“Brothers & Sisters” Episode 121 Recap: "Grapes of Wrath"

Cut to across the room. Holly is tasting wine with Professor Mark. She’s giving her Cheshire cat grin and extolling the virtues of their special cabernet blend.

Holly: We like to mix things up around here.
Mark: Very delicate.

Saul notices Holly flirting with Professor Mark again.

Saul: Pardon me. I don’t mean to disagree. I don’t think it’s a delicate wine at all. I think it’s heavy-handed.
Holly: Well then why don’t you try the white wine, Saul. You might find it less threatening.
Saul: White wine doesn’t threaten me, Holly. Except when it’s tannic and pushy.

Nora can see things are getting testy and tries to intervene.

Saul: I’m sorry. Let me rephrase that. I think it’s a bad wine. I think it’s immature and inappropriate.
Nora: Funny. I find it a bit overbearing

Criminy. How far are they planning on taking the wine metaphors? They need to put a cork in it.

We cut to a wine tasting kiosk where the entire Walkjer clan seems to be getting drunk. Everyone except Justin that is -- he's drinking grape juice.

Kevin yells out for another round of pinot. Tommy rushes over to tell them to pipe down, they are making a scene. He asks where Kitty is.

Kevin tells them that Kitty is upstairs whacked out on pain pills and dreaming of her impending nuptials with McAllister. Even drunk, Kevin realizes that he’s said too much.

Kevin: Why do I say these things? It’s like I have tourette's.
Nora: There’s going to be a wedding. Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. She didn’t tell me there’s going to be a wedding!

Sarah finds it ironic that her mother is so gung ho about Kitty’s impending marriage to a Republican senator she’s only known for three months. In contrast, Nora seems only too happy to write off Sarah’s ten year marriage to Joe.

Mark shows up to escort Nora to dinner. She brushes him off to continue refereeing the family argument--forcing Mark to head to the dinner table alone. I wonder if Peter Coyote is starting to regret having signed on for this gig.

Nora pulls her family into the kitchen.

Cut to the outside courtyard where the dinner is being served. Holly is holding court with the potential investors. Julia is there again (does she ever leave that damn table?) She complains yet again about the babies kicking. Someone blames it on the garlic. I think they're fighting over who gets top billing once they're born.

Poor Professor Mark is on the far end of the table all by himself. Holly sees him alone and comes over to sit by him and flirt some more. Mark admits that he’s been “dying to take a walk all day.”

Mark: How would you feel about giving me a tour?

Wanton harlot that she is - she agrees.

Cut to the kitchen. Sarah is telling her family to be nicer to Joe. She eventually realizes that Kitty was trying to keep the news of her engagement to McAllister a secret to protect her feelings. Sarah hits the roof.

Sarah: What, you guys don’t think I can handle good news about a sibling? Listen, I can live with your good news but you’re going to have to live with my bad news or learn to shut up, okay?

Everyone agrees and the family heads out to dinner.

Cut to the vineyard grounds. Holly is giving him a tour of the topiary and Professor Mark is quoting D.H. Lawrence and the Beatles. He’s so icky.

They finally get around to kissing. It was sort of inevitable. I note that Holly breaks it off before he does. She is so classy.