"Brothers & Sisters" Episode 306 Recap: “Bakersfield”

Cut to Uncle Saul and Nora sitting at one of those sad little, poorly-lit dinners they seem so fond of. Saul, like many a retiree, has developed a great passion for soup — both the partaking and preparation of it — and is only concerned about what Nora thinks of whatever he’s serving.

Her main concern, however, is that Saul agree to accompany her to Bakersfield to confront Mr. Lafferty Sr., but he immediately turns her down. Given how bored he is, I’d think he’d jump at the chance to ride shotgun and watch Nora make a family of complete strangers burst into tears, but Saul takes a pass and wonders why she’s even bothering. Nora insists that if she doesn’t, Holly’s going to do it anyway, and do it her way, meaning totally evilly.

Disappointed, Nora says she thought she could count on Saul. He responds with a gem of a line that — and I say this as a big brother myself — perfectly captures the essence of what it means to be a sibling …

Saul: You can count on me. Just not for this.

Stately Walker Manor. Kitty enters the kitchen, and what do you know, it looks like she’s taken my advice about dealing with that horrific hair situation. Now only the top part’s limp and lifeless, but the endings have this surprise bouncy curl. Hey, it’s progress.

She’s apparently gotten herself gussied up for some charity event for children’s literacy where she had to fill in for Robert. There this show goes again tackling urgent, politicized, extremely partisan issues — do you suppose Robert’s pro or con children’s literacy?

Nora remembers how much it would bother her when William would also go off on secret last-minute business trips, and says she now realizes that he was off diddling Holly or Connie Lafferty, or whatever piece of rough trade he found in his lonely travels. Kitty replies that it’s not quite the same thing, since Robert’s off doing important political business in Washington. In other words, rather than a few random women, he’s looking for ways to f**k the whole country. [Editor's note: At last someone who is as bitter as I am!]

Kitty has come back from the event with a goodie bag, and for her to make off with this swag when she’s the guest of honor is just plain tacky. She opens the bag and takes out a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit, because this show loves nothing more than its beating-viewers-over-the-head-with-a-cast-iron-skillet leaden symbols. Naturally, this leads to the thousandth or so conversation where somebody has to reassure Kitty that she’ll get picked by a birth mother. Kitty is scared to hold onto the book because it might jinx her chances, so Nora says she’ll hold it for her. Along with the hundreds of other gifts I’m sure she has in storage waiting to give to unborn grandchildren.

Kitty goes on about how she doesn’t know what to do with herself while Robert’s away and she’s in “baby limbo,” so Nora’s all, “Road trip!”

Cut to Kitty and Nora at some fruit-stand in the middle of nowhere. Nora tries to pretend that this is some magical fruit-stand worth shlepping to for its miracle melons, but Kitty is suspicious and demands to know why they’re really traveling so far from home …

Nora: Holly threatened me.
Kitty [eyes wide]: We’re running away from Holly?

Heh. If that were true and Holly was hunting them down Terminatrix-style, it would be kind of awesome. Sadly, as Nora admits, it’s nothing nearly so exciting, just a little “break the cheery news to the Lafferty family before Holly can do it first” daytrip. Kitty’s pissed Nora didn’t tell her this before she got in the car. But now that she’s along for the ride, she’s pretty much along for the ride.