Brothers & Sisters: (recap)

By Emily Hochberg
Fancast.com

I’m beginning to realize that every episode of Brothers and Sisters involves a secret, or okay, multiple secrets being kept between Walkers, which will eventually unravel at the worst time. But just because I’ve deciphered the plot basis doesn’t mean I love it any less. And so I embrace with open arms another episode of Walker hijinks. Sunday’s first secret starts with Justin and Rebecca who are getting hot and heavy but are interrupted by a phone call. Justin uses this as an excuse to leave and calls Sarah. He confides in her that he and Rebecca haven’t done “the deed” yet and he doesn’t know what to do. Um, maybe it’s because just a few months ago you believed her to be your sister? Just a guess. Sarah suggests he take it slow and Justin swears her to secrecy. Suuure.

Kitty is baby proofing her home for a visit by the social worker assigned to their adoption case which will include a big Walker family dinner. Because those always go over so well. While prepping, Robert asks Kitty to investigate a rumor that a member of his staff is writing a book about his campaign.

Holly swings by Saul’s office but doesn’t want to talk shop. She wants to know about little illegitimate Ryan Lafferty and whether Saul knew about him or his mother. All Saul can say is now Holly knows how Nora felt when she found out about her. Burn! Nora is planning Kitty’s dinner and the menu when Kevin stops by to see if Nora’s decided to find Ryan or not (she hasn’t). Kitty is a nervous wreck and Kevin can’t understand why; she’s married to a senator after all. But Kitty is worried about other things, like the book she “accidentally” wrote about Robert and his campaign after an agent friend expressed interest in notes she had on the campaign trail. She tells them Robert doesn’t know she wrote it but knows something. She leaves to deal with the situation and Nora’s off to the store leaving Kevin with Kitty’s forgotten purse holding her secret book. He can’t help himself and flips it open with a look of horror.

Rebecca and Justin are out for a jog and she suggests they get a hotel room after dinner at Kitty’s. Justin freaks and decides to wait for her at the bottom of the hill – so he can call Sarah for urgent advice on his secret situation. Sarah is in the middle of a work crisis with Tommy when Justin calls. Sarah, not knowing what to say, or how to keep a secret, whispers it all to Tommy who grabs the phone and instructs his brother to stop acting like a girl and just do it. Literally. Such brotherly advice.

Kevin is still reading Kitty’s manuscript when Nora returns and picks a fight with her over how argumentative and unreasonable he is, something he picked up about him in Kitty’s book. Rebecca agrees to see Holly who’s waiting for her with an attorney to revise the terms of her trust fund so she can have the two million in it immediately. Holly says there’s no catch but I know better. I’m thinking someone’s a little worried that when Ryan Lafferty says hello to the Walkers, he’ll also say hello to Rebecca’s trust. After all, that money is meant for the illegitimate child who we all know is not Rebecca.
Kitty calls Nora looking for her forgotten purse. When Nora goes to get it, its contents fall open, including the secret book and Nora reads it with the same shock as Kevin. Kitty and Robert are expecting the social worker any moment so of course Kitty picks this as the perfect time to tell him that, funny story, she wrote the book about his campaign. And cue the doorbell. So needless to say it’s a bit tense at first as she and Robert seem to clash on all their answers. To smooth things over they build up their impending dinner with the warm and supportive Walkers for a meal cooked by the fabulous Nora. But Nora isn’t paying much attention to her meal on the stove. She’s too engrossed, and enraged, by her new book. She’s ruined the vegetable course when Justin arrives and shows it to him revealing embarrassing family events and poor character traits. Soon, Nora is on a conference call with all of her children to inform them of what is written about each of them in the secret book which Kitty doesn’t know they know about. And on that note, it’s off to dinner!

Everyone walks referencing the book and the secret’s out. Robert’s upset that all the family read it before him but the show must go on. The sly comments continue in front of the case worker at dinner until looks of disgust fills each Walker face. It turns out Nora ruined more than the vegetables while preoccupied reading and ranting, and to keep their visitor from eating it, knocks her plate and drinks onto the case worker’s lap who immediately leaves. Once she’s gone it’s a full out attack on Kitty who defends her book as an archetype of American voters based on her family. Nora can’t let it go but Robert’s had enough and stands up for his wife and a book he hasn’t even read and sends everyone home. So the mood isn’t really romantic when Justin and Rebecca arrive at their motel. Before anything can happen Justin exclaims he isn’t ready to have sex with her and they both agree to wait. The next day Kitty and Nora make peace and Kitty urges her to read the whole thing – from the first page, where it’s dedicated to her. Justin and Rebecca wake up after their first time “sleeping together,” and Rebecca also goes to see Nora who is still reading the book and loves it. But Rebecca didn’t come about the book; she wants to give her trust to Nora citing since she isn’t a Walker, it isn’t hers. Nora disagrees and only offers to hold it. Robert is also reading the book when Kitty hears from the case worker that they somehow passed their evaluation. And she also passes his after he’s done reading and loves it. The only hang-up is if she wants to publish it she has to resign as his Director of Communications.

It would seem all is rosy by the end but Holly still has some plotting up her sleeve. She meets with a colleague who she asks for help in locating an old friend of Rebecca’s. His name is Ryan Lafferty. Dun dun duuun. Looks like another secret is about to come out! It wouldn’t be Brothers and Sisters without that though, would it?