‘Brothers & Sisters’: Have a little faith

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

‘It’s all going to be OK’ was the mantra of Sunday night’s episode of ‘Brothers & Sisters.’ The Walkers -- Kevin, particularly -- were still reeling from last week’s events, and the only thing anyone could do amid the tumult was to have faith that everything would work out. And boy, do they have a lot of things to work out.
The bulk of the episode was dedicated to Kevin’s big grudge against Nora. He was still unwilling to talk to her after the Aaron incident left him feeling guilty and deceived, but Nora, as always, stood her ground and waited for him to come around. Even as he reluctantly marked his 39th birthday, she seemed to be the only one in a celebratory mood. ‘If you bake [a cake], he will come,’ Nora insisted.

Her efforts at throwing Kevin a birthday party weren’t rooted in naivete or delusion as Kitty and Sarah had thought but, rather, on the belief that she knew her son well enough to know he would eventually make peace with her and the situation. And he did. Kevin couldn’t possibly spend his birthday angry (who could with stuffed squab and cake on the menu?), and a sweet mother-and-son talk quelled some of his insecurities. I loved Kevin’s honesty that it would take time for him to fully deal with the consequences of Nora’s actions, but his willingness to open up and talk about it felt like a genuine moment.

While Kevin sorted his feelings toward Nora, the rest of the family scrambled to save Ojai Foods from tanking. Tommy, Kevin and Justin tried negotiating with Dennis York, but he simply laughed in their faces and called off their initial deal. He would rather wait until the company fails and purchase it at a bargain price than buy out each of the Walkers. Meanwhile, a geological survey of Narrow Lake produced little answers to its mysterious value, so Rebecca, to Holly’s chagrin, used her inheritance to pay off the company’s debt and buy them some time. I honestly can’t wait for this storyline to wrap. It’s become this prolonged goose chase with few returns for the audience so far. Dennis’ bitter sneer hints at deeper issues, but we’re always left to wait and wonder about when they’ll ever be acknowledged. I know, have a little faith.

One issue that the show did acknowledge was Rob Lowe’s impending departure. For most of the episode, we were led to believe that a top-secret job in Washington, D.C., would whisk Robert and Kitty away, but at the end we found out that he didn’t get the job due to his heart health. Since Lowe announced his exit, I believed that the show would do one of two things: Find a reason for him to move out of California (and come back as a guest star) or kill him off completely. Will another D.C. job come his way before season’s end, or should we begin preparing for a dramatic death? The suspense is killing me!

We must also wait to discover the fate of Luc, who was back in the picture after being absent last week. His visa was to expire soon, and Sarah continued to pout as he packed his bags. From the looks of next week’s preview, a possible pregnancy might make things complicated for the couple, but I have faith Luc will be back next season. ABC can’t let one heartthrob go without replacing him with another!

What are your thoughts on the episode? How should Rob Lowe exit the show? Do you want Luc back next season?

-- Enid Portuguez