My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x18: "Never Say Never"

Written by Sarah Kucserka And Veronica Becker
Directed by Bethany Rooney

Brody: “Is everything alright?”
Nora (re Ida): “She died this morning.”
Brody: “She died?”
Nora: “My mother died. I guess I have to plan a funeral now too.”

I figured at some point in this show the writers would actually go there and kill Ida Holden off and I have to admit that I’m surprised they waited as long as they did in order to do it but as death episodes go, this one worked pretty well to be honest and this is just after I’ve seen Glee do the same thing with Sue’s sister.

In terms of the reactions, I don’t think there was a single one that was over the top with the exception of Kevin’s. His intense opposition over Ida seemed a little forced considering that we never really saw her ‘disappointment’ with him on screen at all, so it didn’t entirely resonate here compared to everyone else’s.

Sarah was pretty distant about her grandmother’s death because as the episode emphasised a great deal, Ida hadn’t been the best of relatives to have in the Walker/Holden family but I have to admit that I found Justin’s reaction to Ida’s death the most interesting.

Having Justin empathise and understand his grandmother’s loneliness might not win points for subtlety but let’s be brutally honest – Ida wasn’t all that bad really. Yes, it’s easy to see why she drove Nora and Saul crazy but I do remember seeing some moments in the first season when she did admit that she was proud of her kids as well.

It’s just a shame that episode wise, we didn’t actually get to see Ida one last time on screen. A parting word to either of her elderly children would’ve been nice but the letter that she had written for Saul instead was a good gesture. I’m not surprised that she knew he was gay, especially considering when you think about that conversation Nora and Kevin had in “If You Bake It, He Will Come” and I thought it was sweet that she wanted Saul to be happy.

I also thought Saul’s anger towards his mother in this episode was believable as well and expertly played by Ron Rifkin. However, it was nice that the letter made him take stock of things and be more open about his relationship with Jonathan as well. Some viewers said it was rushed but considering this show doesn’t have long to go, I can deal with that.

As for Nora, I didn’t envy her having to go up and talk about Ida in front of her family and the few people that attended her mother’s funeral but it was another excellent moment for Sally Field as well. I also liked the fact that despite his unconventional approach, Brody really was a help to Nora in her hour of need as well.

The absences of Kitty and Tommy however were the only thing about the episode that felt a little off though. Like with “Safe At Home”, this episode should’ve featured both of them and it was really sloppy on the producers part not to have them factor into the overall episode but it’s only a small blemish in an otherwise wonderful episode.

Adding the return of Bertha into this episode also proved to be a triumph as well. The parallels between Bertha and Ida were also rather well done. Bertha’s disapproving but she’s not a bad person and her attempts of connecting with Olivia to try and repair her relationship with Scotty made narrative sense as well.

It’s also interesting how far along Bertha has come too as a character. Last time around, she barely talked to Kevin but in this episode she was able to open up to her fears about Scotty and actually listened to him as well. That’s a nice bit of progress with the character and I was actually quite pleased when she was at the Walker table for the Ida tribute as well.

Ida’s death wasn’t the only occasion in this episode as well – there was Justin’s 30th and it was interestingly handled too. I liked that list he had compiled and I certainly liked the scenes with him and Kevin throughout the episode. In fact, nearly everything with Justin over the last few episodes has been enjoyable to watch and this continued the trend, so nice work, show.

Last but not least – Sarah and Luc. It’s a relief at this point that Kevin got the role of wedding planner (hey, even I found his enthusiasm for cake testing amusing) because if I have to endure another episode of Sarah being dismissive of planning a wedding, I probably would die of boredom. I should mention however that I did side with Luc because Sarah, despite her logic was being a tad harsh with him. I can understand why the wedding is a big deal for Luc, considering that he’s a romantic guy and all.

Also in “Never Say Never”

Marion Ross apparently said in an interview that she wished she had been able to film Ida’s death.

Sarah (re Justin): “I can’t believe our little brother is turning 30.”
Kevin: “Yeah, I don’t think he can either.”

Even though I totally knew it was happening, ABC announced last Friday (the 13th of all days) the show wasn’t coming back for a sixth year.

Justin (re list): “Oh my God, I gave this to you?”
Kevin: “Isn’t it amazing? We’re gonna do every item on this list.”
Justin: “You know someone with a flying car?”
Kevin: “Every item that doesn’t require time travel.”

Scotty: “This isn’t anxiety, this is dread. There’s a big difference. She’s meeting Olivia for the first time.”
Saul: “And where’s Kevin?”
Scotty: “Hiding.”

I take it from the lack of dialogue that Bertha and Wally are still seperated at this point in the show.

Bertha: “Not to worry, I’m here now.”
Scotty: “I wasn’t worried, until now.”

Sarah (re Nora): “How’s she doing?”
Brody: “The woman’s a whirling dervish. She hasn’t stopped planning the funeral since she got the call yesterday.”

Kitty was away with Seth and Tommy was unable to get time off from his job, hence their reasons for not being at Ida’s funeral.

Nora: “My mother, my mother was ... the truth is, I can accept the things she was. It’s the things she wasn’t that breaks my heart. I can’t do this.”

Saul: “It’s my turn, mother, I’d like you to meet the love of my life – Jonathan.”

Chronology: A couple of weeks since “Olivia’s Choice”.

“Never Say Never” is a terrific episode in dealing with the departure of Ida and giving both Nora and Saul something interesting to do. The inclusions of Brody and Bertha in this episode also helped a lot too.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Brothers And Sisters - Cancelled

Now this is a spoiler I'm sure everyone's been aware of for the last two days and I would've reported it sooner but I got caught up in other stuff.

It comes with sadness (but resignation) to report that on Friday 13th this month, ABC officially announced that after five seasons and 109 episodes, Brothers And Sisters was no more. In fairness, I think most people saw it coming but while Season 5 was something of a mess in places, I think it's a shame the show's been canned, especially when worse ones are on that station.

Yes, the writers fudged a lot of storylines (unneeded time jumps, mishandling Kevin/Scotty's parenting storyline, Sarah's paternity) and god knows, ABC were awful in promoting this season (they couldn't even be arsed to do promos for the 100th episode or cast promos this year), I am still going to miss this show, in particular Kevin and Scotty, which still beat every other gay character on TV. It's been swell, show. Season 5 comes out on DVD in August for US buyers and September/October for UK ones. Needless to say, it'll be in my collection.

It's been nice knowing you show but I can't help but think if Jon Robin Baitz hadn't been pushed off his show, certain storylines wouldn't have happened. I mean the bad ones.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x17: "Olivia's Choice"

Written by Cliff Olin And Michael Morris
Directed by Michael Morris

Scotty: “We’re doing the right thing, right, fighting this?”
Kevin: “What do you mean?”
Scotty (re Olivia/Brian): “He’s her brother.”
Kevin: “Yeah, he’s her brother and we’re her fathers.”

I have to admit, I would’ve been incredibly surprised if this show had managed to avoid going down the route of Kevin/Scotty being threatened with losing Olivia. After all, the poor guys have lost two babies and this season has certainly piled angst on them more than usual but the handling of this storyline was pretty good if you ask me.

I’ll never understand or condone homophobia but given that this show isn’t as heavy with it as a lot of other LGBT themed shows tend to be, I wasn’t too shocked that Olivia’s brother, Brian would turn out to disapprove of his sister’s living arrangements because she now had two fathers.

There was even a point in the episode where Justin tried to reason with Brian in a civilised manner about his bigotry and Brian just gave him this comical evil look. I didn’t need Brian to be a homophobe to root for Kevin and Scotty to remain Olivia’s guardians but I guess the episode didn’t hurt from having it that way either though.

And while there are times when Nora’s interfering has been irritating to the nth degree, I absolutely loved her “meddling” in this episode. I never doubted for one second that she was on Kevin and Scotty’s side but her rationing about Olivia being the one to have a say in where she stays was absolutely right.

Yes, it’s a difficult decision for a child to make and one that shouldn’t be enforced on them but Olivia’s turmoil was nicely played and reasonably understandable. You can’t begrudge the child for wanting a relationship with her brother and you certainly couldn’t begrudge her for wanting to remain with Kevin and Scotty either, so in my book, any meddling Nora did in this episode was actually in everyone’s favour.

She didn’t vilify Brian either. Instead she made an effort for him to spend some time with Olivia and she also helped Olivia get to the hearing and make a rather nice if ham fisted speech about the Walkers and their penchant for taking in strays. Okay, it was extremely cheesy as hell but I’m going to let it slide because I liked the outcome.

Olivia got to stay with Kevin and Scotty and Brian had some sense to come around and visit his little sister at the end. I don’t know if he’ll ever accept Kevin and Scotty but I got the impression from the last scene that he realised they were the right people to be looking after his sister, so I guess that’s progress.

Olivia aside, it was actually nice to see Kevin being a lawyer again too. He managed to keep his composure when Brian was being bigoted and he certainly made his own arguments as well, which probably could’ve worked, even if Olivia hadn’t gotten to the judge either. Either way, I liked that Kevin and Scotty got to keep Olivia but now can we have some kissing between them already? It’s been seventeen episodes.

Unfortunately while the Kevin/Scotty/Olivia/Brian storyline was pretty good stuff, the rest of the episode itself kind of fell apart. I’m all for the Walkers being silly but Kitty and Sarah were a bit too immature in this episode for my tastes over the former’s attempts of winning Seth back, weren’t they?

The scenes at the restaurant which seem to largely involve finding ways to undermine and humiliate Berklee were just dumb rubbish and you know there’s something not right with the picture when you find yourself identifying with Luc’s exasperation over Kitty and Sarah’s daft plot as well.

Seth’s return was a nice point in the episode and while I’m glad that him and Kitty actually managed to cut through the bullshit in the end and get back together, I do hope that next time Kitty freaks out about her health, she does actually tell Seth about it. He is pretty mature, so don’t treat him like a child, Kitty.

As for Luc and Sarah going on about their wedding plans – why the stalling, Sarah? Well I know why – the wedding’s due to be the finale but it’s the only part of the episode I truly didn’t care. That being said though, congrats to Luc on getting some progress with his art career.

Last but not least – Nora taking in a stray dog that followed Lily home. Is she going to become a crazy dog lady now? I kid of course but as plots go, it was amusing, especially with Justin’s teasing her about Brody but also it was a little filler as well.

Also in “Olivia’s Choice”

Olivia’s the second character this season to get an episode named after her. I want a main character to have one named after them.

Kevin (re Lily): “Why are you indulging the spoiled bitch? Give her a bowl of kibbles.”
Sarah: “Kevin, I can’t believe you said that. I’m sorry that I called.”

Actually Kevin’s comments were direct at Lily, not Kitty. The price of answering two phones at once, eh?

Sarah (to Kitty. re Seth): “The only thing that man’s gonna be slamming against a wall is you.”

Kitty: “I thought of you every day.”
Seth: “Then didn’t you call?”
Kitty: “I don’t know. I guess I was lying to myself as much as I was lying to you. I wasn’t ready to accept what was happening to me and now I am finally accepting it, so here I am.”

This episode aired as a double with “Never Say Never” but More4 are airing the episodes separately.

Kitty: “No, no, Sarah, this is crazy, we can’t do this, we’re not in high school.”
Sarah: “No, we’re not but Seth practically is.”

Sarah: “Fun time is over, this is war. Just get her to join you at the bar?”
Luc: “Why me?”
Sarah: “Cos you’re my secret weapon.”

Standout music: Joss Stone’s “Free Me” during Kitty’s entrance into the restaurant.

Olivia: “Scotty is the best chef.”

Chronology: A few weeks since “Home Is Where The Fort Is” and there was no Saul and Jonathan in this episode either.

“Olivia’s Choice” is probably not the show at its best and despite some jarring moments here and there, we have had worse episodes this season and it’s nice that Kevin and Scotty have had more screen time in the last two episodes as well.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x16: "Home Is Where The Fort is"

Written by Geoffrey Nauffts And Brian Studler
Directed by Bethany Rooney

Kevin: “If the women of this family leave town and we fall apart – game over.”
Luc (re Sarah): “Speak of the devil.”

I did wonder for a second if this episode was going to turn into a ‘men are useless unsupervised’ turn but thankfully, while the male folk struggle at first with the children, they get there in the end without a female influence. It’s equality, right?

Take Luc for instance. He’s been with Sarah for long enough, is well in with her family and has a nice rapport with Paige and Cooper. So, an episode where Luc refused to give Paige 50 dollars because she wouldn’t tell him what she needed him for shouldn’t paint him in a bad light. He was smart to at least ask why a teenager needs that amount of cash.

Of course Paige’s reasons for needing 50 bucks came down to having to a buy a bra, so there was an organic reason for her not to tell Luc what she needed the cash for without turning her into a brat and though there’s a moment where it did look like Sarah was going to undermine Luc’s authority, at least Sarah managed to fill him in on what was really happening and Luc was a gentlemen in not embarrassing.

I’ll admit that I tend to be critical of Luc at times because he’s never presented as a character with flaws – something which is often associated with significant others of the Walkers but I really do like his rapport with Paige and I thought the two of them were really great in this episode, especially when Paige got jilted by a boy she liked.

Luc could’ve sugar coated the woes of heartbreak but he gave her an honest account of it instead and while encouraging Paige to egg Cody’s house might not have been the most responsible of things to do, I’m willing to give him a free pass for it. Also is it me or has Paige become a far more likeable character over the last few episodes this season?

Speaking of likeable, I might not be overly crazy about Kevin and Scotty’s storylines being parenting only but I do like Olivia and I really enjoyed her in this episode. Also, I understood where she was coming from this week too, even if the fort she built in the apartment was a little much.

It makes perfect sense for Olivia to have various hang ups, even if she finally does have full time parents in Kevin and Scotty and I liked that the both of them used their own brand of gentle coaxing to get her to tear the fort down. It was a smart move on their part and it’s stuff like that I can see why Kevin and Scotty really do have the knack of being great parents.

Parenting was something that was the big theme this week as even Kitty was in a tizzy over trying to get a decent birthday party for Evan and apparently store bought stuff didn’t cut the mustard. Like the Walkers need an excuse to swarm around each other but either way, the birthday party Evan did get at the end of the episode was rather nice.

However Kitty did have a better storyline this week that didn’t involve her son’s birthday. Following her mystery absence in the last three episodes, it was nice that we got some solid answers as to what was going on with Kitty. Shame they came after Nora and Sarah came to the wrong conclusions yet again.

Kitty having complications with her bone marrow made some sense I guess and her fears about Evan were thankfully countered by Sarah’s own promise to make sure the child was well looked after but more importantly, I actually loved that little scene where Kitty was telling Nora and Sarah that the cologne bottle was Robert’s and just having that onscreen acknowledge of Kitty’s grief for him was definitely welcomed.

As for Justin, the nightmare storyline – not bad. It made some sense that having Zach around would stir up some less fond memories but what I liked the most was how the episode exited Zach without him turning psycho or Justin being a jerk. Also I have to admit that Justin’s paramedic co-worker Danny is somewhat amusing. It’s nice to see him recur on the show.

Also in “Home Is Where The Fort Is”

Can the show please get rid of Patricia Wettig’s name in the opening credits? Holly’s been gone for the last four episodes now.

Sarah: “We want to know what’s going on here.”
Kitty: “Nothing. Nothing. The only thing that’s going on is I’m trying to get ready for my son’s birthday party, which is a very big deal.”

Shouldn’t Evan be three rather than four? After all, the show time jumped a year, not two.

Justin: “I don’t have PTSD, Zach.”
Zach: “Yeah that’s what I kept telling myself my first couple of nights on the street.”

Sarah (re Kitty): “See, she’s not in the CIA, she’s ruining a marriage.”
Nora: “Very funny.”

Actually, the man Kitty was talking to in the supermarket was a fella named Dale, who goes to the same sign language class as she does.

Kitty: “Why would I be in the CIA?”
Nora: “They’d be lucky to have you.”
Kitty: “I’m not in the CIA.”

Scotty (re Gecko Town): “What do you think we should do – tear it down?”
Kevin (re Olivia): “No, I think we should talk to her. Whatever it is, she needs to tell us but this fort isn’t the answer.”

We learned Olivia was born July 11th 2001 and this episode sadly did not feature Saul/Jonathan but it did briefly feature Lily.

Justin: “I’m trying to save everyone.”
Zach: “Well, do you?”
Justin: “No, that’s why I wake up screaming.”

Kevin (to Olivia): “I hated school. I used to put a thermometer up against the light bulb so I could fake a fever and stay home all day.”
Scotty: “Don’t tell her how to do that.”

Standout music: Drew Holcomb’s “Baby Tomorrow” at the end of the episode.

Kevin: “Are you alright?”
Kitty: “Yeah, we’ll go for a walk later and I’ll tell you everything.”
Kevin: “Okay.”

Chronology: About two weeks since the events of “Brody”.

I liked this one. “Home Is Where The Fort Is” does seem to be continuing a reasonably strong wave of good episodes. All of the storylines were nice and it was certainly nice having Kitty back on the show as well, so no complaints from me.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x15: "Brody"

Written by Molly Newman
Directed by Matthew Rhys

Nora: “Are you thrilled with how your life turned out?”
Brody: “It’s had its ups and downs but it’s not over yet.”

Maybe they should’ve changed the title of this episode to “Everybody Loves Brody” because it comes to making a first impression, Brody pretty much won everyone over that featured here and it’s easy to see why – Beau Bridges was just perfect casting.

In less than one episode, he made Brody into a far more engaging and nicely drawn character that even if they are plot holes and the foreboding sense of dread that he is actually Sarah’s father, it was pretty damn hard not to like him. He certainly deserves points for the cute dog and his uncanny knack of getting Nora flustered as well.

And this is why I want Brody not be a flash in the pan character. We already got our annual short lived relationship with Nora and Karl, so let Brody actually be the one that goes the distance, even if the show is retooling most of it’s continuity in order to solidify Brody’s overall importance to Nora’s past.

After all, he was the one who got away and according to Nora was deeply unreliable. Both of those issues are more or less hashed out here with Nora and Brody’s interactions but the fact that he left Lily the dog behind him in Nora’s care is a safe indicator that we at least have another appearance due shortly.

If Brody himself wasn’t likeable enough, then Lily the dog was definitely loved. Kevin couldn’t get enough of seeing her and Nora even allowed her to sleep on her bed and I was definitely relieved when she survived her operation as well, which was quite the feat given how Lily was supposed to be here.

Yes, even I’m a sucker for a dog and while it could’ve been seen as a rather convoluted way of trying to endear Brody, the episode highlighted his shortcoming as well without demonising. He wasn’t too sorry to learn that William had been a serial cheater (though he wasn’t a jackass about it either) and his commitment issues were definitely Nora’s main reason for not wanting to let her guard down with him.

It’s a fair point on Nora’s end but this episode then heavily suggested that if Brody hadn’t been so into his baseball, would Nora have actually ended up with William? Every year the show has made William look less and less good and this continued the trend but Brody himself was man enough to admit that things between him and Nota wouldn’t have worked out for them but now could be an option.

However the one thing I am unconvinced of with this episode is Sarah’s paternity. I really don’t want the show to go and change who her father is but it’s pretty likely that that’s exactly what will happen and silly as its sounds, it’s the only strike that Brody has going against him at the moment. Everything else is just muffins in comparison.

Speaking of muffins – poor Joaquin. Every little sack of flour that comes into the world will one day have a future in creating bread, cakes, pastries and of course, muffins but for Joaquin, that future came a little too soon. On paper, this storyline with Paige sounds so inane but on screen, it’s actually quite funny.

Paige desperately took taking care of a sack of flour as a baby by proxy way too seriously but when it came to getting lessons about pregnancy out of wedlock, all she had to do was learn about her grandmother being pregnant with her mother to really drill the point home. Still, Joaquin’s death wasn’t in vain. I hear the muffins he spawned were absolutely yummy. Just ignore Kevin’s reaction when consuming them though.

Paige wasn’t the only playing carer this week as Justin decided to take in a homeless, emotionally volatile army vet named Zach for his troubles. It was a nice thing for Justin to do and I like that he wanted to help Zach as best he could but he could be out of his depth. Still, points to him for being an all around gentleman this week.

As for Tommy and Rose’s departure/new job – eh, it was the weakest part of the episode but truth be told, maybe Tommy and Sarah just aren’t cut out to work with each other. Also I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last we see of them in the season and apart from one argument, Tommy’s exit went smoother than other ones.

Also in “Brody”

Brody is the second character to get an episode named after him, the first being Julia back in the third season, though Rebecca was referred to as “The Other Walker” during the first year.

Kevin (re Joaquin): “Right, so is it a boy or a girl?”
Paige: “Boy!”
Kevin: “How can you tell?”

Kevin playing with paper clips, dressing Joaquin up in a hoodie, his scenes with Lily/Brody and reaction to the muffins were comic gold from Matthew Rhys.

Tommy (to Sarah): “I don’t know what my job title is around here but it’s starting to feel like referee.”

Nora (re Sarah): “Your name came up in conversation.”
Brody: “That must have been one hell of a conversation. She wanted to know if I was her father. Where’d she get that idea?”

Brody had two marriages in the space of ten years and once spooked Ida when sneaking to see Nora. I liked his nickname for her – slugger.

Kevin (re Brody): “I like him.”
Nora: “You don’t like him. You just like watching me squirm.”

Nora: “I thought you said you had no agenda.”
Brody: “I don’t. Lily was sick to her stomach, so I let myself into the kitchen to make her a little rice to eat.”

Matthew Rhys directed this episode, making it his third in two seasons and he’s due to direct a later one as well.

Tommy: “I didn’t expect to see everybody here.”
Nora: “Evidently, Brody’s a big draw.”

One again, there was no Kitty in this episode but there was also no Luc, Saul or Scotty and I’m sure all of them would’ve loved Brody/Lily too.

Nora: “You have regrets?”
Brody: “Well, my baseball career didn’t turn out exactly as I’d hoped but if I had given up that dream and gotten married, I would’ve made your life miserable.”

Chronology: I’m going to assume it’s around February/March 2012, given when ABC aired this episode.

“Brody” was definitely an episode that felt like the show I fell in love with. The character interactions were spot, the humour flowed naturally and I couldn’t help but find myself warming to a Nora/Brody pairing but I guess it is early days and there’s more to him that needs to be uncovered.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x14: "The One That Got Away"

Written by Gina Lucita Monreal And David Babcock
Directed by Michael Morris

Kevin: “You know, people make mistakes, especially when it comes to love.”
Scotty: “Oh come on, do you really think that’s true?”
Kevin: “Yeah, in it’s own peculiar way. You should forgive him, Scotty.”
Scotty: “Well, people have forgiven me in the past.”

Now I would if the quote above was a massive indicator of how big Kevin and Scotty’s role was in this Valentine’s episode but the right kick in the nuts is that sadly, neither of them have big roles in this episode. They’re just supporting players but their only scene together is one of two scenes where this episode was bliss. The rest was fine but hardly riveting stuff though.

I’m going to rant here because I want to get it out of my system but if Saul and Jonathan can share a tender kiss on the lips (which was lovely), then why the heck can’t Kevin and Scotty anymore? Every other couple was allowed to have that bit of physical affection and it felt somewhat jarring that they couldn’t.

Still, at least their only scene together was sweet. It’s not the first time that Kevin’s made some perceptive comments on the nature of love and his joking at Scotty’s expense was funny without being nasty. Plus it was nice to have the pair of them have a scene where parenting wasn’t the topic of the day. Can we have more scenes like that, writers?

As for Saul – you’re in your seventies and a bit less flighty than the rest of your family. Next time, try not serving Jonathan something that he’s allergic to just because Frank N. Beans the food critic is getting a little frisky with your boyfriend. Those types of pranks are no longer funny on Desperate Housewives and you should know better.

However I’m surprised at Jonathan. He was foolish to try and make Saul jealous but he must really like him to have actually stayed with him at the end. Both Ron Rifkin and Richard Chamberlain played their scenes rather nicely and Kevin/Scotty grumbles aside, I thought it was nice that we got to see Saul/Jonathan kiss. I don’t imagine it’ll happen often but it was a nice move on the show’s part, so I’m gonna praise them there.

That being said with praise comes some deserved criticism as well – who’s the daddy? Remember back in the second season when the same plot with Rebecca and David pretty much blew up in the writers’ faces? I certainly remember it and I can’t for the life of me fathom out why the series would even think of venturing there with Sarah.

I defended Rose in my previous review but now, I really am struggling to understand why she opened up this can of worms. When it comes to the Walkers, secrets like this are usually best left alone and I didn’t need Justin’s snarky comment to Sarah to remind me of it but at the same time, I appreciated it.

I also found it rather funny that Tommy was hissy with Rose over her snooping but yet it was him who went and dropped the bomb on Sarah’s lap. I might have found her refusal to believe Nora a bit aggravating but I understood where she was coming from though. It’s not like Nora hasn’t lied to her children in the past, has it?

As for Brody potentially being Sarah’s father – I hope the show doesn’t actually go there but I’m convinced that they’re going. Otherwise, why even tease the possibility that Sarah might not be William or have her come face to face with Brody at the end of the episode as well? And that’s not even mentioning Nora’s pining for Brody in both her radio segments this week either.

Brody must be some guy to have Nora all flustered and quick to deny anything to Sarah. Here’s hoping that next week’s episode finally lays this issue to rest, because happy as I am for Sarah to have storylines that don’t centre on Luc, the radio station or her kids, I’m not sure this is the way to go.

Speaking of Luc, talk about going over the top? I get that he wanted to cook a nice meal for Sarah and get back in with her emotionally but why didn’t he just try something else? Maybe Justin’s advice on romance sounded a bit caveman like but I did think that he raised a good point. On the plus side, Justin and Luc’s scenes together was mostly harmless fun.

As for Tommy and Rose, I’m still not too bothered with them as a couple. Rose did learn a harsh lesson this week with her meddling but at the same time, I’m beginning to wonder what her motives are when it comes to the Walkers. She does seem overly interested in their business and private lives. Even Holly had more self-restraint – just about!

Also in “The One That Got Away”

Robert mentioned last season that he had the Walkers looked into when he met Kitty, so that has to mean that he might have known about Brody, right?

Nora: “Sarah, I was emoting, that’s what I get paid for.”
Sarah: “No, mom, you get paid to be the concerned but ever positive mother that none of us really have but we all need, especially on holidays.”

I couldn’t have been the only one who wasn’t surprised that Karl had left the station but I can see why his departure might have added to Sarah’s headaches.

Justin (to Luc/Scotty): “I get romance. I just don’t think you need shock and awe to prove it.”

Saul: “Let me ask you something – are you in love with him?”
Nora: “Well, you tell me – are you in love with Jonathan?”

Both Jonathan and Kevin are allergic to shrimp. For a moment at the end of the episode, I did think Kevin had eaten it before I realised he was messing with Scotty.

Sarah: “Tommy, it is exhausting letting you in and out of this family.”
Tommy: “At least I know I’m part of this family.”

Sarah: “What is this, my birth certificate? What are you, the FBI?”
Rose: “It’s so easy to find this stuff.”

William didn’t originally sign Sarah’s birth certificate, rousing Rose’s suspicions and Kevin got the charming new moniker of airport head.

Justin: “Sarah, you gotta let this go. I mean going all DNA in this family, trust me, don’t do it.”
Kevin: “The kid’s right, can we please?”
Sarah: “No, Kevin, I’m not gonna let you all jump on the mom bandwagon and put this under the rug.”

Rose: “I feel terrible.”
Nora: “Well, good.”
Rose: “I don’t know what to do.”
Nora: “Why don’t you do what we all do – have a glass of wine and wait for the dust to settle? And if you’re gonna be a part of this family, you need to get over it. Stop crying.”

Standout music: Keane’s “Hamburg Song” and yet again, there was no Kitty in this episode.

Jonathan: “Hard as it is to believe, you’re the one I’m interested in too.”
Saul: “Oh God, why didn’t you say anything?”
Jonathan: “Sorry but we’re all afraid of taking the first step.”

Kevin: “I’m glad I came home.”
Scotty: “Me too. Happy Valentine’s day.”
Kevin: “Happy Valentine’s day.”

Chronology: February 14th 2012 of course.

As Valentine’s day episodes go, “The One That Got Away” does the job nicely but I guess the lack of physical affection between Kevin and Scotty in this one slightly soured it more than most episodes as well as the dread I have over the Sarah plotline too.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x13: "Safe At Home

Written by Michael J. Cinquemani And John Kazlauskas
Directed by Richard Coad

Saul: “Nora, surprises are supposed to be fun.”
Nora: “Not in this family.”

That may be the case when it comes to the Walkers but for a 100th episode, is it me or could this episode have done with more surprises? I know, there’s Tommy with a new fiancée, Sarah and Luc setting a wedding date, Kevin and Scotty being fatherly with Olivia, a mystery with Brody, a failed relationship for Justin and no Kitty and yet somehow this didn’t feel like a landmark episode.

That’s probably down to the fact that all of the stuff I’ve mentioned in the first paragraph seemed rather standard and could be slotted into any episode in the past five years. 100th episodes are supposed to feel bigger but this didn’t and aside from my major issue with the exclusion of Kitty, I did actually like the episode.

Let’s talk about Tommy and his fiancée first – Rose. It was probably the second biggest hook of the episode. It’s been yonks since we’ve seen Tommy on screen and he seemed really happy with his new woman and wanted money from Sarah to help get a real estate scheme off the ground.

I don’t actually blame Sarah for being a bit put out by it. Tommy hadn’t contacted her in months and did spring it on her but at the same time, Sarah didn’t exactly give him or Rose a half decent chance to explain themselves before launching on the defensive, so in some ways, she was just as bad as Tommy.

Interestingly enough despite their squabbling ruining yet another Walker meal, it actually took them a far shorter time to make up with each other than usual. Hell, Sarah even caved in a little and gave Tommy a job at her media company and Rose showed zero qualms in relocating from Seattle to Pasadena either.

Now as for Rose – I kind of hope she’s harmless. I know the show could make her into a Holly Mark 2 and she certainly did seem to have too much of an interest in the Walkers family tree but she seem sincere enough in wanting to get to know the Walkers and with her lack of boundary issues, she might actually fit in with them pretty well too.

Plus in her defence, both Nora and Sarah were initially rather standoffish with her and that was she ended the episode by showing Tommy that Nora and William lied about when they were married. Maybe she was being harmless again or maybe she’s evil. I doubt we’ll have to wait long to get our answer though.

As for Nora and Brody – I know this show well enough that without Saul’s goading and Rose’s prying, I would’ve easily guessed that they were lovers. Significant ones too if Nora’s general evasiveness was anything to go by in this episode. I can also wisely deduce that it probably won’t be long before Brody re-enters Nora’s life as well, especially given the uncertainty of the show’s future at the minute.

Speaking of uncertainty, I liked the way that Kevin and Scotty are handling becoming parents. They might want to dial the pushiness with Olivia down a notch but both of them have their hearts in the right place and did make an effort to deal with Olivia’s dyslexia as well quite well.

The episode sort of highlighted Olivia’s difficulties well enough but not in a manner that was too patronising and although Nora’s eagerness to meet her was atypical, it was nice to see Olivia being introduced to her grandmother. Again, though I like seeing Kevin and Scotty as parents, I do want other storylines for them too.

Meanwhile I saw Justin and Annie’s break up coming a mile and to be fair, I can’t say I blame Annie for ending things. Justin let his jealousy of Rick get the better of him and Annie put the kibosh on their relationship. She did however do it in a rather nice way, so Justin should count himself lucky that Annie showed more maturity in this episode than he did.

Last but not least, Sarah and Luc were the sort of low point episode wise for me. I don’t hate them as a couple but I don’t care about their sex scenes and I wasn’t too bothered about them setting a date for their wedding. I did however enjoy Luc getting Justin to call Nora so he could spend some time with Sarah. That was pretty clever on his part but overall, their bits were the weaker point of the episode.

Also in “Safe At Home”

I know ABC’s promoting for this show is rubbish at best but they should’ve made an effort with this episode.

Saul: “Tell me why you are giving me this photo?”
Nora: “Because I think it’s a good picture of you.”
Saul: “That’s ridiculous, you keep this. You’re the one who’s obsessed with Brody.”

Actually it’s Nick Brody and it’s that picture of him with Saul and Nora that set Rose’s spidey senses off.

Nora (re Olivia): “Kevin, give her some space, don’t push.”
Kevin: “Hi pot, this is kettle, you’re black.”

Rose: “Tommy told me everything about you.”
Nora: “Well, that’s funny. He’s told me nothing about you.”
Tommy: “Surprise.”

Tommy and Rose have only been together for six months and they’re engaged. That is pretty fast, even for these impulsive people.

Rick: “Control yourself, Justin, I’m taking my shirt off.”
Justin: “I’ll try, she-hulk.”

Olivia (re supermarket sweep): “Do we have to play that game again?”
Scotty: “Was it lame?”
Olivia: “Kinda.”

What was the name of the gecko that Kevin and Scotty bought for Olivia? I can’t pronoun it, let alone spell it.

Tommy: “Are you serious?”
Sarah: “Come on, what could be more fun than fighting with you every day?”

Chronology: I think it was still January but I know that Nora/William was revealed to have married on June 15th 1967, rather than January like Tommy believed.

Rose: “What is his name?”
Nora: “Brody. His name was Brody.”

Standout music: The Weepies “Add My Efforts” during the start of the episode.

For a 100th episode, “Safe At Home” is rather charming but at the same time, it should’ve been bigger and more eventful and it should’ve featured Kitty as well. It just seemed so weird to celebrate a landmark episode and not have her in it.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x12: "Thanks For The Memories"

Written by Cliff Olin And Brian Studler

Directed by Michael Mayers

Nora: “I have an idea of how you can get rid of all this stuff.”
Holly: “I’m all ears.”

Who would thought that after 99 episodes in the show’s history that now would’ve been the one to have finally seen Holly go? I’m almost surprised that they didn’t wait for the 100th one but as exits go, this was something of an interesting departure of one of the most polarising characters on the show.

I’ve never been a big fan of Holly and there have been times when I would’ve happily seen any of the Walkers chuck her in front of the first truck to pass but for me to actually enjoy this episode and somewhat care a little that she’s finally decided to get away from LA and the Walkers is certainly something.

The episode started off with Holly having reservations about leaving with David to see Rebecca in New York and the second Nora suggested that Holly move in with her was the same one where my cynicism kicked in. Nora might not hate Holly but would she really want her to live with her either?

The comedy this season has been over the place. Some episodes, the antics were misguided (yes, the one with Gabriella), but here it was rather perfect. Even when she wasn’t trying to, Nora managed to drive Holly up the wall so much that I was more surprised that Holly didn’t punch her halfway through the episode. Instead Nora’s crazy antics served to remind Holly that it was time to move on.

Sure she was scared and sure it might have been a little cheesy that her and Nora got some therapy out of burning boxes of Holly’s life but I actually enjoyed both Sally Field and Patricia Wettig’s scenes together in this one. Even Holly’s last scene in her empty house with Nora, Saul, Sarah and Justin was somewhat effective but here’s the real kicker for me.

As well as Holly’s departure is handled in this episode, I actually think it’s for the best that she’s finally gone from the show. The writers were clearly struggling to keep her on this season and as exits go, this one is rather nice and understated.

However what I do find rather amusing about Holly’s departure is that she managed to inadvertently kick start another mystery and all because she happened to have an old photo of Nora that William must have left at one point for some strange reason. I mean what man is going to give his mistress a picture of his wife to have, right? But it did raise the mystery of William stalking Nora while she was dating a man named Brody.

It’s like every season, the writers have to come with newer ways to highlight how much of a jerk William Walker could be. More importantly, it doesn’t take a wild genius to assume that we’ll be meeting the mysterious Brody sometime soon. Otherwise why would such a fuss be made over him if we weren’t?

Speaking of fuss, I have to admit that Kevin and Scotty’s parenting storyline certainly had its pros and cons this week. The cons being how painfully clichéd the whole storyline involving Olivia was in general but the pros were that they got to learn some harsh lessons about Olivia through her stealing, Paige’s deceptiveness and Sarah’s mothering insight.

Weirdly, this was the best use for Sarah in a while. I like Luc a lot but this episode proves that Sarah is a far better character when she isn’t obsessing over the small details in their relationship and while she was a bit of a drill sergeant with Paige over sneaking a boy over, I do think she was on fine form with both Kevin and Scotty in relation to Olivia.

I don’t mind Olivia and I can understand her trust issues given what she’s been put through, so for the most part, I did enjoy this plot and it was nice to see Kevin and Scotty coming to grips with parenthood in a believable manner. I guess I’m pretty on this one for the time being.

Another storyline that I have hopes for is the one involving Saul and Jonathan. I think Ron Rifkin and Richard Chamberlain play off well with each other and I loved that Jonathan actually opened up to Saul and took some responsibility. Plus their flirting with each other was rather sweet as well. It’s nice to see Saul have a storyline, so here’s hoping the writers keep Jonathan around for the foreseeable future.

In a more worrying storyline - what the hell is up with Kitty? Her relationship with Seth came to an end, she acted evasive when Sarah quizzed her about going to DC and she handed Evan over to Courtney, which as Robert reminders went, worked for me but it’s still baffling though. Is she sick again or is it something less tragic? Either way, it’s certainly interesting though.

As for the subplot about Justin facing a lawsuit and Annie getting her ex-boyfriend/doctor friend, Rick to resolve, it wasn’t that interesting and very little time was spent on it. That being said, I think we’re meant to assume that Rick’s presence means something bad for Justin and Annie though.

Also in “Thanks For The Memories”

Patricia Wettig officially left the show after this episode aired. ABC did a press release confirming her departure the day after.

Nora: “How can I help?”
David (re Holly): “Well you can get her to move these boxes in the garage.”

It’s pretty appropriate that Patricia Wettig’s real life son, Cliff Olin co-wrote this episode but I’m surprised that Ken Olin himself didn’t direct it.

Nora: “I wanted to make sure you were alright.”
Holly: “No, you wanted to Nora Walker me into going to New York.”
Nora: “I had no idea I was a verb.”

Sarah (re Paige): “I thought she burned the restaurant down or something.” Kevin: “Well, sorry for overreacting.”

I thought it was interesting that the boy Sarah assumed was gay – Philip had a girlfriend but the one Sarah thought was interesting in Paige – Sean wasn’t.

Scotty: “There are so many things we’re gonna have to deal with as parents. Don’t obsess over something I can do.”
Kevin: “Fine.”

Jonathan: “But you’re right. I came here for forgiveness but that was still about me. I pride myself for being a better person than before but my behaviour has been so selfish as it ever was. I won’t bother you again. Take care, Saul.”

When did Saul start working at a shelter for gay and lesbians? It hadn’t been mentioned in previous episodes as far as I can recall.

Holly: “God, you are a cross between Martha Stewart and Joseph Stalin. Who gives a crap whether the gluten bind or not?”
Nora: “Once you taste that pasta, you’ll be glad you went the extra mile.”

Standout music: Augustana’s “Twenty Years”.

Kevin: “I think we’re gonna be fine.”
Olivia: “Thanks for the gummy bears.”

Chronology: Not too long since “Scandalized”.

“Thanks For The Memories” certainly had some cheesy moments but it was also one of the strongest episodes that the season has offered so far as well. Here’s hoping the 100th episode will be a blinder.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x11: "Scandalized"

Written by Veronica Becker And Sarah Kucserka
Directed by Bethany Rooney

Nora: “Kitty’s not even a politician anymore.”
Kevin: “I know. I can’t believe the attention she’s getting either. She’s even trending on Twitter. It’s like the good old days.”

Okay, so we’ll never be rid of Twitter then. Thanks Kevin, at least I have a reason to still keep my account open now but in all seriousness, Kitty and Seth’s relationship is proving to be this scandalous? I don’t know whether to laugh or feel like my intelligence is being insulted. There are good arguments for both cases actually.

Kevin might have spent way too much time in this episode sniping about Seth but that and a few idiot tabloid hacks that we didn’t even meet, no-one else seemed to really give a crap about Kitty dating a younger man. Even Seth’s mother, who could’ve blown up on Kitty wasn’t all that bothered.

Well, she did give Kitty a little insight into Seth and raised some fears that Kitty had herself about the relationship but as a viewer, it seemed that she was doing it more for concern and honesty rather than any outwardly malice, even if Seth himself didn’t seem to think so.

The age difference was always going to be an issue between Kitty and Seth because unlike Sarah and Luc, there’s an actual age difference but I really hope to goodness that this episode more or less got that out of the way. Kevin’s pretty much my favourite character but I actually thought he was rather nasty towards Seth in this episode.

Also, what 27 year old bloke hasn’t heard of Robert Redford at least in passing at one point or another? That came across as rather false and just seemed tacked on to make Seth look like an idiot when he’s a grown man. Nora for all her inappropriateness in this episode at least made a better to talk to Seth as did Scotty.

Usually some humour can be derived out of Kevin and Kitty quarrelling and while there were some funny one-liners, both of them were annoying. When Kevin wasn’t being snide, Kitty kept treating Seth like he was a child and neither of them made all that much of an effort to talk to Karl either.

Now Karl was another issue of this episode – why so shy about your book? Maybe it’s not the most interesting of stuff and maybe you aren’t a cocky git about it but you could’ve at least talked a little about the book and then tried your hand at another conversation. Karl didn’t even attempt to try to and interact with Kitty and Kevin either and spent most of the time during dinner looking pissed off.

However he had a point about the Walkers and their lack of boundaries. Time and time again we’ve seen the negative element of that and I couldn’t blame Karl for leaving at the end as well, though at least he wasn’t being ridiculed like Seth had been during that dinner.

As for Karl and Nora’s break up, that was definitely something I saw coming rather quickly. The fact that it was on air and not played for laughs was a bit surprising though. Seriously, Nora, you need to stop bringing your kids over during romantic meals but at the same time, Karl also could do with lightening up a little as well. Is it too much to hope that because of this latest break up, Nora has finally learned something?

Speaking of learning something, Kevin and Scotty’s progress for fostering kids certainly progressed in this one. The role playing scene seemed to be a vehicle for Kevin to getting over his own grief over the miscarriages from last season and the introduction of Olivia was sweet but a little contrived.

Olivia chose Kevin and Scotty off the bat – I’m not heartless, it was sweet and Olivia seems interesting enough but it had no subtlety to it at all and I am also hoping that the remainder of the season will finally solve the parenting issue for Kevin and Scotty and give them other storylines as well. Now that is something that I expect from the series.

Last but not least – Justin and Annie, I do like them but I already know this one isn’t going to last, so I don’t intend to get invested. It’s a shame though because the ambulance ride along was nice and Justin as a paramedic is a nice move for the series too. He’s definitely at his best with as well.

Also in “Scandalized”

When the episode first opened, I did almost think that one of the Walkers was going to be in hospital, so it was a relief that it was just Justin at his new job.

Justin: “I’d kiss you right now but I’m covered in blood.”
Annie: “Yeah but it’s better than vomit though, right?”

Karl’s book was called The Empowered Unconscious and it was thanks to Nora that we got the whole Robert Redford debacle.

Kitty: “You look like you’re sixteen in that picture.”
Seth: “That’s because I am sixteen in that picture. It’s my high school yearbook photo.”

Kevin: “Um, Karl likes us, right?”
Nora: “Yes. Yes, he likes you very much.”
Kevin: “Good.”
Nora: “In moderation.”

So that’s Kevin, Sarah and now (again) Kitty that have had relationships that have attracted media attention. Oh and Skinny Minnie was mentioned again.

Kevin (to Seth): “Don’t tell me you don’t know who Barbara Streisland is?”
Kitty: “Newsflash, he’s straight, Kevin.”

Nora: “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
Karl: “Oh yeah, yeah, definitely. It was a bit of a tantrum.”

Standout music: The Strange Familiar’s “Angel”.

Kevin (to Scotty, re Olivia): “I think she just chose us.”

Chronology: It’s the start of 2012 and there was no Sarah, Luc, Saul, Holly or David in this episode.

Despite Kevin and Kitty being both quite annoying in parts of this one, “Scandalized” was though another episode in a row that I quite enjoyed. However apart from Kevin and Scotty’s progression with parenting, it does seem like this season is still aimless though.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x10: "Cold Turkey"

Written by Stephen Tolkin And Geoffrey Nauffts
Directed by Michael Morris

Nora (re her children): “I didn’t raise them to be like this.”
Karl: “Exactly Nora. You didn’t raise them at all. Follow me.”

Okay, ever hear of the episode where Nora had a nice sleep that resulted in a nightmare scenario where her kids and Holly were plotting her death during Christmas? Well, you have now and in moments of sheer silliness, this is actually a hit for the series this season.

The idea of Nora actually deciding not to go overboard and instead just go to Santa Fe with Karl was a shocker. This is Nora and going overboard is pretty much her thing but I guess her eschewing Christmas from her kids wasn’t going to be big enough, so some predictable routes had to be taken so that this episode would feel true to the character.

The obvious one would be her non stop panicking whilst on holiday with Karl. Geez, I know his most famous role was that creep Christian Shephard but he seems like such a nice man here and to be honest, Nora, your kids are all adults and capable of taking care of themselves. The fact that not one of them called you should’ve been an indicator that they were coping reasonably fine without you.

It’s always going to be in Nora’s DNA as a character to live through her children in some ways. When she compared herself to a vampire, there was a part of me that agreed. Nora doesn’t mean to suck the life out of her children and they can be just as bad themselves but it’s not like she wasn’t ever coming back either. Take a chill pill, Nora. Oh wait, you kind of did that anyways.

Now that leads to the dream sequence of this episode and without a doubt my favourite part as well. Played completely over the top, there was a bit of a perverse reveal in what would’ve happened to the Walker kids if Nora had abandoned them earlier in their lives and it was certainly an interesting, if obvious look on things.

I could’ve easily predicted a closeted Kevin complete with dodgy moustache, a wife, twin girls and secretly shagging Scotty in the Walker kitchen in the same way I could’ve easily imagined Justin continuing on his drug induced spiral and Sarah as a cold hearted businesswoman. I guess Tommy being dead and Kitty looking like a slob and sponging off Holly were the only things that actually surprised me.

And there’s the other thing – Holly. Never have I enjoyed her in an episode as much as this one. Completely over the top, delighting in her narcissism and also complicit with the disgruntled Walker kids in plotting Nora’s demise. As nightmares go, it’s perfect for Nora and also four minutes of sheer campy fun that the episode pulls off successfully.

It’s also the very thing that had Nora coming back home to celebrate Christmas with all of her family but while she was having anxieties all over the place, the Walker kids were actually in their own world anyways – namely Kitty and Kevin’s competitive spirit to host Christmas.

What can I say both of them shouldn’t be proud of themselves. Pulling gay and widow cards aside, both of them were just a bit too overboard. Kevin’s house ended up looking like Santa’s Grotto gone bad and Kitty’s was a little too bare for its own good. As for Justin, he was a little too concerned with trying to get his leg over to be of any real help.

I was pleased to see Annie return in this episode. She’s a nice enough girl and her and Justin do seem to have an okay rapport with each other but I’m still wondering if it’s too early for Justin to be in a relationship right now. Besides two weeks ago, he was more than happy to cause havoc in Scotty’s restaurant when he was screwing two of the staff. Is he really ready for something serious again?

Elsewhere, the deal breaker between Kitty and Seth wasn’t the most shocking thing going. Of course the dean from the previous episode was going to turn out to be Seth’s mother and while the age gap between Seth/Kitty is both noticeable and will undoubtedly be talked about more, I actually do like him but like Justin though, I’m still not sure if it’s wise for Kitty to be in a big relationship right now.

Speaking of big relationships, could Saul and Jonathan actually be something to watch out for? There’s good casting with Richard Chamberlain as Jonathan and it would be nice if the writers didn’t waste either the actor or character, especially given that Jonathan is also HIV positive and may or may not be linked to how Saul contracted it. It’s definitely a storyline worth exploring.

With nearly all of the storylines having something going for them, the only one that slightly lets the side down is Sarah’s. Okay, so her going into Scrooge/Grinch mode because her kids are in Mexico and Luc is in Shanghai was understandable but it did seem like she was getting ahead of herself with firing people before she softened to Louise and that dummy. It’s nice to know that Sarah’s taking her new career seriously but she might want to be careful about treading on people’s toes while she’s at it.

Also in “Cold Turkey”

They almost should’ve called this episode “Cold Goose” given that’s what everyone actually ate this year for Christmas.

Nora (re her children): “They’re probably making fun of me right now for how I cram Christmas down their throats. For two cents, I’d chuck it all in and -”
Karl: “- And what?”
Nora: “I don’t know. If I knew, maybe I’d do it.”

Keeping with “Light The Lights” from the first season, both Nora and Saul’s Jewish heritage was also celebrated this year as well. Now there’s good continuity.

Justin: “Do you have any plans?”
Annie: “If I had any plans, would I have basically invited myself to your family Christmas?”

Kevin: “Kiss me. I’m under the mistletoe.”
Sarah: “Well, look up, frosty, there ain’t no mistletoe.”

Speaking of kissing, in nightmare world, Kevin and Scotty got some of it and in reality, Scotty gave Kevin a kiss on the forehead. That’s better than anything we’ve had so far this season.

Nora (to Karl): “Nothing like a good massacre to get you into the Christmas spirit.”

Kevin: “I’m not allowed to use the gay card but you’re allowed to pull the widow card?”
Kitty: “I can’t believe you just said that.”

Okay, missed opportunity alert but wouldn’t this nightmare have been a perfect chance to have feature William, Tommy and maybe Rebecca as well?

Nora: “What is Holly doing here?”
Karl: “You didn’t expect William to remain alone did you?”
Nora: “William married Holly? This is her house? Oh God, Karl, I can’t see anymore. Please take me back to Santa Fe.”
Karl: “Nora, it’s only just begun.”

Scotty: “Kevin, your wife is in the other room.”
Kevin: “Then we can steal away to my old bedroom. I kept all my old toys. You could pin your tail on my donkey.”

Interesting that Richard Chamberlain is now appearing in this series. Remember when Kevin mentioned the actor back in “Home Front”?

Saul: “You don’t even remember sleeping with me.”
Jonathan: “No.”
Saul: “I thought I was falling for you.”
Jonathan: “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Standout music: Lots of interesting choices in this one but The Ascension’s “Carol Of The Bells” really shone by a mile for me.

Kevin (to Sarah/Kitty): “Maybe all our fears can come true, so what? Walkers aren’t Grinches, they’re Whos and when the Grinch did steal Christmas and all the trees and presents and the decorations were gone, what did the Whos do?”

Chronology: December 2011, thanks to our time jump this season.

Maybe it’s because I’m a forgiving soul or maybe it’s because I expect Christmas episodes to be cheesy, sentimental old tosh but either way, I immensely enjoyed “Cold Turkey” a lot more than other episodes this season. For pure, campy fun, this one certainly delivered.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x09: "Get A Room"

Written by Marc Halsey And Matt Donnelly
Directed by Eli Craig

Kevin: “People like me do not deserve children. I should be behind bars. Scotty, I’m gonna turn myself.”

To be fair, Kevin I could think of far worse candidates for parenting that you and Scotty but really, why did I find this episode so funny? It has the same silly humour that last week’s did and that one drove me nuts. Oh right, two words – Matthew Rhys.

This season might be sleepwalking when it comes to plotting and characterisation this year but Matthew Rhys has managed to bag two episodes that highlighted his strengths. His dramatic turn in “An Ideal Husband” was terrific and similarly, his comedic skills in this episode were priceless.

I could totally buy into Kevin not being someone with a lot of drug experiences and the fallout of being high because Matthew Rhys sells it so well in this one. The idea of Kevin getting baked from a pot brownie shouldn’t have been funny but for this week, it certainly was and I couldn’t complain.

Narrative wise, Kevin accidentally ate the brownie that Scotty’s employee had because he was getting all antsy about the social worker and as a result we got a stoned Kevin who hears people in Spanish and needed Sarah to scare the crap out of him so he could focus once again. Also in the space of nine episodes, this was actually the best use of Sarah too. Funny that.

Kevin wanting to turn himself into the police was funny. My experiences with drugs are non existent but I’ve seen enough of these types of scenes on television and while some of them are largely hit and miss, I think this one was a hit. It was silly without being too silly and it gave a little bit of an info dump on Kevin that we previously didn’t know about.

More importantly, it’s also kick starting the parenting storyline back into focus and for some people, that’s probably another strength of the episode. Kevin’s got all the worries about being a parent that we’ve seen but the problem here was that we didn’t get similar worries with Scotty. Not that I wanted to see Scotty off his face either but Scotty once again fell into that familiar role of being voice of reason.

In terms of the parenting storyline, I’m divided about it. I do Kevin and Scotty to become parents but I also don’t want it to be the be all and end all for them storyline wise either. Last season was good at addressing a balance with the parenting storyline and others for them and I’m hoping this season maintains because aside from cheating the show hasn’t been awash with enough of them.

And this leads to another – nine episodes in and very little physical contact with the guys? I could understand during the last few episodes with the Marcus saga but I do hope that we do get more intimate stuff with them this season. Even Glee has been more out there with Kurt/Blaine and Brittany/Santana just of late.

Speaking of physicality, the sadist in me sort of enjoyed the fact that Sarah and Luc’s romantic surprise was largely ruined. If it wasn’t the Walkers doing their usual bout of interruptions, it was Sarah’s own accidental moments that involved Luc being put in certain degrees of pain and discomfort that sort of hindered their time together in this one.

I don’t know if that says a lot but given the amount of screen time they’ve been getting this season, I was actually enjoying all the interruptions and I’m pretty sure that once Luc gets back from Shanghai, there will be more antics with him and Sarah for certain people to look forward to/groan about.

However while I do have a habit of moaning about Luc, he does come in handy at times. While his attempts to get Sarah not to interfere with Karl went unheeded, he deserved points for at least trying to curb Sarah’s pesky interfering and I did like his speech about men being fools to Nora, even if it was a little cheesy though.

As for Nora and Karl, I’m not totally invested in their relationship because I just know that it won’t bloody last but the awkwardness with each other is rather endearing and I didn’t mind that Karl himself mentioned his own intimacy problems as well. At least it puts him and Nora on a similar page and while I expect him to be gone in the next episode or two, I do hope that him and Nora don’t part badly.

Elsewhere – it’s like déjà vu all over again. The writers clearly weren’t content with Sarah dating a younger man, now they have Kitty doing it but unlike Luc, at least Seth actually looks younger, which means that when the writers hark on about the age differences, there will be an actual point to it this time around.

Okay, sarcasm aside, I liked Seth in the scene we got here. He seemed like a genuinely nice bloke and while I’m all for Kitty having a little fun, I can’t help but wish this show would actually focus on her grief for Robert. It’s like we’re being denied a basic required plot point by them not addressing it. Still, I like Seth, so there’s something to be positive about.

Also in “Get A Room”

Was it a coincidence that nearly all the Walkers along with Luc, Scotty, Seth and Karl were in the same hotel? On this show – yeah, right!

Frank (re vitamin ad): “They asked for her on this one.”
Nora: “Why is that? Am I more senior than he is?”
Karl: “Hardly!”

For an episode where Kevin was stoned, I’m actually surprised that Justin didn’t feature, if only to provide more amusing commentary.

Kitty (re Seth): “The barista is totally hitting on me.”
Kevin: “Kit, I’m in a crisis here.”
Kitty: “Oh no you’re not and besides this is totally gonna take your mind off it.”

Sarah (re Karl): “Anything else.”
Nora: “No but that’s not so important right now.”
Sarah: “That’s not important. That’s why you’re making out in the studio.”

Sarah buying into the media company means she owns five radio stations with Nora’s being one of them.

Luc: “How is the menu?”
Sarah: “It’s very expensive. Hello, I’m Sarah. I’m your hostess for the day, this evening and tomorrow morning. Would you like to start with an appetiser? Anything below the waist is considered a tip.”

Kitty: “If you keep doing that, I might actually fall asleep.”
Seth: “That’s not what I had in mind.”

While Kitty was wowing Seth with presidential facts, we learned that Kevin was born on April 18th 1971, which seems to be consistent with “If You Bake It, He Will Come”.

Nora: “This is awkward.”
Karl: “I would understand if you were having second thoughts.”
Nora: “I’m not having second thoughts. Are you having second thoughts?”

Luc (to Nora, re Karl): “Men can be heartless. I know most of us act like fools, the better ones admit it. I think you should hear him out.”

Standout music: “Broken” by Chely Wright.

Scotty: “I can’t win with you. You’re nervous we won’t get a kid and you’re worried we will get a kid.”
Kevin: “I’m a nervous guy, okay.”

Chronology: Not long since “The Rhapsody Of The Flesh” and this episode didn’t feature Justin, Saul, Holly or David.

I liked this one. “Get A Room” isn’t a classic but it was a lot of fun and it was fun that I enjoyed. That being said, this show is clearly drifting at the moment and apart from the parenting storyline with Kevin/Scotty and Sarah/Luc’s engagement, not much else is actually happening for the series and that’s worrying.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x08: "The Rhapsody Of The Flesh"

Written by Molly Newman
Directed by Matthew Rhys

Gabriella (to Nora): “Only Americans find an excuse to frown on pleasure. It’s crazy.”

Okay, nice to know that sometimes cultural stereotyping can go both ways on American television from time to time but as episodes, this one promised fun and I ended up feeling bored and that’s never something I want to feel when watching this one. Not one plot this week made me care or amused me and that’s worrying.

Gabriella for instance – that should’ve worked. Not only did we have a great guest actress with Sonia Braga (who I enjoyed in her Sex And The City and Alias guest spots years ago) but Gabriella finally offered some much needed back story on Luc and even that wasn’t enough to make me care anymore than I should’ve done.

Luc having issues with his mother also should’ve given him something outside of Sarah but if anything this episode unwisely decided to try and draw comparisons between Sarah and Gabriella, ones that didn’t remotely ring true either. How exactly are Sarah and Gabriella supposed to be the same?

They might be both strong women but Gabriella’s got an irresponsibility about her that would drive Sarah nuts because the latter is a more practical character. I’m actually surprised (and relieved) in a way that the episode didn’t try and set up a rivalry between Sarah and Gabriella for Luc’s affections and that’s possibly the only thing good to come out of the episode.

Gabriella took an instant liking towards Sarah and the latter repaid that by making sure that Luc would come to a dinner that Gabriella was supposed to be cooking. Heck, even when Gabriella was getting a little friendly with Karl, Sarah managed to not want to rip the woman’s weave out and both she and Nora didn’t go crazy after Justin kissing Gabriella either. Maybe I am overreacting to this episode after all.

Anyways, back to Gabriella, I actually sided with Luc here. Sure, she’s a lot of fun and while no-one can be a more awful parent than Monica from Shameless; her flighty behaviour did show the obvious signs of narcissism. I wasn’t remotely surprised when Luc admitted to Sarah that his mother had abandoned him and his father but similarly I didn’t care enough.

However one thing that surprisingly got on my goat was the off-screen argument that Luc and Gabriella were having in Nora’s as well. I don’t care how fiery their characters are supposed to be, neither of them (or was it just Gabriella?) had any right to start smashing crockery in the kitchen. For some reason, that just really pissed me off.

This episode might have been a little more original if Luc and Gabriella hadn’t made up but truthfully, it falls back to me not caring and I should care because this was finally an episode that delved more into Luc but emotionally, it left me cold. It shouldn’t have because I don’t hate him at all but I didn’t care enough. Not even the emotive ending with nearly everyone watching Gabriella’s movie ignited any emotion.

And continuing with stuff that didn’t engage me – Justin, you man whore. It’s not that I disapprove of him enjoying some casual sex but Scotty is trying to run a business and Justin screwing some of the female staff could’ve caused some major problems. Luckily Angie and Kimberley didn’t scratch each other’s eyes out but it did make Justin look like a total dolt this week.

Even the stuff with Justin and Kevin comparing penis nicknames didn’t work for me at all but one of the few things that did was the continuity to Scotty’s infidelity. It’s nice that while all is actually forgiven, the storyline itself isn’t completely forgotten. Not that I want to ever see Marcus again or for Kevin to throw the adultery in Scotty’s face anytime they have a fight but I guess I appreciated the continuity.

As for Nora and Karl, wow they didn’t wait that long for them to hook up. I knew they wouldn’t but I am not going to invest in them because I know it won’t last and that’s a shame because fawning over Gabriella aside, he’s actually a likeable guy and most of his advice is reasonably sound as well. Sometimes I wonder what has to happen for Nora to get a permanent love interest. You’d think with being an executive producer on this show, Sally Field would’ve sorted that out by now.

Also in “The Rhapsody Of The Flesh”

The title comes from a movie that Gabriella did from years ago. I actually thought it was going to be a porno because I couldn’t think of any other reason why she didn’t tell Luc about it.

Sarah: “What did you say?”
Nora: “Sarah, honey, if you’re planning on buying the station then I really think you should take an interest in it.”

Sarah buying the radio station was mentioned in this episode but we’re still in the dark on whether or not she did. And who was that other guy Nora was having issues with at the start of this episode?

Scotty: “Apparently both you Walker boys find restaurant work arousing.”
Kevin: “You know about Justin?”

Kevin: “You called your penis Captain Happy? Of all the straight clichés, I never ...”
Justin: “Oh, I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Little Big Man?”

So there you have it – Justin is Captain Happy, Kevin is Little Big Man and Tommy is Magnificent Seven. Kevin’s response to Tommy’s nickname was amusing though.

Nora: “Oh, it’s just my luck. I finally find a man I’m interested in and The Rhapsody Of The Flesh shows up.”
Sarah: “You’re interested in Dr Karl? Mom, why didn’t you tell me?”

Luc: “You could not give me a real family when I was growing up and now I’ve finally found one, you come here and tear it apart.”
Gabriella: “Luc, I came here to be with your family, not tear it apart.”

Matthew Rhys directed this episode and the episode did not feature Kitty, Saul, Holly or David. The latter two were not missed.

Luc: “At least now you understand why I have all these problems with her.”
Sarah: “Well, I understand why you’re angry with her but I don’t understand why you can’t talk to me about it.”

Standout music: Sara Bareilles “Breathe Again” at the end of the episode but the song was better used in The Vampire Diaries.

Justin (re Scotty): “Funny, I don’t think he’s gonna miss me.”
Kevin: “Well, don’t take it too badly. He fired me, so I’m gonna sue him.”

Chronology: A while since the events of “Resolved”.

On reflection, I’m standing by my original thoughts – “The Rhapsody Of The Flesh” was rubbish. I didn’t enjoy anything enough to really care and I have a feeling when I get the Season 5 DVD, this will not be an episode I’ll want to watch over again.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x07: "Resolved"

Written by David Babcock And Gina Lucita Monreal
Directed by Michael Schultz

Kevin: “Scotty?”
Scotty: “Yeah?”
Kevin: “I love you.”
Scotty: “I love you too.”

Aww, isn’t that sweet? What? If Paige can gush about Scotty memorising rules, I can definitely do a little bit of gushing at the thought of Kevin and Scotty getting their marriage back on track, can’t I?

It can and has been argued that Kevin and Scotty getting back together after three weeks of separation can be seen as a little too easy but if it avoids having to go through several episodes of them repeating tearing each other apart, then I’m willing to take it. After all, it’s no more rushed that when Emily and Naomi finally buried the hatchet in Skins during their much longer separation.

More to the point, it finally gave Paige an episode where her presence was actually enjoyable. Instead of having yet another episode where she acted like a spoiled brat, Paige instead decided to use her debating into a vehicle of Kevin and Scotty to build bridges. Of course, Kevin was pretty resistant and for that, I cannot blame him.

I’m glad the episode ended with Kevin and Scotty got back together but only because in between the crossed words and avoiding each other did we get a moment for them to vent. Scotty finally got to say everything he needed to about his relationship with Kevin but accepted responsibility for cheating on him. Now that was pretty fair, wasn’t it?

Similarly, Kevin did eventually own up to the fact that he had been pushing Scotty aside and made the step towards forgiving Scotty. I do think that his family could’ve been a little more sensitive though – Kevin was hurting and did deserve to be angry but at the same time, I am glad that he got back with Scotty already. I have mentioned that, right?

This episode wasn’t as amazing showcase for both Matthew Rhys and Luke Macfarlane as last week’s one was but once again, Kevin and Scotty were the dominant focus and I was grateful for that. Apart from the obvious fact that Paige has clearly inherited her meddling from Nora, is it too much to ask for the writers to make the girl this interesting in every episode she appears in from now on?

Because the Kevin/Scotty stuff was the strongest segment of this week, it’s really a shame that everything else wasn’t as good. First of all, the stuff with Holly and David, I don’t mean to sound cruel but I actually didn’t care for it all that much and that’s being nice about it.

David’s not an awful character but I don’t have enough (or really any) emotional investment in him, so the bit where he was high didn’t affect me all that much. Also, it was rather easily solved with Justin not having to say a lot in order to get David to go to a meeting and sort himself out.

Similarly Holly getting her memory back should’ve been a powerful moment in the series but without Rebecca there or even some involvement from Nora; it didn’t really make much of an impact to be honest. If anything with Holly’s memory now back, perhaps it’s time that both her and David left the series. Neither of them really have a purpose on this show and it’s not like Justin’s presence is enough to sustain them as well.

Speaking of Justin, I’m not too sure about his new relationship with Annie. Don’t get me wrong, she’s actually a nice character and the flirting between the two of them was fun but I can’t help feeling that like Jack was with Kitty, Annie will end up just being a rebound girlfriend for Justin. Then again, I could be wrong. Maybe I should be.

As for the least interesting plot – Kitty vs. Sarah. Oh come on, show, you’ve done this better before and seeing the two of them hashing out their hang ups with each other was plain filler stuff and not interesting filler either. Okay, so some of it was a little funny but it’s little things like this that make me realise that the show needs a change of tack in some ways.

Another change of tack as well could be applied to Nora and Karl. I’m calling it already – this is not going to last, it never does. This show can give us Holly and David for two and a half seasons but Nora’s love interests never get past four or five episodes. I’d almost like Karl to buck the trend but I don’t see it happening.

However I did like the fact that others in the past, he pointed out that Nora needed to stop trying to fix her children’s problems. Unfortunately this is also advice that Nora will conveniently forget by next week, so technically Karl shouldn’t have bothered trying to guide Nora on that one. As for Sarah potentially buying into the radio station, now that could be an interesting storyline if handled properly.

Also in “Resolved”

Paige’s debate on detention was interesting with Kevin being for it and Scotty against it but I’m going with Scotty on this one because detention really isn’t that much of a deterrent for most kids nowadays.

Nora (to Sarah/Kitty): “Online blowout sales. Is this what your lives have been reduced to? Don’t forget about the photo shoot today.”

I actually liked the opening scene with Kitty, Sarah and Kevin doing online shopping. Oh and it meant that we actually got to see Evan again.

Kevin: “I don’t want to get into this now.”
Scotty: “Okay, when do you because I don’t know how many more times I can apologise or watch you come and go into your office completely ignoring me?”

Sarah (to Nora): “Did you really think my self esteem was so fragile that you needed to protect me from my own sister?”

Kitty thought of magnetic poetry. Okay, now there’s something I’m going to have look up again. Sarah and Kitty’s pasts being brought up were amusing, even though the latter’s seemed a little far fetched.

Nora: “I can’t picture you traumatised.”
Karl: “I can’t picture you picturing me.”

Annie: “I don’t mind you cancelling our date, I really don’t but you didn’t have to lie to me.”
Justin (re Holly/David): “Uh, Annie, I was married to their daughter.”

Annie was played by Odette Yustman, the real life wife of Dave Annable, so now we have possibly two off-screen couples playing on screen ones – Holly/David and Justin/Annie.

Scotty: “Kevin, I am here fighting for us. Can’t you see that?”
Kevin: “Yes I can but I’m scared to let you back in.”

Karl: “You don’t need a psychiatrist, Nora. You just need someone to listen to you. What you need is a friend.”

Standout music: There wasn’t really any that stood out this week for some reason.

Kevin: “Scotty, I want us to be better more than anything. Even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t have the time to look after me. Look at this place. I just wish I could prove how much I want to change because I want to keep growing with you.”
Scotty: “There is something. You can forgive me.”

Chronology: Three weeks since “An Ideal Husband” and neither Luc nor Saul were in this one.

Not as strong as the previous two episodes and apart from the Kevin/Scotty stuff, nothing else in “Resolved” was as interesting but it’s definitely a decent episode. I don’t think Kevin and Scotty’s problems are completely solved but they turned a corner in this one and that’s reason alone for the rating I’m giving it.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x06: "An Ideal Husband"

Written by David Marshall Grant And Michael J. Cinquemani
Directed by Bethany Rooney

Kevin: “You did this, you ruined our marriage. Everything we fought for, for what, so you could be groped by a twenty four year old?"
Scotty: “I get that you’re angry.”
Kevin: “I am not angry. I’m in pain and you put me here. The person who was supposed to love me more than anything.”

One thing I will always commend about Brothers And Sisters is Kevin and Scotty’s relationship. Now I love most aspects of this show, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have stuck with it as long as I have but Kevin and Scotty are without a doubt my favourite episode and this is something that mostly strikes a chord with a large percentage of the show’s viewers. They seem to be the only couple that are mostly universally loved on the series.

Every other couple – Kitty/Robert, Justin/Rebecca, Tommy/Julia or recently, Sarah/Luc have more or less generated mixed reactions but Kevin/Scotty seems to be universal in that respect. So, an episode that deals with the consequences of a reveal that threatens their marriage is definitely going to be one that will have most fans up in arms.

I love Kevin/Scotty but I also love a TV programme not to insult my intelligence as well, so because of that, this is a successful episode. The ending indicated that Kevin and Scotty will pull through things but it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be an easy ride and if that means more screen time for Kevin and Scotty, then who I am to complain?

Fan adulation for this marriage aside, it’s actually incredibly how much meta-textual adulation there is as well. Nora gushed about Kevin and Scotty’s marriage on her radio slot and encouraged Kevin to talk to Scotty after finding out about the latter’s adultery while Kitty encouraged forgiveness. Similarly, Justin was disbelieving and impartial, Saul openly disappointed with Scotty and Sarah convinced that no Walker can hold a marriage. All of them had valid points in their own way.

There have been times when I’ve grown about the Walkers being overly involved in each other’s lives but this week, having all of those viewpoints coming out did more good narrative wise than it hindered. I actually loved the fact that Saul admitted that he saw Kevin and Scotty as some kind of hope for a loving gay union in the same way that I loved Justin trying to understand Scotty’s viewpoint without being disloyal to Kevin’s own heartbreak as well. Now, that’s some writing.

Kevin had every right in this episode to be mad with Scotty and he was mad because he was hurting. Everyone holds Scotty to such a high standard that something like him sleeping with a sleazy waiter like Marcus is going to be a shocker. I liked that Scotty was genuinely sorry for putting Kevin through this and yes, he was better to admit it now than have Kevin find out some other way but I was still on Kevin’s side here.

Kevin might have accidentally punched the wrong guy but at least he managed to get his physical anger out in some way. And points to Justin for actually punching Marcus’s lights out because for the small bit of screen time the guy was given, he definitely came across as an unpleasant little so and so.

As for the cheating angle itself – I still wished that previous episodes had built it up better but I actually think the flashbacks did a good job of explaining a lot of stuff. Scotty’s one night with Marcus wasn’t premeditated and both he and Kevin were going through a rough patch, what with Robert’s death and Michelle miscarrying. I’m not giving Scotty a free pass on this one but I’m not going to vilify him either. He made a mistake and on this show, he’s in good company.

In terms of the acting, both Matthew Rhys and Luke Macfarlane pulled a blinder here. It’s definitely in the echelons of the series best dramatic performances and despite the fact that Glee seems to be getting all the buzz nowadays when it comes to prominent gay characters/storylines, Kevin and Scotty are still light years ahead with them and that’s my humble opinion of course.

I also loved the way Nora was used in this episode too. Her interfering didn’t go overboard and she gave Kevin a nice chance to vent his feelings out as well as admitting his own faults, such as the distancing he did with Scotty between seasons. The fact that he chose to get pissed in a bar on the same night as Scotty’s restaurant opening was worrying.

I do hope like many people that Kevin and Scotty pull through but at the same time, I’d almost take this angst a bit longer because for the first time this season, both characters are centre stage and that in of itself pleases me ten fold. Plus the fact that the episode ended with Kevin opening up to Scotty as well gave me hope for them.

It’s also through Kevin and Scotty that this episode showed Sarah expressing reservations about her proposal. I guess there’s always going to be something, issue wise with her and Luc but apart from her reticence to announce it, I was really glad that this episode mostly ended with them telling the family they’re due to be married. Even Kevin in his current state was happy for them, so perhaps that’s a good omen, eh, Sarah?

As for the least thrilling part of the episode – Jack. I guess I should’ve seen him being a flake but I’m glad his flighty behaviour was enough for Kitty to end the relationship. It’s nice that they parted on good terms but relationship wise, it wasn’t a big one for Kitty. I’m sure she will find love again but perhaps for the time, she could enjoy her own company for a bit and Evan’s too. Seriously, where has that kid gone to?

Also in “An Ideal Husband”

Nora’s talk of commitment issues at the start of the episode in relation to Kevin was pretty damn perfect. The Kevin from the first season was a commitment phobe.

Scotty: “Kevin, I know how upset you are.”
Kevin: “Yeah. It’s kind of an appropriate response when you find out your husband was with someone else, don’t you think?”

Why didn’t Kevin just lock his office door if he didn’t want anyone to notice? The ‘Barbara’ lie was easily see-through as Sarah demonstrated with precision.

Scotty: “I told you nothing happened in our bed.”
Kevin: “And I told you, I don’t want to know any details.”

Justin: “I get it, Sarah, dudes cheat but Scotty’s not that dude. There has to be an explanation.”

Frustrating as Sarah can be, I think I understood where she was coming from when Cooper mentioned about her Joe. I mean kids really do know how to make you assess a certain decision.

Kevin (to Scotty): “You know there’s a lot of things we’ve wanted recently that haven’t worked out the way we’ve hoped. Dreams don’t always come true.”

Luc: “Sarah, I just proposed. You’re already taking about divorce.”
Sarah: “No, I’m just saying that nothing’s ever guaranteed.”

And briefly in this episode, we actually saw Kevin working too. Well, mostly be surly with a judge over the delay of his client. I have to admit, I thought the judge was a pain in this one.

Kitty: “Did you say no?”
Sarah: “I said yes and then I said no.”
Kitty: “Why?”
Sarah: “Because no marriage lasts in this family.”
Kitty: “Oh please.”
Sarah: “There’s a curse, the Walker curse.”

Nora: “You have every right to be angry, Kevin and the fact you wanted to take the guy’s head off means something.”
Kevin: “Yeah, that should I lay off the bourbon.”
Nora: “Well that too, but it means that you really care enough about your marriage to fight for it, literally.”

Standout music: “3 Wishes” by Dave Thomas Junior.

Scotty: “Do you wanna come home?”
Kevin: “No.”
Scotty: “So what do we do now?”
Kevin: “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Chronology: The next day from where “Call Mom” left off and for the second week in a row, no Holly or David either.

I loved this episode. “An Ideal Husband” is definitely going up as one of my favourites from the series. All the Kevin/Scotty focus, the way the other characters were utilised as well, how could I not love it? It’s also an episode reminiscent to the series at it’s best too.

Rating: 10 out of 10.