Brothers & Sisters (4.03) "Almost Normal" Recap

It's a poopy one. The diaper, not the episode!

OK, so we open on an anatomy lesson between Justin and Rebecca, and I’m starting to think this is going to be a running gag on the show, him using her as his personal med school anatomy doll. I’m fine with the bones, but when we get to the internal organs, can we just not have a visual on that?

And I’m actually OK with them constantly pawing at each other – they are the young ones on the show, and that’s what I’d expect. I find it totally in character.

Speaking of in character, that’s what the show was tonight, and I’ll be giving credit where credit is due – this felt more like the Brothers & Sisters I fell in love with, because the dynamic is shifting back to the family, and the relationships between the family members, which is what I loved in the first place.

In the cancer doctor's office, we learn that Kitty’s cancer has spread, but she still has a decent prognosis. Standard treatment is available, but there’s a shiny new European treatment in Boston she may like. Can Republican Robert get behind a cancer treatment developed in with socialized medicine?

Kitty sits with a very shell shocked look next to her husband on one side and her mother on the other, not really processing her choices.

This shot is the setup for most of the episode.

We cut to the Walker-Wandell loft, where Kevin is busy on the phone being Super Publicist and Scotty is being adorably passive-aggressive. He’s decided to activate a screaming baby sound while Kevin is on A Very Important Phone Call.

Kevin claims to get the point Scotty is making, but Scotty’s not convinced, since Kevin wants to wait until later to deal with the poopy diaper. Hey, Kevin – your relationship is getting diaper rash.

We cut to a scene of Holly and Saul tasting cheap wine where they run into Dennis York, the guy Ryan has been conspiring with. Saul certainly seems to know the cattleman, and the cattleman seems to know William Walker. Uh oh, are we about to learn William had yet another mistress, er, mister, er tryst.

Back at the Walker manse, we have Nora lobbying for traditional California medicine, and Kitty lobbying for Vera Wang wedding dresses, which she’s going shopping for with Rebecca. Evidently Kitty hasn’t told the whole family about the cancer thing yet, and Nora has managed to keep a secret.

Wait, these are the Walkers wer'e talking about right?

Nora is struggling to control Kitty's disease - even in her clothing choices.

So as the scene changes, we have Nora attempting to browbeat Robert into making Kitty get treatment started in Cali – but Robert’s all about this new-fangled, socialized medicine Boston treatment. Nora isn’t about to let her baby go 3000 miles to be cured, and Robert isn’t about to let Kitty do something so common as using established medicine when his money and power can buy better.

Hey, if being a U.S. senator isn't about having better health care than everyone else, then what is it about? Yes, there is the ability to have affairs with hookers and Argentinian hotties and not lose your job. And, yes, there are the sweetheart lobbying deals when you lose your reelection race, er, retire, but the health bennies really are great.