Brothers & Sisters

Much of the action in this week’s episode does indeed take place in a glass house, full of glasses for booze and glass objects for breaking. But the missiles of choice aren’t stones so much as words — sharp words, blunt words, words that bruise or burrow like a bullet. Our featured bouts this week:

Kevin vs. Tommy: Things are looking good for Kevin when his law firm overlord informs him that his money-making work for Ojai has been noticed, he’s being considered for partner, and he’s invited to use an extravagant beach house for the weekend. What Kevin doesn’t know is that Tommy, as a cost-cutting measure for Ojai, is planning to fire Kevin and hire some cheap-ass law firm Holly found in the Yellow Pages. (Okay, I’m just guessing on that part. Maybe she saw it on a bus bench.) Tommy tells Sarah and Saul, but doesn’t mention it to his bro and the possible father of his child, nonetheless accepting an invitation to join the family at the beach house for the weekend. Sarah, of course, spills the secret during a big family confidence-busting free-for-all, and while Tommy whines that he’s just trying to save money, Kevin quietly points out that using him as counsel was their father’s way of keeping him in the family business. At weekend’s end, Kevin has to go back to the boss and tell him the bad news about a) all that expensive crystal and b) all that Ojai business, both gone. The partnership, probably, as well. And all Kevin can do to Tommy is not take his phone calls.

Kitty vs. Sarah: So Kitty asked Sarah — toastmaster Sarah, the one they rely on to say something moving — to write a letter of recommendation for her adoption application. And Sarah, who has enough on her plate with being furious at Holly, wrangling two annoying children, and keeping the secret of Ryan’s existence, just can’t find the time. So she recruits Nora as ghostwriter (Nora, the one who wrote a book when asked for a letter for Sarah’s custody hearing), and fails to read the lengthy missive before passing it off to Kitty as her own. We hear that syrupy composition as the show opens, a description of the kind of alternate-universe Walkers that would send poor Paige into diabetic shock. Kitty catches Sarah in the lie, and is hurt to know that her sister didn’t take the assignment seriously; more hurt to hear that Sarah thinks she has it so easy; and hurtest of all to learn that Sarah’s been concealing news of another alleged half-sibling. Kitty, of course, spills the secret during a big family confidence-busting free-for-all, sparking a conversation about how badly the last alleged half-sibling situation turned out while Rebecca is sitting right there. Sarah tries to make things up to her little sis, but Robert acts as gate-keeper for his wounded wife. Later, tired of having her phone calls unanswered, Sarah stops by Casa McCallister with a too-late letter and is told by Kitty that the issue between them is trust. (Um, okay. If the writers say so.) The letter’s nice, though, and Kitty tells Robert she thinks she and Sarah will be okay. Doesn’t tell Sarah that yet, though.

Justin vs. Rebecca: These two are actually pretty chummy through most of the episode; for a while, their biggest problem is Paige and Cooper’s blackmail attempts, after the kiddos catch them kissing. They don’t want the family to know yet, you see … but Justin, of course, spills the secret during a big family confidence-busting free-for-all. That’s not a bad idea, actually, because compared to all the bombshells exploding, almost-sibling canoodling barely gets an eyebrow lift. Still, all the yelling about her Spawn-of-William replacement, Ryan, sends Rebecca fleeing; she’s starting to realize what a precarious state she’s in as Justin’s girlfriend, because if they ever break-up, the show family is going to have no use for her whatsoever. Justin comes by her new apartment later, with his puppy-dog eyes, swearing that she will always be a valued cast member family member and suggesting they stop worrying about how the relationship might end when it’s only just beginning. And of course they make up, because Emily VanCamp’s under contract at least for this season, right?

Nora vs. Holly: Well, of course, Nora doesn’t take kindly to one of her kids being dumped from the family business by That Woman. Nor, for that matter, to Holly eliminating Nora’s personal parking space. She drops in to talk some sense into Holly, who is all “It was Tommy’s decision, and since this is my company now, why don’t you park in visitor’s parking and make an appointment next time.” Not just Holly’s fancy new air conditioner making that room cold. It looks like Nora’s on the ropes, but don’t count her out yet. Once the Ryan cat is out of the bag — something Nora tried to prevent, but what can she do? Her kids can’t keep a secret to save their lives and their nice weekend. So as long as everybody knows, why not let everybody know? She bursts back into Holly’s office, having hiked up from visitor’s parking in her va-voom red dress but still lacking an appointment, to kindly let Holly know that she wasn’t the only one William cheated with, and not the only one with whom William had an alleged half-sibling. And now we know where Sarah picked up the spiteful secret-dropping gene. Mom’s way better at it, though.

The Walkers vs. Vacation Homes: This is, I believe, the second time we’ve seen the Walkers get away together. Like the visit to the old Ojai place in “Northern Exposure,” this was originally planned to be a romantic getaway for two — in that case, in the mind of many couples, in this one, a newlywed getaway for Kevin and Scotty. Unfortunately, Kevin winds up inviting everybody this time to keep Kitty from knowing that what he’s really discussing with his mother and sister is Ryan’s existence. Fortunately, the Laguna place has so many bedrooms nobody has to sleep in bunk beds. Unfortunately, instead of Justin destroying a decrepit old tree house, Paige and Cooper destroy some obscenely expensive crystal doodads. There’s a similar degree of sibling infighting and angry departures; happily, though, this time Scotty isn’t one of them. He’s come far, hasn’t he? For one thing, he knows enough not to ever, ever get involved in family arguments. Also, to slip the writers a bribe so you get a few cute and/or sexy scenes and don’t just fade into the woodwork like your brother-in-law’s wife. Well done!

The Walkers vs. Ryan: Hey, kid? They’re coming. Thanks to Kevin’s interview of his father’s old associate, they have your name and whereabouts. And from there, a phone number. It’s only a matter of time. May I suggest changing your identity and leaving the country? You’ll thank me, honest.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, Glass Houses, recap