Brothers & Sisters

What does it mean to be part of a family? Being included in some big group photo? Representing the clan at important events? Helping out with babysitting? Finding work for a struggling sibling? Accepting advice from loved ones, even if it’s unwelcome? Dropping everything to show support in times of crisis? The Walkers try on all those possibilities in the course of “Family Portrait,” with generally mixed results.

Kitty’s feeling left out of the family when Nora hangs a big portrait featuring every Walker but her. Nora thinks it’s no big deal, since it was Kitty’s decision not to, like, fly out from New York and pose. Or Nora thinks it’s a big deal, and that’s the point. Hard to tell with such a master of passive aggression. The rest of the family finds it cringingly inappropriate, though, and so Nora allows it to be taken down, with much self-righteous huffing and puffing.

Kevin, on the other hand, is feeling not quite left out enough, as it becomes clear that he will be the sacrificial sibling to accompany his mother to some godforsaken golf tribute to his late father, the philandering embezzler. He endures the excruciating foursome with a couple of golfing blowhards, handles Nora’s sudden freak-out and need to flee when she spots a laudatory portrait of the deceased and can’t face the prospect of toasts to him, and gets roped into going to dinner and a movie instead. On that outing they bump into Scotty with another guy. Kevin’s ticked that he’s dating his mom and not Scotty, and his annoyance builds at being Nora’s default companion — particularly when he realizes that Saul’s been taken advantage of, too.

Since Kitty’s lost Jonathan as her default companion, at least for the moment, she makes a try at getting back in good with the family by cozying up to Sarah and the kids, bringing over chocolate treats and offering to babysit. Sarah takes her up on that offer right after Kitty has successfully lobbied for a big interview, meaning the hard-hitting journalist will have to do her research all-nighter with Cooper running around screaming for fudgy pops. Warren stops by to help his would-be girlfriend with her homework, but Kitty’s making it clear that work is all they’ll be doing. When Paige starts feeling poorly, Kitty sends Warren away altogether.

Cool Aunt Kitty gets suspicious about Paige’s thirst and lethargy, but when she shares her concerns with Sarah — who’s had a bad night out with Joe, thanks to his revelation that he and Kitty talked about her excessive work habits — she gets a “You are not the Mama!” and a ticket out of the house. Oops. Turns out she was right, and when Paige takes a long nap the next day and won’t wake up, she’s rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with diabetes. ‘Cause Sarah doesn’t have quite enough stress and guilt on her plate already.

Also providing unwelcome sibling advice is Tommy, who goes ahead and gets Justin a job, without asking, ’cause he’s the dad now, you know? Justin’s not happy about it, but he goes, and immediately says the wrong thing to the boss. Fortunately, that boss is Tyler, a woman who knew him when he was probably the most fun dangerous boy in high school. She cuts him rather a lot of slack, even sending him home when he’s high instead of firing his bellboy butt. Tommy? Not so understanding. He cuts Justin right out of his life, as surely as if he’d taken a scissors to that pesky family portrait.

Nora and Kitty and Kevin have their “You are so ungrateful!/You are so insensitive!” blow-out at the Walker homestead cut short by the call to gather at the hospital where Paige is rushed. Justin and Tommy have their “You are so controlling!/You are so worthless!” shouting match at the hospital, which should be in violation of some waiting-room rules somewhere. In the end, Nora and Kitty and Kevin make up, and Justin and Tommy don’t, but they all sit and grin for one more family portrait, with the whole entire family this time. Well, you know, except for that illegitimate half-sister they’re going to be finding out about soon. And, come to think of it, Joe might not be in the picture for that much longer. Hope Nora’s got that photographer on retainer.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Family Portrait, recap