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, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, 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 7, “Northern Exposure.”

1:16
Average viewer for Red White and Blue: a 50-year-old white guy who makes $100,000 a year. Is that a large demographic?

2:26
Warren, clearly a little overwhelmed by Amber’s girlish enthusiasm, wants to go away someplace with Kitty. Thus beginning the final round in their on-again off-again whatever. Ho hum. Is it time for the senator yet?

2:39
Warren says they can see if “what we thought they had” could work. When did they think that? On their drunken one-night stand?

3:15
“When one’s father embezzles 15 million dollars of his own company’s pension money, one can’t really afford to be sentimental,” says Sarah. But one can start speaking in an strangely formal way.

3:42
Sarah tells the siblings she’s considering selling the ranch house because “It might be fun to keep us out of bankruptcy,” and no one seems surprised. Was that news out in the open already? Tommy knew, obviously, Kevin’s been in on it since they first found out, and Sarah told Mom at the end of the last episode. But I don’t think we actually saw Kitty get the news of Dad’s embezzlement and the company’s dire condition (though it would explain her taking up with Warren again, since she seems to do that in the wake of severe disappointment with Dad — maybe she knows that William would have hated the guy), and Justin’s been totally out of the loop.

4:02
Kevin’s first memory is of Dad reading him a bedtime story at the ranch house. And Justin learned to ride a bike up there. Clearly, it cannot be sold. Bring on the bankruptcy!

4:20
A historical first: Nora advises trusting the judgment of one of her children.

4:33
Is this the first incidence of the Sibling Eye Communication Trick, in which they silently signal their agreement to reject their mother’s suggestions?

5:01
Can’t you just totally see young Sarah curled up in a chair on the porch reading Jane Eyre? Those were the days.

5:13
And now we have the beginning of the Tucker Booth/treehouse trifecta, as Sarah admits to losing her virginity to the tall blonde Ojai-an …

5:45
… and Kevin does, too (the second time — the first was also in Ojai, to “this girl called Sarah Gimble.” Should your first time be with somebody who has the same name as your sister?) …

6:36
… and Justin says he got high for the first time with T.B., also in the treehouse.

6:40
Where are Justin and Tyler here? Justin’s living at home now, right? Is this his room? Or maybe Tyler’s apartment? Doesn’t look familiar, anyway. (Though a little bit like Lena’s apartment, with the bed as the primary feature.)

7:06
Total number of couples currently planning to have a weekend alone in Ojai: Three.

7:59
Kitty, in an effort to sneakily clear her weekend, advocates for Amber doing an interview as a way to increase the show’s appeal to the youth market. I’m thinking she’ll do pretty well with the 50-year-old white guys, too.

8:43
Kitty tells Warren she’ll only go away with him if he tells Amber exactly what’s going on. What, like “Your mentor only recommended you for this interview so she could steal your boyfriend”?

9:02
Total number of couples currently planning to have a weekend alone in Ojai: Four.

Continue on to Part 2.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Northern Exposure