Brothers & Sisters

This “get ready for the second season” episode did a super job of summarizing the major storylines from Season 1 and setting the stage for Season 2. The format was smooth and simple: Scenes from the show interspersed with cast interviews that commented on or in some way related to the Walker action.

The content was sort of informally grouped into various themes, some announced with title cards, some just standing alone. Below, I’ve given a summary for each of these groupings and an informal listing of interview snippets, in order. You can view the final group, “A Look Ahead,” on the YouTube video above, or see the entire episode on ABC’s Full Episode Player.

Opening
The first segment kicks off with Sarah’s speech in “Matriarchy” about family. The clips and interview segments that follow hammer home three things: 1) The wonderfulness of family in general; 2) The wonderfulness of the Walker family in particular; and 3) The degree to which America acknowledges 1) and 2). Talking heads, in order:

• Ken Olin
• Sally Field
• Emily VanCamp
• Rob Lowe
• Dave Annable
• Rachel Griffiths
• Calista Flockhart
• Balthazar Getty
• Patricia Wettig
• Matthew Rhys
• Sarah Jane Morris
• Emily VanCamp
• Sally Field
• Rob Lowe
• Ron Rifkin

The segment ends with the portrait from “Family Portrait” and the episode’s title: “Brothers & Sisters: Family Album.”

Title Card: “Secrets”
The title card comes a little bit in, but “Secrets” is clearly the theme from the very start of this segment, when we see William comin’ on down the stairs. The discussion and clips graze various Walker dysfunctions, including drinking, relationship problems, and political disagreements, but settle mostly on the story of William’s death, the revelation of his affair with Holly, and the changing of the family from a patriarchy to a matriarchy. Talking heads, in order:

• Mark Perry
• Balthazar Getty
• Calista Flockhart
• Ken Olin
• Calista Flockhart
• Mark Perry
• Sally Field
• Mark Perry
• Patricia Wettig
• Mark Perry
• Sally Field
• Dave Annable
• Ron Rifkin
• Sally Field

Title Card: “Family Business”
This segment gives a brief rundown of the embezzlement scandal and the tension in the handover of corporate leadership to Sarah, who pays a personal price. Comments by:

• Rachel Griffiths
• Balthazar Getty
• Rachel Griffiths

Then, it veers off into a discussion of the wonderfulness of the cast, and who can argue with that? Comments by:

• Mark Perry
• Sally Field
• Ron Rifkin
• Dave Annable
• Calista Flockhart

And to commercial with the episode title card.

Title Card: “Ties That Bind”
A brief look at Walker relationships, including family bickering, Kevin’s looking for love, and Nora’s over-involvedness. Talking heads, in order:

• Mark Perry
• Ron Rifkin
• Ken Olin
• Matthew Rhys
• Sarah Jane Morris
• Sally Field
• Dave Annable

Title Card: “Family Day”
And Dave Annable’s interview segment veers into scenes from the “Family Day” episode, Justin’s place in the family, and Dave’s appreciation of his costars.

Title Card: “Here & Now”
Talk of the war leads into a look at the way the show uses current events to illuminate family relationships. Comments from:

• Calista Flockhart
• Ken Olin
• Sally Field

Title Card: “Script Notes”
Brief mention of Jon Robin Baitz’s great writing, then a little Nora-Holly interaction in the scene from “Light the Lights” in which Nora brings baked goods to Holly but does not throw them at her. Talking heads, in order:

• Patricia Wettig
• Mark Perry
• Patricia Wettig
• Ron Rifkin

Title Card: “The Other Walker”
Rifkin’s riff on forgiveness leads into scenes of Rebecca’s introduction to Sarah, confrontation with her mother, and arrival for family dinner. Comments from:

• Emily VanCamp
• Sarah Griffiths
• Emily Van Camp

And to commercial with the episode title card.

The Kitty + Robert Segment
This one doesn’t get its own title card, but it’s all about Kitty ‘n’ Robert sittin’ in a tree. Praise is given to the witty banter, the wonderfulness of the romance, the niceness of a plot dealing with two adults finding love despite challenges, and the blueness of Rob Lowe’s eyes. Talking heads, in order:

• Ken Olin
• Dave Annable
• Calista Flockhart
• Ken Olin
• Rob Lowe
• Calista Flockhart

Title Card: “The Grapevine”
Those Walkers, they like to gossip. And tell each other’s secrets. And talk on cell phones. Bemused comments from:

• Balthazar Getty
• Mark Perry
• Rachel Griffiths
• Dave Annable
• Calista Flockhart
• Emily VanCamp
• Calista Flockhart
• Rachel Griffiths

Title Card: “Table Manners”
Those dinner scenes? Exhausting but fun to film, especially with the boys behaving badly. When can we have a special with just outtakes from that, I’d like to know? Talking heads, in order:

• Dave Annable
• Rachel Griffiths
• Emily VanCamp
• Balthazar Getty
• Sally Field
• Dave Annable
• Matthew Rhys
• Sally Field
• Balthazar Getty
• Patricia Wettig
• Rachel Griffiths (who gives the line of the night in response to comments about the Walkers’ excessive drinking: “At least we don’t smoke!”)

And to commercial with the episode title card.

Rachel Griffith’s favorite episode? “Something Ida This Way Comes,” where we realize Nora and Saul are brothers and sisters, too, and see them crawling the kitchen walls in search of alcohol. But not smoking.

Title Card: “Perfectly Imperfect”
Joe and Rebecca kiss, and things got complicated. Comments from:

• Emily VanCamp
• Ron Rifkin
• Emily Van Camp
• Patricia Wettig
• Ken Olin

Title Card: “Life Support”
Tommy goes into business with Holly, and she gets into a food fight with Nora.

• Balthazar Getty
• Rachel Griffiths
• Sally Field
• Patricia Wettig

Title Card: “Another Test”
Another William dies, this time Tommy’s newborn son. Comments from:

• Calista Flockhart
• Sarah Jane Morris
• Sally Field

Title Card: “A New Chapter”
Kitty proposes to Robert, Kitty takes it back, Robert proposes to Kitty. Aww. Comments from:

• Rob Lowe
• Ken Olin

And to commercial with the episode title card.

Justin’s going to war, and messing up Kitty’s engagement party just a little bit. Talking heads, in order:

• Ken Olin
• Dave Annable
• Sally Field
• Dave Annable
• Matthew Rhys
• Ken Olin

Title Card: “Staying Afloat”
Olin’s comments about counterbalancing the seriousness of Justin’s going away with a little silly leads to scenes of the McCallisters misbehaving at the party and the Walkers responding by jumping, fully clothed, into the pool. Ron Rifkin comments.

Title Card: “A Look Ahead”
And now, a peek at Season 2, where the Walkers will once again get to show resilience in the face of adversity. Sarah and Joe have been separated for four months, and she’s shown asking him to come back. McCallister is balancing his White House ambitions and his marriage plans with Kitty, and the results, Lowe tells us, will be “unexpected.” Kitty is uncomfortably balancing work life with her romantic life, too. Rebecca has been living with Nora for the summer, and VanCamp suggests we’ll see the “real Rebecca” this season. Holly’s getting a sense of power from her business; Tommy’s baby has just come home and Julia’s not in the mood to hang out with his family; Kevin and Jason have a relationship; Saul has a secret; and Nora’s worried about Justin. Got that? Talking and predicting heads, in order:

• Mark Perry
• Ken Olin
• Rachel Griffiths
• Rob Lowe
• Calista Flockhart
• Ken Olin
• Emily VanCamp
• Ken Olin
• Balthazar Getty
• Ken Olin
• Matthew Rhys
• Ron Rifkin
• Ken Olin
• Sally Field

And then it’s the video, and out. Credits include a thank you to all the actors who participated.

And now, just in case anybody else was wondering who was most represented in the interviews, here is my very informal and unscientific talking-head tally. I’ve counted as one appearance anything that was not interrupted by another interviewee, even if there were clips within that appearance.

• Olin: 15
• Field: 14
• Flockhart: 11
• Annable: 10
• Griffiths: 10
• Perry: 9
• VanCamp: 9
• Getty: 8
• Rifkin: 8
• Wettig: 7
• Lowe: 5
• Rhys: 5
• Morris: 3

What did you think of this retrospective? Read my take in yesterday’s post, and share your own. Tomorrow, I’ll gather up some of my favorite quotes from the episode.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Family Album, retrospective