Brothers & Sisters

My husband likes watching science fiction. And invariably, when I come in the room and find him in the middle of some episode of some space opera, I can tell which scene we’re in: The one in which the oxygen is running out, and the communication system is down, and the enemy is closing in, and the engine’s about to explode, and all hope is lost, and that bunch of regulars, by golly, this time, they’re all gonna die!

That’s sort of where we seem to be with the Walkers, now, isn’t it? The family business is going down! Rebecca has lost her family! Justin’s in love with his sister! All we need is a meteor hurtling toward Pasadena (or perhaps a massive fireball fueled by the heated wrath of fans) to complete the picture. The Walkers, woe is them!

We can only hope that, as with so many scenes of intergalactic doom, things get reconciled unexpectedly in a less than doomsday sort of way. I don’t suppose we can hope for a lab mix-up that wipes this whole de-Walkerizing subplot from the face of the planet, but some honesty from Rebecca and a resolution that relieves Dave Annable from doing the Puppy-Dog Eyes of Forbidden Love all the way into next season would be nice. Likewise, whatever is going to befall the family business, be it financial ruin or rescue by everybody’s worst enemy, let it happen in a fashion that does not necessitate a cliff-hanger.

To get you into the mood for tonight, a few offerings from ABC:

+ The official press release description: “In a surprising twist of fate for the Walkers, Holly becomes the only saving grace for Ojai Foods after a major international business deal goes bad. Meanwhile, Justin delivers some heartbreaking news about a family member, Saul makes a stunning confession and Kevin and Scotty share a life-changing moment, on “Brothers & Sisters,” SUNDAY, MAY 4 (10:02-11:00 p.m., ET). … Guest starring are Luke MacFarlane as Scotty Wandell, Justine Dorsey as Sophie McCallister, Max Burkholder as Jack McCallister, Matt Fletcher as the cashier, Tom Virtue as Dr. Bob Rosen and Paula Rhodes as the B-movie victim. “Moral Hazard” was written by Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Jason Wilborn and directed by Michael Morris.”

+ The preview on the B&S homepage, the same one, I think, that we saw at the end of last week’s episode. To recap: Kitty and Robert try making a baby the old-fashioned way; Sarah says they’re about to lose the family business; Nora says Sarah can’t make mistakes like this; Kevin says to Justin, “You have to stay away from her!”; Rebecca asks Justin if something’s wrong; Rebecca runs away from Justin looking upset; Rebecca tells Holly she’s incapable of loving anybody. And over all of this, the ABC Deep Voice of Dramatic Come-Ons intones, “When the passion is hot and the scandals are juicy, when the betrayal goes deep, and when the desires are forbidden, it’s just another night with the Walkers.” And a singer sings, “Here comes the rest of our lives.”

+ From the writers: A Writer’s Room video for last week, in which Supervising Producer Liz Tigelaar and Consulting Producer Josh Reims seem really pleased about this whole Rebecca paternity business; a Bloggers & Sisters entry that begins “Greetings lovers (and ex-lovers) of our show” and acknowledges that many fans are not so pleased about this whole Rebecca paternity business; and the return, against all that is good and decent, of the McCallister and Me blog, which by all rights should have died with the McCallister campaign. Instead, the blogger has switched from stalking the candidate to stalking Justin and Rebecca. Whatever.

Assuming you’re still watching the show, share your thoughts here on tonight’s episode, and I’ll be back during the week with a review, recap, memorable lines, and five questions.

Brothers & Sisters, ABC, Moral Hazard, commentary