Is anyone else kinda pissed that Sarah and Nora figured out a way to get the charges dropped against Tommy? I know it’s a lesson in keeping the faith, but that was a prayer that could’ve gone unanswered. Unless the stress of missing him was what made Sarah wear an ill-fitting dress, Kitty a matronly pantsuit, and Nora a mismatched ensemble to the opening of Nora’s center. Seriously, what was happening with the ladies’ wardrobe last night?

The episode, once again a perfect balance of comedy and drama, began with Justin and Kevin fighting over who would be the one to tell Nora that Tommy hadn’t returned from Spring Break (Out) in Mexico. Kevin, being the "family Grim Reaper," did the deed — after Nora had a chance to complain about the third runner-up from some unnamed televised singing competition that Kevin had voted for 18 times canceling on the center’s opening. ("What? She happens to be a genius. She was totally robbed." God, I’d love to watch American Idol with quippy Kevin and a bowl of whatever tasty delight Scotty would cook for us. Again, this show reveals why I’m single.)

Now, I know that I’ve been a fan of sane Nora, but the fact that she didn’t freak out when she heard the news about Tommy kinda freaked me out. Unlike the rest of the family, she hadn’t lost faith that he would beat the charges — or that he would return. She went to Julia, to ask her to beg Tommy to come home if he phones her, but Julia said she didn’t want him to come home. I don’t know why all the Walkers expect her to stand by a man who risked her future without even consulting her. After talking to the director of her center — a mother who tried all kinds of radical treatments for her daughter’s leukemia, and beat it — Nora decided she, too, had to do something radical. Like get Saul to help her convince the Ojai board members to ask the DA to drop the charges. Saul didn’t understand why Nora was trying to save Tommy, since they all know he’s guilty. She said it’s because the last time she saw him, she hit him. No wonder he didn’t come back — the entire family had convicted him; Justin and Kevin told him to take the plea bargain. But really, all she had to say is she’s his mother, right? Their plan failed, but Sarah had one of her own: She asked the board to bring her back as Tommy’s replacement, to let her fight for the company her family built, and they agreed. She argued to the board that charges against Tommy would only damage the company, and lo and behold, Holly voted with her and said she’d no longer be a witness for the prosecution. That was the best twist of the night. Holly told Sarah she did it because she was putting Ojai first, and they now had to work together. What’s really going on there? Nora told Julia the news, and part of me thought that when Julia closed the door, Tommy would be standing there in his home. But no. We still hate him.

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