My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x02: "Brief Encounter"

Written by Molly Newman
Directed by Jonathan Kaplan

Nora: �You think I�m gay?�
Kitty: �Yeah. Aren�t you?�
Nora: �No, I�m not a lesbian, I�m a florist.�

Without a doubt the above quote comes from one of the most amusing scenes we�ve ever had on this show but as funny as it is, I just gotta face palm (Picard style) Kitty for a bit. Nora�s gay? The show barely focuses on Saul�s homosexuality, so why would they make Nora gay at all?

Of course, it�s all a rather stretched out misunderstanding. Nora spent too much of the time acting evasive about her new job, Kitty overheard and misunderstood a phone conversation and came to the wrong conclusion after she decided to follow her mother to a mystery woman�s house.

Also in typical Walker style, Kitty then decided to tell everyone her theory about Nora having a girlfriend before actually asking her mother what was going on in the first place. It�s the type of thing that the show�s done to death at this rate and while it was funny, it was also very stupid as well.

Kitty had the flimsiest of proof going and made a blunder. Not the worst going though but still pretty bad. Nora�s protests of her heterosexuality in response to Kitty�s false findings though were brilliantly acted out but the thing I don�t get was why she felt the need to hide her florist job in the first place?

There�s no shame in working in a florist, though realistically with a house like Nora�s, I�m not sure if working in one would keep her afloat but every little helps I guess. However, I do find this Zoe woman a pain in the arse and this week we only had to put up with her on the phone and it�s a little too contrived that Nora would bag a radio gig opportunity with Zeke in the manner she did.

Zeke might have liked Nora giving her children a verbal dressing down in public but I reckon he�d quickly change his mind if he made the mistake of getting on her bad side, which would be a likely plot point. I�m going to assume that Nora will take the job � if not by next episode then soon enough, because it�s definitely clear that working with Zoe is going to drive her nuts pretty soon.

As for Nora�s dressing down of her kids again, I agreed with most of her comments but I think the ones with Kitty were a little harsh. Kitty�s just buried her husband, I think she�s entitled to a little moping and to be fair, Kitty did spend more of this episode house hunting and prying into Nora�s private affairs than she actually did mope.

Also I do want to see Robert�s death affect Kitty. I don�t need scene after scene of her lamenting about Robert, but I don�t want his death swept under the carpet either. He was a crucial part of the show and there does need to be a certain level of respect attributed to him as well, that�s all I�m saying.

Speaking of respect, there�s a reason why I�m glad that Paige does not appear in every episode of this show and this episode sort of reinforced that point. She�s not the worst kid on TV but she can be a little annoying and her teen rebellion storylines aren�t that much interesting to watch. Like Nora, I also don�t think Sarah should�ve let her gone to that celebrity launch for Luc�s underwear either.

Some of those scenes actually focused more on the Walkers than women gushing over Luc, so I have to commend the episode for that but Paige getting drunk made me laugh because compared to the likes of Skins, it looks so lightweight and tame by comparison. I did like the later scenes with Paige and Sarah connecting a little more and it�s nice that Luc is sort of taking a Scotty type calm role within Sarah�s chaotic family world. For that alone, I will commend him as a character.

However when it comes to commending, I actually am finding myself oddly engrossed in Holly�s amnesia storyline. I don�t know why because in the back of my head, I don�t have much investment in her and David as a couple and now really is the perfect time for the show to get out of both of them but for some reason, this storyline is working.

Maybe I should cite it to Justin�s involvement and the fact that Holly�s lack of feelings towards Rebecca is both sad and kind of chilling. Plus, it�s also Justin in a noble type of role, even if he is desperate to be back with his wife but overall this plot is a lot better than I thought it would be.

As for the Kevin and Scotty segment of the week � Kevin, you dolt. I probably would have some similar mistrust about Matteo as well but without Nora�s powers of perception, it was blindingly obvious that the lad broke into Scotty�s restaurant because he wanted to reach to him and Kevin. Sometimes Kevin doesn�t really think and he�s usually one of the smarter Walkers.

I did like the later scenes where Kevin actually did listen and allowed Matteo to talk about his father. Also, even though I was surprised that Matteo didn�t end up living with Kevin and Scotty, I don�t mind the twist of him being sent to his grandmother. I think I really do need a few more episodes of Kevin and Scotty together without a child being added into the mix for the time being.

Also in �Brief Encounter�

We�ve been there and done that over Sarah being critical over Paige�s choice of attire. Remember Season 3, writers?

Sarah (re Nora): �Where would she go so early?�
Kitty: �Well, I�m thinking that maybe her bed wasn�t slept in at all.�

I had to laugh at Paige picking Luc�s suit, if only for Sarah�s reaction. Now that was one thing I did agree with Paige in this episode about.

Kevin (to Matteo): �You had a good lawyer. I can�t be your lawyer anymore, now I�m your victim and you�re about not getting any money. Intent is intent, so don�t think you�re so smart.�

Nora: �I�d love to go house hunting with you. Anytime, you name it.�
Kitty: �Tomorrow.�
Nora: �Tomorrow�s not good for me.�
Kitty: �You busy all day?�

If this show has jumped a year, surely Nora has to be older than 63, right? Also where the heck was Saul this week? I also found Justin and Kevin�s reactions to the idea of Nora being gay more amusing than Scotty accidentally downloading granny porn on Kevin�s phone.

Kitty: �Why are the police calling you?�
Scotty: �Maybe your phone�s tapped.�
Kevin: �Scotty, it�s not illegal to look at grandmas doing it.�
Justin: �Are you sure?�

David: �I can show you these and give you a sense of who our daughter is.�
Holly: �I can�t feel something I don�t feel. Sorry.�

Standout music: Simon Lynge�s �The Future�, which was played at the end of the episode.

Nora: �No, Kitty, living in limbo and avoiding the future is not going to help you one bit. Neither is inventing a fictional life for your mother. You need to take the first painful steps for your new life.�

Chronology: No specific time has been mentioned since �The Homecoming�.

�Brief Encounter� wasn�t a bad episode but it�s definitely not one of my favourites. The Nora mishap was amusing but the show has done funnier and I could�ve done without the Paige plot as well. Other than that, the rest was fine.

Rating: 7 out of 10.