Brothers & Sisters

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 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

While I’m putting together the recap for the episode named after her character, check out the interview with Sarah Jane Morris from the LA Times site. Here are a few excerpts from the Q&A by Enid Portuguez:

On character development: “It was unfortunate that there were major things that happened to Tommy and Julia that you never got to see. When it came out that both of us had had affairs, there was a scene when Julia says they needed help with their marriage. The show had already done the therapy story line with Joe and Sarah, so I get that they didn’t want to go there again. But you never got to see them work through their problems. Also being new parents and the whole fertility story got rushed and crammed into one episode.”

On Julia’s return: “There is definite potential for Julia to come back. I think they needed to have her go away so that they can reinvent the character. That’ll be interesting to see her come back after living somewhere different and being a single mom. I just don’t know when that’ll be.”

On her reaction to Balthazar Getty’s departure: “I was pretty surprised, actually. When I signed up for the show on Day One, I never could have predicted that things would go down the way they did. I was definitely sad and frustrated and all those emotions, but the producers were great about everything. I feel fortunate that I wasn’t killed [laughs]. There are not a lot of chances of being raised from the dead on prime-time television. … After I found out, I didn’t actually get a chance to work with [Getty] again, so I haven’t talked to him about it. We don’t hang out outside of work, and we never crossed paths at work again. It’s a little weird, but at the end of the day, it’s a job.”

A few quick thoughts on last night’s Brothers and Sisters episode. Tune in during the coming week for a recap, memorable lines, and five questions.

• On the candy or a rock scale, this was like a big bag of Sour Patch Kids, sweet and tasty but sometimes makes you wince.

• So what the heck was that business with Tommy? He’s coming home! He’s not coming home! Was the purpose of that to make us believe Nora will never be ready for Roger? Combined with the press release’s clueless mention of Holly considering dropping the charges, it had me worrying all hour that Holly was going to trick the Walkers into thinking Tommy was safe so she could get him jailed after all. I was worried Ryan would tell her Tommy had gone on the lam and that would precipitate more confrontations on this stupid, stupid plotline. But indeed, the charges are already dropped and the dummy is not coming home and all that happened was I enjoyed the episode less for all the dread. And the point was … ?

• Episodes like this, with droopy Rebecca being taken in by slimy Ryan and pining over mopey Justin makes me miss the old messed-up Rebecca all over again. What a terrible, terrible turn they took with this character. She just has had all the spirit drained out of her. I liked David being the dad looking out for her; that was sweet. But clearly the ineffectual genes came from his side of the family, and she’s become daddy’s little girl a little bit too much.

• Disliked Chad the first time around. Dislike him still. If they had to bring back an old Kevin boyfriend, I’d have preferred, if only for the sake of realism, that it be the guy who’s the brother of his brother-in-law and boss.

• Robert has now had two conversations with Walker siblings about his marital troubles with Kitty, and neither one of them has mentioned that, you know, if you’re wondering when you lost her, it might have been when she saw you declaring for governor while your baby was being born and said to anyone within earshot that she was through with you. It’s pretty unbelievable that some unrelated bystander didn’t capture that by cell phone and sell it to the local press, but even more so that Walkers are now keeping something, anything, to themselves.

• Speaking of the press … are we sure that CuteParkDad is actually a random friendly father and not someone looking to turn up a juicy story on McCallister? Kitty’s a pretty high-profile girl to be spilling her family secrets to the first guy who buys her frozen yogurt.

• Hey, remember back a long time ago, way back to the start of the series, when Sarah was supposed to be a savvy businesswoman and not undersexed comic relief? Really, she returns to take the company back for her family and her first act is sex in the storeroom? It doesn’t seem as though these writers really know what to do with a strong, capable, professional woman. Sarah’s been buffeted by marital woes and emotion-driven business mistakes, and now Kitty — who not that long ago turned down marriage to someone who wanted her to be just a mom, and even more recently was at least interested in a career as a writer or a college professor — seems to want to do nothing more than sit in the park. When Holly is your best example of a competent working woman, your show is in trouble.

• Perhaps Kevin and Scotty should invest in a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Or possibly hang a sock on the doorknob. Or, you know, move and not give Sarah their address. Enough already on the drop-ins.

• If Roger has to wait until the Walker kids have their lives straightened out to really have a relationship with Nora, he’s going to have a heck of a long wait. Didn’t we already do this, though, with Danny Glover’s character? If Nora’s going to stay tied down by her brood, she needs to start dating local fellas.

So, what did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.

_{Photo: ABC}

Brothers and Sisters, Missing, ABC

Continuing on with the Relationship Death Count started on Monday, let’s look at the relationship drama in episodes 9-12 of the first season of Brothers & Sisters and see how many pairs plummet.

Episode 1-09: “Mistakes Were Made (Part 2)”
Relationship carnage: Nora and David have their coffin nailed when Treat Williams has to go off and do another show.
Relationships on alert: Ditto.
Relationships just starting: Kitty and Robert, when she softballs an interview hoping to get his help for Justin and he offers her a job instead.
Total Relationship Deaths: 1

Episode 1-10: “Light the Lights”
Relationship carnage: Saul and Holly, who have thus far survived the ickiness of dating your brother-in-law’s mistress, the disapproval of Nora, and the fact that Saul is, you know, gay, are finally torn asunder by Sarah’s attempt to trick Holly out of a chunk of the money William left her.
Relationships on alert: None.
Relationships just starting: None. It’s Hanukkah. There are pies to bake, and toasts to make.
Total Relationship Deaths: 1

Episode 1-11: “Family Day”
Relationship carnage: None. Justin can only take so many family crises being dumped on him, you know?
Relationships on alert: Sarah and Joe, who disagree on the appropriate disciplinary measures when Joe’s son Gabe smuggles a bottle of vodka in his backpack.
Total Relationship Deaths: 0

Episode 1-12: “Sexual Politics”
Relationship carnage: None again; with all but a couple of marriages killed off, there’s not really anything standing to shoot at.
Relationships on alert: Tommy and Julia, who wants too much sex (!); Sarah and Joe, who’s making eyes at a neighborhood mom.
Relationships just starting: Kevin and Chad, otherwise known as “the boyfriend that nobody misses.”
Total Relationship Deaths: 0

TOTAL Dead Relationships in Season 1, Episodes 9-12: 2
SEASON TOTAL Thus Far: 10
AVERAGE Relationship Deaths Per Episode: .83

Continue on with Episodes 13-16

Tommy’s disappearance and Ryan’s secret from the last episode got the ball rolling through this one. Here’s what ABC’s press release has to say about the episode:

RYAN LAFFERTY’S MOTIVES COME UNDER SUSPICION,
ON ABC’S “BROTHERS & SISTERS”

“Missing” - Desperate to get through to Tommy before his legal troubles worsen, Nora reaches out for help to the person whom he hurt most deeply. Meanwhile, Ryan Lafferty gets a bit too close to Rebecca for Justin’s comfort, on “Brothers & Sisters,” SUNDAY, MARCH 22 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Brothers & Sisters” stars Dave Annable as Justin Walker, Maxwell Perry Cotton as Cooper Whedon, Kerris Lilla Dorsey as Paige, Sally Field as Nora Holden, Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker, Balthazar Getty as Thomas Walker, Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Luke Macfarlane as Scotty Wandell, Rob Lowe as Senator Robert McCallister, Sarah Jane Morris as Julia Walker, Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker, Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden, Emily VanCamp as Rebecca Harper and Patricia Wettig as Holly Harper.

Guest starring are Ken Olin as David Caplan, Luke Grimes as Ryan Lafferty, Matt Lescher as Alec, Luc Charbonnier as Ben, Eric Christian Olsen as Kyle DeWitt, Will McCormack as Ethan Tavis, Megan Follows as Maggie Stephens, Joe O’Connor as Harvey Childs, Beth Kennedy as Dr. Flackett and Pamela Shaddock as the board member.

“Missing” was written by Jason Wilborn and Nancy Won and directed by Michael Schultz.

And, the word from Bloggers and Sisters:

Nora prepares for the Center’s opening gala. Upon learning that Tommy has disappeared, the family pulls together to try to help clear him of the charges that he seems to be running from. Kitty questions Robert’s commitment to family, and finds a sympathetic ear in her new friend at the park. With Rebecca’s help, Ryan searches for evidence that William might have been involved in his mother’s death.

Hey, Ryan? Go into the Ojai Foods storage room and look for the big box labeled “William’s Secrets. Do Not Open.” It’s right there on top, see it?

Five questions about last Sunday’s episode — “Spring Broken” — still rattling around in my brain:

1. Didn’t Sarah leave something out of her argument? I loved that small quiet scene between her and Robert, and the insight it brought into the character of Kitty. But somewhere along the line, about when Robert asked what Kitty could be angry about, Sarah might have mentioned that Kitty looked pretty steamed when she saw Robert declaring his governor candidacy on TV while their birthmother was in labor, and pretty much declared to her family that her marriage was over. That might be useful information for him, too.

2. Did Tommy go to Costa Rica? After his little reminiscence about his school friend who went there to surf, that’s where I’d look first.

3. Can’t the McCallisters afford help? We know Robert used to have someone cooking for him, because he loaned out his chef for Nora’s birthday party a couple of seasons ago. Seems like he could find someone more qualified to cook those low-sodium meals than Kitty. And Kitty might be able to get herself some nanny help for those showers she keeps missing.

4. What was with that peanut comment, anyway? I suspect the writers didn’t think anything of it, but it was offensive to many viewers and really kind of out of character for Sarah. Would she put regular cookies into diabetic Paige’s lunch and tell her to pretend they’re sugar-free?

5. How old was Ryan when his mom died? Old enough that he thought he new her, old enough that William asked how he was handling her death. So are we to think that William and Ryan’s mother continued their affair for that many years? Or that she remained hung up enough on the guy that she killed herself because of him years after her affair? How long ago was that flashback at the end of season 2, when Kevin learned of Ryan’s existence, supposed to have been? It’s hard to tell because Kevin and William looked pretty much exactly the same.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Spring Broken, commentary

Tonight … road trip! Though I remain surprised that anyone wants to be on the road with Tommy at this point. Here’s what ABC’s press release has to say about the episode:

TOMMY’S FREEDOM RESTS IN HOLLY’S HANDS, ON ABC’S “BROTHERS & SISTERS”

“Spring Broken” - Kevin and Justin take Tommy on a getaway to help him make a decision about his legal future. Meanwhile, Kitty and Evan retreat to Nora’s to get acquainted with her new half brother, on “Brothers & Sisters,” SUNDAY, MARCH 15 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Brothers & Sisters” stars Dave Annable as Justin Walker, Maxwell Perry Cotton as Cooper Whedon, Kerris Lilla Dorsey as Paige, Sally Field as Nora Holden, Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker, Balthazar Getty as Thomas Walker, Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Luke Macfarlane as Scotty Wandell, Rob Lowe as Senator Robert McCallister, Sarah Jane Morris as Julia Walker, Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker, Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden, Emily VanCamp as Rebecca Harper and Patricia Wettig as Holly Harper.

Guest starring are Luke Grimes as Ryan Lafferty, Corey Mendell Parker as Adam, Patricia Martinez as the spring break girl, Deprise Brescia as the shot babe, Adrian Quiaonez as the shot stud, Desiree Hall as Tessa, Leslie Karpman as Hanna, Camilla Greenberg as Sabrina and Todd Julian as Van.

“Spring Broken” was written by Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Brian Studler and directed by Richard Coad.

And, the word from Bloggers and Sisters:

Kevin and Justin take Tommy on a boys’ get-away to Baja. However, Kevin has hidden agenda: he wants Tommy to consider taking a plea bargain. Kitty finds herself very overwhelmed with being a new mom and also caring for Robert. Ryan spends some more time with Nora, Sarah, and Kitty, but it is Rebecca with whom he shares a big secret. Nora, not wanting to be overbearing, attempts a new mothering style, but will her children actually appreciate this?

Oh, boy! Ryan has a secret. Sigh. Get in line, buddy.

Continuing from yesterday’s collection, here are some memorable lines from the second third of “Troubled Waters.”

Kitty: Robert isn’t here yet, and nothing is going the way we planned.
Sarah: Well, you know, everything went exactly according to plan with Paige, Joe was there every step of the way, serenading me with his stupid guitar, at the time I thought it was sweet. Look at us, we got divorced.

Kitty: I believed him. I actually believed that he was going to get here. I mean, look at him. This is what he does. He turns on the charm, and he just does whatever he wants, and I keep falling for it, I keep thinking that maybe he’s gonna change. And you know what? He’s never gonna change. Did you know that he killed my article?
Sarah: I did not know that.
Kitty: Yeah. Well, he did. And you know what I did? I had sex with him.
Saul: Okay –
Kitty: Twice.
Justin: Whoa –
Kitty: Yeah, yeah. That’s how stupid I am.
Sarah: You’re not stupid, Kitty.
Kitty: No, I am stupid. I married a politician, and then I’m surprised when he lies to me? I mean, I am the priority. This baby is his priority. The family is his priority. No, no. He has one priority, and there it is. And you know what? This is over. It’s done. There is no coming back after this. So, Sarah, if you could please call Kevin and tell him that he can take his time. There’s no rush. And if you talk to Robert, just, I don’t know, tell him to kiss my ass.

Nora: You’re about to meet your child. Kitty, when they put you in my arms, and we looked at each other, and I looked in your big brown eyes, I didn’t care that your father wasn’t there. What mattered is that I had that one precious moment with you. And I will always have that. This is the beginning of the most incredible relationship you will ever have. So get your big brown eyes back in there and go meet your baby.

Kitty: Mom, thank you so much for being here.
Nora: Where else would I be?

Kitty: My father died of a heart attack on my birthday. And now you have one on the day our son is born. I’m sorry, but I’m not gonna let history repeat itself. I won’t.

Robert: Kitty, if this gets out …
Kitty: No. You missed the birth of our son. I’m not gonna let you miss the rest of his life. I don’t care. I don’t care about your campaign. I don’t care how long it takes you to recover. You are going to have this surgery.

Nora: I forgot how good you are in a crisis.
Justin: Mom, you forgot because I’m the one usually causing the crisis.
Nora: That’s not true. Why is it so hard for you to accept a compliment?
Justin: Okay. Thank you for your completely biased and totally unearned good opinion of me.
Nora: Was it something I did as a mother to make you like this?
Justin: Mom, please don’t do the guilt thing, all right? I became an unemployed drug addict all by myself.
Nora: Ex-drug addict.
Justin: Recovering drug addict.

Justin: Can’t you see what I really am, Mom?
Nora: I can see you. I see you. I see a smart, brave, compassionate man who dropped out of school and gave some of the most important years of his life to the Army. That’s what I see. While all of your friends were in college finding themselves, you were serving your country in Afghanistan and Iraq. You never had a chance to find out what you’re good at.
Justin: Maybe.
Nora: You deserve that chance, Justin. The sad thing is, the only one who thinks you don’t is you.

Continue on to Part 3.

For recaps and memorable lines from other episodes, visit the pages for Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Troubled Waters, recap, memorable lines

Dave Annable mentioned in an interview I quoted the other day that he’d like to see George Clooney come aboard as a guest star. And, my goodness, who wouldn’t? Besides the fact that he would add to the show’s already high awfully-nice-to-look-at quotient, I think we could expect him to raise the show’s profile and get some new eyeballs tuning in.

So what part shall we plan for the guy? He could easily step in as a love interest for any number of Walkers, but I worry about what the constant casting of high-profile guest stars as dating material does to those characters’ love lives. Though Rob Lowe stuck, the door has otherwise been revolving pretty quickly. Since even with the most wishful of thinking we dare not imagine more than one episode for this guest star, where could he easily pop up, with the potential but not the necessity for an Emily Craft-like repeat appearance down the road? Here’s 10 ideas for starters. As long as we’re dreaming, add yours in the comments.

1. A gubernatorial rival for Senator McCallister.

2. Elizabeth’s pediatrician.

3. Ethan’s much suaver big brother, who ticks him off by flirting with Sarah.

4. An illegitimate child of William’s from before he was married to Nora.

5. A lawman on Tommy’s trail.

6. The father of a child in Nora’s Ronald McDonald house.

7. A rival produce magnate looking to take advantage of Ojai instability with a hostile takeover.

8. Someone Justin meets at NA and wants to bring home to meet the family, but no one will let him because of how badly the last one went.

9. A long-lost Holden or Walker cousin. Surely these people have some legitimate relatives somewhere?

10. A Game Night guest of the hated Joneses. “Your daughter married a senator? How nice. Mine is dating George Clooney.“

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?

She’s still a little stiff with the cutting remarks, and her words lack the sarcasm that makes her elders’ tirades so much more fun, but the MO is the same: When you’re wronged by somebody, or maybe just wrong, start spewing with the insults aimed at their vulnerabilities; then lie low until the other person realizes there’s just enough truth in what you said that you’re forgiven.

In Paige’s case, that disrespectful diatribe should probably have brought a grounding instead of an accessorized trampy dress, but you can’t really blame the girl too much. I mean, where exactly is she supposed to have learned about respect for your parents or fair fighting or healthy debate? She’s heard how her dad talked to her mom, and how her aunts and uncles get into it with Grandma, and she appears to be a quick study. Or maybe the Walkers have just never progressed beyond a 10-year-old level of debate.

I’d suggest that maybe, in the interest of setting a decent example for the upcoming generation, the senior Walkers might want to put a sock in it now and again, drink less and behave more, talk things out before they eviscerate each other instead of after. But what fun would that be? Let’s just hope that Paige is serving up some of that Walker sass at her father’s house, too.

New episode tonight! Here’s what ABC’s press release says we have to look forward to:

“It’s Not Easy Being Green” - Just as Greenatopia gets the green light, Sarah’s business partner breaks some startling personal news. Meanwhile, Nora rekindles a romance with an old flame (guest starring Nigel Havers as Roger), on “Brothers & Sisters,” SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

“Brothers & Sisters” stars Dave Annable as Justin Walker, Maxwell Perry Cotton as Cooper Whedon, Kerris Lilla Dorsey as Paige, Sally Field as Nora Holden, Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker, Balthazar Getty as Thomas Walker, Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Luke Macfarlane as Scotty Wandell, Rob Lowe as Senator Robert McCallister, Sarah Jane Morris as Julia Walker, Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker, Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden, Emily VanCamp as Rebecca Harper and Patricia Wettig as Holly Harper.

Guest starring are Nigel Havers as Roger Grant, Eric Christian Olsen as Kyle DeWitt, Will McCormack as Ethan Tavis, David Brisbin as Senator Wade Newman, Cotter Smith as Gordon Alexander, Kaitlin Doubleday as Chelsea Yeager, Dileep Rao as Arlo Natterson and Kim Delgado as the businessman. “It’s Not Easy Being Green” was written by Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Peter Calloway and directed by Laura Innes.

Meanwhile, the writers’ blog Bloggers and Sisters gives this rundown: “Sarah, Ethan and Kyle throw a launch party for Greenatopia, hoping to wow a potential investor. Nora experiences sticker shock when Roger introduces some costly but energy efficient ideas to the designs for her center. Robert and Kevin go hunting with political bigwigs in the hopes of gaining the necessary endorsements for Robert’s gubernatorial campaign. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s long hours working at Ojai and Justin’s acquisition of a sponsee puts a strain on their relationship.”

That sounds like a totally different episode than the super-wacky Walker wackiness pushed in the promo. It also sounds more like it’s getting somewhere than that promo and press release both. Is this, like, the longest set-up season in history? I get this feeling we’re going to get one episode where a whole bunch of important things we’ve been building up to for months finally happen all at once, and it’s going to be horribly boring because there will be no time to pause for a quip or a cell-phone chain.

Looks like some fun moments in this one though. I guess we take ‘em as we get ‘em.

Brothers and Sisters, It’s Not Easy Being Green

The gossip continues about Balthazar Getty’s possible departure/firing from Brothers & Sisters. Perez Hilton posted a “Not So Blind Item” on Tuesday that, if it’s not about Getty, is going to surprise approximately 100 percent of the commenters:

“Yes, that douchebag is leaving the TV show. But, wanna know the real reason? He’s back on the drugs and alcohol, showing up late to work and being very unpleasant to work with. Is his homewrecking girlfriend gonna support him now???”

Meanwhile, E! Online has some quotes from Rachel Griffiths, Matthew Rhys, and Dave Annable that don’t exactly fill one with confidence about the state of Tommy’s future:

“We’re a family,” said Griffiths. … “We’ll get through it. And all I can say is we love him very dearly, and I’m seeing him on Monday, and I feel very good about that.” Rhys, whose friendship with Getty reportedly hit a rough patch because of [Sienna] Miller (Rhys reportedly dated her, too), added, “No one would want him completely gone. We’ve all established ourselves as a family on the show, and I hope we continue to do so.” Dave Annable, who plays Justin Walker, said he’s “not sure” what the future holds for Getty, but “it would be awful” if he left.

Rhys is also quoted as saying, “I think the show is going through a slight transition period. How much we’ll see him next season, I don’t know.” Indeed.

If Getty is in fact getting downsized, it kind of stinks that Sarah Jane Morris has to lose a job, too, just because her TV hubby’s an idiot. What can we do with Tommy that would allow Julia and Lizzie to remain in the Walker’s circle? Something short of death, because if she were completely free of the guy there’d be little reason for Julia not to move back near her parents, however much she likes the Walkers. There’d have to be some connection to Tommy left to keep her in town, maybe doing some work for Nora’s Ronald McDonald house or taking up some of that bedroom space that’s vacant now that Nora’s driven all her offspring out.

So what non-binding harm should we wish on Tommy? Here’s a few I can think of. Add yours in the comments.

1. Incarceration. That seems the most obvious, although there would have to be just enough virtue in his offense that Julia wouldn’t divorce his ass and move home anyway. Right now, the plot he’s got going looks stupid enough to earn him no sympathy. Julia’s loved him through other dumb moves, though, so maybe she’d stand by her man no matter what.

2. Coma. So Holly finds out what Tommy’s up to, and shoots him or poisons him or rigs his car to crash, and bam, the guy’s on life support indefinitely. Julia’s got to stay within driving distance of his bedside, right?

3. Captivity. Instead of rendering him senseless (which the actor certainly seems to be already), Holly just locks him up in a wine cellar. Missing persons plots can stretch out for a while.

4. Fugitive. Maybe Tommy takes it on the lam after his business trick goes belly-up. Worried wife stays with his family at least for a while, right?

5. Plastic Surgery. After a horrible car accident, Tommy’s face is swathed in bandages. When they come off, he either looks like himself (if Getty behaves) or somebody else (if he doesn’t). Hey, they do this sort of thing on daytime soaps all the time.

6. Possession. While he is plotting his Ojai takeover, Tommy’s body is taken over by the ghost of his tricky dead dad, William Walker. To everyone else, he looks like Tommy, but to us in the viewing audience, he looks like Tom Skerritt.

7. Overwork. Tommy’s plan is successful, and now he’s in charge of all Ojai. Family members talk to him on the phone and worry over him at family dinners, but he’s never seen. Sort of like they’ve done with Julia for most of the last few years. It would be a nice gesture to turn the tables, no?

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Balthazar Getty, commentary

Five questions about last Sunday’s episode — “A Father Dreams” — still rattling around in my brain:

1. Have the Walkers ever given a party when nothing bad happened? Apparently as long as “30-odd-years” ago, parties were causing problems. Perhaps these folks ought to consider going light on the entertaining.

2. Does Tommy have one of those legal documents for every member of the family? And does he really think that the force of law will keep his family from spilling secrets? Seriously, dude, unless you’re planning to move far far away from any kin (not so far-fetched, I guess, given the Getty gossip), Lizzie’s gonna find out. Your father’s the only person in this family who has ever been able to keep a secret, and look how well that worked out for him.

3. Does Scotty have lots of vacation time? Presumably he still has a job that takes him away at inconvenient times. That’s why you go recuperate at your mother’s house, because she has nothing much else to do than fluff up your pillows. Maybe she’ll come over to their apartment or hotel room and play nursemaid while Scotty’s at work. And get out after.

4. Does Justin really need to have life suck for a while? Since we’ve been watching this show, his life has been pretty much nonstop suckage, from addiction to war to wounding to addiction to falling in love with his sister. There may be reasons why it would be good for Justin to get on his own again, but learning that life can suck is certainly not one of them.

5. Wasn’t that scene at the end, with Nora and Saul in the pantry, just the most awesome thing? I watched it again last night to get some of the dialogue down, and it’s like a master class on portraying emotions. Sally Field whips through so many shades of Nora — drunk/pathetic with Scotty on the phone, snapping at Saul, pouring out anger and hurt and self-loathing and self-defense and reflection in the luau story, then going in for the gossip. Pretty thrilling, I thought, and always more Nora Walker than Sally-Field-Reaching-for-Emmy.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, A Father Dreams, commentary