Retcon Patrol: 2-03 “History Repeating” Part 5
Sunday, June 14th, 2009
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.
Photo: ABC.com

While I’m putting together the recap for the episode named after her character, check out the
Episode 1-09:
Episode 1-10:
Episode 1-11:
Episode 1-12:
Five questions about last Sunday’s episode — 
Dave Annable mentioned in an
Looks like someone’s been paying attention during all those dinner-table free-for-alls and party disasters. Paige’s hurtful comments to Sarah after Mom returned the trampy dress were all kinds of inappropriate for a 10-year-old, but they were just like a Walker, weren’t they?
