'Brothers & Sisters' season finale: Highway to destiny

The question we have all been pondering for the last five months -- exactly how Rob Lowe's character Robert McCallister was going to exit the show -- was finally answered on last night's "Brothers & Sisters" season finale. The beloved senator met his demise on a stretch of highway with Kitty by his side after a big rig lost control and collided into their SUV. My and many viewers' assumption that he would die by heart attack proved too obvious. The show acknowledged the theory by giving him an arrhythmia scare the night before the accident, but it was a sharp metal beam that crashed into his driver's side window that finally did him in.

Even though we knew Robert's moment was coming, it didn't keep those last dramatic five minutes from being any less shocking. It was the first time we'd really seen any of the Walkers in grave physical danger and the initial sight of Kevin, Scotty, Saul and Holly bleeding and hurt was pretty startling. From the moment Justin and Rebecca pulled up to the wreckage, the camera seemed to stretch their (and our) feeling of dread as they encountered each mangled car and began to heard screams from familiar voices. They came upon Saul's overturned car first. Scotty sat up dazed while Kevin pulled shattered glass from his hand. Saul stood a few feet with a gash across his forehead, a reminder of his new reality (more about that later). Sarah and Nora emerged shaken but unhurt as they rushed to get more help for Holly, who sat unconscious in her car. Then came Robert's and Kitty's SUV, nestled against the belly of a big rig.

Robert's last minutes were brief and so, so sad. The jutting beam and a giant bloody head wound kept him still as he recalled his fears on the day that Evan was born. Kitty's strength quelled his fears back then and as he sat dying, and while she pleaded for him to hold on and keep talking, the light went out from his blue eyes. If there was one thing Robert consistently stood by during his time on the show, it was his dedication to his family, so it was fitting that the comforting memory took him through his last breaths.

To dramatize the ending, most of the episode kept a relatively mellow pace except for the revelation of two big pieces of news that will inform some of the stories next season. The first was Saul's discovery that he has HIV/AIDS. While preparing the menu for his and Scotty's upcoming restaurant, the subject of getting tested came up after a man from Saul's past requested his friendship on Facebook. He learned that the man was currently an AIDS activist living with the disease, which set off alarms that he should finally get tested after all these years of being in the closet. Scared and still reeling from a lifetime of shame and hiding, Saul lied to Nora when he first got the test results. But the news sank in at the sight of his own blood after the accident -- the results were positive and he and the Walkers would be facing a whole new challenge come Season 5.

The other piece of news was the breakthrough at Narrow Lake, which after the closing of Ojai Foods now belonged to Sarah, Nora and Holly. Never one to give up on a good mystery, Nora continued to fund more digging with the hopes of finding the land's true value. Her efforts paid off. Narrow Lake contained an aquifer, a body of rock capable of yielding groundwater -- a gold mine in a state that frequently suffers from water shortage. Their financial future was secured at that moment, and as the ladies danced in the geyser, one of the season's big mysteries was finally resolved.

Since the show plans to flash forward a year during Season 5, the questions raised in the finale set the stage for the time jump. Kitty will grieve over Robert's death and we'll find out whether she won the election. Justin will volunteer in Haiti while Rebecca stays behind to take on a new job, leaving their relationship vulnerable. Kevin and Scotty will be new parents, and Saul will fight a new battle. It's yet to be seen what injuries Holly will sustain from the accident, but it'll probably affect her somehow. Sarah and Luc will explore their relationship further and Nora will continue to be the rock holding it all together. I think flashing forward is a brilliant move for the show. After a lackluster third season, "Brothers & Sisters" proved its mettle with the fourth, and this new perspective will give viewers even more incentive to watch. Rob Lowe will be sorely missed, but the Walkers will trudge through as these startling new events leave the future precariously and excitedly open with possibilities.

What are your thoughts on the season finale? Feel free to chime in below!

-- Enid Portuguez

Photo: Rob Lowe in his final episode as Robert McCallister on "Brothers & Sisters." Credit: ABC

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Comments

[cccourt]

How in the world did you see all those details in that dark murky picture which was shown at the accident site?

[Mira Temkin]

Thank you for such a beautifully written synopsis. Having Saul reveal his true HIV status was a shock. I will miss Robert. Do you think the women will re-start Ohei with their newky found fortune? I guess we'll have to stay tuned.

[DArlene]

Why Robert as if Kitty didnt have enough on her plate it could have been a deer that died but not Robert

[S KERNAN]

I AM ACTUALLY SORRY TO SEE HIM LEAVE THE SHOW...HE WAS A VOICE OF REASON IN A LAND OF DRAMA QUEENS!!

[iamarealtor]

I just love the show. I look forward to watching it and will miss it thru the summer. Sorry it has come to the end of a season! Only complaint is the loud music being played when we are struggling to hear what is being said. I turn up the volume, but of course, it only makes the music louder. It would be much more effective if it were played softer. Can't wait for September!

[Gigi]

All I could say was.. OMG!!!
I cried! I expected this would be Rob Lowe's final episode.
They way his character was killed off was just too real :-( !
I can't wait for next season!! I wonder if they might bring Alec back to comfort Kitty?!! I guess we'll have to wait and see...

[chloe]

I love Rob Lowe, and although I like the show, one of the main reasons that I watch it is to see him. Why is he leaving? I think his leaving will definitely affect the ratings!

[ANN]

ROBERT WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS SANE IN A GROUP OF VERY EXCITABLE CHARACTERS. I WILL NOT CONTINUE TO WATCH NEXT SEASON AS THE PLOT OF THE GAY COUPLE IS SHOWING TO MUCH INTIMATE DETAIL THAT CARE NOT TO WATCH. JUSTIN AND REBECCA NEED TO BE COMMITTED TO THE RELATIONSHIP OR MOVE ON. POOR,POOR NORA. A FAMITY HEAD THAT IS NUTS.

[Alecia]

Great finale, never expected that as an ending. Rob you will be missed.

[LJBurg]

ok, do you honestly think they would tell you that you tested positive for aids and hang up that fast? I'm sure they would say something more like, we found something in your tests and would like for you to come back in for further testing..ya ya ya . Not a 2 second, great! Ok! thanks. see ya!

But, I loved it, and will continue to tune it every week when it returns.

[Theresa]

i think taking rob lowe off the show was stupid, and that they should have kept them on. the relationship with kitty and him was just getting good. they came back from the troubles they were having, and they belonged together. killing him off was STUPID!!!

[Leslie]

I knew they were going to kill Robert so I figured since I knew ahead of time it wouldn't really affect me... Wrong. I cried my eyes out. It was so touching. I can't wait for next season!

[Nancy Garmon]

Know that there has to be a cliffhanger episode for the final of the season but this was extremely horrific even for the most steadfast of viewers. This is one of my favorite shows on tv and I have adopted this family and many of the cast members as "close to my heart" so to see them bleeding, injured, dying was almost too much to absorb and bear. Think that the writers could have left us "wondering", knowing, and anticipating another great season without SO MUCH heartache and pathos. My heart aches for that family! Lighten up a little bit writers...you're losing some of us by so much sadness to follow!

[JUDY]

THIS WAS A VERY HARD THING TO WATCH. ROB LOWE WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF MAKING KITTY A STRONG CHARACTER. HE WAS SUCH A KIND AND GENTLE PERSON THAT ONLY WANTED TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS. HE WILL BE SADLY MISSED.

[michael]

This was the most satisfying episode of the season; pitch perfect, really. It renewed my appreciation for each of the characters, even my least favorite, Kevin. It'll be fascinating to see where the writers take the family members next season, and a year later in each of their lives. I hope, however, that you're wrong and nothing devastating will affect Holly. Even if Nora funded the continued drilling into Narrow Lake, since she became involved in Ojai Foods, Holly really has been the catalyst for keeping the Walker's fortunes afloat. And she's one of the more captivating and intriguing characters on the show.

[Marilyn]

I will definitely miss Rob Lowe! That is one of the reaosns I watch this show. I have followed him throughout most of his acting career and he is a tremendous actor. Hopefully I will see him on the big screen one day! I will miss him.

Marilyn

[delores starr]

well i love the show and i hate to see robert leave the show he is good on the show.and the accident was sure a big supprize to me i throught he would die with a hearttack. he is sure going to be missed.

[Pam]

I thought it was sad and well acted. My husband had to remind me it was just actors and that none of it really happened. You get so caught up in the week to week lives you forget it not real.

[Alberi]

I'll miss Robert's handsome face, however, I enjoy much more the relationship of the brothers and sisters (and their mother), than I do of the couples.

[Xavier Mora]

I really want to know what going to happen next after the accident. I hope the new season start soon.