Brothers & Sisters

After it was resolved that Justin's deployment to Iraq would be delayed to allow him to work on his recovery, much of his story line has centered on his struggle to shake his addiction. But Justin's fears about going back to war were always there in the background. And tonight those fears became a reality in the worst way, as Justin found out at the last minute that his departure date was earlier than planned.

At first I liked the way Justin handled his goodbyes individually — until, like Nora, I realized that he was saying goodbye for real, in case he wouldn’t be coming back. Even though I can see, rationally, how it doesn’t matter whether or not the word “goodbye” is actually said, I can understand how Nora felt that avoiding a formal goodbye would bring Justin back to her, as if not saying goodbye would make it impossible for him to die.

Justin’s early departure coincided, unfortunately, with Kitty’s engagement party. He’d already said his goodbyes (except to Nora), so it seemed like it could be possible for him to quietly slip away. But this is the Walkers we’re talking about. I think we knew there was no way Justin could really leave without them realizing.

And I’m glad it was Rebecca who told Nora and Kitty. I know it wasn’t what Justin said he wanted, but I think she did the right thing. Nora deserved a last chance to say goodbye. And she was finally at a point where she was ready to do it, after hearing how the Senator didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to his father, who passed away while he was deployed. The scene in the airport was so sad — the words Nora, Kitty and Justin exchanged were just right for the moment, and the way Nora and Kitty started crying harder as Justin walked away felt so real that it was hard to watch.

Even though the extended McCallister family (led by the Senator’s uncle, Major Weiner, played by Garry Marshall) was pretty annoying, they did provide some welcome comic relief in this heavy episode. How ironic that the Senator, who appears to be so refined, is actually from a family that is louder than the Walkers. I was always thinking the Senator was trying to adjust to the Walkers, and here he comes from a very similar background. Maybe that’s why he and Kitty hit it off so quickly.

The McCallisters also helped the Walkers relax a little bit after the day — make that the year — they had. When Nora (followed by the rest of the Walkers) headed toward the pool, this season of Brothers & Sisters really came full circle. The season started off with a tragedy, when we watched William Walker fall into the pool as he suffered a fatal heart attack. The season ended on a hopeful note as the Walkers — plus the new additions of Holly, Rebecca and the Senator — looked at that same pool and jumped into it.

Other notable moments (all of which set the stage for story lines that are sure to be explored more next year):
— Rebecca revealing to Justin her affair with a teacher (and the teacher's suicide).
— Saul's reaction to his friend Milo’s revelation that he left his wife and is gay.
— Kevin and the Senator’s brother Jason getting along a lot better the second time around, and Kevin’s surprise at finding out that Jason is a minister.

It’s been great watching Brothers & Sisters along with you this year, I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and insights. See you next season!

The birth of Tommy and Julia’s twins has been anticipated by the Walkers all season long. Sadly, what should have been the happiest moment in Tommy and Julia’s lives turned out to be one of the most difficult. I can’t imagine how awful they must have felt, trying to decide whether or not their daughter should be a kidney donor for their son. Although he’s usually not a very emotional person, you could really see Tommy’s anguish when he told Nora that he was afraid when he saw his daughter that he wouldn’t be able to ask her to give her kidney, especially knowing how much she had been through. And although we haven’t seen much of Julia this season, Sarah Jane Morris really shone tonight in her portrayal of a mother saying goodbye to her son. I thought it was especially sad when the doctor asked Tommy and Julia if there were any final things they wanted to do, and Julia said she wanted to hold the baby.

The other central story line tonight involved the Senator’s marriage proposal to Kitty. And their engagement was beautiful, at least visually. But at the same time I found myself annoyed when they switched from Tommy and Julia’s last minutes with Baby William to Kitty and the Senator. I definitely felt more invested in the Tommy/Julia story line tonight and would have liked to see more of it. Unfortunately, Kitty’s engagement wasn’t quite the happy moment she and the Senator anticipated, as she found out the news about Baby William’s death just moments after she accepted the Senator’s proposal.

Another moving moment occurred when the Walkers, who have become so well-known for their gossipy phone chains, had to call each other with the sad news of Baby William’s death. I liked that we couldn’t hear what they were saying. Just watching their faces react to the news was enough to convey their devastation.

For Sarah, tonight also brought sadness about her marriage, as she and Joe decided to try a separation. Telling their children about it was, of course, a difficult moment. It was interesting to see how Paige and Cooper’s age difference affected their reactions. Cooper seemed very accepting, not really grasping the magnitude of what his parents were telling him, but you only had to look at Paige’s face to see she knew.

In addition to proposing to Kitty, the Senator played a role in two other story lines tonight. First, he was almost blackmailed by Daniel Cole, a fellow Gulf War veteran who was a witness to the Senator’s alleged heroic efforts. Luckily, Daniel had some pretty serious legal troubles of his own. I was wondering why, if he knew so much, Daniel hadn’t tried to blackmail the Senator before. I guess the debts that Kevin found out about were his main motivation. As a war veteran himself, the Senator also spent time with Justin at a veteran’s hospital, helping Justin deal with his fears about going to Iraq and to realize the importance of his skills as a medic.

Rebecca had only a small role tonight, sharing a cup of tea and conversation in the kitchen with Nora. But this week Rebecca’s character was portrayed in a much more sympathetic light than last week, when we heard Holly warning Nora about having Rebecca in the Walker home. Interesting that Rebecca appeared at the window with the rest of the Walker siblings when they went to see baby Elizabeth, although we didn’t actually get to see anyone discuss Rebecca’s presence. Some of the best moments tonight really didn't need words: They were in what we saw, in watching facial expressions and in noting who was present for important family-only moments.

The wine tasting at Tommy and Holly’s new vineyard put Tommy at the center of tonight’s episode. The "center" of course being a place Tommy isn’t normally accustomed to being. He handled everything well, and he definitely came across as the voice of reason among the extended Walker family. Not that that was hard to do, what with the Walker siblings missing the point of the wine tasting and doing a fair amount of wine drinking. But Tommy’s toast was a nice tribute to his dad, managing to be both honest about his father's flaws and respectful of all he taught them. Unfortunately the episode didn’t end on a good note for Tommy. Hopefully the twins will be OK.

Holly, on the other hand, didn’t exactly play the gracious host to the Walker family. In the beginning of the episode I actually felt sort of bad for her, which is unusual because Holly’s generally not the sort of character who generates a lot of sympathy. I don’t think Nora was really under any obligation to call Holly and say that Rebecca was at the Walker house. Rebecca is 20, after all. But at the same time you could see Holly worrying about having no idea where her daughter was.

It was hard to be sympathetic to Holly’s behavior with Nora’s professor, however. Taking a walk in the middle of dinner with clients, and with the date of the widow of the man you had a decades-long affair with? I’m guessing anyone with an ounce of sense would think that was a bad idea. When Nora’s professor started reciting lyrics to Holly as they were walking he definitely came off a bit sleazy. I guess Nora was right and she should have trusted her first instincts about this guy. It was hard not to compare Holly’s kiss with Nora’s date to Rebecca’s kiss with Sarah’s husband. Interesting to note that in this case it was Holly who suggested they just keep walking after the kiss, effectively ending her moment with the professor.

Two people we didn’t see enough of tonight were Kitty and Rebecca. When we first heard that the senator was (finally) going to be visiting D.C., it seemed like a good chance for some scenes of Kitty interacting with her brothers and sisters. I was disappointed when she passed out early, although the scene when Kevin realized she had taken his pain pills was a pretty classic Walker-family moment. As for Rebecca, after all that happened last week I thought she might play more of a role in tonight’s episode. In her brief scene with Sarah it was hard to tell what she was actually thinking. We know Rebecca wasn’t truthful about how things played out with Joe, so was she really being truthful when she told Sarah she felt bad about what happened?

Finally, the food fight. A little junior-high maybe, but it was definitely time that Nora and Holly had it out. They were getting so angry at each other in the kitchen that throwing a cake almost seemed welcome, as a way to diffuse the tension. Holly may be more business-savvy than Nora, but Nora could definitely teach Holly a thing or two about relationships. And Nora got the chance tonight, as she encouraged Holly to let go of William, even though she knew it wasn’t what Holly wanted to hear. As for what Nora didn’t want to hear, it seemed a little foreboding that Holly warned Nora that it was a bad idea to have Rebecca living at the Walker house. I can’t wait to see how things play out with Rebecca in the season’s final two episodes. Will Holly’s prediction come true?

It occurred to me that not being able to actually see what happened between Joe and Rebecca for so long gave us, as viewers, the chance to react the same way the Walkers did: based on what we heard. I know when Rebecca initially told Justin that Joe had kissed her (at the end of the “Game Night” episode) I totally believed her. She’s new to the family and trying to fit in — why would she want to do something that could jeopardize that?

But then I read everyone’s comments and I realized that Rebecca might not be as innocent as she seemed. Could she be getting back at Sarah? Could she think, in some way, that making an accusation like this would help her gain the support of her new family?

The “good” Rebecca and the “ulterior motives” Rebecca were both running through my head as I watched tonight’s episode, and, I have to say, I really wanted to believe that Rebecca was being honest. It wasn’t hard to think that, too, since Joe wasn’t coming off as the most sympathetic person. It bothered me that during his fight with Sarah he started talking about how inferior he felt, and how trying to accommodate Sarah’s needs had trapped him in a suburban lifestyle that he wasn’t happy with. It felt like he was switching the issue onto her. But regardless of the topics they were arguing about, something about their fight seemed so personal that I almost felt like I shouldn’t be watching it — like they were a real husband and wife and I was intruding.

Two things that made me think that things might not have occurred quite the way Rebecca described them were her conversations with Holly and Nora. Rebecca was awfully defensive with her mother, especially when Holly pointed out that Rebecca’s track record suggested she might not be totally without fault. I guess she reacted that way because her mother had touched on a nerve. With Nora it was more subtle, but when they discussed Rebecca staying with the Walkers, she (Nora) hesitated slightly. You could almost see Nora thinking that it would be too much… something just didn’t seem quite right.

Although in the end Joe didn’t quite play the role that Rebecca said that he did, he’s definitely not blameless in this situation. He is an adult, and a married one, too. The whole situation seems like such a mess… I wonder how they’re going to resolve everything? One last thing: When Kevin was telling Justin about his professional experiences dealing with family disputes he said, “You should hear what people make up when they’re angry. They will say anything. Half the time they don’t even know they’re telling lies because they warp the truth so much in their own minds.” Later, when we saw the kiss, I thought of that and wondered if at least some of that statement could apply to Rebecca.

Other noteworthy moments:

— The helicopter crash and the Senator and Kitty dealing with the shock of the deaths of the speechwriter and the pilot. It made them both think seriously about what they wanted, leading, of course, to Kitty’s proposal.

— Nora’s date with her professor. A makeup class/date doesn’t exactly seem ethical, and the date didn’t end well, either. Although he definitely still seems interested.

Joe kissed Rebecca. When Rebecca first came into the picture I never thought I’d be writing that sentence. I can’t believe Joe. It just seems so, well, out of character. Although I guess we don’t really know very much about him, to be honest. He’s a musician, he stays at home with the kids, he seems frustrated and bored at times, and his marriage to Sarah seems to have its problems. But basically all his on-screen time has involved his shared marital problems with Sarah, or, a few episodes back, his reaction to Paige’s diabetes. So I guess we don’t actually know much about Joe himself. But kissing his wife’s newly discovered half sister definitely doesn’t say very much about him as a person. And it seems especially creepy that it happened right after Rebecca told him about her much older ex-boyfriend. Was Joe taking that as a sign that she’d be interested in him as well? I’m not sure how Joe and Sarah’s already troubled marriage can be OK after all this, even though as of right now only Justin knows. But this is the Walkers we’re talking about, so I’m guessing this secret, like most Walker family secrets, will be brought out into the open before long.

In some lighter news, the return of game night showcased the Walkers at their competitive, bickering-but-loving best. “Keeping up with the Joneses” (as Robert described it) proved to be more difficult than expected, as the Walkers lost the game, yet again, on the last question. I couldn’t remember Juliet’s last name either, so I totally thought that Rebecca was going to be right, triggering a great family moment. Maybe that would have been too obvious, though. And Rebecca getting the answer wrong did set the scene for a nice moment with Kitty, the Walker who’s taking the longest to warm up to Rebecca.

A lot of people, myself included, have been commenting on the fact that Kitty’s relationship with Senator McCallister is taking her away from her family. Robert’s appearance at game night actually went better than I expected, and not because it went well between him and Kitty, because obviously it didn’t. But the scene with Kitty, Kevin and Robert in the kitchen arguing about Kevin’s disastrous date with Robert’s brother Jason was very Walker-like. Robert’s comment that he was going to ignore most of Kitty’s “apology” fit in very well with the whole arguing-but-still-liking-each-other thing that the Walkers are known for.

Other highlights:

Susan Sullivan and Jenna Elfman (Susan played Jenna’s mother-in-law on Dharma & Greg) teaming up again as the mother-and-daughter team of Miranda and Lizzie Jones. (Jenna’s pregnant in real life, by the way.)

The Walkers playing charades... some of their guesses were so ridiculous! The shots of them shouting various movie titles at each other, mixed with Rebecca’s face watching them, was another good example of how hard it must be to try to fit in with this group.

All of Kevin’s guesses: backstabber, shrew, "Die, Kitty, Die"? I guess it’s safe to say he’s holding a grudge.

Kitty supposedly went to Senator McCallister’s hometown looking for some commentary about how great the senator is from those who knew him first. She also secretly hoped to get some gossip that would be beneficial to her in her role as Robert’s girlfriend. What she found at first was pretty run-of-the-mill: a small town with nothing to do (well, nothing that didn’t involve artichokes) and a high-school sweetheart with generic nice things to say.

But boy was Kitty ever in for a surprise when she found out exactly why Robert meant so much to his high-school girlfriend. I can’t believe Sarah and Kitty went to that keg party to begin with — although maybe that was the artiritas talking. And it did set up a good opportunity for Kitty and Alice to have a real conversation. For a second I thought they might say that Robert was the father of Alice’s high-school-age son. I’m glad they didn’t, as Kitty and Robert’s relationship already has enough soap-opera qualities.

But just when we thought there was nothing but good things to say about Robert, he admitted to Kitty the real reason he’s so touchy about using his war-hero story as part of his campaign: He’s not actually sure what happened, and the "hero" part of the story came from what people believe happened. It was interesting that he revealed that as a response to Kitty telling him she was falling in love with him. I guess for Robert, the best way to show Kitty he loved her in return was to share his most important secret.

And it looks like Robert might not be the only one hiding something. Last week Rebecca came off as very grounded, and she seemed to be handling the news about her new family as well as possible. This week it appeared that she might not be quite what she seems, if her behavior at the party was any indication. Talk about an awful first post-rehab party for Justin, having to see his own worrisome tendencies appear in his sister.

Continuing with the revealing-of-secrets theme, Chad finally decided he was tired of living a double life and came out via a letter posted on his website. Who would have thought that would turn out to be the end of Chad and Kevin? Maybe Chad is right and he does need to figure this out by himself.

Finally, it seems that things are going to develop further for Nora and her English professor, although I’m not sure if altering her dress was the best first-date approach. Taking Emily’s advice never seems to be a good idea, as evidenced by Kevin and Justin’s somewhat appalled reactions to Nora’s new look. My favorite lighter moment of the night came when Nora suggested that she make scrambled eggs for Kevin and Justin to help them recover from their stressful situations. It was sort of cute how excited they got.

In the last new episode, we saw everyone react to the fact that Rebecca is actually a Walker — everyone including Rebecca herself. The main focus tonight continued to be the fallout from the Rebecca situation, although tonight was less about reacting and more about interacting. And what better way for everyone to get to know each other than at a Walker family dinner?

Though well intentioned, Nora’s dinner didn’t go as smoothly as she had hoped. Kitty was noticeably absent, Sarah asked prying questions, Kevin temporarily became a forensic scientist, and Justin just seemed to be trying to hold everything together. The only time anyone seemed comfortable was when the older four Walker children were making fun of each other: "This whole family loves to kid," Nora tried awkwardly to explain.

Nobody did a great job at their first dinner with Rebecca, but it’s probably safe to say that Kevin’s hair-pulling was the worst. “I saw a split end, it’s just something I do with my sisters.” I laughed out loud when he said that! He’s a lawyer and that’s the best he could come up with? Although obviously no one appreciated Kevin’s ridiculous behavior, it did give Rebecca a chance to see the Walkers in their full arguing/teasing/talking-over-one-another glory. And the funny thing was? Instead of telling her mom how glad she was not to have grown up with the Walkers as her siblings, Rebecca seemed sad that she had missed out on being part of the craziness.

In other news, Kitty played a Rebecca-like role at dinner with Senator McCallister and his children. Not that Kitty would enjoy being compared to her newly discovered sister, but like Rebecca she was the new person at dinner with a tightly knit family. Kitty’s dinner didn’t go very smoothly either, and Sophie’s difficulties with meeting her newly single father’s new girlfriend seemed very realistic. That being said, I missed seeing Kitty interact with her siblings. I hope her increased time with Robert isn’t going to mean we’re going to see less interaction with her family. Kevin was with Chad for a good portion of tonight’s episode, and we still got to see him with his brothers and sisters.

Speaking of Kevin and Chad, things didn’t end well for them tonight, either. I thought Chad was a little quick to get angry at Kevin’s hesitation. I can understand Chad being upset, because obviously inviting Kevin to a public event was a big deal for him. But Chad has put Kevin through a lot and Kevin’s hardly complained. So for him to get mad the first time Kevin doesn’t go along with what he wants seems a little hypocritical.

Other highlights:

— The infrequently-used Julia talking a lot more than usual.

— Tommy having some conflicting emotions over whether or not to find out who the twins’ biological father is. I like when shows continue to address an issue, rather than mentioning it in one episode and then never talking about it again.

— Nora throwing William’s wedding ring into the water. It was a sad moment to end the episode on, but we got the sense from her work in her writing class that it was what she needed to do.

Wow. I just finished watching tonight’s episode and I’m trying to process everything. Even though we’ve been hearing about Rebecca (Emily VanCamp) all season, and even got a glimpse of her in the last episode, it was still a shock to really see her, if you know what I mean. For so long she seemed like this abstract person, a symbol of William’s affair and a sign that things would likely get more complicated down the road for the Walkers. But tonight Rebecca was a living, breathing person, whose life finally crossed paths with the Walker family.

I think I always thought about Rebecca from the Walkers’ perspective, or at least how those Walkers who knew about her felt. I never really thought about how finding out about all of this would make Rebecca herself feel. From what we got to see tonight, she seemed really sweet and well, young. Like a typical 20-year-old.

And I don’t think a 20-year-old, or anyone else for that matter, deserves to hear news that will change everything they thought they knew about their life from a stranger. As much as I usually like Sarah, I felt she crossed a line by telling Rebecca the news about who her father was. Don’t get me wrong — I think Sarah is justified in her anger toward Holly. Holly has crossed the line with the Walkers many times, her new business venture with Tommy being the most recent example. Sarah is also dealing with a lot of family stress, as we saw in the fact that she took a greater share of the blame than her brothers for keeping Rebecca a secret. And on top of all that, things are still tense between her and Joe. Basically it seems like things aren’t going well in any area of Sarah’s life right now. Which are all good reasons for being frustrated, upset and angry. But I still don’t think that gave her the right to tell Rebecca.

Although everyone was reeling from the shock of finding out about Rebecca and/or learning she was in town, Justin seemed to take it the hardest. Seeing Justin meet up with a stranger created some tense moments, until we realized he was actually Justin’s sponsor. Justin’s breakup with Tyler was sad, but probably smart. It does seem like a relationship will be a lot for him to handle right now. I hope that’s not the last we see of Tyler, though. I think she’s good for Justin, and maybe they can find some way to still be in each other’s lives.

Probably the most touching part of the episode for me was when Justin went to see Rebecca. It seemed like one of those situations where it would be easy to start off on the wrong foot by talking about serious topics, e.g., the fact that they share the same father. And given the tension surrounding that situation, I don’t think beginning a conversation by talking about William would help them get to know each other at all. But despite all the sadness and confusion they were both feeling, Justin talked to Rebecca about ordinary things, things they could talk easily about. And that was the best approach of all.

So much happened tonight — I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s comments about Rebecca and how the situation was handled by the Walkers. And finally, one aside… I always pictured Justin as being at least 25, but he must be younger than I thought, since he and Rebecca seemed to be in high school around the same time.

It was a surprise to hear Noah’s name mentioned tonight. After briefly appearing in the opening episodes, he seemed to disappear. I thought we were going to go through the rest of the season without hearing about him again. But in attempting to address her feelings toward Joe’s friend Vanessa, Sarah was forced to confront her own confusing extramarital friendship and how it affected the way she feels about her husband. Coming clean to Joe didn’t seem to help much, at least for now. In fact, Sarah looked so inconsolable during her solo visit to the therapist that it was hard not to wonder if Sarah and Joe were ever going to be able to get back to the place they were before.

And Sarah’s marriage wasn’t her only problem. Tommy continued to distance himself from her and the rest of the Walkers by officially going into business with Holly, although not until he did some checking to make sure Holly was being genuine in her offer. The flashback scenes with William (guest star Tom Skerritt) made Tommy appear a little more sympathetic. Tommy seems to have worked his way up to the top of the family business, while Sarah’s Ivy League education and work experience at a large corporation allowed her to start right at the top. Clearly Tommy’s been in Sarah’s shadow for a long time, despite his consistently solid performance, and that can’t be easy.

The tables were turned tonight for Kevin and Chad, with Chad for once doing the chasing. Kevin forgave him rather quickly, as seems to be his pattern with Chad. But their happiness was short-lived, as Kevin seemed pretty shaken by Michelle’s phone call. The sight of Michelle sitting alone with a bottle by her side was pretty depressing, and I hope Kevin takes her warning seriously. If Chad is, in fact, not ready, then trying to be in a relationship with him is going to bring Kevin nothing but heartache.

Kitty and the senator continued testing the waters of being both co-workers and in a relationship. Trying to interpret polls looked like it could be a potential problem, but I think if they take the senator’s approach of not worrying about what people think, they’ll be OK. I think Nora will be OK, too: It was nice to see her getting involved with subjects that really interest her, like writing and art. It seems like that will be a lot more fulfilling than her attempt to get involved at Ojai, as she doesn’t appear to have much of an interest in business.

And last but certainly not least, we finally got to meet Rebecca (Emily VanCamp). Her brief appearance at the end didn’t allow us to find out much about her character. But now that Tommy and Holly are working so closely together, she’s most likely not going to be a stranger to the rest of the Walkers for long.

So much happened last night that it could have taken weeks for a typical family to sort out every event. Thank goodness the Walkers don’t keep secrets. All it took was one four-way conversation for everyone to know that Kitty slept with the senator, Kevin slept with Scotty, Justin slept with Tyler, and Nora spent the night in jail.

Kitty and the senator were the big story, obviously. Once we found out that a business trip had them spending Valentine’s Day together, it became apparent that something would happen between them. Things started off romantically, but there's so much potential for complication. It seems fairly certain that issues will come up at work and/or with their families. On a side note, I did like the senator’s comment that he “always had a thing for Demi Moore,” Rob Lowe and Demi Moore of course both being members of the Brat Pack.

Valentine’s Day didn’t go quite as smoothly for Kevin. Dealing with his ex-boyfriend and his secret boyfriend in the same night proved to be difficult, and no one ended up happy. It was pretty hypocritical of Chad to be mad at Kevin for sleeping with Scotty, given their situation. I was glad to see Scotty back, although he and Kevin’s night together didn’t seem to leave room for a real reunion. It’s ironic that the only one who has no clue as to what’s really going on is Chad’s girlfriend Michelle. Speaking of Michelle, Roxy Olin really does bear a very strong resemblance to her mother, Patricia Wettig, as several people have commented.

Things are looking up for Justin, and he only had to go to nearly every Italian restaurant in the city to find out for sure. It didn’t seem like the most appropriate thing to do while babysitting Paige and Cooper, but it was pretty cute when they started cheering after Tyler told Justin she wanted to see him again. Things ended on a high note for Nora as well, although unfortunately it was the kind of high that had her spending a night in jail with her friend Emily (guest star Margot Kidder).

Finally, Holly was back and up to her old tricks, i.e., making things tense in the Walker family. I’m not sure I fully believe that she was just making an innocent suggestion to Tommy, especially now that we know that he plans to vote with her on the winery issue. Tommy appears to be more serious than the other Walker siblings in general, as seen in his absence from the gossipy phone conversation in the opening minutes of the episode. At times Tommy seems a little bit separated from his siblings, and it doesn’t look like siding with Holly is going to help matters.

"Medieval" and "mid-level" might sound similar, but unfortunately their meanings are very different. And a coat of arms and people in costume at Nora’s 60th birthday party were the least of the Walker family’s problems. Between drinking in closets and Sarah’s sex tape and grandmothers who don’t know when to refrain from commenting, it’s a wonder they even had time for cake.

Nora’s mother (guest star Marion Ross) came as a surprise. I wouldn’t have pictured her as such an unpleasant person, based on what we’ve seen of the rest of the Walkers. I guess it takes all kinds to make up a family, though. I think what I liked most about this story line was the realistic approach to the tension between Nora and her mother. They came to an understanding and parted on good terms, but at the same time viewers got the sense that mother and daughter would continue to disagree from time to time. The situation wasn’t magically resolved, but if it had been it would have taken away some of the authenticity that makes the Walker family so special. Real families don’t fix their problems in an hour.

Kevin’s relationship with Chad the TV star doesn’t look like it has a quick fix in sight, either. Again, it feels strange to watch Kevin be the one wanting more. Kevin himself admitted this, but I don’t think his vulnerability is going to change Chad’s mind. The outlook for this relationship doesn’t seem good, as Chad’s concern with protecting his "image" seems to go against everything Kevin believes in.

As for the rest of the Walker family's relationships, Kitty is continuing to take it slow this time. And the senator seems OK with that. Can it work? If the senator’s actions (which included providing his personal chef and dropping off soup) are any indication, it looks like it’s a possibility.

It was good to see Justin back this week, and I hope he’s able to work things out with Tyler. She said she has a boyfriend, but from the way their conversation ended it seemed like a reunion with Justin could be a possibility. Aside from a brief mention, it was another Holly-free episode. It probably would have been too much of a stretch to have Holly appear at Nora’s 60th birthday celebration. She was William’s mistress, after all. But since Holly is a part of Ojai now, she’s sure to be back soon, whether the Walkers like it or not.

Somehow I’m guessing that when Kitty decided to move in with her mother she never thought they would one day have a dual appointment with a dating service, one in which they received advice on how to enhance their assets. And it’s also likely that Kitty never dreamed her mother and an employee of a dating service would one day get together and educate her about the proper use of hair product.

But all that advice had varying results. Nora found a potential friend, and Kitty found, well, the senator. It seems obvious to everyone that eventually Kitty and Senator McCallister are going to get together. His staff thinks they’re already together, the press waited outside to photograph their “date,” even the senator himself seems to be giving obvious signals of interest. This time it's Kitty who appears to be doing the holding back. Maybe she’s thinking about how quickly things moved last time with Warren. And the senator is her boss.

As for Kevin, a meeting at the gym led to some obvious chemistry between him and TV star Chad Berry (Jason Lewis from Sex and the City). And some confusing hang-outs. The whole is-this-or-isn’t-this-a-date thing seemed to be resolved at the lookout point, only to be made even more confusing by the appearance of Chad’s girlfriend Michelle (Roxy Olin, the daughter of Patricia Wettig and Brothers & Sisters executive producer Ken Olin). Kevin seems different with Chad... sort of flustered and unsure, which is a real departure from his normal confident self. I’m sure the uncertainty of the whole situation is a factor, but I think it could also be a sign of how much he likes Chad. The look on Kevin’s face when he saw Chad and Michelle together was pure disappointment, though Michelle didn’t seem to pick up on it and Chad seemed to be ignoring it. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, although unfortunately the situation Chad created pretty much guarantees that someone is going to get hurt.

I missed Justin tonight, although it was kind of nice to get a break from the whole Holly situation. Particularly after the way she so strongly exercised her rights as a shareholder last week. I really think the Walkers are at their best when they focus on their relationships, and that’s what made tonight so entertaining. How classic was the scene in the kitchen with Nora, Tommy, Kevin and Sarah analyzing their various situations? I love how Nora mentioned what an improvement the added hair product was when she looked at Kitty’s photo in the paper. It was a very classic Walker-family trait to mention a detail like that.

Nora may be good at many things, but it doesn’t look like working at the family business is one of them. It was strange to see her floundering around the office like a fish out of water, especially when Nora always seems so in control at home. I kept expecting some of her self-confidence to eventually show itself in the workplace. How surprising was it to see some great ideas come from Holly instead?

Although Holly’s ideas may have been good, it seems like she could learn to be a little more tactful. Making reference to her closeness to William during a meeting where half the attendees were Walker family members seemed in poor taste, to say the least. At least Holly realized that, but I couldn’t tell if she was genuinely sorry for bringing it up — as she told Nora. I find Holly a little hard to read in general. I can see how her relationship with William prompted her interest in his business, but actually, working there seems a little extreme. How can she think working closely with William’s children is a good idea? Although, it does set the scene for some interesting drama, which we’ll undoubtedly see a lot of in the coming weeks.

Speaking of drama, the Walkers certainly know how to create a scene wherever they go, don’t they? Justin’s therapy session with his family quickly became more about the family than him. It was once again a great opportunity to show the family dynamic, though. And I liked the way they brought it full circle by having Justin express his frustration over being the one everyone came to with problems, without seeing that he has been dealing with some pretty serious issues of his own. He’s more than just the baby of the family, and I think everyone is finally starting to see that. On a side note, Justin’s interest in his yoga instructor made me wonder if we’ve seen the last of Tyler, Justin’s boss from the hotel.

Finally, Kitty accepted the job with Senator McCallister, although not without a little prompting from the Senator himself. Senator McCallister seems excited about having Kitty on his staff, and Kitty seems excited about the new direction her career is taking, as well. Will her new career also bring about a new relationship? As was announced last week, Rob Lowe has joined the cast of Brothers and Sisters for the rest of the season, so it looks like we’ll find out for sure very soon.

One of the best things about Brothers & Sisters is the realistic interactions between the brothers and sisters, the humanness of the characters. They seem like real people who struggle with real problems. The Walkers may not always make the perfect choices, but they nevertheless remain likable because their flaws make them seem like they could be members of any family.

Justin got a reprieve from returning to active duty tonight, and not by running away as he had originally threatened to do. He got it by admitting to being a “work in progress,” by owning up to his mistakes and making a sincere promise to get clean. A work in progress: Justin may have used those words to describe himself, but they applied to many members of the Walker clan (and those close to them) tonight.

Nora: She was eager to help Paige in her exploration of her faith. Maybe a little too eager, which Nora unfortunately didn’t realize until she saw how overwhelmed Paige was at the Hanukkah party. In the wake of the party’s eventual success, Nora was inspired to visit Holly in the spirit of forgiveness. Although her forgiveness wasn’t totally selfless, as she had a favor to ask of Holly, too.

Kitty: Asking Senator McAllister for a personal favor was interpreted by many viewers as unethical, but her devotion to her brother wound up prompting the offer of a job promotion. It looks like Kitty will be avoiding the awkwardness of a show without Warren by leaving television entirely. But is it really because she’s ready for a new career path? Or does the idea of working in close proximity to Senator McAllister have more to do with it?

Sarah: She’s still very angry with Holly, and for valid reasons. Her initial attempt to present the land to Holly as less than its actual worth seemed to have more to do with her anger than with the good of the company. But she did seem to have the good of the company at heart when she eventually accepted Holly’s terms, even though she wasn’t entirely happy with them.

Holly: Like Sarah, Holly is angry, and her initial refusal to sell seemed to be based more on her anger than what would benefit William’s company and her own financial situation. Her eventual offer to the Walkers seemed like an effort to compromise, as she knew William would have wanted her to help save the company from bankruptcy. But Holly’s terms weren’t entirely based on William’s wishes, as she did stipulate that her offer was only valid if she could become a shareholder.

One of the things I like most about Brothers & Sisters is that each week there are moments that I think about long after the show is over. Tonight, that moment was Kitty comforting Nora as she cried about losing Justin again. It can’t be easy to see your mom fall apart, and I’m sure it was scary for Kitty to play the mom role for her own mother. But she did it very well, and the shot of the two embracing showed viewers that Kitty and her mom will make it through Justin’s second call to duty without the tension and anger that existed between them when he enlisted.

It was overall an emotional night for the Walker family, who dealt with both their first Thanksgiving without William and Justin’s impending return to active duty. Kitty made a mistake in asking Senator McAllister (Rob Lowe) for help in getting Justin out of the army, but at least her intentions were good, and she was honest about what she had done. It didn’t seem like Amber, on the other hand, was entirely motivated by a sense of doing the right thing. It looks like she sees Kitty as competition for Warren, based on her expression when she saw Kitty and Warren hugging. It’s kind of ironic that Amber was so threatened by the hug. After all, she sat through a tension-fueled dinner with Kitty, Warren and Kitty’s former boyfriend Jonathan a few episodes back and was completely oblivious to the romantic tension between Warren and Kitty.

I like Warren, or at least I have so far. He’s not always perfect, but he and Kitty do have good chemistry. But I have to admit I was pretty disappointed with how Warren handled his suspicions about Kitty's asking for a favor from the senator. Senator McAllister, on the other hand, came off as very professional and even likable. He didn’t seem like the person the tabloids had made him out to be. Actually, I kind of got the impression that his divorce had been misrepresented in the press. I’m curious to see what everyone thought of Rob Lowe in his first appearance on the show. I wonder if Kitty will take the job offered by Senator McAllister, and, if she does, if that will cut down on her interaction with Warren.

As for the Sarah, Kevin and Tommy’s road trip, it looked like it was going to be one of the worst ones ever when Kevin flooded the engine. But things turned out pretty well for everyone — a financial windfall, a love interest for Kevin, some brotherly and sisterly bonding, and a chance for Sarah to show off her expertise at pool. And luckily, everyone was back in time for Thanksgiving. (I liked the running joke about Kitty’s bad cooking!)

Finally, Nora was wearing the wig again in the flashback scenes. It didn’t look much better than it did before… pretty stiff and not at all like her natural hair. But since it looked so much different from her natural hair, it was a good way to distinguish between the scenes occurring in present time and the flashbacks.