'Brothers & Sisters': Going green

Sunday night's episode of "Brothers & Sisters" managed to convince me that the show was gradually moving back toward the funny yet heartfelt series we all knew and loved. Maybe it was because a lot of it had to do with love -- for oneself and for others -- and love, cheesily enough, seems to conquer all.

This episode was sponsored by the color green, whether it represented the eco-conscious message of Sarah's company Greenotopia, the envy felt by the Greenotopia boys toward the objects of their affection or the feelings experienced by Sarah and Nora at the thought of reinvigorating their personal lives. Everything flowed organically. The arguments weren't overly dramatic, and the jokes weren't excruciatingly forced.

Sarah's age crisis was well played. In her struggle to win investors for Greenotopia, she is confronted with the fact that her lack of Twittering skills and a Facebook profile goes hand in hand with her stale, out-of-touch personal life. Apart from the brief Steven Weber flirtation, Sarah's been a broke, grumpy divorcee desperate for a revamp. Having Ethan be secretly in love with her made total sense, as did the timing of his confession. Of course, he'd spill his guts on the heels of their big investor news. I'm thankful they didn't take it further. As much as I want Sarah to shack up with a hot, young thing, he needs to be new blood and not someone she views as juvenile.

Sarah's struggles with her personal life also reflected Nora's. It's always funny when Nora partakes in activities mostly expected from her children. Perhaps it's Sally Field's youthful ebullience (she's somehow retained that Gidget quality), but she makes the tousled hair, smeared makeup and the story of mixing pills with martinis believable. Nora and Roger finally get their kiss, but unlike Sarah and Ethan, they'll have to balance their romantic and work relationship.

Justin's and Rebecca's relationship will soon be challenged by his new role as sponsor to a lovely addict named Chelsea. Justin has a weakness for blonds, so I have no doubt their "temporary" situation will complicate things in the episodes to come.

What are your thoughts on the episode? Will Nora and Roger end happily ever after? Will Justin succumb to his duties as Chelsea's sponsor?

-- Enid Portuguez

Comments

[Lee]

SO glad somebody said it, this was a return to the show that was once great. It was a beginning. I only hope they continue down this path. Funny and heartwearming (not forced) works for this show. And last night was proof of that. But now we have to wait 3 weeks??? boo... lol

[Chris]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. While it was nice to see the show return to being playful and funny, instead of heavy and dull, I thought this particular episode was just one long, tease which ended up going nowhere. The promos gave away who supposedly "hooked up" with whom (except perhaps for Rebecca), so there wasn't really any suspense. The only "surprise" was that in the end, no one actually ended up getting any action, which felt more like a cop-out and a let down, rather than a sweet/thoughtful ending. It just seemed that the writers wanted to get the cheap laugh of seeing the Walker women in the elevator making the "walk of shame," but didn't really want to deal with plotting out the complications which would have resulted had any of the women actually gone all the way. In the end, it just seemed that the show exposed the fact that the writers have run out of ideas. All the characters have burnt through enough angst to last multiple lifetimes. Now, the writers want to desperately turn the show around, but putting the characters in preposterous circumstances for the sake of a few cheap laughs and not putting anything real at stake in the story lines is not the way to bring back the magic of the show.