Brothers & Sisters

Today continues what I hope will be a summer-long journey through the first season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Two. As with our re-view of Episodes 1 and 2, I’ll be looking for contradictions between where the Walkers were then and where they’re at now, and also commenting on how the episodes look in retrospect. I’ll time my observations to the playback of the DVD, for those who want to view along. Share your own reflections in the comments.

And now, Part 1 of Episode 3, “Affairs of State.”

0:25
Hold up. There’s a scene in the “previouslies” that was not previously seen: Scotty says to Kevin, in his office, “I usually steer clear of your kind. I like a man who’s not afraid of a little eyeliner. Or you know, a lot.” It must be an outtake from “An Act of Will,” because Scotty’s wearing the same blue-striped shirt. (I thought it might have snuck in from “State of the Parties,” the scrapped second episode, but Scotty’s not in that at all, so it’s really a nonexistent snippet.) Did it get included in the “previouslies” by accident, or was this something they just though we really needed to know about Scotty?

0:57
Kitty asks Warren the question that was on my mind: “Why are you so obsessed with your hair?”

1:08
So … hard … to … care … about these TV show scenes now.

1:38
Lila, played for some reason by Laraine Newman, suggests to Kitty about Warren, “Why don’t you two just hump and get it over with?” Which is … well, pretty much what happened, right?

2:43
Kevin, watching the show at home with Mom and Saul, says he can’t date Warren because Warren is straight, and Nora replies, “Like that ever stopped you before.” So, what, Chad was just the latest in a long strong of allegedly straight men Kevin went after?

3:15
Nora resists Saul’s attempts to slip the sale of Holly’s house past her. Now, she knew right away what the story was on this house, right? And lies very smoothly that she wants to go check it out for herself. Straight-faced lying must be a Holden family genetic gift.

4:16
Joe connects the dots for Sarah between Paige not swimming and Grandpa dying in the pool. How have they not, like, had that kid in counseling already over that?

5:10
On the air, Warren bets Kitty dinner that Canada did not send troops to Vietnam. And she’s wrong, and looks like an idiot. She didn’t have the greatest track record on this show, did she?

5:54
Jonathan’s upset because Kitty made a date with a guy on national television, and her defense is “It’s not national, we’re not in all markets yet.” They are so doomed.

6:30
Jonathan calls her on never getting a factoid wrong, so of course she must have wanted to date Warren (although, in fact, she got it wrong before Warren staked a date on it). She should have told him about that infamous long ago Game Night when she blew the trivia question. It happens.

6:48
Holly to Nora: “My house is your house.” She had that similar sensibility about Nora’s husband.

7:30
Nora says “my husband and I” with special emphasis. Really a nice demonstration of passive aggression going on here.

8:36
Nora to Holly: “I may call and bother you … for decorating tips!” I remember the first time watching this, I felt embarrassed for poor Nora for being such the oblivious chirpy housewife, but of course she knew exactly what she was doing. Talk about being an actress.

Continue on to Part 2.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Affairs of State