"Brothers & Sisters" Finale Recap: “Prior Commitments”

Cut to Kitty practicing her wedding speech …

Kitty: Kevin and Scotty have so much in common. A zest for life … a wicked sense of humor … a love of hair products.

Oh dear. Is it too late to get James Carville to handle this?

McCallister advises her to remember that she’s not overseeing a roast, and I have to wonder, what is he doing home all the time anyway? Yes, he’s not running for president anymore, but isn’t he still senator? Shouldn’t he be working to push through some bill related to one of those vague yet totally non-partisan causes he’s allegedly so passionate about, like “Education,” or “Health”?

The phone rings, and a “Doctor Feldman” calls to break the news that there’s no bun in the oven; trying the old-fashioned way didn’t work, which means it’s back to IVF for them. Clearly remembering how carefree and easygoing Kitty was to be around last time she was on the hormones, McCallister suggests they consider other options like surrogacy and adoption. But Kitty says she wants to be pregnant, and pissily tells him that it’s not a problem he can simply “table in subcommittee and move onto the next motion.”

Here’s a thought: why not try more actively parenting the kids he already has? He seems to have visitation once per equinox, and when they’re around, Kitty’s either showing them pay-per-view porn, shagging their father, or vomiting.

Kevin’s swinging, soon-to-no-longer-be-a-bachelor pad … Kevin sees Scotty’s address book and snoops through it looking for his parents’ phone number. Then he looks across the room at a framed head shot of Tom Skerritt, leading him to a flashback from his recent past.

As an aside, I have to tell you that seeing Skerritt’s picture led me to reflect on how it feels like every movie Sally Field ever made starred him as her husband. Which led me to another epiphany, that in Places in the Heart, she actually co-starred with Danny Glover. That’s right! Mumbles and Sally have a history!

Anyway, in the flashback, Kevin approaches his father, sitting in what looks like a hotel bar of some sort. Some guy is finishing up a meeting with Big Daddy Walker involving a photograph and talk of someone having a “hard time” of some sort. The whole thing is very Godfather. Kevin sits down and the other guy, “Doug,” scurries off.

Kevin asks Big Daddy why so sad, and William says a mutual friend — a woman who was a lobbyist for the food industry — had passed away.

Then William tries to talk about Kevin’s personal life, and you can tell that it’s some time after Kevin came out to him because William refuses to use any gender-specific pronouns. Given that William seems about as enthusiastic to have this conversation as a round of root canal, Kevin asks if Nora put him up to it. William says the woman who died left behind a husband and three kids, and he imagines there were many things she wished she’d said to her family.

Kevin says he doesn’t want to talk about his personal life with his father, given how many years he took no interest in him, and remembering how when he first came out, he wouldn’t even look at him.

I have to commend this episode with being realistic in portraying how not every parent is as accepting as a Nora Walker when it comes to their children coming out, and highlighting the hurt and regret and long-term damage that can result. The only non-realistic thing is that, the more we learn about William, the more baffled I am about what Nora was ever doing with this lying, hypocritical, sex-crazed, cheating, stealing, bigoted ass in the first place. She’s ten times the man he ever was.

William says he has to live with how he reacted, but he hopes Kevin can get past it and accept his apology. Kevin says he’s not sure if he can.

Back in the present, Justin and Tommy’s arrival at Kevin’s place puts an end to the flashback. They’re all set to take Kevin to some gay bar for his bachelor party, until Kevin points out it’s lesbian night. Tommy punches Justin for screwing up the plan, and in his self-defense, Justin says he did as told, googling “Upscale gay bar, hot dudes, no nudity, off-street parking.” No nudity? Boooo!

Kevin tells his bros he’s not up for partying anyway, given he’s about to call Scotty’s parents to see if they’ll come after all. But Tommy and Justin are like, “Call?” and “You thinking what I’m thinking?” and “Road trip!” No male strippers after all? Boooo! Not to mention that “road trip” is basically independent-film-speak for “quirky.” If their car breaks down in some hick town filled with kind-hearted simple folk in need of a little fairy magic, I’m ditching this episode to go surf for Internet porn. Featuring men who look like Eric Winter.