"Brothers & Sisters" Episode 204 Recap: “States of the Union”

It’s Nora. She’s slipped away from the spa to check up on him. Tommy immediately figures that Sarah’s spilled the beans and Nora knows that Julia has left him. He tells her to butt out, and points her to the door.

Cut back to the Spa where Sarah has clubbed her tan-suited suitor and dragged him back to her hotel room. That’s a wee bit slutty. What if they get interrupted by Sister Moe and Momma Curly? It’s a moot point because Sarah’s hotel key card doesn’t seem to be working and they are stuck out in the hallway.

While tan suit guy fiddles with the lock, Sarah begins to get cold feet.

Cliff: This isn’t happening isn’t it?

Sarah apologizes for “lock-blocking” him, but thinks it’s for the best. Cliff is a good sport about things and eventually leaves. At which point, Sarah finally realizes that she’s been trying to get into the wrong room! The stars are aligned against her.

Cut to the Walker mansion. Justin is on his bed with a dishtowel trying to bend his knee. Rebecca comes in and notes his progress.

Rebecca: Hey, 45 degrees. That’s pretty good.

Too good. Looks like Justin’s feeling no pain. Rebecca hates to ask, but is wondering if maybe Justin upped his pain dosage.

Justin flies off the handle. He can’t believe that Rebecca didn’t trust him. He forces her to count his pain pills. All there.

Cut back to the winery. Lena and Tommy are getting sloshed. Tommy confides in her about baby William’s death and the fact that Julia has left him. She leans in to comfort him.

Lena: You can’t take it all on. Sometimes you just have to worry about yourself.

Pregnant pause. We can all see where this is heading.

We cut to Saul’s house. He’s invited Kevin over to try to patch things up. They both apologize for flying off the handle at each other earlier.

Saul: I was out of line today.
Kevin: Me too, Saul. But I do know what you’re going through. I know, I know, different generation, and I’m sure you think I had things a lot easier. But whatever it is you need from me – I’m here for you.
Saul: Okay.
Kevin: But. You don’t have to hide anything…
Saul: Kevin, you have to understand. I’m not hiding anything. I’m. Not. Gay. I’m not gay.

Methinks he doth protest too much.

Cut to the Spa resort. Nora enters the hotel room to find Kitty and Sarah waiting up for her. They know she went over to the winery to check up on Tommy, and they are pissed.

Sarah: The whole idea of this weekend was for us to escape our problems. Instead, you’ve rubbed our faces in them and then gone and created new ones.
Nora: How can I help it? I’m concerned! You’re consumed in this perpetual post-divorce despair. Kitty is caught up in this commitment phobia; Justin is in constant agony and lucky to be alive; Julia has left Tommy and taken Elizabeth with her; and Kevin, well I don’t know about Kevin. He won’t return my phone calls. I shouldn’t have come on this damn trip.
Kitty: If you felt the obligation then why did you come?
Nora: I should’ve said no. I should’ve said no, no, NO!

Nora’s sounding a bit like Amy Winehouse.

Weird, but just now the dynamic with these three reminds me of Roseanne and Jackie’s relationship with their batty, overbearing mother on Roseanne.