Brothers & Sisters

Well, that was fun! Okay, except for the thing at the end with Justin possibly being dead. And the part about Julia constantly crying. And gee, Joe didn’t treat Sarah very nicely. Anniversary of William’s death, tough stuff. Kevin having to say goodbye to a boyfriend. Saul’s down on his life. Robert — he did something unethical, there, didn’t he? Hmmm. It seemed fun, mostly, didn’t it? It had its moments.

The opening and closing messages to a soldier really did not work for me so much. Surely Justin’s got enough to handle without the Exposition Fairy flying in and explaining stuff. Rebecca was awfully sweet and straight-up and perceptive in this episode, but I think I liked her better when she was a little messed up. Seriously, I bet she slashed at least a few of Kitty’s shoes. Check those boxes!

Relationship-wise, the episode was a mixed bag. Sarah and Joe’s ex sex would have been okay if it was the start of something, but as it turned out, it just made Sarah seem insensitive to be gossiping about this stuff to Tommy, who has problems of his own, and made Joe look like even more of a jerk. Kevin and Jason were adorable, and I’m ticked that we join this major relationship already in progress, and at a point where we won’t see much more of it (Viva Laughlin needs to die, now). Kitty and Robert seem stable for the moment, but Tommy and Julia, not so much. I was relieved when she showed up at the family party, though I was sure someone was going to tell her that Tommy talked about her crying, and she was going to storm out.

Most hilarious moment: Nora and Holly watching in horror as a strange woman approached William’s grave with flowers. Second place: Tommy’s honestly bewildered, “Since when can’t we blab?”

So, are the previews trying to get us to think that’s Justin’s funeral? Not gonna happen, unless the people who make this show are fantastically better at keeping secrets than the Walkers (that wouldn’t be saying much, I guess). Still, it’s not the most annoying promo I experienced yesterday. That would be the ad for “Home Front” I heard on the radio that followed Nora’s line about giving Kitty her wedding dress with Kitty’s reaction to the dress in the store (”This is the most horrible dress that ever existed,” or some such). Besides ruining the surprise of Nora’s gesture for me, it also completely misrepresented the moment for anyone who hadn’t already heard that line in its proper place in an other promo (and annoyed the ones who did).

Speaking of annoying: How come Desperate Housewives keeps getting one of our minutes? If they need an hour plus one, why don’t they take it from Extreme Makeover? Those people are getting free houses, they’re not going to care about one lousy minute. But I want absolutely as much Walkers as I can get.

For more on “Home Front,” stay tuned for a full recap, memorable lines, and five questions about the episode coming up throughout the week. Meanwhile, what did you think of “Home Front”? Share in the comments.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Home Front, commentary