Family Ties Stay Strong on Brothers & Sisters

Courtesy of ABC

Passover seders are usually a great chance to catch up with your family. As soon as those pesky relatives leave, though, you can catch up with the Walkers. Yes, after a two-month, strike-induced hiatus, we finally have a chance to hang out with the eclectic, eccentric, but mostly lovable clan featured on Brothers & Sisters.

Back in February, we left off with some crazy family dynamics. Nora (Sally Field) started dating political consultant Isaac (Danny Glover). Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) finally signed her divorce papers and hooked up with hunky consultant Graham (Steven Webber). Robert (Rob Lowe) continued his run for presidency and debated about future children with Kitty (Calista Flockhart). Tommy (Balthazar Getty) and Julia (Sarah Jane Morris) tried to get over their infidelities. Kevin (Matthew Rhys) got back together with Scotty (Luke MacFarlane) and gave up on Jason (Eric Winter). Justin (Dave Annable) dumped Lena (Emily Rose), Tommy’s ex-mistress, and got closer to Rebecca (Emily Van Camp) who met David (Ken Olin), her mother Holly’s (Patricia Wettig) ex-boyfriend, who may or may not be her real father.

Last night’s episode provided both some closure and some new direction. The biggest story was Isaac asking Nora to move to Washington with him—and her acceptance. None of the kids were willing to accept change, and Nora ultimately decided to stay in Los Angeles. Rebecca celebrated her birthday with a typical Walker party, one that went completely awry. Sarah and Graham got hot and heavy, but a new expansion for Ojai could mean the beginning of the end. Robert and Kitty took steps to start a family after Robert lost the nomination for president, but a phone call with an offer for vice president will clearly drive them for the rest of the season. And Justin overheard a conversation between Holly and David about Rebecca’s paternity, leading Rebecca to seek a DNA test.

The usual brother and sister gossip phone chains, fighting at inappropriate times, and drinking galore made for a fun-filled episode. It was a solid example of why this show is so good. Even better, it set the stage for the next three episodes—hopefully to finish out the season on a high note.

In the few episodes before the break, the Tommy-Julia-Lena-Justin love quadrangle had become so annoying and overbearing that at times it was hard to like them. But now that this plotline has taken a backseat, more refreshing and rewarding ones can take center stage. Since the introduction of Rebecca, the chemistry she shares with Justin has made them a joy to watch. But as soon as the producers figured it out, it became painfully obvious that they had to find a way out of the fact that they’re related in order to free them up to date each other. Now that we’re finally at that point, it’s not as troublesome as it could have been. Even if they are able to become romantically involved, they’ll still have hurdles to overcome, most notably how they spent two years believing they were brother and sister.

All in all, last night’s episode was a great family reunion—with the family you wish you had.