Brothers & Sisters

Mistakes were made. That’s the theme of last night’s episode, which continues last week’s motif of random flashbacks, introduced with a whoosh and marked by Nora’s old ‘do. I’d say that haircut is one of the mistakes that were made, but there are plenty more to talk about.

Justin’s overdose was a mistake, he assures his mom, and not a suicide attempt, and fortunately he survives to move back home and be mother-henned. His impending return to military service has Nora doing the stare-into-space flashback thing as she recalls the mistakes she made in handling his original enlistment. Most specifically, she made the mistake of forging his name on a letter rescinding his request to enlist, rather than letting him come around to doing it himself. That pushed him right out the door and onto a plane to Afghanistan, and though now-Justin admits it’s the best and worst decision he ever made, he doesn’t think it was a mistake to make it, and he won’t resist returning.

Which is a good thing, ’cause his siblings’ attempts to save him go nowhere. Kevin reports that there’s no legal angle to get him off the hook, and Kitty’s illegal one doesn’t fare much better. Slated to do an interview with Senator McCallister, she offers him a deal: She won’t ask him embarrassing questions about his divorce and alleged nanny-dallying if he’ll get Justin out of duty. The senator refuses, but Kitty softballs the interview anyway, in the (unrequited) hope that he might change his mind. When Warren hears the senator wish Kitty’s brother luck, after the (gasp!) non-gossipy interview, he fears Kitty has compromised the show’s integrity. Kitty denies it to him, and denies it to the boss after Amber rats her out, but the next day, on the show, she admits that (ta-dum!) mistakes were made, confesses to her journalistic indiscretion, rags on the war a little, and apologizes. It’s too soon to tell whether she’ll get her skinny Republican ass fired, but she does get a call from the senator offering her a job. Because honesty’s so valued in politics — ha!

Kevin’s mistake is to pour water into his engine instead of his radiator, turning his road trip with Tommy and Sarah to check out the land their dad bought in Nowheresville, Nevada, into an endless hick-town overnight. They take the car to a mechanic who doesn’t take credit, and wind up having to rent a car to drive to someplace where they can get cash. And also get drunk, as Sarah hightails it to the nearest bar. A military bar, as it turns out, and one where well-mannered fighting men just want to play pool with a pretty girl. All except for one fighting man, who’s got his eye on Kevin. At least one of the siblings has a good night, and the next morning they’re off to the bank, where they find not only cash for the mechanic but William’s safe-deposit box, containing a letter for Nora and a document explaining that that worthless land is actually worth millions and millions. Yay, the family is saved! But not before Sarah tells her brothers about Rebecca. Win a few, lose a few.

We later hear that letter, from William to Nora, apologizing for all the indiscretions and Mistakes Made, in a voice-over over a montage of Walker family kitchen merriment in advance of the Thanksgiving feast — food being prepared, pies being removed from ovens, insulin being pumped into Paige — culminating in a toast by Nora about family, family, family, family, family. Glad y’all love family so much, since you’re soon going to have more of it. Tommy and Julia are making an addition, of course, as they announce at the Thanksgiving table. But there’s another babe coming soon, named Rebecca. And more mistakes to make.

Original air date: 11/19/2006

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Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Mistakes Were Made Part 2, recap, commentary