When last night’s Brothers & Sisters kicked off with Nora’s aggressive yard sale, I half expected (and half hoped) the Walker matriarch might slap a couple of her "25 cent" price tags on foreheads of Tommy and Julia, thus freeing the show’s fans from another plotline involving the family’s fifth-wheel sibling and long-suffering wife. (All in favor of an alien abduction arc to explain Julia’s frequent absences, say "Aye!")
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, as tensions surfaced for the umpteenth time between Tommy and Sarah over the world’s most uninteresting childhood time capsule unearthed during the garage-clearing process the past, present, and future of Ojai. (Best line: "You’re pathetic, Tommy. You’re just Holly’s little bitch.") Not surprisingly, Sarah and Tommy reached a happy resolution (read: beers were opened, sipped) but I know I can’t be the only one hoping that Sarah’s freedom from Ojai, from her janky ex-husband, and from her suddenly nonexistent kids, is all going to lead to some very meaty scripts for the magnificent Rachel Griffiths. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see her forty-something exec forced to take a middle-management job under a much younger boss? And whatever happened to her pal Noah (Michael Beach), you know, the one with whom she used to share lunches, and looks of lust/guilt, back in season 1?
Certainly, Sarah deserves a little excitement, considering Kitty is inthe process of adopting a baby and changing career paths; Justin isembarking on a tentative path toward love with his former half-sisterand dealing with the conflict of becoming an Army recruiter; and Kevinis wrangling to stay out of the corporate closet at his law firm whilejuggling an unexpected job offer from his Senator brother-in-law. (Iparticularly enjoyed the lifetime Liberal’s assertion that, if hired,he’d immediately use Robert’s computers to send damaging emails thatwould bring down the entire Republican party.) Even Sarah’s mom islaunching a charitable organization to add to her already full scheduleof meddling in her kids’ lives.
Meanwhile, the show’s other power mom remains entirely enigmatic. I wasnot unmoved by Holly’s "I’m not giving up on us" speech to Rebecca, andI loved the way she used her "oh, I have no plans this weekend otherthan going through this massive pile of work on my desk" sob story to score a little daughterly affection. (No one can guilt you likeyour mom!) But she forgot to mention the little detour into spying andtreachery as part of a well-balanced weekend agenda. I was exasperated Holly would leave the incriminating file on her desk, whatwith Rebecca in the office to do filing, but maybe it’s all part of hermaster plan?Possible, since I cannot for the life of me figure out her end game.
In other episode news: I dare not ask if the limeade at Saul, Sarah, andKevin’s poolside gathering was spiked, considering Nora said somethingabout the whole scene occurring in the a.m. Anyone else raise aneyebrow over typically buttoned-up Saul sporting a gauzy, lazilybuttoned white linen shirt and flip-flops? Who else keeps forgetting Justin’s current girlfriend is not only his former half-sister but also the daughter of his father’s longtime mistress?* And, yeah, I was a littleunderwhelmed by Justin and Nora’s back-and-forth over the speed anddepth of her knick-knack purging, but the monkey statue, well, it wasworth every penny.
Finally the best exchange of the night:
Robert: "Good stuff. Very tasty."
Nora: "It’s a mix!"
Oh snap! Guess someone isn’t quite over the Senator’s verbal smackdownduring the adoption dinner!
* Double ick.
More on ‘Brothers & Sisters’:
Gillian Flynn’s ‘Brothers & Sisters’ review from Oct. 24, 2008
Recaps of every season 3 episode of ‘Brothers & Sisters’
The five broadcast TV shows you’re most ‘emotionally attached to’
It was an alright episode but still entertaining. Hoping to see what Rebecca will do with the file/info on Ryan. Julia really does need to go…so annoying. I hated her on Felicity so she’s never been good in my books.
I totally forgot she was on Felicity. The most confusing thing about her character is why she would ever marry Tommy. I hope Sarah stays away from Ojai, but I have a feeling she’ll be sucked back in.
I really hope Julia starts becoming more prominent. She’s established enough as character that it won’t be weird, but she’s vague enough that the writers can still use her to start new storylines. I think she and Scotty should become best friends to at least give them something to do.
I’m sorry, but what alternate reality are we in that Sarah made the bad deal with the Chinese grocery all by herself? That’s absolute crap and revisionist storytelling. If memory serves, it was SAUL who went against her express wishes and made the deal. So now Tommy (and shockingly, Sarah herself) are pretending like this was Sarah’s bad decision making. WTF?
Yes, Rachel Griffiths is magnificent — and I for one am hoping her freedom / midlife-crisis means a lot of whoring around. The best ep was when she crashed someone else’s wedding for a one-night stand — more of THAT Sarah please!
Meanwhile, after relaxing at the pool, Saul also looks ready for some hot man action — go Saul!
Every brother & sister is needed – including Tommy! I believe Holly wants a relationship w/ Rebecca, BUT then she leaves the file out of Ryan…now I’m not sure what kind of a relationship she wants.
I for one cannot wait for Noah to come back and rock Sarah’s world. Ooh wee!
There is no alien abduction needed to explain Julia’s absences – just the fact that whenever she appears on the screen I fall into an instant boredom-induced stupor.I can’t be the only one.
Justin needs a new story line that doesn’t involve the war, army, or addiction. Develop the pseudo-sister now girlfriend thing. Agreed on Julia. I didn’t like her on Felicity either. And how many more pretend I’m straight stories are we gonna get from Kevin? I’m just ready for Saul’s first man. Sooo much gossip will be flying around the Walker clan.
Typical non-sensical, boring ep. Everyone gets closure and the facts get ignored or blindsided for plot “development” (Saul signed the $20M deal, in real life, no one buys — much less do 4 publishers bid on — the book of a former pundit married to a failed presidential candidate, milquetoast minor county employees don’t have ready access to detailed files on every person on the planet, Calfornia temp agenies don’t threaten to fire you because you refuse a job). The performances were fine, but the plot is just becoming a joke. At least, we were spared a drunken dinner argument. The time capsule WAS boring, and I guess the three scenes with Julia and Saul cost so much money they couldn’t afford to have Luke McFarlane do even a one word line reading. Sigh, I guess its time to watch movies on Sunday nights.
Also looking forward to Saul’s new interest. Hope they are just as adorable as Kevin and Scotty.
Saul needs to get a boyfriend and he needs to get one stat.
Ok – I don’t get the blame game onto Sarah. It was not her fault – and everyone knows it.
And Tommy saw the way Holly was treating Sarah. She was just being too demeaning.
I want Holly to be hurt – big time. I think Rebecca is the only one that can do it (with a little kick from Nora).
And, have you notice, that they always ask Kevin “where’s scotty?”…it’s like their way of acknowledging him without paying him. They never ask about other spouses/mates. Just a little odd. Look for it.
disastrous internet rumor, that may very well trump the entire ryan lafferty subplot if it turns out to be true: saul does meet a man, but a much younger (think 20s) man…if this turns out to be true, i might die a little.
my personal pick for a saul relationship would be bradley whitford…
The kid playing Ryan looks like an interesting character. Apparently he doesn’t make an appearance til episode 14, but his mom is dead so no new Holly.