My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x22: "Walker Down The Aisle"

Written by David Marshall Grant And David Babcock
Directed by Ken Olin

Kevin: “I promise you, Paige is not pregnant.”
Sarah: “She’s got a boyfriend.”
Kevin: “You’re insane, breathe. You’re about to get married.”

And guess what – Kevin’s right about Paige not being pregnant but you could tell that if this show hadn’t the axe swung at it that would’ve been a future storyline for the series. Thank goodness for small mercies then.

Sarah’s wedding day has been long discussed and sub plotted in various episodes this season but the most amazing thing about the wedding in question is how it actually brought all the Walkers together and gave them plenty to do. I may never care about Sarah and Luc as a couple but I am grateful for that.

Kevin seemed to be mostly in his element as wedding planner, despite the little meltdowns he had with the missing cake but more importantly, we finally got a kiss between him and Scotty. Yes, it would’ve been nicer if it had been longer and it certainly doesn’t make up for the lack of affection between the pair of them this year but it’s still better than other kisses we’ve had this season, so there.

I loved the scene where Kevin was trying to initiate sex with Scotty on the couch, even if it didn’t work and I also liked the fact that Kevin was the first person Kitty spilled her pregnancy to as well. It was obvious that he got the wrong end of the stick when he was talking to Seth about it but I liked that he related his own parenting experiences into the matter.

As for Kitty and Seth becoming parents – this is definitely shades of Desperate Housewives with Lynette/Tom but it seems here that Seth’s fears are less to do with fatherhood and more to do with Kitty’s health. I get that Kitty’s excited to be pregnant but again if the show had not be axed, there would be some hard times ahead for her and Seth in relation to both Kitty and the baby’s health.

It was something that even Nora attempted to address and it’s a pity that Kitty didn’t listen to her. Kitty did however have the use for reassuring Sarah on a few occasions – on her relationship with Nora and the fact that Paige wasn’t with child and while I’ve had issues with Kitty not being so present this year, this was a nice use of her in the finale.

Speaking of nice uses, it was interesting that Brody’s youngest daughter would gatecrash the wedding to make herself known to Sarah. She seems like fun and a bit nuts at the same time. I wasn’t surprised that Brody had more kids out there apart from Sarah and I wasn’t surprised with the breakneck speed in which he and Sarah came to connecting with each other as well.

As for the wedding bit, apart from some stuff with Luc learning that his father was in financial crisis and Gabriella being more toned down, I liked the fact that it didn’t dominate proceedings. Sarah and Luc got married, we got the song and dance with the guys, which managed to be a lot less cringe inducing than I thought it would be and we didn’t get anything too sappy from Luc either. All in all, I’d say that was a result really.

As for everyone else, it was nice to see Tommy back into the mix as well. It’s kind of a shame that he didn’t have much to do overall in the episode but seeing him was what mattered. I don’t think this episode could’ve gotten away with not featuring him, given how important he was when the show first started.

Justin and Tyler – I liked the mature approach that he had with her marital status and it continued to cement his maturity but I also liked the fact that Tyler officially chose him. I never thought we’d see Tyler back on the show, but I’m glad she was brought back and ultimately, Justin is probably with the woman he was meant to be with all this time – no disrespect intended to Rebecca though.

And to cap it off, an engagement between Saul and Jonathan as well. Now that means the show has ended perfectly with everyone paired – Nora/Brody, Saul/Jonathan, Sarah/Luc, Kitty/Seth, Tommy/Rose, Kevin/Scotty and Justin/Tyler. It’s a little hard not to love that sense of happy ending to the mix, right?

Also in “Walker Down The Aisle”

Matthew Rhys and Sally Field are the only two actors to have appeared in every single episode of the series, which is funny considering they were the last to be cast.

Kitty: “It’s your wedding Sarah and I don’t want you to regret anything.”

As well as the song and dance number at the wedding, we also had Kitty and Kevin breaking into one when they decided to tease Sarah over her first boyfriend.

Sarah: “I can’t believe you’re here.”
Tommy: “You asked me to walk you down the aisle. Where’d you think I’d be?”

Saul: “I’ll tell you something, Kevin, I’m gonna call Sarah because you’re a wuss.”

Ken Olin directed the first ever episode for the series – “Patriarchy”, so it made a lot of sense that he would direct the last episode.

Kevin: “Okay, what’s going on with you?”
Kitty: “I’m pregnant.”
Kevin: “You’re pregnant?”

Sarah (to Nora, re Brody’s necklace): “This is it. This is my something old.”

Apart from Sarah, Brody has at least four other kids and possibly a grandchild from his youngest daughter.

Justin: “When did you become Jack Nicholson?”
Tommy: “I’m just your brother trying to help.”

Kevin (to Cooper): “It’s not funny. You’ll give me a heart attack one day and I’ll die. Live with that.”

Despite the fact that Paige, Cooper, Olivia, Daniel and Evan were all here, it’s a shame the show missed out on Elizabeth and we got one last phone tree as well in this episode.

Brody: “Your mom’s the love of my life you know.”
Sarah: “I’m literally having an out of body experience right now.”

Jonathan: “Oh for God’s sake, marry me Saul.”
Saul: “You don’t believe in marriage.”
Jonathan: “You do and I believe in you.”
Saul: “Don’t do this unless you mean business because I might say yes.”
Jonathan: “Then say it.”
Saul: “Yes.”

Standout music: Lots here to be honest – Honey Honey’s “LA River”, The Four Tops “Baby, I Need Your Loving”, Elton John’s “Mona Lisa And Mad Hatters” and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”.

Nora (to herself): “I think of this wonderful quote by George Elliot. It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

Chronology: Around May 2012, I suppose but not long after “For Better Or For Worse”.

As a series finale goes, “Walker Down The Aisle” was actually a great way of ending the series. Much as a part of me would’ve loved to see this series last longer and even though I’ll miss my weekly doses of Kevin and Scotty, I think this show had come to it’s natural conclusion and this was the best way of ending it.

Rating: 9 out of 10