Having just sat through a double-dose of BROTHERS & SISTERS, I’m left wondering if anyone else thinks the show should is totally dancing around the obvious attraction between Justin and Rebecca. Yup, they share a dad, but they’re also the hottest couple this show has.But why do they have such a tough time writing for Balthazar Getty’s Tommy? Despite his wife being artificially inseminated by his brother, one of the resulting children dying, her packing up and leaving and his drifting into an affair with new-plot-device-in-town Lena, Tommy is still the most underdeveloped of the Walker clan. And I’d also like to see more done with Patricia Wettig’s Holly and her uneasy frienemy status with Nora. Speaking of whom, I’m sure that moment when Nora locked the door to prevent Justin from leaving was supposed to be powerful, but all I could think was how much better KNOTS LANDING, of all shows, did with a similar story. I’ll never, ever forget glamourpuss Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing demanded pothead daughter Olivia hand over her keys. “What are you going to do? Lock me our?” To which Abby replied, “No, I’m locking you in. With me.” And in that single moment, a character who’d often been wildly over the top was brought crashing down to earth with the rest of us mortals. Yeah, that was a detox I’ll never forget, as opposed to Justin’s instacure. Which I suppose points out one of my major problems with this show: It’s determination to rush every story to the point where things fly at us faster than we can possibly connect on an emotional level.
SAMANTHA WHO? continues to be a fav in my home. This week’s episode was probably the weakest of the season, and yet it was still better than any other sitcom on television. This year’s Emmy voters are going to have a tough task ahead of them. Why? Because surely even that group, notoriously blind to actual talent as they historically are (just ask fans of BUFFY, GILMORE, BATTLESTAR…) will have a tough time ignoring some of the great performances being offered up this season. Topping my list at the moment? Jean Smart.
