Brothers & Sisters

Well, I suppose you wouldn’t actually call the Tommy-Lena story arc art. But the sinking feeling I got when I read a TV Guide item in which Balthazar Getty acknowledges he’s separated from his wife (Rosetta, right) in the wake of photos of him on a yacht with a topless Sienna Miller was similar to the one I had when Tommy, for reasons still not understandable by me, took up with Lena while Julia was out of town.

Unlike Tommy, though, Getty can’t use the excuse that the writers made him do it.

Since Miller had previously been linked to Matthew Rhys, we even have an echo of that hand-me-down girlfriend thing from Season 2.

Apparently when this rumor first went live in the tabloids a while back, some folks were calling for Getty to lose his job. And that’s just ridiculous. However you feel about infidelity, it’s a pretty undeniable fact that if every television actor who strayed got fired, we’d be watching a lot of test patterns.

Still, there’s something a little weird about the way show storylines are reverberating. First Rob Lowe has a real-life nanny scandal, and now this. Next we’ll be hearing that Dave Annable’s dating his sister. You heard it here first.

Brothers and Sisters, Balthazar Getty, Sienna Miller

IT’S BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

Tonight, finally, after what seems like years, Brothers & Sisters is back in its 10:02 p.m. timeslot with the first of four new episodes. Let there be rejoicing!

(And trepidation, ’cause if you’ve seen this week’s Entertainment Weekly, there’s an article — which doesn’t yet seem to be online — that sure sounds like the powers that be are taking the alleged chemistry between Dave Annable and Emily VanCamp really, really seriously.)

But for tonight, rejoicing! Here’s the (not always dependable) ABC press release summary for tonight’s return and the next two episodes, but not yet for the finale.

“Separation Anxiety” - Kitty and Robert make a life altering decision when the Presidential race takes a dramatic turn. Meanwhile, the Walker siblings are shocked by Nora’s reaction to a surprise proposal from Isaac, and Rebecca further investigates the identity of her father, when “Brothers & Sisters” returns to ABC, SUNDAY, APRIL 20 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. … Guest starring are Ken Olin as David Caplan, Danny Glover as Isaac Marshall, Steven Weber as Graham Finch, Evie Peck as Gail and Bruno Oliver as the lab technician. “Separation Anxiety” was written by David Marshall Grant and Molly Newman and directed by Gloria Muzio.

“Double Negative” - Robert is seriously contemplating a future in politics, Kitty’s fertility treatments become increasingly more aggressive, Kevin has an epiphany about his relationship with Scotty and Rebecca reveals information about her paternity test. Meanwhile, contrary to Sarah’s direction, Saul makes a very risky business move that could affect the future of Ojai Foods, on “Brothers & Sisters,” SUNDAY, APRIL 27 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. Guest starring are Luke MacFarlane as Scotty Wandell, Steven Weber as Graham Finch, Ken Olin as David Caplan and Ken Howard as Boyd Taylor. Other guest cast TBD. “Double Negative” was written by Josh Reims and Liz Tigelaar and directed by Michael Schultz.

“Moral Hazard” - In a surprising twist of fate for the Walkers, Holly becomes the only saving grace for Ojai Foods after a major international business deal goes bad. Meanwhile, Justin delivers some heartbreaking news about a family member, Saul makes a stunning confession and Kevin and Scotty share a life-changing moment, on “Brothers & Sisters,” SUNDAY, MAY 4 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. Guest starring are Luke MacFarlane as Scotty Wandell, Justine Dorsey as Sophie McCallister, Max Burkholder as Jack McCallister, Matt Fletcher as the cashier, Tom Virtue as Dr. Bob Rosen and Paula Rhodes as the B-movie victim. “Moral Hazard” was written by Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Jason Wilborn and directed by Michael Morris.

Share your reactions to tonight’s episode here, and come back during the week for a review, recap, memorable lines, and five questions. Back to the old routine!

Brothers and Sisters, ABC

Continuing on in a series of posts on the characters of Brothers & Sisters — where they’ve been, where they’re at, and where we’d like them to go — let’s continue with Tommy’s family and the little boy lost.

Origins: Baby William died shortly after his birth, going to keep company with his grandfather William in … well, Tommy made like both Williams would be going to the same place, but he’s an optimist.

Progress: Though Lizzie’s brother never came home from the hospital, he sure managed to cause some trouble on the home front, with his mother’s mourning causing a rift between his parents. Julia felt that the death of a baby trumped Nora’s worries over Justin, and stayed away from the Walkers because seeing all those brothers and sisters made her think of Lizzie’s missing brother. Finally, she outright blamed Tommy for William’s death and left him.

Current Status: Tommy and Julia and Lizzie are back together now, but there’s not been much mention of the missing little family member.

Concerns: I wish they’d never gone the twin route if they were just going to kill one of them off — it just seems like a cheap way to make a birth dramatic but still have a healthy baby at the end of it. Since they did go there, I have mixed emotions. It would be disrespectful of families who’ve gone through a similar tragedy to just forget Baby William ever existed. But they can’t let him hijack the plot again. Not that mourning was inappropriate in this situation, but Julia’s accusation that Tommy was responsible for William’s death came out of nowhere, and seems to have gone back there. This is something that needs to be talked out, in counseling most likely, and made peace with, in a way that William can be remembered in the future without being a constant marital sore spot.

Prognosis: As Colleen mentioned in the comments on Lizzie’s check-up, there’s a scene ahead marking the youngest Walker’s birthday, and most likely a remembrance of her brother’s death. Perhaps some tradition can be established as a way to commemorate William’s life each year, even if he’s not mentioned much in between. Let’s hope it doesn’t include Kitty naming a boy child after both Williams, though; that name’s jinxed.

Second Opinion: Sylviane thought Julia’s anger at Tommy about William’s death didn’t come so out-of-nowhere after all. What are your thoughts about William? Share them in the comments.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, William

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

1. Why was Sarah’s car at Graham’s? Surely she didn’t drive there from the bar. Both she and Graham acknowledged that she was drunk, and in the heat of the moment, it seems likely they would have hopped in his car without considering morning-after logistics. When Sarah said “I am going to strut out of here, and I’m going to get in my car, and I’m going to drive home with pride,” I was completely expecting Graham to respond with, “Well, your car’s not here, it’s at the bar, and it’s a long walk in those heels. But be my guest.” At least they could have showed her calling a cab. With pride.

2. Who was Christopher Allport? A screen at the end of the show said the episode was in memory of him. Turns out it’s the actor who played the governor of Michigan. According to IMDb, he was killed on January 25 by a freak avalanche at a ski resort northeast of Los Angeles.

3. Why did Saul go to see Milo? Did something about not talking to Nora make him want to connect again with his old “friend”? They must not have been in frequent communication if he didn’t know Milo was going out of the country. But then, I guess, on TV shows, people are always just dropping in for no apparent reason.

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So, are you all excited about tonight’s wacky road trip with Kitty and Sarah and Nora acting nutty at a spa? Crashing weddings! Being noisy in the quiet room! Silly, silly Walkers!

Personally, I’m kinda dreading it.

No show does road trips better than this one, but I like Nora least when she’s doing her passive-aggressive, bossy-oblivious thing, and it looks like we’ve got that in spades tonight. Maybe it will be more fun than the previews make it appear — and surely there are many, many fans who think the previews appear to be a hoot. Me? Meh.

Fortunately, according to ABC’s press release on tonight’s episode, “States of the Union,” there’s more going on than just Walker woman wackiness. Unfortunately, one of those plots involves Tommy crossing “a dangerous line in search of companionship.” Since Emily Rose is listed as a guest star, presumably the line crossed involves Lena, the new office manager/Harper-associated bad-news woman. Really, I would rather be locked in a sauna with Nora at full blather than see Tommy cheat.

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Or as it shall be known in these parts, “The show that sent the Reverend Boyfriend to Malaysia.”

I had all good intentions of watching Eric Winter’s new show last night, and reporting back on it here in detail. Really, I meant to. But then I got a late start watching Grey’s Anatomy, and by the time I finished the DVR playback on that and started flipping around, Viva Laughlin was already half over. Nothing that I saw in the ensuing half-hour made me feel the least bit motivated to watch the online playback and see what I missed. (Though you certainly can, on CBS’s Innertube player.)

From what I did see, I’m making the following, possibly unfair judgments:

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It’s up! Brothers & Sisters is up! Viewership half a million more than last week, according to stats posted now on TVGuide.com. The 12.7 million viewers tuned in to watch Tommy’s marriage and Justin’s sobriety fall apart topped the 12 million for CBS’s Shark and the measly 7.2 million for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, making it tops in its spot.

Also doing better than last week were fellow ABC shows Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (up .5 million, second place at 8 p.m.) and Desperate Housewives, (up 1.2 million, strong first place at 9 p.m.)

Still to be seen: Whether the soapiness and heavy subject matter of “History Repeating” keeps those viewers coming back. And whether what they find next week — from the sound of it, a slapsticky road-trip romp — makes them check their channel guides and wonder, “What happened to that serious show I watched here last week?”

_{Photos: ABC.com}

Brothers & Sisters, ABC, ratings, History Repeating

Tonight’s the night to watch the Emmys (on Fox at 8 p.m.) and cheer two of Brothers & Sisters’ finest: Sally Field, up for Best Actress as Nora Walker, and Rachel Griffiths, up for Best Supporting Actress as Sarah Whedon. I’ve been reading lots of Emmy round-ups, and Field seems to be taking an awful lot of “should wins,” although everybody seems to have a different idea of who will beat her. From sources around the Web, here are some encouraging words leading up to the big night.

• Entertainment Weekly names Field as its “should win” pick in the actress race: “Her tremulous iron will reinvents her acting.”
• Los Angeles Times columnist Tom O’Neil calls the actress contest a “tossup,” but mentions that “Like Oscar voters, Emmy judges really, really like Sally Field.”
• Rick Kushman of The Sacramento Bee picks Field, “whose mix of force and vulnerability helped change her series from lightweight soap to seriously good drama,” in the actress competition, and Griffiths for supporting actress, because she “made every scene better when she was in them, and she was always so interesting to watch.”
• Kristin at E! also gives Field the “should win,” saying, “We can’t help but root for Sally Field’s mesmerizing performance as Nora Walker. What can I say? We like her, we really like her!”
• USA Today columnist William Keck opines that tears and tragedy are what win awards for actresses in a drama, and outlines Field’s character’s qualifications: “Husband William died. Discovered husband had a mistress and child. Granddaughter diagnosed with diabetes. Another grandchild died at birth. Son Justin was sent off to war. Arrested for drug use when toking up in car with a pal. Discovered daughter’s husband was cheating.”

Meanwhile, from “the Fourth Floor at Stage 6,” Field and Griffiths are the overwhelming favorites. According to the writers’ blog Bloggers & Sisters, “The writers couldn’t be happier with the life these fine actresses have breathed into Nora Walker and Sarah Whedon.”

Blogger Dan also holds out as a good omen the fact that the Brothers & Sisters softball team beat the team from Grey’s Anatomy on Saturday, 8-5. May Griffiths have as much luck fending off the trio of Grey’s supporting actresses she’s pitted against.

I popped by ABC’s Brothers & Sisters site this morning, as I often do, and … wow! The place has been redecorated! Just in time for the new season, too.

I’m not sure I like the look any better, but there are some nifty new features that are definitely keepers. Like:

• Bios of the characters as well as the actors
• An episode index that includes photos, titles and dates, instead of just numbers
• A “next episode” countdown clock
• A message board widget
• A blog widget with links to articles about the show, including, as of this writing, an entry from this blog (the big time!)
• A link to the B&S logo store, instead of the pricey “as seen on” emporium

One thing that’s still there that I wish wasn’t is the automatic start on the videos. If I want to watch a video, I’m real capable of clicking on a “play” button. If I’ve come to the site to read and am listening to music on my computer, I’d rather not have to click a “stop” one all the darn time.

By the way, for those keeping track of this: The link on the site now calls the September 23 special “Family Album,” so apparently we have a winner in the naming contest.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC

Since last night’s showing was the second time around for “Matriarchy,” there’s a recap already in place to help you relive the wonderfulness that is Party Time at the Walkers:

• Recap: 1-23 “Matriarchy”
• “Matriarchy”: Memorable lines
• Five Questions: “Matriarchy”

Follow this contemplation of the Season 1 finale by watching the above YouTube video of the Season 2 preview, and reflecting on the Season 2 challenges ahead for “America’s favorite family.” Like picking a wedding dress. Man! If my experience was any indication, that could be a whole season’s worth of drama right there. Although I bet Kitty fits into a lot more dresses than I did.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Matriarchy, recap, memorable lines

I haven’t seen this ABC fall season preview on TV yet (maybe because what little I’m watching in these waning summer months is on cable), but here it is in its YouTube glory, and it’s nice to see Brothers & Sisters noticeably, if not generously, featured.

They’re sure giving Desperate Housewives the big push, though, aren’t they? A little … desperate, maybe?

Brothers & Sisters, ABC, fall season promo

Tomorrow night, we’ll enjoy raucous fun with the Walker and Jones families as they meet for vicious warfare on the field of party games in the re-run of episode 19, “Game Night.” But today, let’s take a moment to remember the episode that should go there, if we were doing anything as silly as watching the re-runs in order. That one had three parties instead of just the one.

In order to bridge the gap left by the skip over episode 18, “Three Parties,” refresh your memory of those ill-fated soirées by reading the recap, memorable lines and five questions written when it showed the first (and apparently only) time:

• Recap: 1-18 “Three Parties”
• “Three Parties”: Memorable lines
• Five questions: “Three Parties”

Then view the YouTube video above to enjoy what, to me, was far and away the highlight of the episode: That great scene at the end, when Justin and Kevin nurse their injured eye and heart, respectively, then tease Mom when she comes home from her party with the professor wearing the dress Emily Craft “customized” for her. Scrambled eggs and toasted English muffins for all!

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Three Parties

From TV Guide, Sally Field’s reaction to her Emmy nomination:

“I found out because my 19-year-old son, who is just home from NYU for the summer, came running into my room at 5:40 this morning and said, ‘You were nominated!’ It’s usually the opposite; I’m usually the one waking him up saying, ‘It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon.’ I was thrilled because I think Rachel Griffiths, who was also nominated [in the supporting category], and I are really representing the show and the writers and the other actors. I came on board because of the writing, because of [executive producer] Robbie [Baitz] and Ken Olin, because of the actors who were on board, like Calista [Flockhart] and Rachel and Ron [Rifkin] and Patty [Wettig] and all of our fabulous boys…. I’m really lucky to be a part of this.”

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Sally Field, Emmy nominations

Since “Mistakes Were Made Part 2″ has had two showings already this season, you don’t have to wait for a recap here the day after the re-run. The following are already written and available for your recalling enjoyment:

• Recap: 1-09 “Mistakes Were Made Part 2″
• “Mistakes Were Made Part 2″: Memorable Lines
• Five Questions: “Mistakes Were Made Part 2″

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Mistakes Were Made Part 2, recap, quotes