There are times when Brothers & Sisters can be as subtle as a rock to the head — which doesn’t mean I love it any less — but Kevin’s struggle with the corporate closet on last night’s episode was as nuanced as it was devastating. I thought we were headed for a fairly standard (and pat) storyline: Kevin pretends to be straight to land major client. Kevin realizes that returning to the closet is depressing. Kevin stands up to boss and gets promoted to partner anyway.
And after that adorable chat with adorable Scotty, it appeared my hunch was right. I mean, the tone was lightening considerably as the episode drew to a close. There was Tivo’d Olympic diving in the background. There was Kevin wryly explaining that "in a moment of Faustian proportions, I pretended to be straight." And there was Scotty offering a trick proposal that he’d be fine if his spouse kept lying (with no more complaint) or if he drew a line in the sand with his law firm, then admitting that Door No. 1 wasn’t really an acceptable option. Which made it all the more devastating when Kevin succumbed to the lure of making partner and — just like he did during the client dinner – spoke volumes by saying nothing at all.
Mitch Pileggi and Matthew Rhys (pictured) played out their pas de deux perfectly,the older attorney hinting again at the promise of a promotion (whilesomehow managing to come off as slightly menacing), and the younger manwilling himself to believe he’d do more good from a corner office inthe future than standing his ground and fighting in the present. Whatmade the conundrum interesting is the fact that, as Robert pointed outearlier, "you can live a principled life and not do a damn bit of goodfor anybody." The writers (thankfully) didn’t provide any easy answers,and I’m hoping the preview in which Robert invites Kevin to be hiscommunications director isn’t an indicator that they’re not interestedin exploring a very real (and very intriguing) story arc over thecoming weeks.
Thematically, the idea of "courage" also played out in Sarah, Saul, andJustin’s plotlines, but not quite as successfully. The parking-lotscene between Sarah and Saul — Her: "Stay and fight for this family!"Him: "I can’t, Sarah. I just can’t." — seemed painfully underwrittenfor actors the caliber of Rachel Griffiths and Ron Rifkin. Let’s allraise a big glass of vino to the idea that their sudden departures fromOjai will lead to more fruitful dramatic scenarios (and betterdialogue).
Justin’s almost detour from sobriety, meanwhile, was far moreinteresting, particularly in the context of an Iraq veteran findinghimself in the role of reluctant military recruiter, but I didn’treally think it worked as fodder for advancing his relationship withRebecca. (Especially not his decision to abandon his girlfriend without a car in a stranger’s house. Awkward!)
What did you think of last night’s episode? Did you find itamusing that Kevin and Nora both referenced Robert’s blowup during lastweek’s adoption-dinner blowup? Did anyone else feel like the bulk ofRobert’s showdown with the neighborhood beekeepers got left on theediting room floor? And how hilarious was Sarah’s response ("Oh no, Ican’t eat. I can drink!") to her mother’s offer to cook for her to helpher deal with unemployment?
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I enjoy the show, but at it’s best it’s still very inconsistent. And the writing is not as good as any of the actors deserve and by season 3 they should be on surer footing then this.
All the same though, it was still better then last weeks tired episode.
Why no mention about everyone quitting Ojai, what kind of recap is this?
And who is with me for a Kevin & Scotty spinoff!?!
Why is this not in TV WATCH! This show is great and deserve to be a fully reviewed TV WATCH! Anyway I hate tommy and saul just mopes around!
I hope this means they’re about to give Saul something to DO. And I was actually really intrigued by the whole Tommy-puts-his-foot-down thing with Holly; I’m wondering if she’s really backing down, or if she just knows that picking her battles and letting him feel like the big man will take her farther in the long run.
I say Kevin, Sarah, and Saul all go work for Robert’s campaign, and send Tommy, Holly, and their whole boring storyline to wherever they’ve hidden Tommy’s wife and Sarah’s kids. Hell, Justin and Rebecca might as well join Robert, too–Rebecca can take pictures, and Justin can give the undecideds his puppy dog eyes.
Liked the episode…but not as good as the first two episodes of the season. Kevin and Scotty are adorable together! I also loved the Justin/Rebecca story line. Its cute that he cares about her and doesnt want to show her a side of him that may make her run. Justin looks better with facial hair though!
I thought Rebecca was lame at the vet’s house. I don’t know anyone in my social circle who came back from Iraq, but I get the sense that some sensitivity is helpful, reading the signs and such. Granted, Justin hasn’t been portrayed as very conflicted up until this point, so there weren’t a lot of signs to read, but her nagging at the house was very annoying and I didn’t blame him for leaving her there.
Now that Sarah and Saul have quit, do we ever need to see the inside of Ojai again, or care about the company at all? Let’s face it, Tommy and Holly are only interesting with other Walkers to play off of, and they are no longer at the company. Oh, and Robert’s a US Senator and can’t do anything about his neighbor’s bees? Really?
I thought the storyline was from the dark ages. He should have landed the account and then gone into the boss and said – I want to make partner and here is how I am going to do it, I just landed you the largest account in this firm and now I will resign and sue you for discrimination unless you make me partner now. He then should have followed that up with the fact that his brother-in-law the politician and the new client would not take kindly to a firm that demands that their associates hide their lives outside of the office. At least, this would have been true to a story about a smart, rich, gay lawyer in 2008, as opposed to some tale of horror about corporate America circa 1985. Liability is a huge concern, especially in a law practice, and this was just a smarmy tale playing on old fears about gays in the workplace. Living in LA as a gay professional, I do not know anyone who would have stood for that.
I love that Kevin buckled under the promise of being made partner. We’ve seen the “stand up for yourself and it will all work out” storyline before and it’s become sort of cliche. By staying silent on the matter, it adds a bit of complexity to the character. Besides, if the previews for next week are any hint into the future, then Kevin might not stay at his firm much longer anyway.
Love the show, fav on tv….love Kevin and Scotty, they need more airtime…Sarah and Saul great…leave Tommy and Holly out, they are lame and boring…all the others are great too…but writing could improve
It doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen – that whole Kevin story line.
That’s the incredible sadness of being a gay man, gay professional, being a married gay man. The two men MUST KNOW – MUST understand that until things become COMPLETELY better, they’ll have make insane sacrifices, including keeping that part of your life close to you. In other words, a secret.
It happens and it’s never black and white.
Philip — I work at a large law firm in Philadelphia (a city with a vibrant gay population), and I have seen my friends struggle with exactly these types of issues. Taking the discrimination lawsuit route labels you as litigious/activist and will put you out of contention for most corporate type jobs you may be interested in. Yes, these problems still happen in 2008. I wish you were right and they didn’t.
Now can we never see Holly again??? She is a BORE !
Kevin/Scott..great storyline. I hope they struggle w/this for a while before Kevin takes a job w/Robert. I love Rebecca/justin story BUT her NAGGING him was over the top.
Ojai…Walker’s Landing…Holly and Tommy…zzzzzz
If I had to guess, they’re preparing to write Saul off the show. His coming out storyline has all but been dropped and with him no longer at Ojai, he essentially has nothing to do.
This episode was one of the transitional ones in which further plot lines were being developed. So a lot of it was pretty boring. I hope Tommy leaves Ojai too and then the company collapses under Holly’s leadership. It’s already been hinted that Kevin is going to be making less money in the future and Scotty is going to find more success in his career. When is that Ryan plotline ever going to come to fruition? Will Saul move to San Francisco and leave the Walker clan behind? I think Nora and Sarah should go into business together. Nora needs more to do than sit around coddling her kids.
i loved the justin/rebecca storyline….it is getting better and better and less awkward as the season goes along!
When word got out a few months ago that Balthazar Getty had split with his wife and was seen all over the tabloids with Sienna Miller, I read that the producers had already intended to limit his role on the show this season. Whether intentional or coincidental to his love life, I think we’re beginning to see the end of his character. After all, he and Holly and, unfortunately, Saul, are the most dispensable characters. Hands down, my favorite show on television.
Scotty is in the restaurant industry right? They always make reference to Kevin being the one working all the time, but folks who make their living in the kitchen as cooks and chefs work ALL TIME, and crazy hours at that. At some point his career is going to have to come into play. In reality he wouldn’t be loafing around on the couch, but passed out from exhaustion.
A consistently satisfying show. No one calls it in–from the writers, to the actors to the set decorators. (I even enjoy watching what Nora unpacks from the grocery store.) Love the Kevin-Scotty marriage. Love that Scotty is so kind, yet has a great BS detector. I love Nora and Sarah is growing on me. The best kind of soap.
The show is still not up to Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives levels of cleverness and intrigue, but it’s vastly improved over last season! Last year was so up and down, we almost quit watching it. This season has already given us 3 really good episodes in a row and it hasn’t shown any signs of slipping back to its old habit of hit and miss. It was shocking to see the walker business totally falling apart. That storyline along with the military kid’s post traumatic syndrome and girlfriend issues are pretty compelling to watch, but mainly I was hoping the mom was going to put away the stockholders with one of her patented gut wrenching speeches like the “Yes, you do” speech she layed on Holly a week ago. LOL
It was an ok episode but I am outraged by how they handled the Justin leaving Rebecca at his friend’s house!!! The reviewer mentioned it briefly, everyone is so concerned about Justin’s “precious feelings” but it was unspeakable to me for him to leave her there like that and when he got home, he should have apologized for that!!!
scotty and kevin are adorable! and i think rebecca shouldn’t have left justin off the hook so easy when he went to her apt. that girl needs some fire. and to whomever wrote grey;s is better than this show I don’t know what they’re thinking. Grey’s so painful to watch now, B&S takes the cake with the acting, but yes, give Rachael better dialogue! she rules.
still no tvwatch. . .this is crap!
I soooooo am going to do a drinking game with this show next week… I am surprised that the idea of making 500 more acres into vinyards didn’t get a hearty “HUZZAH!” from the Walker clan! Man these people drink more than TV movies about alcoholism or that A&E show Intervention! I did love the Kevin & Scotty moments and the tough issues Kevin is going through. I still want Robert though to lead a rebellion of the spouses for more screen time though.
I soooooo am going to do a drinking game with this show next week… I am surprised that the idea of making 500 more acres into vinyards didn’t get a hearty “HUZZAH!” from the Walker clan! Man these people drink more than TV movies about alcoholism or that A&E show Intervention! I did love the Kevin & Scotty moments and the tough issues Kevin is going through. I still want Robert though to lead a rebellion of the spouses for more screen time though.
Time to cut your losses: hopefully Ken Olin will realize the misses needs to go with Tommy and Saul. If Rebecca isn’t a Walker, dump their asses. The Rebecca story line with Justin can play itself out for part of this season, then she can go as well. If they can concentrate on Sarah’s new job, Kevin and Scotty’s career and relationship, Kitty and Robert’s situation, and whatever drama Justin brings them, they have plenty to do without stretching loyalities and plot lines as thin as they have. This episode was good because there was no dining room/drunken mess throwdown and because it hopefully LEADS to getting rid of the deadwood (Saul, Tommy, Holly, et al.).
Sean stole my thunder…New Drinking Game: Take a shot everytime you see someone holding a glass of wine. To SP: I think Justin looks better without facial hair…touché. For some reason Rebecca really plucked my nerves this episode. I wanted to just tell her to zip it. To Philip: Bravo on your take…I agree…Kevin could totally sue his boss for making him cover up his sexuality. To Andi: I was thinking the same thing about Scotty…shouldn’t he be at work and/or why wouldn’t he have cooked for the social worker? Lastly, I think we’re going to be seeing more out of Holly’s character. Don’t you remember she had a friend look into “Ryan” – the other Walker who Nora has decided to leave alone. I think Holly is going to arrange a meeting between Ryan and the Walker’s blindsiding all of them. I can’t wait for the fireworks to come. And yes…I too miss the old TV Watch, but at least get something. See you Sunday!
Saul should be sued for the manner in which he handled the 20 m. loan. Nora telling him not to blame himself and Saul agreeing, yuck.