"Brothers & Sisters" Episode 310 Recap: "Just a Sliver"

"[Editor’s note: As if The View’s Elisabeth Hasseltwit and Sherri “Flat Earth” Shepherd could connect the dots between Proposition 8 and what is going on here. Yes. I’m still bitter!]"

Bitter is the proper response to how willful ignorance can damage others. After reading books like Hitler's Willing Executioners, I can not say I am surprised given the ease by which simple ignorance has caused evil in the past.

But, still, As Milk said, "I know you are angry. I'm angry!"

I like this episode too. It's the first time, in a long time, that I cared. Funny post.

I think episode started off really well and had some tender moments between Kevin and Scotty, but I just felt the storyline fell flat. Maybe it was the writing or the predictability of a Thanksgiving episode. I don't know. I liked last week's episode better.

Also this is the first time since I started watching B&S that I actually liked the DH episode better. I was in complete fan-girly squeeing mode when Andrew was telling Bree that he loved his fiancee (regardless of the porn background). The scene made the episode an A++ from me.

Back to B&S. Did anyone catch the preview for the next episode in January? I am NOT happy at where I think this is going. At least Scotty will be in the episode.

Great acting by everyone, hilarious first 15 minutes. The kitchen scene with the five kids and Nora was absolutely perfectly done. I also really liked the scene before it when Julia takes the phone and says, "Listen, Walkers!..." I swear she, Scotty, and Robert should form a Walker-in-law support group where they can trade war stories and plan strategies for coping with their overbearing spouses. Joe can be a guest speaker. I also thought every scene with Tommy was excellent, he and Kitty, his breakdown in the room with Julia and Elizabeth and especially when he confronted the family for being so cavalier about the whole surgery. And Nora's resolute "I don't remember that happening at all" was truly great as well. I really wish they would give Sally Field more to do. Also, I could be wrong, but I believe this is the first time we've seen Kevin and Scotty all snuggly in bed together. Those are the kinds of scenes that will make Yes on Prop 8 voters shrink in numbers, hopefully. As far as the preview goes, obviously the thing with Kevin and Julia kissing is a dream, but the whole potential "paternal confusion" storyline makes me uncomfortable. I think it would be really crappy of Kevin to start laying any claim to Elizabeth and I hope whatever they're hinting at gets resolved quickly.

The Walkers (and their in-laws) at their best! The episode starts with absolute fun with all the siblings abandoning Nora. It's followed by heartache, confession and honesty. The it's nicely closed up by warmth and family. Just nice. It is amazing that they can throw in comedy in those grief moments. Just shows how good the writers are for this episode. Tommy's moments when he breaks down were really touching. Starting with light disappointment to finally break down - it shows how Tommy is still human and a Walker. The writing is just great this episode. Please keep it up. Wrt Desperate Housewives, this episode is great too. Great double episodes back to back! What a treat for me!

did anyone find the actress playing Elizabeth was absolutely amazing?! She turned as Tommy walked into the room before breaking down. The way she looked "sick" after the surgery.

While the script itself fell sort of flat to me overall, there were some really, really good moments that made up for it. This is one of the better episodes of this uneven season and I just hope the show is on a creative upswing after a terrible start. And the acting by everybody was truly outstanding. This is a strong ensemble cast. But, am I the only one bothered that Robert took so long to show up to the hospital. Whether his family is visiting or not, he should have been there much sooner.

I have a bad feeling after seeing the previews that Kevin is going to turn into a father wanna be and that he is the Walker that is going to die. The images in the preview show him being snotty to Tommy about Elizabeth and holding his side a lot. If they get rid of Kevin ABC is dead to me.

The acting remains the highlight of this show, but this episode started off well and skidded right off the track by the time of the Thanksgiving-in-the-Cafeteria ending. First of all, this show, which has been one of the most gay friendly in the history of television, postpones its Prop 8 episode until after the election, and now we get a Thanksgiving show ten days after the holiday. What idiots at ABC are responsible for this? I guess I didn't remember about Tommy not being the father, but how much more DNA testing are we going to have to endure here? The Chinese take-out scene was pretty appalling, but the dinner scene in the cafeteria shows that the writers never came back after the strike. How can these excellent actors endure such bad dialogue? I have pretty much given up on this show, and even Scotty and Justin, tasty as they are, can't keep me watching. And I really think Nora, Sarah, Holly, and Kitty could all use a visit by Tim Gunn and/or the Magical Elves, which must have loaned their corporate uniform to Sarah for the first scene.

The episode was all right, as per usual but I did appreciate the Kevin & Scotty moments. Especially in the hospital bed, which I was actually shocked they were allowed to show THAT kind of affection.

 But what gives me huge pause is the previews for the next episode when Kevin is kissing Julia. I swear before God if they go that route, I am done with the show. Forever. There is no reason for Kevin to be passionately kissing Julia. None. I will only accept it if it's a dream sequence and since it would be the FIRST in the show's history, I doubt that it is.

I said, DONE.

I have been so loving this show lately, and this episode is my favorite thus far.

Great and delightful recap, btw...now, excuse me while I put a photo of David Beckham next to my dish of syringes.

"...nuclear-waste-colored jello thingie that only Justin eats because, as evidenced by his dating history, he’ll eat anything"

LOL!

Spoiler regarding kiss:

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/xCylon/tv-1.jpg

 

medication and the fact that he's just found out about his biological relationship to Elizabeth. The article doesn't say It's Not A Dream, it just says he's on heavy meds which means he's probably still in the hospital recovering. I think it makes perfect sense that he'd have issues about everything regarding Elizabeth. It doesn't mean he's going to become some kind of jerk about it. Previews and spoilers just aren't enough to base any kind of analysis on. They are too decontexualized.

"Heterosexuality is not normal, it's just common." (Dorothy Parker)

I LOVED this episode even though my usual "brothers-in-arms" weren't as enthusiastic since the plotting of the show is getting boilerplate. Favorite parts: 1. In-laws unite! I think the writers have been listening and realized that can't keep the three in-laws (Julia, Scotty, and Robert) separate from the rest of the crew. But who knew they were going to have Julia blow a gasket like Robert did a few weeks ago over their monopolizing of the holidays! Go Julia! And Scotty getting miffed about Nora digging through their things. I too thought that accidently Nora would find a dildo or something in those boys' drawers. But notice how Julia even got invited to the dinner table and not left behind in the room this time! Of anyone she is always allowed that excuse. Of course I think they are beefing up her role because Tommy is going to die soon and she will have to fight Kevin and The Walkers for custody... but I speculate. Does Rebecca now count as an in-law too? When was the last episode all four were allowed at The Walker table together? Do you think The Walkers scheme to make sure they are always apart so they can't compare notes about the clan? 2. Scotty and Kevin cuddling in the hospital room... sigh. My partner and I held hands through the whole scene. sniff sniff. 3. They held off the booze until the end...again! Is anyone else catching these little inside jokes? 4. Fashion victim of the week: What was with Sarah's Beetlejuice arms? Green and green stripe undershirt was a little too soccer mom for this corporate execs! And isn't she supposed to be working with the wonderkids to get their company of the ground? 5. I thought Rebecca had a new job? How did she get to hang out with all the cool kids when she should be working?

Despite all the goods and not so goods of this episode, every scene with Kevin and Scotty is promoting gay relationships as normal and healthy and that is something for which ABC and the Brothers and Sisters producers should be praised.!!!

Almost uniformly a great episode - both very touching and funny. And of course the Kevin/Scotty snuggle was the best prize - both sweet and hot.

Question - Kevin says that as his husband Scotty will have rights to make medical decisions if necessary. Uh...didn't they just have a "commitment ceremony" last season? I don't even recall a filing for a civil union. And I certainly don't remember a "marriage" during the brief time it was legal in California. Did I miss something?

It seemed to me that in the previews, the scenes where Kevin and Tommy both said something to the effect of "I'm her father" actually looked like two separate scenes. If you look at the background they don't seem to match...maybe ABC was just trying to cut them together to add drama. www.wdwsmmaos.blogspot.com

To see more of this show? It turns out the ratings were very good for this episode. ABC really knows how to kill their audiences.

I'm getting confused about where this show is going. Did they kill the Ryan plotline entirely? I thought they found an actor to play Ryan. Maybe the scripts they wrote weren't any good?

I hope the Kevin-father thing only lasts an episode! I want them to get back to toppling Holly from the Walker business. Though I guess that won't happen until the end of the season.

Meanwhile I just read that NBC is planning to have Leno do a show at 10 pm Mon.-Fri. so they can stop producing expensive dramas. If this becomes a trend, shows like B&S may become few and far between. Enjoy them now while we can.

Doctor:  "We're sorry Mr. Walker-Wandell, we accidentally removed your husband's Gay Gland. I'm afraid you need to prepare yourself to have him watching NASCAR and talking about boobs."

Scotty:  "NOOOOOOOOOO!!! MY KEVIN IS DEAD TO ME!!!! *SOB*"

Seriously, there had better be major drugs or a dream sequence involved, or else I am never watching anything on ABC ever again!

Although it kind of looked like Julia might have been into it, so I'm guessing it's a dream sequence.  If I had to make a guess though my bet would be that this is Tommy's nightmare: Kevin stealing his wife and daughter.
Then again, don't all Republican gals dream of being the one to "change" a gay guy?

For me the funniest thing in the entire episode was Nora offering Justin the turkey to take to Holly's.  Yes, I can just see how that would play out.  Justin would cheerfully hold the turkey out to Holly, who would stare at it in horror for a moment.  Then she would scream "BOMB!!!!" at the top of her lungs, grab the turkey and hurl it into the swimming pool.

I have to assume Holly is smart enough not to accept food items, nor anything large enough to conceal explosives, from Nora.

This episode was a vast improvement over the rest of the season so far.  They seem to have remembered that there's this little thing called "continuity" that needed to be maintained.  It was beginning to get worse than Star Trek: Voyager around here.

Kevin and Scotty were cute and romantic, which was nice.  I am emotionally devasted to learn that they both apparently sleep in pajamas.  But I didn't really think that they were having sex anyway. They're Ward and June Cleaver after all.  Still, it was nice to see the way it was made clear that Scotty was Kevin's spouse in the eyes of the family, and apparently the hospital as well.

It would have been nicer if there could have been some Prop 8 blurbs in here.  Kevin and Scotty's marital status now being open to debate in California. Although Kevin's hope that Scotty would be willing to pull the plug won't win any points with the Catholic crowd and their "right to life" nonsense.  After all, keeping brain dead vegetables like Terri Schiavo alive forever is what you're supposed to because it's God's will in their twisted pseudo-logic.  Not only are Kevin and Scotty sodomites, they're "pro-death" too!

Even with an improved episode the recap still shines brighter by far.  Good job!

If this episode was suppose to air Nov 30th and the next one doesn't air until Jan 4th, does that mean there were not supposed to be episodes aired at all in December? Or is ABC continuing the week behind deal, and if so why? I am confused.

Good episode, but I wouldn't go as far as to give it an A. I've seen some A episodes and this one wasn't even close. I enjoyed the Kevin & Scotty scenes, but I could have used a little more constitution in Scotty with the death stuff. A little too sugary for my taste. And here's to the news that Robert's getting the ax!!!!!! I'm gonna party like its 1999!

Just an idea, why didnt both Kevin and Justin get the surgery and then the doctors would randomly select a donor liver and see which one worked without knowing whose the liver was. Ha! Yeah right.

I feel pathetic, but it didn't even occur to me until your "Tommy, can you hear us" comment that his name is ACTUALLY Tommy Walker. I laughed way too long when I realized it. And then I listened to The Who for a while. Great recap!

i didnt like how the previews showed kevin kissing julia. and i just dont like how their trying to turn kevin bi. whats gonna happen to scotty? ugh

whatever happens with kevin being bi or (let's face it, no possibility!) straight will make me feel repulsed. I do not know what the writer is thinking about. Anyway, We shall wait and see. Scotty's been the great attraction of this show, well, though from the begining I was not into this little flamebuoyant friend of kevin, but as far as the show goes, I was greatly moved by his endurance of Kevin's every bad manner (Shouting to my parents, definitely break-ups! Hugs after confeesion? Noway!). I don't know what the writers are doing, are they intending to kill the show out of some stupid pressure of anti-gay audience? Well, what about a strike in front of the ABC's big fat door? Come on, we had enough cold in this desperate winter, bad economy, bad law, bad war, etc, we virtually need something warm for us, whether gay or straight. And this show definitely serves the need all the time. I don't want to be stupid, but, after so many episodes of happy memories, I cannot put up with something so disgusting as Kevin's kissing Julia happening around there. Things need to change.

Kevin bi or even straight? Don't make me laugh. I have no doubt that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation and that Kevin will continue to be as gay as he ever was. I'm not going to panic over a kiss.

to tonight episode of brothers and sisters. due to the fact that kevin will be kissing julia. i think its wrong and it shouldnt happen. plus im hoping that it will be a dream squence and not the real thing. if kevin is turning straight on the show then ill take scotty.