Brothers & Sisters

Usually, don’t titles of Brothers & Sisters episodes relate more generally to a common theme among the storylines? Because there’s really no way to relate “The Missionary Imposition” to anything other than the Kevin-Jason-Scotty triangle, which wasn’t even the most dominant storyline of the night. It’s almost as if someone on the writing staff thought of that pun and just couldn’t resist using it, even though, really, it’s not a great fit. Now, if Sarah’s business deal had something to do with a Chinese monastery, and Lena left to join a convent and work overseas, maybe.

Though the titular triangle did get some good scenes, I think you’d have to say the dominant storyline was the resolution to the Lena Mess. And thank goodness for that, because it’s hard to think of a guest character who has worn out her welcome more. I’ve had more than I want to of Lena and Justin canoodling, and more than I want to of Tommy being an idiot (memo to Mr. Walker: telling your ex-mistress that it’s easier to talk to her than your wife does not fall under the category of “strictly businesslike.”)

I’m also coming up on my limit of Tommy and Julia argument scenes. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that the magic wand of reconciliation isn’t just going to sweep over them and it will be like it never happened. It’s good that they’re getting counseling, and I’d like them to make it. But I don’t think these characters have enough juice to make it an A plot. Let them get their marriage together, but in small doses, and offstage. I did love that scene with Tommy and Justin at the end, though. I’d say that both these brothers need something interesting to do or they’re going to fall off the family radar, but I’m a little afraid to, because apparently somebody thought “something interesting to do” for Tommy was have an affair, and that was just so wrong. Goodbye to all that, let’s hope, for good.

Justin definitely needs a job, though. Rebecca, ditto. Thank goodness her bangs are growing out, because her nerve seems to be back with it. I hear there’s an opening for an office manager at the winery that might be just right for her. And maybe Ojai Foods needs, like, a mailboy or something.

I’m really not sure what to think about the two couples that are trying to get started here. Nora and Isaac were cute, but she’s had kinda that same “conversation over dinner” scene with lots of prospective beaux, and whatever happened to those guys? I’m not going to get invested just yet. And Sarah, though I love her, I thought was really being pretty insufferable with Graham, and deserved to be deserted. Maybe I’m missing something, but it didn’t seem like Graham was flirting with her hard enough to deserve the icy response she was giving him. I was sorry, though, that he took off just as it looked like Road Trip Sarah was about to come out and play. Looks like he’ll meet her next week.

It was a rare Kitty-and-Robert-free episode, though I did love those bookending phone calls between Kitty and Nora, with sick Travis on the side, and thought it was neat to have Robert’s talking head on the TV while Sarah and Graham talked about the impact of a candidate brother-in-law on business.

And that brings us, finally, to Robert’s brother, and Kitty’s brother, and what should really be called “The Scotty Imposition” for the way he barged in with soft-shell crabs to break up the big reunion. I still think there’s more chemistry between Jason and Kevin, and that they are a better-matched couple (although certainly, having God as part of your relationship triangle does tend to skew things). I’m okay with Kevin and Scotty as long as they stay with that for a while, but it does seem that Jason and Kevin do need to have one more grown-up conversation about the break-up, and that’s going to be a problem now that Kevin’s sworn to limit their interactions. I fear this will even complicate the possibility of fun testy banter between the two of them at family get-togethers, and that would just be too bad.

What did you think about the episode? Share your thoughts in the comments, and come back tomorrow for a full re-cap.

_ABC.com

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, The Missionary Imposition, review