A Tale Of Two Seasons

Goodness. 

Yes, I read your comments.  And no, I haven't been the target of so much personal animosity since I bailed on my weekly neighborhood softball game for the Brothers & Sisters team.  But I get it; I get it.  I haven't been great about updating the blog lately, and I did say feel free to harangue.  Now at least I know how it sounds.

Things here, simply put, are a little insane.  Because of this winter's, ahem, interruption, we're straddling the fence between Season 2 and Season 3, and this week, because we're a little low on assistants, the straddling process don't feel so good.  At least not to me.  But what do I know?

Here's the breakdown of what's doing at Brothers & Sisters:

1. We're shooting episode 215, "Moral Hazard," the penultimate ep of season 2.  It's a splashy story, to say the least, involving a movie theater misunderstanding, a controversial business deal and a car wreck.  Sherri Cooper-Landsman & Jason Wilborn executed the script with brilliance and aplomb, and Supervising Producer Michael Morris is directing.  You will gasp with joy at every commercial break.

In episode 215, an old "project" of William's comes to light.

2.  We're prepping episode 216, "Prior Commitments," the exquisite season finale written by Greg Berlanti & Monica Owusu-Breen & Alison Schapker -- though, at the urging of one of our most vocal blog commentators, the great Tennessee Williams took an uncredited pass at the script.  Ken Olin will direct.

Tennessee Williams struggled with Leopard, so we let him use his typewriter.  Outside.

3.  David Marshall Grant & Molly Newman are putting the finishing touches on episode 301, title TBD.  There is no contest being held to determine a title, though you are welcome to submit suggestions as long as your sole aim is each other's (and my) amusement.

4.  Sherri Cooper-Landsman & new co-executive producer Jennifer Levin are hard at work outlining episode 302.  That reminds me -- one of these days I'll interview Jennifer for your entertainment.  In previous lives she was a doctor and a point guard for the Lakers.

5.  Two of our other new writers, Michael Foley and Nancy Won, are working with veterans Cliff Olin and Peter Calloway on several scenes for ABC's annual Upfronts ceremony, which takes place in May.  Every year the network solicits scenes (usually of the humorous variety) from all of its flagship shows with an eye toward choosing one to produce for the event.  We think we've got some good ideas... but there's no accounting for taste.

6.  I am getting lunch every day this week, and when I'm not getting lunch, I'm getting dinner or coffee.  And trying to finish yet another draft of my pilot.  (I think I hear someone playing a violin for me.  Thank you, you're the best.)

7.  As far as I know there will be 24 eps in Season 3, but I've also heard 27. 

8. Working on getting a Bloggers & Sisters exclusive interview done with the lovely Emily VanCamp.  No idea when this will go up but I PROMISE you will enjoy it.  And I will get you a set diary soon, too, but if you're looking for gossip you're really looking in the wrong place.

That's all for now.
Love
Dan

Comments

[Scott]

Dan, thanks so much for all the updates! Sounds like the end of Season 2 will be very eventful.

Looking forward to the interview with Emily.

[Kong Chang]

Dan,

Thank you for the much needed updates and we look forward to each of the upcoming episodes!! Keep up the good work and keep us posted as much as possible. :)

KC
Maintainer of Luke MacFarlane Online

[will]

Tennessee Williams. If only! That cigarette smoke & that booze! Evocative pic.

See, Dan, your smart-assy crack, paired with the lovely photo, allude to an irreverent, cheeky side of you I truly adore. It percolated a bit in the Kevin-Scotty-Jason crustacean scene, but remains mostly unused in a B&S script in a serious way (in a series with characters that could greatly benefit from a flippant, astringent sense of humor).

I think Greg working with Monica & Alison sounds FABULOUS (super fabulous!). I remember a few years back watching then re-watching Greg's "Broken Hearts Club" on CD because the his dialogue was so fresh and fast and snappy. It left me ENERGIZED. I suddenly had HOPE again in art! (yes, I know I go off the deep end sometimes in my reactions) I hope THIS Greg Berlanti resurfaces for the season finale dialogue.

Dan, you know I only give you a hard time because I detect a punchy, unrealized potential. Not being explored, not taken advantage of. Frustrating.

If I may, let me wrap up with a bit of Tennessee Williams, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", very end of Act 3:

Margaret: And so tonight we're going to make the lie true, and when that's done, I'll bring the liquor back here and we'll get drunk together, here, tonight, in this place that death has come into... What do you say?

Brick: I don't say anything. I guess there's nothing to say.

Margaret: (she reaches for the light; turns it out; kneels beside Brick at the foot of the bed) Oh, you weak, beautiful people who give up with such grace. What you need is someone to take hold of you... gently, with love, and hand your life back to you, like something GOLD you let go of... and I CAN! I'm determined to do it!... and nothing's more determined than a cat on a tin roof -- is there? Is there baby?
(she touches his cheek gently. Curtain.)
---------------------------

It's that "something GOLD!" that I want more of in "Brothers and Sisters". We all deserve (as these characters deserve) beautifully cascading, effervescent dialogue.

[Muffin MacGuffin]

Short on assistants? I'm available!

[will]

Dan:
Your line item #3 welcomes us to submit suggestions for episode 301... yet choosing a title is difficult without knowing 301's content.

For some reason I have been listening to (and downloading) a lot of '60's music, so I have a headful of psychedelic song titles rumbling around.

"Love Me Two Times" would have been a great title for another Kevin-Jason / Kevin-Scotty episode, if only you'd let the love triangle play out longer (this is not a wisecrack by the way. I believe it would have worked swimmingly).

"Rainy Day Women" is Bob Dylan & would be a great title for an episode focusing on the Walker ladies ("In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you" is a lyric from "Mr. Tambourine Man", but, admittedly, would be a bit difficult to build an episode around; perhaps "Jingle-Jangle Mornings", focussing on a series of morning-after Walker sexual escapades).

Use "karma" as part of a title construct.

My favorite Beatle titles do not easily lend themselves to other artists' visions, but: "I Am the Walrus" is a smashing title. I'm not sure how this could apply to the Walker clan. Maybe Kevin & Scotty can take young Paige to the zoo & Kevin could spontaneously propose to Scotty in front of the walrus exhibition. Other Beatles titles for this zoo/proposal episode:

"And Your Bird Can Sing"

"When I'm Sixty-Four"
---------------------------

I need something further to go on to come up with more suitable titles! However, here are titles that have worked for me in the first 2 seasons of B&S:

"Glass Jumps" (original title for the less inventive "Mistakes Were Made Part 1"; vivid, with a hint of mystery)

"History Repeating" (this title has a nice literary quality & is definately not dumbed-down like many of the titles in season one)

"The Missionary Imposition" (that's you, Dan. Fabulous from the outside looking in)

"Double Negative" sounds intriguing

The following titles have a narcotising effect & more like them should be avoided at all costs:

"Something New"

"For the Children"

"Family Day"

"Something Ida This Way Comes" (this sounds like a bright child's idea of "clever" & is so busy it makes my forehead crinkle reading it each time)

[Linda Safran]

Can hardly wait till 4/20 to see all those Walkers, especially Lizzy! from Linda, a devoted member of Lizzy Walker's fan club (a.k.a. her other maternal grandmother in Baltimore)

[Lee]

Dan & Cole - thanks for the updates. Entertaining and informative.

As the season finale has yet to start filming, could you put in a word for more of (the very handsome) Kevin & Scotty in that fine looking formal wear from episode 214, "Double Negative"?

Just love to see all the Walkers all dressed up...especially the boys! :)

Lee

[will]

Dan,

A disclaimer. This is for OUR AMUSEMENT ONLY & is not to be confused with fan fiction.

Ok. Earlier, when I suggested the title "I Am the Walrus", and had Kevin & Scotty taking little Paige to the zoo and having Kevin kneel down & propose to Scotty in front of the walrus exhibition, I grew discontent with this action. It sounds nice, but too thin.

My percolating mind first envisioned teenage boys at the site where Kevin proposes to Scotty, throwing Coke bottles at the walrus, in an attempt to jazz up the scenario, evoking Tatiana, the 350 lb. Siberian tiger that somehow managed to transgress the 12 1/2 foot wall surroundiing her pen at the San Francisco Zoo & fatally maul one the teenagers.

But, of course, walruses aren'r going to transgress anything & besides, the only walrus exhibitions I could find online were located at a couple of Sea Worlds.

But anyway, no matter. The design & set people will simply find or create a walrus exhibit, because I remembered an episode of "Six Feet Under" where Nate accidentally takes some ecstacy that his brother David had forgotten about, hidden in an aspirin bottle. It occured to me that it would enrich the plot if Paige accidentally ingests hallucinagens (magic mushrooms) & begins to mildly trip as Kevin proposes to Scotty with a ring & the psychedelic "I Am the Walrus" is heard on the soundtrack.

More later.

(P.S. I hope nobody minds my hot air...just killing time before "Separation Anxiety")

[Moe]

Dan! Great to hear from you. Glad we're getting another blog. :) And I look forward to hearing from Emily. I would love an episode centered around the sexcapades of the Walker women, especially since I see a hint of Kitty and Robert doing nothing but for a while. I think we need a Walker women's night out (Nora, Kitty, Sarah, Becca...)

Titles? Hmmm. Something with "conundrum" in it? I've always thought that would make an interesting title. If you're going with a Tennessee Williams theme, howabout allusions to "A Streetcar Named Desire"?

[will]

Dan, Cole, everybody:

Ok. Titles.

I suppose that "Charm Offensive" is the type of title you guys are looking for (one of those titles like "Double Negative" that could have double or triple entendres). Let Sarah have a quickie-fling with a gruff, sexy, below-her-station, auto mechanic (we'll picture him as Marlon Brando in "Streetcar" since we are seemingly celebrating Tennessee this week). Sarah drives her red italian sportscar into a Jiffy Lube to get her oil changed, and.... see, the guy is "charming" yet "offensive"... hence.... but, Sarah becomes distressed when he invites himself over to the next Walker family dinner.

Or we could call the episode "Big Bang Theory". Actually, I'm sorry, I believe this title is taken already by a CBS comedy.

Ok..."Lattes and Loose Lips". Sarah can have her hot-mechanic fling & the title allows other Walkers to get in on the action as it suggests coffee, gossip, and frolicky sexual escapades (which are, after all, Walker family staples). Only Kevin & Kitty will be family members not "getting any", for whatever reason, and so they meet every other morning to b*tch & gossip & dish over vanilla lattes (these scenes always play well).

"Lattes and Loose Lips" will immediately be followed by "Herpes and Horoscopes."

Over the weekend I will try to take this assignment seriously & come up with a few inventive titles.

(Dan, thanks; your picture of Tennessee really cheered me up! He really is a fine & poetic writer. See, I am no longer bitchy & criticising every other line of B&S dialogue. Tennessee has magical healing powers)

Cheers everyone.

[ilovemylife]

jeez, I forgot "you" were here. A new episode coming up? Sounds good. Can't wait to see what happened to the Presidential campaign of Robert...although real life has kept us somewhat "entertained" what with bowling, snipers and John's slip-ups in Iraq... and on and on...

Hi! everyone!!

Fond memories of the show soon to be revived ~ way to hang it there! : )

Love and all good things...

[Moe]

The double or triple entrendes is a good idea.

"Jigsaw" would be one. (putting together or taking apart)

[Scott]

Just saw the ABC sneak peeks of 2.13. They are hilarious! Classic Walker sequence. I had almost forgotten how wonderfully this ensemble works together.

On a less gleeful note...I have to write again about the Rebecca stuff. I fully realize I may be putting the cart before the horse, and I want to reiterate that I genuinely respect this team of writers. Indeed, it is because of this respect that I am so baffled and concerned by what may be coming to fruition.

Based on the official press releases for upcoming episodes, we know that Rebecca’s paternity will be an issue and will be “resolved.” I felt I needed to write a letter expressing my deepest, sincerest hope that the writers remain true to the series’ history and KEEP Rebecca a Walker. (The verb “keep” is appropriate since making her David’s daughter would be an unmistakable change in the story. That was not the original plan, and to hold otherwise would be simply disingenuous, in my opinion. Listening to the DVD audio commentary for “The Other Walker” by Monica and Alison makes it is crystal clear that the show’s writers constructed this arc on the basis that Rebecca was a Walker.)

If you visit the major B&S fan forums (Television Without Pity, brothersandsisters-tv.com) or read the comments section on Kristin’s E! website, you will see there is quite an uproar over the possibility of de-Walkering Rebecca. I am not overstating things when I say that scenario is almost universally despised. And this is not an uproar based on simple storyline preference. Naturally, part of the process of being a viewer is knowing you don’t have creative control and sometimes the writers go in directions you don’t prefer with a given storyline. That’s how episodic TV works and I respect that.

But this specific uproar is materially different. It’s different because long-term viewers (like myself) who love this show and have watched from the beginning know the deal. They know that Rebecca was introduced as a legitimate Walker and her paternity was a total non-issue in Season 1 and remained so for whole year until a random interloper (David) all-too-conveniently came on the scene. They know of the many scenes of Walker siblings commenting on Rebecca’s resemblance to William, including Kitty who was flat-out floored by it in “Game Night.” They know that Holly’s motivations would only make sense if the truth was that Rebecca was William’s daughter, since the only thing she gained from confirming it was the near-decimation of her relationship with her daughter (and those were NOT the actions of someone uncertain about her daughter’s paternity; no way would she let Rebecca place herself in the vulnerable position of believing herself to be a Walker unless Holly was 100% certain of her paternity). They know of Justin’s famous line, “You want your DNA test? She’s hot, I feel nothing.” They know that a major part of the drama of Season 1 was grounded in Rebecca being William’s illegitimate daughter and how her mere existence affected the Walkers in powerful ways. They know that Rebecca has been treated as a real sibling for a full YEAR by all press connected with the show and even Greg Berlanti went on record last season affirming her status as a true Walker. And, finally, they know that to now hold otherwise would render a season’s worth of storylines a waste and seriously damage the series’ integrity. Whole sections of Season 1 would no longer make sense and would now feel utterly false. It would feel like a big cheat.

That is why fans all over the internet are expressing sentiments like they may stop watching if Rebecca is de-Walkered (and I don’t think it’s all hyperbole). The fact that a single storyline in a large ensemble series could potentially be a dealbreaker is significant. In my opinion, it’s because there is a level of trust that develops between a show’s writers and its fanbase. And that trust will be severed if the writers completely rewrite (yes, retcon is the word) the show’s history and pretend they’re not doing it. Perhaps new viewers won’t catch on, but many long-term viewers will feel betrayed by this cheap twist and will feel like they are being treated as if they cannot remember the events of Season 1. The writers of this show are bright, talented people and one of things I most appreciate about the writing is that it treats the audience as intelligent viewers. If Rebecca is de-Walkered, it will mark the first time my intelligence has been insulted in connection with this show. Such a “twist” would undermine so much of what came before and would be tantamount to a slap in the face to long-term viewers who know full well that this is a retcon.

THAT is why so many fans are "reeling" (to borrow Cole's word): It’s not because they are intrigued by this development, it’s because they intensely dread it and hope against hope their favorite show is not going to be irrevocably damaged in such a manner. (And this isn't even touching on the obsceneness of a possible Justin/Rebecca romance if she was de-Walkered. That, I'm afraid, would mark the end of my tenure as a B&S viewer.)

Of course…I realize that if Rebecca is kept a Walker, as she unquestionably should, that this letter will be rendered unnecessary. I realize that in hindsight I may come across as having overrreacted. Truly, I would love nothing more than to come back here and apologize for not having enough faith in the writers to do justice to this story and stay true to the series. But in this time of uncertainty and amidst all this talk about Rebecca’s paternity being an open question (and ok, perhaps it is my Jewish sensibility ;)), I hope you understand where I am coming from and why I felt compelled to express my thoughts about why there is a deep current of concern among the B&S fandom which any internet search would reveal. Thank you for reading.

[Colleen]

Thanks, guys!

Our long international nightmare is almost over! I'm with you in spirit as you wrap up the season, releasing butterflies at the fitting moment.

Can't wait to see our guys do their thing. They better not call it off at the rehearsal dinner. Or waltz to "Save the Last Dance for Me." Or "Chiquitita." Or become boring once hitched.

Dan, I love making up titles (especially in the absence of content)! So throw these against the wall:

What Walkers Do Best
Trifecta
Sing a New Song
Strong(er) at the Broken Places
Walkerpalooza
Scared Straight
It Takes Two
Speak Like Silence
Front and Center
It's Raining Men

Will: Thank you. I like "Charm Offensive."
"It was all a dream."-Snerk! (But you mean to start the dream in 2.02, don't you? No way I'm throwing out the shower scene with the bathwater, so to speak, or "ILY.") Aww, now I'm missing Suzanne Pleshette all over again!

Wounded Healer

[Colleen]

Oops! "Wounded Healer" is another suggested title. How did it get out of sequence? So much for my editing...

[sylviane]

Thank you, Scott, for putting so well into words what my fear is.

Justin and Rebecca are not my favorite characters on the show, but you writers make it difficult NOT to care for them. So I feel that if something would happen between R/J it would be just plain wrong. Doesn't matter if both of them are Walkers or only one them or neither. It ruins the relationship I have built up with them.

But I am very happy with the plans regarding Kevin/Scotty. I pray that things will work out as I hope. :-)

[will]

Colleen:

What do we have to look forward to now? Scotty coming out of the shower? I'm sorry, but a big chunk of the excitement factor has vanished for me. I find Scotty about as sexy as I find Julia (meaning, when Julia comes out of the shower, I just do a crossword & wait patiently for the next scene to begin).

I'm not as worried as Scott about character continuity (I know I'm in the minority here).

I just want to be seduced by decent dialogue. I want to be ASTONISHED by primo dramaturgy.

Seduce me.
Man-handle me.
John Guare me. (John Guare's a great dramatist; he wrote "Six Degrees of Seperation" & "Four Baboons Adoring the Sun", as well as the original screenplay for Louis Malle's "Atlantic City")

Something tells me that's not going to happen though. B&S characters tend to be placid. Instead of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", I'll probably have to settle for tepid kitty on the kitchen table.

But I'll still be here to point the writers in a better direction.

Dan: What about you "finishing yet another draft of your pilot"? Care to elaborate? (line item #6) That was kind of a hit-and-run comment.

CeCe, JoAnne, Ilovemylife (welcome back): Muah, muah, muah!

Scott: No use getting knotted up over Rebecca. If it's done, it's done (meaning, it's already in the can).

[Scott]

Like Sylviane, I am extremely encouraged by the Kevin/Scotty developments. I've been waiting a long time for Kevin to settle into something stable, so this should be very gratifyng.

Likewise, I'm really glad it seems like Nora is back at the fore. I felt like she had become inexplicably sidelined pre-strike. She's without a doubt the glue that holds this series together. Love Sally!

In general, I'm glad that the upcoming episodes seem to refocus on the *family* interactions. That's the heart & soul of this series, and I had begun to feel that much of Season 2 had become too splintered and the characters too isolated from each other. So on this ground, as well, these episodes looks very promising.

As is probably clear, I'm really liking the sound of pretty much all the upcoming storylines...with the exception of one. And so the one exception seems even more glaring against all of this rich potential, especially given its potentially far-reaching effect.

Will, I realize that the episodes that "resolve" Rebecca's paternity have already been shot. Nevertheless, as a long-term fan, I still wished to make known my feelings and those of other fans who I know feel similarly on the subject. We're all clinging to the hope that the we have an inaccurate picture of the storyline and that the writers do have an original, interesting story to tell that stays true to this show's history.

[will]

Titles, titles, titles....

Ok. Back to the drawing board. First, let's start out with a few Joni Mitchell song titles. I don't believe I can build an episode around any of them, but let's listen to the music in the words, listen for the poetry. I am setting a tone here:

"The Hissing of Summer Lawns"

"Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"

"Slouching Towards Bethlehem" (this is originally taken from a Yeats poem; and, of course, the famous Joan Didion book of essays)

---------------------------

On the Beatles' "White Album" (also the title for a Joan Didion book of essays), there's the great song title "Happiness is a Warm Gun".

So far, none of these strikes me as particularly promising for our wisecracking, rambunctious Walker clan (though, as titles, any of them are head over heels better than some titles we've already had: "Family Potrait" - note how the title doesn't play or maneuver or provoke or imagine...it just lays there, in need of resuscitation; "Affairs of State" - I don't care WHAT kind of wordplay is going on with "affairs", this is just one lackluster title; "The Feast of Epiphany" - this title has always struck me as dreadful, literate in the worst way)

Moving on.

Panic at the Disco's (or, when they still had the exclamation point in their name, Panic! At the Disco's) first album was titled "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out", a fine title by any yardstick (side note: any Beatles fan should get their new CD "Pretty. Odd.", which is eerily, wonderfully Beatle-esque, around the Sgt. Peppers period).

"Carry Him Over the Threshold" is a title I made up for when Kevin finally ties the knot with SOMEBODY.

I just like the sound of "Double Whammy".

Good idioms: "No Room to Swing a Cat", "Knee-Jerk Reaction", "Flip the Bird"

Oddest book title: "Bombproof Your Horse"

I'm trying to think of potential titles with "wine" in them, but getting a bit tired.

Dan: You know we all love "The Missionary Imposition", but I couldn't put my finger on exactly why "Favorite Son" appeals to me. Then I realized it's because of its reverberations with Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son". So, I salute you twice.

[Colleen]

Will, you rascal! I appreciate your heroic efforts to distract us from all the DNApalooza, which I ODed on weeks ago. Now, recite the "Serenity Prayer" with me, and go dull the pain with a QAF/USathon. It works for me. (Especially since you're now on record as not overly worried about character continuity. For there's many a shark between QAF's shower scenes, but also some decidedly non-placid characters and some lovely bits of drama.)

And let's agree to disagree on the B&S being placid. For example, my gal Sarah Jane does just fine, wet or dry.

Hi Cole & Dan! Please give us more Julia with Sarah and Nora in Season 3. And I'd love to see her real-life brother Walker as a guest star. Thanks!

[Scott]

Lest I let the Rebecca stuff overshadow everyting else, I wanted to say again how impressed I am about the upcoming storyline between Kevin/Scotty. As a gay man, I think everyone involved in such a momentous storyline should be extremely proud. Though I obviously haven't seen it yet, I have no doubts it will live up to expectations will send a most important message about equality.

Thank you so much for that.

[Miranda]

As a loyal B&S fan, I cannot tell you how excited I am for this Sunday to roll around. I have seen both sneak peeks for the episode, and they’re both so “toe-curling” good—I’m completely psyched for the episode. From what I saw, this is Brothers and Sisters at its best: the “togetherness” that we’ve missed, the meddling that is a Walker trademark, the balance between excited and romantic and sad and funny and nervous and witty between Kitty and Robert…It was great to remember why I fell in love with the Walkers in the first place. I am ever grateful to every one of “the powers that be,” including the writers, producers, directors, actors, and anyone else who lends to the Brothers and Sisters effort. For the past two seasons you have taken the consideration and have earned the respect of your viewers. I respect you all and your work so much.

However, in light of recent events, I feel that I must write something expressing my thoughts with the hopes that you will be reading this. And let me also say that I hope dearly that I’m coming to you within the next few weeks and apologizing profusely for not having the gumption to fight this unnerving feeling in my mind of what might be coming next—and for not keeping the faith in my respect for the show and these writers.

I have been a loyal viewer since I saw the first episode in September of 2006. I have watched—as have millions of other viewers—as we saw the story of the Walkers unfold. I have been there every Sunday night to see William’s indiscretions painfully known after his death: as Nora and their children learned to cope with not only William’s death, but the news of his affair and the embezzling from his own company. I was there to learn that not only did William carry an affair with Holly for decades; he also had a child with her. I was there to see Kitty’s reaction in “Game Night” as she saw her sister Rebecca for the first time—she was completely awe-stricken by how much Rebecca looked like her father William. Every facet regarding the story of Rebecca in the first season indicates that she is indeed a Walker. As have dialogues from Mr. Berlanti and the various commentaries provided in the DVD boxed set of season 1.

Over the course of the writer’s strike, and the period after leading up to April 20, audiences everywhere (fan sites, forums, TV Guide, etc) have had the opportunity to speculate towards the big question: What comes next?

Well, as Scott pointed out previously, we know that Rebecca’s paternity is in question upon the arrival of David, and it will be answered before the end of the season. I will not repeat everything he has already said—although I whole-heartedly agree with everything he has—I do want to re-iterate one thing. I, as a fan who fell in love with this show instantly and has only grown to love it more as the show goes on, will be irrevocably insulted if the writers were to choose to re-write the course of the history of the Walkers if not only for a little of that flavor-of-the-month ideology that has infiltrated so many of today’s TV-episodic programs. I have been here to see it all, and I would feel completely cheated if this “major twist” were to come about and rewrite the history of the show (Let’s not get on about the possibility of a romance between Rebecca and one of her siblings…).

I never questioned Rebecca’s DNA after seeing the reactions from Sarah and Nora and especially Kitty at the presence of her. There was such power in Kitty’s reaction upon seeing her sister for the first time. Kitty was daddy’s little girl—and the quintessential skeptic of Rebecca’s existence as a Walker—yet even she wasn’t fooled.

Sure. Sure, you can provide a major twist in the plot of Brothers and Sisters. Yes. Yes, you can decide rewrite the history of this show for every one of the characters involved. But in doing so, I hope you take into account the many fans who will feel cheated, whose faith you will have broken, and whose respect you will have lost. I would not be writing this if I did not care for this show so much.

I’d like to take one last chance here to quote from Mr. Berlanti in an interview with E! Online’s Kristin in April of last year:
"You know, she [Rebecca] definitely is, in fact, a Walker. It's not a fraud, and that's important to know."
Any long-term viewer of the show knows that. I know that. And I hope you all do to.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Again, I just wanted to make my feelings known on the matter also.

[will]

Mr Dan...

I MISS the quirky, goofy, oddball scenes that Kevin used to have with Kitty. Kitty has an obstinate & bullheaded personality and so does her brother (and the tenor of these traits seem to exponentially multiply when they're together). I really miss them bantering & locking horns, and then having the conversation devolve into dishy gossip.

That is a STAPLE of "Brothers and Sisters", damnit! It should always be on the menu! Sit Kevin & Kitty down at an outdoor sidewalk Starbucks or Coffee Bean and let them get their caffeine groove going and allow a long, unbroken 3-minute scene where they b!tch & flit from one topic to the next and where their stubbornness & neuroses & slightly camp humor freely assert themselves.

A strong cup of coffee will do that to you.

And, anyway, Kevin & Kitty are a blast to watch riffing on each other. It brings out their innate SIBLING-ness.

[Miranda]

I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Will. Kitty and Kevin are so fun to watch together. I hope we get to see more of them soon. ;)

[will]

Ok, I'm mulling over this title thing again....

"It's Groundhog Day, so Belly Up to the Bar".... is a silly, trifling title that'll have to wait till next season, playing up the fact that our Walkers will find any ocassion to drink, at least those not currently engaged in a 12-step program.

"Three Bridesmaids and One Sloshed Drama Queen".... continues the drinking imagery, Kevin being the lovable, slurring drama queen in question.

---------------------------

Hey, I was devising a title with Barack Obama in it when I realized that when season three premieres (end of Sept?) we'll be weeks away from a new president.

---------------------------

"A Bette Davis Movie and Duck Foie Gras".... is a title that perfectly highlights the absurdity of coming up with titles that are devoid of a context.