My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x07: "Resolved"

Written by David Babcock And Gina Lucita Monreal
Directed by Michael Schultz

Kevin: “Scotty?”
Scotty: “Yeah?”
Kevin: “I love you.”
Scotty: “I love you too.”

Aww, isn’t that sweet? What? If Paige can gush about Scotty memorising rules, I can definitely do a little bit of gushing at the thought of Kevin and Scotty getting their marriage back on track, can’t I?

It can and has been argued that Kevin and Scotty getting back together after three weeks of separation can be seen as a little too easy but if it avoids having to go through several episodes of them repeating tearing each other apart, then I’m willing to take it. After all, it’s no more rushed that when Emily and Naomi finally buried the hatchet in Skins during their much longer separation.

More to the point, it finally gave Paige an episode where her presence was actually enjoyable. Instead of having yet another episode where she acted like a spoiled brat, Paige instead decided to use her debating into a vehicle of Kevin and Scotty to build bridges. Of course, Kevin was pretty resistant and for that, I cannot blame him.

I’m glad the episode ended with Kevin and Scotty got back together but only because in between the crossed words and avoiding each other did we get a moment for them to vent. Scotty finally got to say everything he needed to about his relationship with Kevin but accepted responsibility for cheating on him. Now that was pretty fair, wasn’t it?

Similarly, Kevin did eventually own up to the fact that he had been pushing Scotty aside and made the step towards forgiving Scotty. I do think that his family could’ve been a little more sensitive though – Kevin was hurting and did deserve to be angry but at the same time, I am glad that he got back with Scotty already. I have mentioned that, right?

This episode wasn’t as amazing showcase for both Matthew Rhys and Luke Macfarlane as last week’s one was but once again, Kevin and Scotty were the dominant focus and I was grateful for that. Apart from the obvious fact that Paige has clearly inherited her meddling from Nora, is it too much to ask for the writers to make the girl this interesting in every episode she appears in from now on?

Because the Kevin/Scotty stuff was the strongest segment of this week, it’s really a shame that everything else wasn’t as good. First of all, the stuff with Holly and David, I don’t mean to sound cruel but I actually didn’t care for it all that much and that’s being nice about it.

David’s not an awful character but I don’t have enough (or really any) emotional investment in him, so the bit where he was high didn’t affect me all that much. Also, it was rather easily solved with Justin not having to say a lot in order to get David to go to a meeting and sort himself out.

Similarly Holly getting her memory back should’ve been a powerful moment in the series but without Rebecca there or even some involvement from Nora; it didn’t really make much of an impact to be honest. If anything with Holly’s memory now back, perhaps it’s time that both her and David left the series. Neither of them really have a purpose on this show and it’s not like Justin’s presence is enough to sustain them as well.

Speaking of Justin, I’m not too sure about his new relationship with Annie. Don’t get me wrong, she’s actually a nice character and the flirting between the two of them was fun but I can’t help feeling that like Jack was with Kitty, Annie will end up just being a rebound girlfriend for Justin. Then again, I could be wrong. Maybe I should be.

As for the least interesting plot – Kitty vs. Sarah. Oh come on, show, you’ve done this better before and seeing the two of them hashing out their hang ups with each other was plain filler stuff and not interesting filler either. Okay, so some of it was a little funny but it’s little things like this that make me realise that the show needs a change of tack in some ways.

Another change of tack as well could be applied to Nora and Karl. I’m calling it already – this is not going to last, it never does. This show can give us Holly and David for two and a half seasons but Nora’s love interests never get past four or five episodes. I’d almost like Karl to buck the trend but I don’t see it happening.

However I did like the fact that others in the past, he pointed out that Nora needed to stop trying to fix her children’s problems. Unfortunately this is also advice that Nora will conveniently forget by next week, so technically Karl shouldn’t have bothered trying to guide Nora on that one. As for Sarah potentially buying into the radio station, now that could be an interesting storyline if handled properly.

Also in “Resolved”

Paige’s debate on detention was interesting with Kevin being for it and Scotty against it but I’m going with Scotty on this one because detention really isn’t that much of a deterrent for most kids nowadays.

Nora (to Sarah/Kitty): “Online blowout sales. Is this what your lives have been reduced to? Don’t forget about the photo shoot today.”

I actually liked the opening scene with Kitty, Sarah and Kevin doing online shopping. Oh and it meant that we actually got to see Evan again.

Kevin: “I don’t want to get into this now.”
Scotty: “Okay, when do you because I don’t know how many more times I can apologise or watch you come and go into your office completely ignoring me?”

Sarah (to Nora): “Did you really think my self esteem was so fragile that you needed to protect me from my own sister?”

Kitty thought of magnetic poetry. Okay, now there’s something I’m going to have look up again. Sarah and Kitty’s pasts being brought up were amusing, even though the latter’s seemed a little far fetched.

Nora: “I can’t picture you traumatised.”
Karl: “I can’t picture you picturing me.”

Annie: “I don’t mind you cancelling our date, I really don’t but you didn’t have to lie to me.”
Justin (re Holly/David): “Uh, Annie, I was married to their daughter.”

Annie was played by Odette Yustman, the real life wife of Dave Annable, so now we have possibly two off-screen couples playing on screen ones – Holly/David and Justin/Annie.

Scotty: “Kevin, I am here fighting for us. Can’t you see that?”
Kevin: “Yes I can but I’m scared to let you back in.”

Karl: “You don’t need a psychiatrist, Nora. You just need someone to listen to you. What you need is a friend.”

Standout music: There wasn’t really any that stood out this week for some reason.

Kevin: “Scotty, I want us to be better more than anything. Even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t have the time to look after me. Look at this place. I just wish I could prove how much I want to change because I want to keep growing with you.”
Scotty: “There is something. You can forgive me.”

Chronology: Three weeks since “An Ideal Husband” and neither Luc nor Saul were in this one.

Not as strong as the previous two episodes and apart from the Kevin/Scotty stuff, nothing else in “Resolved” was as interesting but it’s definitely a decent episode. I don’t think Kevin and Scotty’s problems are completely solved but they turned a corner in this one and that’s reason alone for the rating I’m giving it.

Rating: 8 out of 10.