Brothers & Sisters: History Repeating

ORIGINAL EPISODES, SUNDAYS @ 10PM ON ABC

This was a high quality episode that seemed to set us up for some bigger moments down the road. Generally when other shows hit the moment where they need to slow down and set things up for the future they tend to lose some quality in the process. The great thing about "Brothers & Sisters" is that no matter what the purpose of the episode, the quality is never lacking. Each and every episode is a demonstration of near perfection; a demonstration of what it means to write the best possible show every week.

Tonight was mainly about Justin and his struggle with the decision to take pain killers or suffer through an excruciatingly painful leg injury. Nora wants him to take the medications even though she knows it's going to change him and possibly push him back into the world of addiction. It's one of those choices in life where no matter what you do you're risking a life altering event that could change your future. For me, I don't know what I would do in a similar situation. If Justin takes the pain killers he can rehabilitate his leg properly and save his ability to walk and enjoy life but he risks becoming a drug addict once again. On the other hand, if he doesn't take them his risks losing most of the mobility in his leg for the remainder of his life but he won't fall back into drug addiction. It's a VERY tough call but I think he made the right. Although he's going back to a life of drugs it's different this time; he has a support system that's there for him and monitoring what he's doing. Plus he knows that he doesn't want the life he used to have and I think he's strong enough now to resist turning back to it.

However, the end of the episode gave the impression that Justin's personality may not be the same even if he can prevent himself from becoming addicted again. He already seemed different, dark like he used to be. I hope he can be strong enough to resist the temptation. He's a lot more fun when he's not on all the medications.

Tommy also had some trouble of his own tonight. Apparently, Julia blames him for William's death. Somehow her depression has changed her perception of the past events and she believes Tommy pushed her into making the decision to save their daughter and not their son. I really feel for Tommy here. He's done everything he possibly could to build a life for his family, make the best possible decisions, work with Julia to make them, and be sensitive to the fact that she's depressed. In the end, Julia still overlooks everything and holds him responsible. That's tough especially when he realized there's nothing else he could possibly do but to let her spend time with her parents in Arizona. I think they'll eventually work it out but not before a few more run-ins between Tommy and Julia's father. It's going to be a long ways off until we see these two happy again. Tommy just needs to make sure things don't go too far with Lina; clearly things seemed a bit, well weird at the end of the episode.

As for the rest of the Walkers not too much happened. Kitty and Robert had to deal with his ex-wife since she decided to go on Larry King to discuss her marriage with Robert. The former wife still believes (or pretended to believe) that Robert had an affair with the nannyeven though he has always told her that it was 100% not true. Kitty eventually visited her and bluffed with a story about finding the nanny and she was willing to tell the truth. After this, Robert's ex-wife cancelled the interview and all trouble was averted. The only problem for Kitty is that the ex told her Robert only looks out for himself and that his wife isn't really his partner. Hopefully, things will be different for Kitty and Robert because Kitty doesn't deserve a life like that especially when she's so successful herself.

I should point out that Scotty has re-entered our lives once again. He was pulled over for a D.U.I. and needed Kevin's help to get out of it. Turns out the police officer was homophobic and gave Scotty the ticket because he was gay. After Kevin won the case (of course he would) Scotty treated him to a five-star dinner at a sheek restaurant where he is now an intern. Since breaking up with Kevin, he's turned his life around and become a very good chef. Unfortunately, Scotty was just trying to impress Kevin in order to get him back. For the first time though Kevin remained faithful but it seems the two of them may still be "friends." I'm not sure how long a friendship will last between these two without something bigger "accidently" happening.

My overall impression of this episode was a huge thumbs up. I love the acting, the writing, and the family bonds that permeate every storyline. It's one of the best shows in recent memory and I'm glad the Walker Family will be around for some time to come.