Brothers & Sisters

This week, we’ll continue our summer-long journey through the second season of Brothers & Sisters, from our perspective here at the end of Season Three. 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, “History Repeating.”

01:14
Justin Takes a Bubble Bath. Wouldn’t some in his condition be more likely to take a shower, with one of those shower chairs or something? I guess it’s more photogenic to do the tub, so he can banter with Kevin, but … that’s gotta hurt.

01:30
The water level in Justin’s tub keeps going from almost-overflowing to quite-a-ways-from-the-edge, not in a normal bath sort of a way but in a continuity over a number of sloshy takes sort of way.

02:14
Justin says he doesn’t need Kevin to stay with him, but he’s slipping lower and lower into that tub. Serious drowning risk.

03:44
Maybe Robert should get some more of that Presidential After Shave. Kitty seems to enjoy it. As opposed to the Governor After Shave.

04:16
Kitty tells Robert that voters want to make sure he didn’t throw his wife under a bus on his mad dash to power. Is that what she thinks he’s done to her now?

04:53
What’s with all the cute primary-color hardhats? It’s like an episode of Bob the Builder here. Though the blue one does match Rob Lowe’s eyes.

05:19
Ooh, Lena put his schedule up so he can access it from home! Tech whiz knows how to, what, work Google calendar? Holly would like to clone her, but I think there’s one too many already.

06:08
Too bad Tommy did not indeed pack up and take Julia to Hawaii, and maybe stayed their with Lizzie, far from embezzling temptation, far from Lena …

06:26
… and far from the in-laws from hell.

07:15
Julia says they don’t always know when Tommy’s family stops by. Have we ever seen Tommy’s family stop by? Maybe, I don’t know, once? Everybody stops by Nora’s.

08:04
Justin points out to his mom that he’s not 12 years old. And yet, she seems to have a hard time remembering that.

08:14
Justin asks if Nora called his sponsor. And that’s a really good question. Isn’t he supposed to stay in touch with his sponsor indefinitely? Why would Nora not have gathered that opinion before, say, the pediatrician?

08:26
Nora: “When life does something this horrible to you, there are no rules as to how to get over it. You just have to do whatever you can, anything you can to make it better.” So is that supposed to be the rationale for Julia and Tommy’s irrational behavior, too? They sure didn’t seem to be held to any rules after their mutual affairs.

Continue on to Part 2.

Season 1 Retcon Patrol

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, History Repeating