On Illegitimate Children, Secrets and Haircuts

Greetings from B&S Headquarters.  Brian Studler here, assistant to the lovely and talented Breen & Schapker – the writers of Sunday night’s episode “The Other Walker.”  I’m back, after three ugly days and nights of coughing up alien life forms, and attempting to deal with a backlog of emails and phone calls that are enough to make me pine for my sickbed.

Well.  It turns out that the ladies wrote a somewhat controversial episode.  My first inkling of this came at 8pm on Sunday night when, as I lay shivering and sweating with the on-set of a fever, my phone began to ring.  The east coast feed had just ended and friends and relatives were calling me to weigh in.  “I think that what Sarah did was unforgivable.”  “I think that Saul was completely right to do what he did.”  Etc.  Etc.  From Holly’s motives to Kevin’s hair, it seemed that every aspect of this week’s show has brought on a flood of division and discussion from all sides.  To that, I say... Hooray!!!

Now, I’ve worked on other shows that viewers cared passionately about.  Shows that sparked just as much conversation and controversy.  But none of those shows, and none of those conversations, were about anything that directly related to my own experiences as a person on this planet.  Except for that one time that I had to defuse that suitcase nuke in Beijing – but that’s another story for another time.  Brothers & Sisters feels real to me.  It deals with things that a lot of us have to deal with in our everyday lives.  And, like in our everyday lives, those things don’t always turn out the way we want them to.  And I’m pretty sure that that’s where the value of what we’re doing on this show lies.

When we talk and argue about an episode of Brothers & Sisters, we’re talking and arguing about our lives.  Love and sex and politics and family and jealousy and infidelity and betrayal and haircuts are all part and parcel of the way we live – and the fact that we can spark any sort of discussion on these topics (with the possible exception of haircuts) is, to me, something to be very proud of.  And, as we head into the final batch of episodes for this season, I promise you will have a lot to discuss.  And, just like a real family does in real life, sometimes we’re going to do things that piss you off.  It’s inevitable.  There are a lot of TV shows out there that more-or-less work from a template.  They give you a slight variation of the same episode, week after week.  And some of those shows are very satisfying.  But we don’t swing that way.  Robbie and Greg and the rest of this gang are far more interested in giving you something that has the unruliness and chaos and frustration and beauty of life to it.  And as long as we, and you, keep talking and arguing about it, then it will all be worthwhile.

By the way, Monica and Alison send their regards, but they are currently deep into the script for Episode 122 and I promised them that I would blog in their stead.  They did ask me to give props to our amazing cast – which only gets stronger with each new addition, welcome Emily – and a big shout-out to Gloria Muzio for doing a great job directing a very challenging episode.  And may I just add that Gloria rocks, and is as nice a person as you could hope to meet – in this industry or any other.  See you next time, brothers and sisters.

Comments

[Edison]

Thanks Monica & Alison for an excellent episode (as usual). As the oldest child in my family, the scene between Sarah & Nora really hit close to home for me. I know & have experienced the pain of being the oldest one & having a different standard than my other sibilings.

p.s
Whatever happened to the "Set Visit" entries? I really look forward reading those entries. :)

[Lee]

Still no word on who is going to play McCallister's brother?

That's disappointing!

[Kong Chang]

Oy-vey, talk about loving and hating the family. This last episode has sparked so much debate on many "Brothers & Sisters" forums all over, and even amongst the fans themselves. What was once a cordial fandom has turned into some nasty discussions...okay, maybe not that nasty...but wow, the debates are pretty high-strung...people defending certain character's actions or non-actions or whatever.

Now, this is what I call drama! And this is why I love this show and devoted my whole heart to it (okay, this and "Heroes," your adversary in the new series department).

Keep up the good work, all you writers over there in Studio 6! We want more of these types of "drama" cards you keep throwing at us...makes us excited and feeling the characters and stories.

And for god's sake, please tell us who got the role of Todd McCallister!! We're all waiting with baited breath. We can't handle the wait any longer. We're dying for scoop and info on who this third love interest for Kevin Walker will be played by.

And, oh, hello there, Brian! :) Thank you for blogging. This is a good update, we fans so desperately need.

KC
Maintainer of Luke MacFarlane Fansite

[will]

Brian: I am all for beauty & unruliness & the essense of life bursting out of the corners of my television set. Tennessee Williams wrote about this in the introduction to his stage play "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof": wanting to capture life on the fly, give us REAL drama, right as it was happening.

My disappointment on Sunday didn't come from "choices" the characters made or how Sarah & Norah re-acted to Holly's daughter. I didn't feel this provoked any authentic "controversy" at all. Let's face it. The storyline was fairly standard soap opera. Bastard children are a soap staple. I mean, it's passe (not that you shouldn't use it.). But THAT idea won't shake anything up or provoke the controversy in TV-land that a simple kiss between 2 men provokes. Even before the show aired I was rolling my eyes at the plot description: "News of William Walker & Holly Harper's illegitimate daughter, Rebecca, shakes the Walker family to the core." I could smell windy drama & a long night just from that sentence.

My diasppointment came in the quality of the writing. For me, "Brothers & Sisters" is the brainchild of a gifted playwright. It all starts with the Word. The script is the top of the food chain. The word rules. This may sound unreasonable, but when I click on the TV 10:00 pm Sunday, I want that synergistic magic that comes from bravura writers & actors giving us idiosyncratic characters - I want BETTER than real life. I want to get CAUGHT UP in a true dramatist's vision ....& you get a very special exaltation when the writing is top-floor (throwaway dialogue is funny & you don't quite know why, poetic sentences reverberate & it draws you into the action,... mood & atmosphere take over).

OK, I'm getting WAY analytical & weird for a stupid TV fansite.
But I wish the best for B&S. And to have a character like Kevin entangled in all of this....it's just a great thing. Maybe, just maybe, he can change hearts & minds. Because true art has the power to heal & the power to transform (And this country needs a lot of healing & transforming when it comes to gay tolerance).

[Judy L]

How boring if they had written it any other way. Way to go girls, keep us on our toes! I loved it.

[T Ann]

“The Other Walker” had to be the worst episode to date. I love Brothers and Sisters, but this episode left me with a bad taste in my mouth. What in the world are the writers doing to Rachel Griffiths’ character Sarah. I mean give her some edge that is fine, but turn her into a nasty human being with no feeling that is just wrong. I was so disgusted with the turn of events with her character.
Of course it is just so we can continue the “will this family business survive” saga forever. This has now left the family business in jeopardy of Holly either threatening to sell her shares or actually selling her shares to a rival company (especially since they have been mentioning this rival company in the last couple of episodes). Also, this probably leaves Tommy out in the cold as well.
I just am honestly tired of this family business saga. Is this what we have to look forward to for the next however many years this show is on? I am much more interested in the shows that have real character development and interaction. This constant “Holly is going to ruin the family” plot is just old. As I said before, I do love this show, but if every time the show starts to get some momentum I have to deal with another “Holly” moment I think I will just give up.
I understand that a big part of this show is watching these characters cope with their fathers indiscretions, but let’s hope that in future seasons we can move beyond this and stop with the “family business is in jeopardy” and the “Holly ruined our lives” saga and see what this show can really do. Also, let us hope that Sarah can some how redeem herself and pull her out of the ugliness the writers seem to enjoy putting her in. I like Rachel Griffiths too much to see her character turn into the wicked witch of the west.

[CeCe]

THAT? Was a GREAT blog! Your second-to-last paragraph is pure poetry, and could have come right out of my mouth! I'd quote the whole thing, but that would be obnoxious. OK, fine, just a few parts...

"Love and sex and politics and family and jealousy and infidelity and betrayal and haircuts are all part and parcel of the way we live"

EXACTLY! We feel so passionately about our B&S "family" because it is so REAL!

"Robbie and Greg and the rest of this gang are far more interested in giving you something that has the unruliness and chaos and frustration and beauty of life to it."

Well, we must have done something right in a past life or something. How did we get so lucky?

Thank you.

[mjj]

I absolutely love this show! Thanks soo very much for providing such entertainment. If you are getting a flood of calls from Sarah, Holly motives, right or wrong to Kevin's haircut; then indeed KUDOS to the writers , directors and actors. Great acting. Best wishes

[will]

For the Record.
I did not find much "beauty" in this particualr episode ("The Other Walker"). I did find quite a bit of melodramatic, overcooked dialogue with talented actors like Sally & Matthew trying to do this dialogue justice.

Blogger Brian: I must take exception to your comment, "Well. It turns out the ladies wrote a somewhat controversial episode." ...... While I appreciate that modifier "somewhat", I would like to throw in my $.02 & say this episode was (for me) about as "controversial" as an episode on interracial dating. "Bastard" children, thrown onto soaps to spice up the drama quotient, are so commonplace you practically roll your eyes when they appear. (I do.) I'm not saying it shouldn't be done: It all comes down to the quality if the scripts.

I like the girl who plays Holly's daughter. I like independent women who speak their mind. I just felt the script put Rebecca in too many false positions:

Rebecca: (in the midst of having "words" with her mother) Sorry about interrupting your mid-morning booty call. Maybe you should put a sock on the door or something.
And then telling her mom she was "sloppy seconds" & asking how much of William Walker's money is hers (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree I see). However, when she got away from the melodrama I enjoyed Emily very much in the final scene with Justin. Natural & ....lyrical? A nice change of pace from the previous "chaos" (My complaint was that most of the episode felt overwraught....just like Rebecca's dialogue).
Still a devoted fan of course.

[Kong Chang]

You know, speaking of haircuts, is there any explanation why Matthew now has a Caesarian haircut? And why did Luke MacFarlane (Scotty Wandell) get a hair trim/cut for every episode he appeared in?

KC
Maintainer of Luke MacFarlane Fansite

[e]

wow -- incredible writing, acting and production ... i'm stunned.

it's becoming more and more rare to find television programs with such talent.

please please keep it coming!

this is surely an award-winning combination.

[jilly]

Loving B and S! I agree, however, with the redundancy of Holly- let's move on! There's so much more for the Walkers to experience. . . Thank you!

[R]

Need to get back to some comedy, that would be nice. Something to make us laugh at least a couple of times.

Also, Will and Kong Chang really need to get a life or a job writing on there on show, this is not the place!

[josie]

I agree with many of the bloggers; stop with making Holly out to be some person with business acumen, if that were the case, why would she have waited so long to show her "stuff?" Obviously her "stuff"/talents lie (pun intended) in other areas. Don't insult us all by continuing to show her in the office, making demands and decisions, is totally unbelievable. And, I agree the one part that seemed believably that her dauther "didn't fall too far from the tree." That was the most credible part of the show.

[Zach]

T Ann, although I agree with you that this was not the best episode, I don’t agree with you that the writers did anything wrong when they had Sarah tell Rebecca who her father was. When you think about how much Holly had affected Sarah’s personal and work lives over the past few months it doesn’t seem too hard to believe she would act harshly. Besides, who are we to decide what kind of person Sarah should be? If the writers do their job they will tell us who she is. I have been wanting to learn more about her so I’m glad they finally gave us something. I’m not saying that what she did was the right thing for anyone to do but at this point we don’t know whether she truly believes that her actions were right. Maybe she would agree it was a mistake. Let’s hope the writers tell us whether she is a “nasty human being with no feeling” or just someone who makes mistakes from time to time (like all of us).

My main concern with this episode was that we didn’t get to hear what Sarah said to Rebecca and more importantly how she said it. That would have told us much more about Sarah (and Rebecca). For this reason, and because it was an opportunity to see the acting talents of Rachel and Emily it felt like a huge lost opportunity.

Regardless, I am looking forward to the next episode. Unfortunately it seems the wait will be long.

[Eve]

Ah,the writing!!! every real and honest emotion that would be felt by me or you is spoken by the characters in this show. There is nothing shallow about the story or its characters. Just truth. I hope nothing will ever cause that to change. The cast is blended to perfection. All we need are more episodes -real soon.

[josie]

Right on Zach. I agree that Sarah could have spoken to Rebecca in a wonderful way and that it would have been nice to hear that conversation. I can imagaine: "You must know that you have a selfish mom, well, we both have a selfish dad and we are paying the price of their indescretions; they were thoughtless, selfish and self-centered. We're going to have to figure out how to live our lives better and less selfishly than they did."

Case in point; when Holly ask Sarah if she had any idea what she (Sarah) had done to her and her daughter, that Rebecca's identity had been stolen from her by Sarah's comments; well, what about Sarah and the other Walker kids (and Nora); Holly clearly took their identity from them. I hope the writers don't begin to play Holly out as some innocent, helpless person who just fell in love with a married man; the poor me synddrome. If so, I'm tuning out--too much for me to ever believe!!

[Kong Chang]

Hello, "R" huh? I'm sorry, why am I being dragged through the mud along with "Will"? There are many others who write more than I do, and I don't give advice on story plots. So no clue what the hell you're talking about.

KC

P.S. Maybe you should reconsider getting a life yourself and stop complaining like a moron.

[Raquita]

i find the responses here interesting about Sarah telling rebecca. cause at my house we were all like "TELL HER!!!" i so would have told her - and I completely sympathise with Sarah in this case, and agree with everthing she told Holly.
Sarah is so just like me as the oldest child and I totally understand how she thinks - the writers are doing a great job with her.
Its not like Rebecca was thirteen, shes an adult. And Holly is too. You make adult decisions you live with adult possibilities and concequesnces. deal.

[Sarah]

Raquita---I agree with you that Holly in every way, shape, and form got what she deserved when Sarah told Rebecca. I also sympathize with Sarah as well and understand why she did what she did. I must admit that I might have done the same. But I have to add that I don't think it was necessarily the right thing to do for one reason: Rebecca, unlike Holly, is innocent in all of this. But that being said, I'm glad thw writers had Sarah do it b/c real life 3-dimensional people do the wrong thing, based on split-second decisions, all the time...that is what makes life, and this show, so interesting.

[Politics, schmolitics]

I enjoy the writing and storylines very much... but as long as you are going to the trouble of including a conservative character, would it be too much trouble to let her say something even once in a while that is authentically conservative? I figure that actually letting her make a vilid point against one of the liberals on the show is clearly too much to ask, but I really think it would make the show more intellectually interesting.

[Marvia]

I think B&S makes a great dramatic fun tv on a sunday night. I am not excited even about D.H. again! I hot it continue, gets even better!

[Joan Fehrenbach]

I love the show, my problem is, I understand the gay love, we get all that, what I don't "need" is to watch these two guys kissing every episode. It is NEVER acceptable so stop throwing it in our face. Makes me think maybe I shouldn't watch. Just food for thought