‘Brothers & Sisters’: What happens in Mexico

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Unlike others that have come before it, last night’s ‘Brothers & Sisters’ season finale didn’t surprise us with shocking twists and revelations. Instead it reunited us with Tommy Walker and reinforced what we probably already knew, that Kitty and Robert still had work to do in terms of their marriage and that Ryan Lafferty wasn’t going anywhere.

After enlisting Robert’s help to locate Tommy, Nora finds herself in a small town in Mexico with nothing but a photo and the sheer determination to find her son. So what exactly has Tommy been doing for the last two months? He’s been holed up at a ‘selfless service’ commune fixing pipes and eating in silence. Call it his version of penance after his string of bad mistakes or a semi-effective way to escape his crazy family. Whatever his reasoning, it’s not enough for his dear mother, who also convinces the rest of the Walker clan to cross the border for an intervention.

Once Hurricane Walker landed, there really wasn’t a whole lot for Tommy to explain, though maybe it was because he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Tommy said very little — as he mentioned, he leaves the talking to the rest of the Walkers — but he did express his wish to remain in Mexico until he was ready to return (perhaps midway through Season 4 for another explosive two-hour episode?). Couldn’t he have just gotten on the phone and told that to his worried mother? I suppose if he did, we wouldn’t have been able to witness the silent cafeteria scene. It was a hilarious touch to have the family endure their first moments with Tommy in mandatory silence. Not only did they get to showcase their physical comedy skills, it also gave us a break from the bickering that came before it.

The Mexico trip wasn’t all kumbaya for Kitty and Robert. They agree to separate, but Kitty’s terms show she’s preparing for something even more permanent. Her frustration over always coming second to his career drives a greater wedge between them as well as shakes our faith that they can make it work. It looks like Season 4 will mark either an end to their marriage or an evolution of a complicated relationship. I, for one, hope they work it out; having both Sarah and Kitty as divorcees would just be too sad and pathetic.

Justin and Rebecca sealed the deal on their own on-and-off relationship, but was it me or did she come off a little crazy last night? Her impulsiveness and anxiety over Justin not immediately telling his family about their engagement — not to mention that insanely expensive watch she gave him — seemed manic and out of character. Sure, she once moved to Chicago to stalk her married former lover and hopped on a plane to New York to find David without telling anyone, but somehow, she didn’t have that crazy look in her eyes until now. It would be a little over-the-top if the normally rational and collected Rebecca was hiding a secret bipolar disorder — what is this, 90210? — but it did give me pause over whether her engagement to Justin was a good idea.

As much as I disliked Ryan, I do think it was a good idea to keep him around. You can’t just drop in a long-lost half-brother and expect him to go away with a fat check. Holly may be the show’s resident villain, but Ryan is tied to the Walkers by blood. There’s no escaping the consequences of that. The episode’s one big reveal involved Saul, who years ago had the unfortunate task of breaking up with Ryan’s mom on William’s behalf. Saddled with the similar responsibility of getting rid of Ryan, Saul shows remorse at possibly having something to do with her death and begs Holly to help him make amends — but at what cost?

Were you happy with the season finale? Should Kitty and Robert end things for good or make their marriage work? Are you glad Ryan is sticking around?

— Enid Portuguez