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« Cheers & Jeers
Jeers: Oh, Brothers!
Matthew Rhys and Tom Skerritt in Brothers & Sisters by Michael Desmond/ABC
Jeers to Brothers & Sisters for repeating itself. The ABC sudser spent much of its first two seasons dealing with the fallout from the news that the late William Walker had an illegitimate child. Now that we know Rebecca is not his daughter (freeing her up to smooch with non-brother Justin), Season 2 ended with the news that... William had an illegitimate child, only it was a son. And this was all gleaned from an old photo and the hazy memory of a single conversation about somebody named Ryan? Let's just hope when we finally meet him, Ryan doesn't fall in love with one of his siblings.
For a different take on Brothers & Sisters' latest twist, read Ask Matt.
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May 12, 2008 2:02 AM
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A move like this does deserve criticism, and it's getting plenty, but it's pretty clear that this is a clumsy "do-over" after the show's makers decided that Dave Annable and Emily Van Camp would make a better romantic couple than siblings. That was a widely-held opinion when Rebecca first appeared, so I'm not surprised they wanted to make the change. And they couldn't very well just put up a card saying "Oops....we decided to change the story. Sorry." And the "Ryan twist" both covers for part of the inconsistency and is a good jolt heading into summer hiatus. I'm not saying the whole deal isn't awkward or that they don't deserve a sock in the figurative jaw for it, but it may be the best option they had.
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May 12, 2008 6:44 AM
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Though I don't love the storyline, I at least understood why they de-Walkered Rebecca. But why have William have another kid out there now? They've already gone to that well and mined all the drama out of it. And now instead of William being a man who was in love with two women he just seems like a scumbag. Plus, didn't William think Rebecca was his daughter? So couldn't the R still have stood for her? Or even if he had another son named Ryan shouldn't there have been 2 Rs?
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May 12, 2008 10:15 AM
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One thing that has never set well with me is that when Sarah first saw the picture she 'dated' it to around 1979 and assumed it was Justin. If the picture was from 1979 (and she made this assumption in 2007), the baby in the photo would have to be in their mid to late 20s. Therefore, it could never could have been Rebecca because she is obviously in just her early 20s.
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May 12, 2008 12:36 PM
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I thought Sarah just said that her dad got that car in'79. The photo could have been from a few years later, but it couldn't have been any earlier than '79.
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May 12, 2008 12:44 PM
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My problem is that in trying to go back to this 'Ryan' they are still overwriting part of the history of the show. After cracking the password and ending up at the bank in Nevada, Sarah, Kevin and Tommy there found the letter from William to Nora admitting to his affair and leaving money to Holly. If his dying password included finding 'Ryan', wouldn't he have admitted to his affair with Ryan's mother, not Holly? So jeers to this story line, but cheers to Kevin and Scotty!
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May 12, 2008 2:27 PM
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I don't mind the Ryan twist. I welcome it.
What I don't welcome is Justin and Rebecca romantically involved. Sure, they're not siblings anymore, but as a viewer I can't suppress the gag reflex I have each time these characters look sexily at each other or kiss each other. I'd be happy if they never shared a scene together again.
I love EVC, so I would wish that she only shared scenes with Nora and her other siblings from now on. Please.
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May 12, 2008 3:10 PM
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Just how many women was William Walker sleeping with? So now we're up to 3 and I'd be shocked if the count stops there. Who knows how many illegitimate kids the man really had. There's probably some he didn't know about. The show is turning into a complete farce. First of all this plot line twist makes no sense because it completly negates any reason for William to leave that money to Holly and Rebecca while simultaniously leaving nothing this supposedly new son Ryan.
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May 12, 2008 6:09 PM
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Love the show and don't mind a bit the whole Rebecca/Justin pairing and don't mind the whole Ryan maybe a Walker story either. I love this show because of Nora Walker and her wonderful treatment of Rebecca and her sons and daughters. This is an evening soap opera afterall!
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May 12, 2008 6:34 PM
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The one twist that intrigues me is that the family will now think Holly got her inheritance under false pretenses. That should make for some fun next season.
Other than that, I found the season finale pretty dull. We knew the wedding was going to happen, we saw the Justin-Rebecca stuff coming. Kitty's fertility storyline offers nothing new. It just didn't have the oomph of a season finale. I'm not looking for cliffhangers, but some kind of crescendo would've been nice.
As for bringing in another brother...it's a great cast, but isn't it getting a little crowded?
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May 12, 2008 9:09 PM
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The only interesting thing that could come out of this twist is Holly realizing that she wasn't the only one. Could be a great story line her finding out she was cheated on too.
But otherwise I just roll my eyes because this show is/was better than this "nevermind" writing.
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May 13, 2008 12:48 AM
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Let's hope there's a twist with the Ryan plot.
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May 13, 2008 5:04 AM
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I have a feeling that one of the current Walker sibs is going to need some sort of transplant and this new brother will be the only one who matches.
I just don't get why they went this route. The revelation wasn't all that shocking. Emily Van Camp has been so good in the role and I really liked her as a Walker. To go down this path again so soon seems a bit desperate to me.
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May 13, 2008 7:15 AM
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I for one didn't really have a problem with Justin and Rebecca kissing. They've really only known each other for a little over a year, and have acted more like a couple than brother and sister (at least Walker brothers and sisters, that is). And the fact that they have some wicked chemistry allows me to just simply enjoy them being together and look forward to the next part of their storyline. Just because they shared one kiss doesn't mean they are on track to marriage. Who knows what the writer's have up their sleeve for next season.
And as for the Ryan twist. Wouldn't it be funny if Ryan knows he's a Walker?? What is William had another family that he spent time with? Wouldn't it be fun to watch Holly discover that she wasn't 2nd in line to William's heart, but third. That all William really thought of her as was nothing more than his continual whore. Maybe Ryan comes in not knowing his dad had another family and doesn't really want to be a part of this Walker family, but they, thanks to their acceptance of the Rebecca situation, try and make him part of the family. What if Rebecca reaches out to Ryan as the person most familliar with his situation. Justin can get jealous over their growing bond, fearfull that history could repeat itself and Rebecca could fall for Ryan. Or what if Ryan and Justin really don't get along and Ryan tries to make a play for his "brother's girl". I think handled properly, this twist opens up an entire new can of worms for next season, and beyond.
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May 13, 2008 8:15 PM
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The only thing that will make another Walker work is for Ryan to be a counterpoint to Rebecca... in other words, he will need to be somewhere in the range of bad-boy-all-the-way-to-evil-twisted-crook .
And that might be pretty much of an interesting ride.
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May 15, 2008 12:07 AM
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