Liveblogging "Brothers & Sisters": Homecoming

Welcome to the first AfterElton Liveblog of Brothers & Sisters! I'm snicks, your host. Many of you may know me from my daytime liveblogs of As the World Turns and One Life To Live, while others may recognize me from my ill-fated stab at primetime success, Lifelike Robot Boy , where I played the android son of a wacky suburban family.

I'm sure you remember the classic theme song - "He's our Lifelike Robot Boy, sent here to bring us joy, much more than a toy, he runs on milk of soy. Full of wires, he's inspired, to make our house a home .... he's our Lifelike Robot Boy, and never ... will ... he ...roam ... la,la,la,la,la,la,la."

Unfortunately, it was canceled midway through the first episode. Bastards.

Anyway, oh yeah, Brothers & Sisters.

It's been a year since that fateful night when the lives of the Walker clan were changed ... forever! Join us as we see what's developed, and refresh for updates!

10:05PM EST: And we start with a dinner scene, filmed in Walker Family Booze-Vision. And the gang's all here, except for the dead one, the dull girl, and that one brother everyone hated who was banished to "occasional guest star."

We hear Kitty's voice helpfully explaining what's gone on the last year. Kevin is now working as a Public Defender (which evidently requires perpetual five o'clock shadow), and Nora "is acting like she became somebody else." Okay, hearing that line and seeing Sally Field makes my demented mind shout out "I'm not gonna hit ya. This time I'm only gonna kick ya." My undying love to whoever gets that Sally reference.

Finally, we see a clean-shaven Justin as Kitty intones "but someone came home and turned out to be a hero, in more ways than one." Umm, who?

Sarah is walking down the street talking to Luc on the phone, and explaining that she's on the way to "the biggest meeting of my career." Oh, then she probably shouldn't have worn Hilary Clinton's Cursed Hair Clip.

Luc tells her to look up and she sees a gigantic billboard of an underwear clad Luc. They both make "hung" jokes. Hey, save the bad puns for me, thank you!

Hot Scruffy Kevin (which is how he'll be known from now on, or HSK for short) is in court defending a young gum-chewing ruffian named Matteo. HSK wins his case, and Matteo is returned to the custody of his father. As Matteo is leaving, he looks wistfully over at the childless HSK. Hmm ...

Nora is working in a flower shop (wait, what?) and has a run-in with the Megan Mullaly-esque owner. Afterward she heads over to the restaurant to see Saul and the two of them discuss the big family dinner to welcome Justin back. Nora is worried. The last time Justin came home he was injured, the time before that he had a drug problem, the time before that he had Explosive Diarrhea Syndrome, and before that he was so shell-shocked he thought he was Ethel Merman.

We then flashback to "4 weeks after the accident," and a unwashed Justin has let his scruff run amuck. He blames himself for the accident, but Nora reminds him that Holly is still alive (a-ha! That's one question answered). Justin tells her he has to get back to the military because it's where he feels at home, and Nora angrily tells him "Fine, if that's what you need to do, then do it. But if you come back singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses." you're dead to me!"