Brothers & Sisters:

ORIGINAL EPISODES, SUNDAYS @ 10PM ON ABC

Tumultuous relationships. That was the theme of tonight's episode. In almost every one's life we have them caught between a rock and a hard place with their significant others. Not that this is much of a surprise in this family because if there are two things they're bad at it's bickering and relationships. No one in this family seems to be able to get in a relationship and stick with it. True, Nora lasted in the relationship with their father but he was leading a double life. Should we really count that as successful? In many was it still was except in the big picture it was a train wreck just like everyone else's relationships.

So Julia decided to come back and finally Tommy is feeling the guilt he should have been feeling all along. As I've said before, Julia was one thousand percent wrong in leaving him and going to stay with her family in Arizona. More than that, she didn't always talk with Tommy or let him hear his daughter. BUT none of that excuses the fact that he had an affair and did so over and over again. It was nice to see Julia back and happy! I guess her time away really allowed her to clear her head and put everything into perspective.

Who else felt awkward for Tommy, Julia, Holly and Lina when Julia surprised him at work? I wanted that scene to be over as fast as possible; I hate those moments when you really don't want the truth to come out. Julia is a fantastic presence on the show and I'd hate for her to find out what happened while she was away. Although in the Walker Family I can't imagine this secret will be kept for very long. And Lina can't really be trusted, right? Look at this girl! She's out of control and as soon as she's done with Tommy she moves on to his brother?! WTF? That's more than disgusting, it's slutty - and for good measure, so was her work attire. Good call Holly. I understand being hurt after Tommy broke things off but to then hook up with his brother? Not cool.

Speaking of not cool, Jason is an ass. This guy professes his love to Kevin and then tells him he has to go half way around the world on a mission but thinks a lame excuse like "the cell phone reception is spotty" is enough to explain why he hasn't called in months? This guy wanted the best of both worlds - to go on his mission and to have a warm body waiting for him at home. Too bad Kevin saw it for what it was and broke things off with him. I don't usually agree with Kevin because he's so self absorbed but this time he was right for ending things. Jason was treating him terribly and Scotty has really gotten his life together. Plus, Scotty is there and clearly wouldn't treat him like that so why not get back together? It should be interesting when Scotty does come back one day and Kevin is still with Scotty...

As for the upcoming nuptuals, Kitty and Robert have developed all sorts of problems seemingly out of nowhere. About a month ago everything was going great. Now we have Robert lying about his desire to have children, Kitty's insecurities about his prior marriage surfacing, his children unhappy about him remarrying, and the campaign messing with their marriage plans. The truth is that Robert is a great guy but he's also a man with an intense passion for succeeding; so much so that his life takes a back seat. His ex-wife tried to warn Kitty and I think she's starting to realize she might have been telling her the truth. Maybe, just maybe, this is why Kitty needs to take to Robert before they say "I do." No matter what the cause, these two need a good and honest talk. There's so much they haven't been talking about lately that they need it or else their relationship will be doomed. And just as a side note, the whole Lyle Lovitt romantic gesture was completely lost on me. Who cares if you did this so long as you keep lying to Kitty about the most important aspects of your relationship? It was a cheap move and I'm not impressed in the slightest.

The rest of the Walker Clan seems to be finding some new and interesting relationships. While Nora contacted her "first," (Go Chevy Chase!) Sarah is being wined and dined by none other than Steven Weber. Nora was so cute as she went on a first date since her last date 30 years ago with Stan. I think he was right when he said she chose to marry someone with the complete opposite political beliefs because she wanted someone to argue with. She was a fierce soul and that's what she thought she needed; and maybe it was. But he's not that guy, he just wants to love her. She might just be the woman he wanted to love now. Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything about him sticking around for a long time though so I'm not too sure how long it's going to last. I really like his character and I hope they decide to keep him coming back though.

As for Sarah her non-relationship with Graham doesn't seem all that interesting to me. He seems like a very smart business man and she might be attracted to that because he is completely opposite from Joe. Even if she is, I can't see it going all that far. They just seem to be missing that spark. In either case, I think it's great that she's might be ready to move on although I doubt a long term relationship is in her cards just yet.

While the relationships of the Walkers are falling apart, the ratings are as great as ever. The show is a huge success and apparently the sophomore slump means nothing to this great show. There's only a couple episode left before the writers strike will claim its next victim so enjoy every minute while you can. Until next week, enjoy the review!