‘Brothers & Sisters’: Flying the coop

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After a three-week holiday, I braced myself for last night’s return of ‘Brothers & Sisters.’ There were a few questions after the last episode’s preview: Will Kevin ask for custody of Elizabeth and will that drive him and Tommy further apart? What’s up with Kevin and Julia’s kiss?

The answers were revealed last night, but it wasn’t the drama-tinged hour I expected. After a series of dreams, Kevin, who is recovering from liver surgery, begins to give fatherhood a second thought. However, if we were to believe that the intensity of these dreams would convince him that he’d be a fit father to Elizabeth, we’d have been wrong. The sequences ranged from haunting (a baby’s cry leads him to an empty crib) and absurd (Kevin as a pregnant man) to steamy (this is where his and Julia’s kiss comes in), but none was detailed enough to give cause for concern. Kevin wasn’t going to fight for Elizabeth, and the prospect of that ever happening was extinguished with a legal document. He is ready to be a dad though, so if Kitty’s adoption doesn’t work out, he and Scotty should get one.

While Kevin was dealing with issues over being a father, Nora’s brand of motherhood was examined. Sally Field’s knack for playing pushy yet nurturing mothers is undeniable. Her gift lies in how she can recall all the annoying, smothering habits of your own mother yet also compel you to call mom up and thank her for her troubles. Nora’s overbearing nature would have driven anyone crazy, but who couldn’t forgive and forget after her tearful phone message to Scotty?

It was nice to see Justin’s situation addressed. Now that he’s been given a relationship to tackle, it’s only natural that he should move out of mom’s house and attempt to be a grown-up. Rebecca and drug addiction aside, he needs a new challenge and his search to find a career could lead to fresh stories and characters.

Also nice to see was Kitty and Robert’s interoffice ‘brain sex.’ I do miss the tension that existed before they got married, and it’s apparent their chemistry lies in work-related exchanges rather than those as husband and wife.

While a few doors to possible story lines were closed in this episode, some others opened. I’d like to see this new architect, Roger Grant, emerge as Saul’s secret boyfriend, although it looks likely he may be around for Nora. It looks like Sarah’s going to have some financial difficulty in next week’s episode and let’s not mention the mounting drama surrounding Balthazar Getty’s fate on the show. My patience (along with yours, judging from the recent comments) with this show is running thin, so ‘Brothers & Sisters,’ please give us some drama!

-- Enid Portuguez