Rachel Griffiths and Sally Field in "Brothers & Sisters"
courtesy of ABC
“Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)

Nothing that happens on ABC’s family drama “Brothers & Sisters” is ordinary, and that has certainly been the case with the family this year. We have seen each individual member of the Walker clan go through one crisis after another. Sometimes it gets a little tiring but thanks to a remarkably talented cast it is always entertaining. 

The matriarch of the family is Nora (Sally Field), a widow of a few years who found out her husband was a philanderer. To add insult to injury he left his mistress Holly (Patricia Wettig) a big share of the family business and a possible child, Rebecca (Emily Van Camp). After a few weeks of guessing at her parentage it turns out Rebecca was not William Walker’s daughter, but this year we found out he might have had a son no one knows about.

Then there is Kitty (Calista Flockhart). She and her husband Robert (Rob Lowe) are having trouble conceiving a child so they have decided to adopt. But after they find a woman who wants them to have her child, she changes her mind. What baby these two will end up with is anybody’s guess.

Sister Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) is out of a job and out of a marriage. Divorced and needing work she joins forces with two computer nerds. This whole storyline is a waste of Griffiths talents and should be abandoned as quickly as possible.

Tommy (Balthazar Getty) is fast becoming one of the most interesting characters. He is still in business with Holly but is finally seeing her true character. Watching them heading for a confrontation is lots of fun.

A lot of the time you feel there is just too much going on in the show and you wish for a little calm, but whenever the big family moments arrive you know you were right to hang in there. Here’s hoping those “family moments” are numerous when the show returns to Sunday nights at 10 on ABC in January.

No show that has Sally Field in the lead could be a total waste and she is very good in this one. Television has saved another fading Hollywood career and rightly so. She is a very talented actress and she needs to be seen.

If you haven’t been a “Brothers & Sisters” watcher in the past, jump in when the show returns in January. It doesn’t take long to see who is who and what is what.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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