn’t Kevin the most hopeless and pathetic of the brothers when they were out golfing with Isaac in “Separation Anxiety”?

4:01
We now learn that Kevin played on the high-school golf team — which, even if he just did it for a guy, should have given him a little more ability than he showed on the course with Isaac, no?

4:48
Between the “Mommy” and the way Kitty’s teasing Kevin into golfing with Mom, both of these siblings have regressed to about five years old.

5:00
At least we’re consistent with Saul hating golf.

5:18
Kevin’s inability to give Sarah the satisfaction of telling her he has a tentative date with Scotty leads him to be stuck going golfing with Nora. Honestly, Paige is more mature than all of them.

5:51
No line for Julia, but she gets a nice solo laughing shot.

5:57
Nora says “the house we paid for is now Holly’s.” I thought she told Saul to sell it to Holly for a reasonable price? Are they just giving it to her now?

6:05
Nora thinks Holly should sell the house and move somewhere cheap and sleazy on the other side of the world. And how much trouble would have been saved if she had! Guess Nora’s all over feeling ashamed for her party outburst.

6:20
Okay, so here Nora is being pretty unambiguously intolerant of infidelity, which I guess blows a hole in my thoughts that perhaps she had at least a temptation in that direction herself. Though actually, all she says is she never touched anybody else’s husband, so I suppose somebody else’s brother or nephew or cousin would still be fair game — or heck, on this show, wife.

6:41
Saul is defending Nora from her own self-righteousness. Something that he himself has never ever demonstrated ever.

6:42
Now Saul launches into a speech that can easily be retroactively interpreted as pointing the way to his coming-out plotline: “Life is lonely, Nora. It’s long and lonely, and there are so many genuine evils in the world. I would think that you would at least let someone off the hook for falling in love with the wrong person.” At the time, though, it seemed to spin in the direction of him being in love with Holly.

7:08
Wow, how long has Jonathan been split from the woman he wanted to marry and move to L.A. for, and now he’s dating? I guess that kind of hair doesn’t stay off the market for long.

7:23
“So what’s the skinny?” says Jonathan. And since I can’t imagine somebody using that casually in real life, it’s hard not to take it as another Calista Flockhart weight reference.

8:19
Now Joe’s spilling to Kitty about his problems with Sarah. Should he really be complaining about his wife to her sister? Do he and Kitty have that kind of separate friendly relationship? Next thing you know, he’ll be asking her for a letter of recommendation for his custody case.

8:37
It is pretty funny, though, when Kitty says Sarah is just like their dad … but no, wait, not that way!

9:07
Kitty finally notices the picture, and is immediately upset. She asks “When was that taken?” so apparently it was not a case of her being asked and unavailable, as Sarah thought, and was indeed a case of the Kitty-Mommy Cold War, as Kevin suggested.

9:43
Gotta give Kitty credit for coming right out and asking Nora, “Why did you hang up that picture? I’m not in it.” And yet, although I know Nora did it for symbolic reasons that will be worked out over the episode, I still can’t help but feel — “Hey, girlie, if you move to the other side of the continent from your family, you might get left out of a picture sometimes. Are they never allowed to get a portrait taken because you’ve chosen to live someplace else? Get over yourself.” But that’s just me.

Continue on to Part 2.

_{Photo by Terri Mauro}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Family Portrait

Today we complete our search for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the fifth and final part of Episode 3. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 if you need to catch up, then dive right in here with Part 5.

33:55
“It is time that I become a person. I won’t be invisible any longer,” says Holly, and boy, did she make good on that plan. But I think it’s worth noting, as we move back into Holly Hate Mode for Season 3, that she didn’t come out of nowhere to stalk the Walkers. They — or Nora, in this case — came after her.

34:12
Kitty sums up this and many a Walker party: “That was an interesting hour and ten minutes of unmitigated torture and taquitos.”

34:30
Nora says she’s known the affair for fifteen years, since she caught William in a lie and he swore he’d stop. And Rebecca would have been … what, about six then?

35:09
When Kitty tells her William loved her, Nora says bitterly that he didn’t give up anything to do it, and what kind of love is that? And this is where I think they have an in if, somewhere down the line, they want to say Nora had an affair, too. The way she says “If I had known” and “He didn’t give up anything to do it” makes me think that she did give up something, and wouldn’t have if she had known. It doesn’t have to have been an affair, even — maybe, like Sarah, she was just in sync with a man who was not her husband.

36:14
Speaking of iffy marriages, Sarah’s packing lunches and crying. Fortunately, it’s Good Joe who comes in to say encouraging things to her, instead of ego-busting Bad Joe. And finally, there’s some touching.

37:38
On the advice of her mother, Kitty tells Jonathan about her own personal mini-affair with Warren, but of course, he’d already guessed. Guy can read a script, you know? And take the next plane out of town.

38:59
Next morning, Nora turns up in Saul’s office, and he’s in full “I did this apparently bad thing for only the best reasons” mode. She’s sufficiently ashamed not to call him on it. Should have brought Justin with.

39:25
Nora does tell “Sauly” that he lost his way a long time ago. But then she says she’ll love him no matter what, as long as there are no more secrets. And of course he says, “Oh, no, no more secrets. Fresh out. Unless you’re talking about financial indiscretions and illegitimate children and my sexual orientation? No? We’re all clear, then!”

40:14
On Kitty’s TV show, Warren is talking about how it’s impossible to hide things as Kitty gives him the evil eye and Aqualung’s “Easier to Lie” comes on the soundtrack. Or, as it should be called, “Uncle Saul’s Theme.”

40:17
And it’s time for the concluding Walker montage. Kitty’s show playing silently on everyone’s TV as Nora cries; Justin mixes drugs, booze, and Fawn; Sarah does cute puppety things with her family; Kevin eats one of Scotty’s cupcakes in a provocative manner; Tommy looks over paperwork; and Nora jumps in the pool in her nightgown. Because nothing says liberation like wet clothing.

And that’s five days of catch-up on Episode 3. Retcon Patrol will continue tomorrow with Episode 4.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Affairs of State

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the fourth part of Episode 3. Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 if you need to catch up, then dive right in here with Part 4.

23:50
Justin is having a meltdown over Holly’s presence at the party. “She’s out there drinking mojitos and wearing big jewelry!”

24:09
Justin is like the Sawyer of this show with the nicknames. Warren = “Cheesefest.”

24:27
Now here, I thought Kitty was in her slip, looking for something in her enormous closet to wear, and it turns out that’s actually her dress. Or else she’s so addleminded by secrets and Jonathan that she forgot to put one on.

24:36
I see no big jewelry on Holly. I was thinking maybe there was a chunky necklace or something, but no.

24:40
Alright, I guess the earrings are pretty hoopy and dangly, but not so obtrusively large that that’s the first thing Justin would have noticed.

24:49
Nora hopes Saul and Holly have bug spray on because there are pests. That is, beyond her own personal children.

24:55
Holly says Nora’s yard is “so full of life, so lovely, so alive.” Justin could have said she’s drinking mojitos and talking like an idiot.

25:07
Jonathan said earlier he was ready to move to L.A., and now Kitty’s talking about how they could totally meet in Chicago all the time, wouldn’t that be great? So even before she opens the door on Warren and shuts it again, he’s gotta know they’re doomed, right?

25:23
Whatever else you can say about Kitty’s taste in men, they all have great hair. Or perhaps, excellent hairpieces.

25:47
“Does anybody need a drink? I do,” says Kitty. Honey, isn’t that what got you into this mess with Warren in the first place?

26:23
This is the problem with running a family business: You can’t even go to a family pool party without your little brother challenging you on chain-of-command issues in front of your kid.

26:49
Scotty arrives bearing red velvet cupcakes. You really gotta appreciate this party for multitasking. It’s supposed to be all about Paige getting in the pool, but there’s also plenty of room for it to be about mistress outing, and inviting guys to annoy Kevin and Kitty.

27:24
Scotty declares himself to be “Scotty Wandell from Oxford, Mississippi, son of Wally and Bertha.” Yet neither he nor, ultimately, Wally and Bertha have what I’d expect to be a Mississippi accent. And speaking of hair, what is with Scotty’s here? I’m pretty sure his hairstyle wasn’t defying gravity when we saw him last episode.

27:39
Warren is concerned that Kitty thinks he’s “just some sort of sexual cynic with good hair.” And that’s what’s going on his tombstone.

27:54
Kitty tells Warren that there is so much going on in this house that she can’t deal with him now. They’ll have to wait until that cozy weekend in Ojai, when her brother is asking for sperm, her mother is romancing the contractor, and her sister is discovering lost siblings in the attic.

27:57
I bet being a bartender at a Walker party is one of the most highly sought-after catering jobs in all of Southern California.

28:31
Kitty tells Warren they’re not in the last ten minutes of a Julia Roberts movie. This would have to be more like the middle of the movie, when there’s still lots of romantic conflict.

29:08
Scotty says Kevin “can’t be faithful to anything until you know why you should.” Which I guess he finally figured out.

29:13
Pete Yorn’s “Ice Age” brings us out to Paige by the pool, displaying her own personal Troubled Look. It can’t quite compete with Justin’s, but she’s young yet.

30:01
Tommy starts a grand Walker tradition of jumping into the pool with your clothes on. Paige may be traumatized, but at least she knows that you’re supposed to wear a bathing suit, duh.

30:02
There are three anonymous party guests in the background when Tommy jumps in, and a couple more when Paige does. How many people did Nora invite to this thing?

30:52
Nora is laying it on thick with the ditzy housewife unknowingly buddying up to the mistress bit, presumably to give “Sauly” a heart attack.

31:11
And, of course, to drive her children insane, as she catches them huddling in the kitchen. Nice to see Kitty’s covered up at least the top of her slip with some kind of see-through sweater.

31:44
Everybody’s sitting down to eat, but unlike the traditional disastrous family dinners we’ll come to know and love, there are a number of unknowable extras at the table, too. Yet no sign of the children, no kiddie table, no sound of giggling in the distance. What have they done with the children?

31:50
Scotty would like some more mango peach salsa, please. Nobody moves to pass it, and the extra sitting next to him looks a little freaked that he broke the silence. Do all these anonymous partygoers know what’s going on here? The Walkers are the world’s worst secret-keepers! Or maybe the bartender.

32:32
Nora, after announcing that Holly had an affair with her husband, accuses her children of forgetting how to conduct themselves in social circumstances. Well hey, lady, you’re not exactly looking like a strong role model.

32:44
Holly loses the staring contest with Nora and flees from the table. Just moments, I’m thinking, before all of the anonymous party guests realize they left the oven on at home and really must get back. Hope they remember to pick up their children on the way out.

32:59
Is Scotty smiling because he finally got his salsa, or because he loves the drama? The extra next to him still looks pretty freaked out. Justin looks Troubled. And Tommy looks pretty calm considering he’s the only one who was left out of the secret chain. But maybe he knew already, despite swearing otherwise to Justin last episode.

This look at Episode 3 will conclude tomorrow.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Patriarchy

Today we continue our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the third part of Episode 3. Read Part 1 and Part 2 if you need to catch up, then dive right in here with Part 3.

16:46
Kitty says, “I either have to quit my job, or I have to die.” I’m thinking Sarah’s going to be saying that a lot next season.

17:09
Gin is the devil’s drink, says Sarah. Which is why the Walkers just drink their weight in wine.

18:27
When Kitty told Justin not to tell anybody else about Dad’s affair, she never said that she couldn’t tell another family member, like, say, Sarah.

18:29
Or that Sarah couldn’t then, in turn, tell Kevin. About Dad, and about Kitty’s indiscretion with Warren. These people really do have kind of a pathological inability to keep secrets. So why does Sarah expect Kevin won’t tell anyone about Kitty?

19:31
Scotty thinks Sarah is Kevin’s beard, and Kevin says “Only to senior prom.” Didn’t he go with one of the Joneses from “Game Night,” or was that a different prom? [Yep. After consulting my "Memorable Lines" round-up for that episode, I see that he and Donna Jones were each other's beards for junior prom.]

19:46
Scotty’s got that Ace Ventura hairstyle going on here.

21:12
Jonathan once again turns up unexpectedly, sending Kitty (who’s on the phone with Warren) into the pool. Is she the first one in since Dad died there? I guess someone had to break the ice.

21:34
“God made airplanes for a reason,” says Jonathan. He made phones, too, buddy. You might think about calling ahead once in a while and announcing your arrival.

22:21
Alright, who are all these anonymous children and parents?

23:02
Holly makes her big party entrance, which just about sends Justin backwards into the pool.

23:09
And the secret chain comes full circle as Kevin reveals to Justin that Sarah told him what Kitty told her that Justin told her, making Justin realize that he was the only body who wasn’t allowed to tell anybody.

23:30
There’s some really obnoxious sex comedy sort of music playing through this scene. I hate when the background music on this show seems to be trying to make a point. They should dial it back a notch or ten.

Continue on to Part 4.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Affairs of State

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

8:42
Nora doesn’t care who dates Warren — could be Kitty, could be Kevin — but somebody in the family should be. Why doesn’t she just go after him? As it turns out, I guess Saul should have been in the running, too.

9:19
Nora wonders why nobody told her that Paige wouldn’t go in the pool. And again, I’m thinking, why wouldn’t Paige’s trauma at being alone with Grandpa when he had whatever attack he had and fell into the pool have been higher on everybody’s minds?

9:22
Kitty says that what the siblings don’t tell Mom could fill the Library of Congress. I don’t know. I’d say that what this gang doesn’t blab about pretty immediately would fill, maybe, a breadbox.

9:35
Kitty accuses Nora of making up childhood memories. It’s the Holden Lying Gene at work.

9:40
Justin says of Paige: “Like Tiki torches are going to get her to swim in the pool that Grandpa died in.” Though if you throw in a grass skirt …

10:08
One who positively did not inherit even a trace of the Holden Lying Gene is Justin, whose eyes practically bug out when Nora starts talking about the little house in Silver Lake and Holly. Let’s check the elapsed time between him hearing that Nora met Holly …

10:52
… and telling Kitty their dad had an affair with her. Forty-four seconds. Pretty fast, even by Walker standards.

11:16
Kitty’s last words to Justin on the subject are, “Don’t tell anybody else.” Mm-hmm.

11:28
Sarah says she doesn’t want to take her dad’s office. Do you suppose Holly is going to move into this space when the new deal goes down next season?

11:36
Kevin says Sarah and Tommy are like Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots. Let’s remember that image as they co-president in the new regime.

11:40
Sarah used to eat Tommy’s diapers? How is that possible? Even if it was only once? Or twice, depending on who you believe.

11:51
Hey, Greg Berlanti’s aboard as of this episode!

12:05
Sarah fired the Ruika brothers! Apparently they don’t teach you about keeping bums on the payroll as a favor to suppliers in MBA School. Only in Gut School.

12:19
Normally I side with Sarah in these fistfights with Tommy, but she’s really being pretty condescending here. She’ll get her comeuppance, of course. Many many many times over.

12:56
Saul huffs, “What kind of person do you think I am?” and Justin asks what his siblings should, too, when their uncle pulls that defensive act: “I don’t know, what kind are you?”

13:12
When Kitty told Justin not to tell anybody else about Dad’s affair, she never said he couldn’t tell Saul he told her.

13:20
Justin says of Kitty, “Don’t worry, she’s not gonna tell anyone.” Not faster than 44 seconds, anyway. Justin, your record is safe.

13:52
Poor Warren. He’s flirting away here not realizing that pretty much this entire conversation has cheating-dad subtext for Kitty.

13:54
“The sex drive in men is a fiery diety,” says Warren. Maybe that’s what they should put on William’s tombstone, especially if many more illegitimate kiddos pop up.

14:11
Per the closed-captioning, we’re listening to Joss Stone with “Super Duper Love.”

14:20
When Kitty told Justin not to tell anybody else about Dad’s affair, she never said she herself couldn’t tell somebody outside the family.

14:41
Kitty had a boyfriend who cheated on her once. In college. His name was Alex Sapin. Another one to add to her love-interest check-up.

15:06
“The world is too fragile for people to be untrue. There’s too much at stake, and life’s too short for lies. And you’re the worst kind of person in the world, because you wasted my heart. My time.” That’s what Kitty said to her old boyfriend, and thinks about her dad … but it seems like there’s a lot of folks who’d like to say that to the Brothers & Sisters writers after that Rebecca fake-out.

16:04
“We don’t love the people we love because they’re perfect. We love the people we love because they are.” That’s what Warren says to Kitty, but it’s also kind of why I’m not going to stop watching this show even when it wastes my heart and my time. I love those Walkers because they are.

16:20
Ah, that Warren, he’s a clever one. If smarminess doesn’t work, sensitivity will get ‘em in bed every time.

16:25
“Express Yourself” by Mocean Worker accompanies Kitty’s Big Mistake.

Continue on with Part 3.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Affairs of State

Today continues what I hope will be a summer-long journey through the first season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Two. As with our re-view of Episodes 1 and 2, 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, “Affairs of State.”

0:25
Hold up. There’s a scene in the “previouslies” that was not previously seen: Scotty says to Kevin, in his office, “I usually steer clear of your kind. I like a man who’s not afraid of a little eyeliner. Or you know, a lot.” It must be an outtake from “An Act of Will,” because Scotty’s wearing the same blue-striped shirt. (I thought it might have snuck in from “State of the Parties,” the scrapped second episode, but Scotty’s not in that at all, so it’s really a nonexistent snippet.) Did it get included in the “previouslies” by accident, or was this something they just though we really needed to know about Scotty?

0:57
Kitty asks Warren the question that was on my mind: “Why are you so obsessed with your hair?”

1:08
So … hard … to … care … about these TV show scenes now.

1:38
Lila, played for some reason by Laraine Newman, suggests to Kitty about Warren, “Why don’t you two just hump and get it over with?” Which is … well, pretty much what happened, right?

2:43
Kevin, watching the show at home with Mom and Saul, says he can’t date Warren because Warren is straight, and Nora replies, “Like that ever stopped you before.” So, what, Chad was just the latest in a long strong of allegedly straight men Kevin went after?

3:15
Nora resists Saul’s attempts to slip the sale of Holly’s house past her. Now, she knew right away what the story was on this house, right? And lies very smoothly that she wants to go check it out for herself. Straight-faced lying must be a Holden family genetic gift.

4:16
Joe connects the dots for Sarah between Paige not swimming and Grandpa dying in the pool. How have they not, like, had that kid in counseling already over that?

5:10
On the air, Warren bets Kitty dinner that Canada did not send troops to Vietnam. And she’s wrong, and looks like an idiot. She didn’t have the greatest track record on this show, did she?

5:54
Jonathan’s upset because Kitty made a date with a guy on national television, and her defense is “It’s not national, we’re not in all markets yet.” They are so doomed.

6:30
Jonathan calls her on never getting a factoid wrong, so of course she must have wanted to date Warren (although, in fact, she got it wrong before Warren staked a date on it). She should have told him about that infamous long ago Game Night when she blew the trivia question. It happens.

6:48
Holly to Nora: “My house is your house.” She had that similar sensibility about Nora’s husband.

7:30
Nora says “my husband and I” with special emphasis. Really a nice demonstration of passive aggression going on here.

8:36
Nora to Holly: “I may call and bother you … for decorating tips!” I remember the first time watching this, I felt embarrassed for poor Nora for being such the oblivious chirpy housewife, but of course she knew exactly what she was doing. Talk about being an actress.

Continue on to Part 2.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Affairs of State

Today we complete our look for inconsistent or comment-worthy moments in the Brothers & Sisters first season with a look at the fourth and final part of Episode 2. Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 if you need to catch up, then dive right in here with Part 4.

33:37
Okay, Joe’s redeeming himself a little here. Grilled cheese night. No shame-and-blame for the missing grass skirt. Realizing Sarah needs someone to congratulate her on her job promotion, and that nobody in her family would have done it. (Though I’m not sure your father willing you the presidency after his death, and over your brother’s head, is really best described as a “job promotion,” or something to toast with champagne.)

33:46
Who do you suppose Joe’s “little bird on a wire” was who told him about the job situation, anyway? Make your guess, then see at the end of this episode if you were right.

34:08
And Cooper greets Mommy by jumping up and down on a chair. Cute, but … how did they miss an ADHD subplot with this kid?

34:30
Joe jokes, of the grass skirt Paige is wearing after all, “I got the last one.” And you know what? I bet he did. I bet he bought every grass skirt on Sarah’s route home, just to make her look bad. The kid did say the skirts were “weirdly popular.”

34:49
Could Sarah have maybe brought up the fact that Joe taught Paige to sing a risque hula song in their custody hearings?

34:58
And seriously, how much did Kerris Dorsey have to pay off the producers to get all this singing screen time?

35:05
This bored-looking dance move from Cooper is why Maxwell Perry Cotton will never get any production numbers for himself.

35:37
Kevin’s surfing for gay porn at the motel and comes upon Thirtysomething Inches. Nice in-joke there.

36:06
Do I believe Kevin would watch porn with Kitty in the room? Yes. Do I believe he would leave it on when his mother was watching? Not so much.

36:25
Justin says he’s pretty frightening. Not with those puppy-dog eyes, you’re not.

36:26
If you want to know the names of songs played on this show, check the closed-captioning (even on new episodes). It is very obliging. Here, for example, Justin and Kitty have a heart-to heart while accompanied by Joshua Radin singing “Everything’ll Be Alright.”

36:55
Justin says, of parents, “They have to love you. It’s their job.” Which is why Nora can never move to Washington.

37:03
Justin says of his dad, “And yesterday he showed me what he thought of me.” Have I lost a day here? Didn’t everything that’s happened since the will reading take place on that same day? It did for Sarah, and it appears to be the same evening here. I guess it’s after midnight and so technically the next day, but it seems an odd choice of words.

37:57
Justin taught William to surf! Although actually, if we’re going to hold professional communicator Kitty to grammatical correctness, “At age 60, you taught him to surf,” means that Justin was 60.

38:33
Hey, this was the first Walker road trip! And maybe the least fun.

39:16
Sarah’s interrupted from planning on turning Ojai in to the feds by the arrival of a truck full of rotten fruit. Hey, congrats again on that promotion!

39:39
So Tommy was the “little bird on a wire” who told Joe about Sarah’s promotion. Last one I woulda thought.

40:03
Tommy and Sarah work well together when he’s not being a jerk. She’s got her MBA, and he’s got his gut. If only they didn’t have Holly now, their co-presidency might not be so bad.

40:41
Sarah tells Saul she’ll wait six months to see if the company can be turned around before she calls the U.S. attorney. Saul agrees, with a look that says And that gives me six months to figure out how to kill you. In my alternate-universe version, anyway.

40:53
India.Arie’s “Heart of the Matter” plays while Kitty stands all by herself by an empty car at what looks like a scenic outlook of some kind. Did she make a break for it and leave her squabbling family behind?

41:15
No, they’re just getting coffee. Justin’s got his super double-strength Troubled Look on, but he wants to take the pretty route home, and he kisses his mom, so maybe there is Hope for the Boy.

And that’s four days of catch-up on Episode 2. Retcon Patrol will continue tomorrow with Episode 3.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, An Act of Will