Brothers & Sisters

We’ve got one more new pre-strike episode left before the break the production needs to catch up again, and it’s airing tonight. As we discussed a while back, “Compromises” is the one in which:

• “Nora discovers Isaac is not the man she had hoped he was”
• Sarah “takes an important step in freeing herself from an unhealthy relationship” and has help from Graham in finding some closure
• “Robert and Jason have a long overdue confrontation”
• The guest list includes Enrico Colantoni, presumably as a love interest for Saul; Ken Olin, presumably in his last turn as Holly’s old friend and potential Becca papa David; and Justine Dorsey and Max Burkholder as Robert’s kids, presumably to make Kitty miserable.

Now, in addition to that press release, there are three promos on the ABC site for our enjoyment and analysis. The first is just a quick ad; I think I saw that zip by the other night when we were fast-forwarding through commercials while watching Lost on DVR. Then there are two extended sneak peeks. The first teases the much-anticipated karaoke bar scene with Road Trip Sarah in full devil-may-care form and Kevin looking kind of morose and sorry for himself (isn’t this the way they always are when they drink too much?). It also includes some scene snippets indicating that in addition to help with finding closure, Sarah also needs Graham’s assistance in locating her undergarments.

The second answers a question I had about last week’s episode but didn’t include among my five: With all that driving around with Typhoid Travis last week, shouldn’t Kitty be coming down with something, too? In the clip, she’s whining about having to take care of Robert’s kids when she feels lousy herself, and Nora puts her in her place as only a mother can.

I have to say, the karaoke stuff made me cringe a little, but maybe it will play better in context. I would love to have the show end this first round of episodes on a strong note, so we’re left wanting more and not just hoping for better. I think the last few episodes have showed the strain of being written and produced under the shadow of the writer’s strike — there’s been something a little unpolished and lackluster about both the dialog and the performances. Keep your fingers crossed with me that this one launches us toward the second half of the season in a satisfying and, dare we hope, kick-ass way.