302 -- What'd you think?

Last night's episode, "Book Burning," was Co-executive Producer Jennifer Levin's first Brothers & Sisters script, and the 7th for Supervising Producer Sherri Cooper-Landsman.   Jennifer has worked on many fine shows, among them Felicity and Alias.  She also loves Trader Joe's almond butter and happens to be an MD.

 

What did you guys think of "Book Burning"?

Oh and last week's trivia questions generated a number of responses.  Though several people got one or more answers right, the only person who got all of them was Lee.  See below:

1.  What Hal Ashby movie did Holly Harper have a bit part in?  What was the part?

"Being There" - Holly had a bit part as the Senator's wife at the banquet

2.  What is McCallister's personal chef's name?

It sounds like Pietro (or Pedro)  [Pietro is right. --- Ed]

3.  Who was Steve Cohen?

He was the junior speechwriter on McCallister's campaign that was killed in the helicopter crash in "Bad News".

4.  Before "NewsRadio," what mindbogglingly brilliant Canadian sketch-comedy troupe was David Foley a part of?  

He trained with Toronto Second City, but he formed "The Kids in the Hall".

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WRITERS OFFICE STATUS
Breaking 315
Writing 314
Prepping 313
Shooting 312
Posting 311

Comments

[Sylviane]

3.02, Mixed feelings.

As usual the acting is good, but the dinner going bust is predictable, just the "Why is it this time?" is not. Though I agree with Robert (Yes, I'm shocked TOO) that the Walkers are adults and should "Get a filter", he did not read the book and could therefore not really judge IF and to what extend Nora had the "right" to be angry.

And Rebecca, early twenties, just a new house, just in new relationship, but still NO job, turning down 2 million dollars... yeah, well... what can I say?

I MISSED Scotty.
I loved Saul.
I hated Holly (Patricia Wettig is really good!)
And I am glad that Sarah seems to be getting more grip on her life again.

So in all it wasn't bad, but I am curious about next week, when I can focus on Kevin (and Scotty) again.

[will]

Hey, Dan. I started to type up reactions last night while watching the episode, but I was in a blue, nasty mood and I couldn't watch objectively. I'll try again later.

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oh, I typed up another Paige skit, but I can't tell if it's good or not because I still feel blah.

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A Paige-Nora-Kevin Dialogue

Still slumming in the Walker kitchen.

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Paige: Uncle Kevin, please take me to Copenhagen with you! I never go anywhere. Or Istanbul? I mean, I'm TRAPPED...! I'm languishing in Pasadena with all grandma's (motions with her hands) sautee pans and italian marble and all this bad architecture!

Nora: You're such a drama princess.

Kevin: I'm not going to Copenhagen, Paige.

Paige: (upset) But you ALWAYS go somewhere in the fall. (pause) Plus I need to get away from the carnivores and spend some time around my own kind.

Nora: Danes eat plenty of meat. Denmark is FULL of carnivores. What are you talking about?

Kevin: Why would I go to Istanbul?

Paige: You said you liked turkish men.

Kevin: Turkish....?

Paige: Or turkish steam baths. Turkish something or other. So I thought maybe you could take me to Turkey.

Nora: I just bought danish salamis a few weeks ago.

Kevin: (remembering) I'm married now. I should probably skip the turkish steam baths.

Nora: (to Kevin) Honey, since when do you like turkish steam baths?

Kevin: I never said I "liked" turkish steam baths, mom! I was free-associating! Paige and I were flipping through a GQ magazine one day, there was this really hot middle-eastern guy in a Dolce and Gabbana ad and I might have casually mentioned, "hey! I wouldn't mind going to Turkey this year!" or "a turkish steam bath sounds really relaxing...!"

Nora: You're vocalizing your middle-eastern fantasies with your 6th-grade niece? And you're ripping The Boy from Oz onto her PC?

Paige: Ooh! (distraught) I'm STUCK here. There's a big beautiful world out there and I'm stuck in this hick town. (pause) I've never been to the Louvre. Isn't that sad? I've never seen Michaelangelo's David in Florence... All I get to see here are pretentious tree-huggers surfung the internet at Starbuck's!....(pause) I've never seen the famous architecture of Barcelona! (pause) I'm stuck here helping grandma make stupid meatloaf and fruit medleys in this one-horse town...

Nora: STUCK? For the record, young lady, I am helping YOU make bland soy dishes and japanese sea vegetables for a vegan dinner that nobody's gonna eat ---

Kevin: Come here, sweetie. (takes her hands) I can't take time off this year. (kisses her forehead) I'll take you to Europe next year. Well go all across Europe. This year we're saddled with the Getty Center and Knott's Berry Farm I'm afraid.

Paige: Ugh! How grey! Knott's Berry Farm is beyond depressing... What a wasteland.

Kevin: You need to lighten up.

Paige: I need one of grandma's tranquilizers. (pause) America makes me anxious.

Kevin: You've never set foot outside of California.

Nora: Maybe it's time you got off the pity pot and got gratitude! Attitude: Gratitude!

Paige: oh, HA!

Nora: Don't "Oh, ha!" me, little miss.

Paige: (feeling discontent) You know... if we sold that Kashmar Persian rug in the living room, grandma, we'd be able to help feed 1700 starving Sudanese children.

Nora: Ok. March your condescending little butt out of my kitchen NOW, young lady, and I mean RIGHT NOW.

(to be continued)

[Debbie]

Who was the artist of the painting in Nora's home on the back wall in the kitchen? It had an orange river in the center and was a type of abstract painting. Also, the one when you showed Kitty's home there was an abstract on the back wall.

Loved the Justin and Rebecca scenes, they we're so cute in this episode. Keep up the good work. Generally a great episode!

[MetalAZNWarrior]

Fantastic episode! You guys are doing a fine job! "Brothers & Sisters" continues to be my #1 favorite family drama of all time. The writing is consistently terrific, the acting is top-notch, and it is just the perfect blend of drama and comedy.

I love the Walkers -- I want to be one of them. I laugh and cry with them. Continue what you guys are doing because it's just magical. :) This show makes my heart feel warm and it's very realistic, meaningful, and poignant. Just wonderful.

[MetalAZNWarrior]

Fantastic episode! You guys are doing a fine job! "Brothers & Sisters" continues to be my #1 favorite family drama of all time. The writing is consistently terrific, the acting is top-notch, and it is just the perfect blend of drama and comedy.

I love the Walkers -- I want to be one of them. I laugh and cry with them. Continue what you guys are doing because it's just magical. :) This show makes my heart feel warm and it's very realistic, meaningful, and poignant. Just wonderful.

[Paula]

OK they need to do something with Holly, please get her a love interest and/or a life. She reminds me of an evil stepmother. Also kicking Holly and Tommy might do some good of course Holly needs it more than Tommy. I admire Rebecca for turning down the money that shows good character, and what is the deal with Nora's house being destroyed and who get the money from the house being destroyed or does she plan to rebuild on it. I am assuming that she does because in the will she got the house among other things. Please someone put duck tape over Holly's mouth just for a little whole please.

[will]

Dan: One of my thoughts watching "Book Burning" Sunday night was to get peeved whenever the characters "struggled" with their feelings for yet another long-lost Walker child, Ryan.

The first time around (in "The Other Walker"), I distinctly remember thinking "wow, this is some cheeseball idea", but, of course, you accept it as a standard twist in soap convention and you roll with it. However, backtracking on (retconning) this soap convention into a storyline where Rebecca isn't the Walker kid, there's ANOTHER kid somewhere who's name begins with an "R" is just going over the cliff of plausibility. It's not even a fun bad idea! It's like when "All My Children" fans try to explain to you all 12 marriages (or however many) of Erica Kane and all the freak implausiblities pertinent to each marriage.

If you guys don't give me some straight-up FUN, I'm gonna scream. You're wasting these fine actors!

And I mean out-of-left field fun that sneaks up on you, that's goofy and INSPIRED (in a way that's integral to the specific actors & characters), that you don't see coming. I cringed through most of the dinner scene with the adoption lady. There were the usual dinner table shenanigans, the usual snarky lines meant to be cute, the multiple furtive glances among family members, the usual bubbly ("percolating") music that comments on the action.... Oh! we've been here and done this. It's like acid reflux. It backfires. It's an oldie but definately not a goodie.

I promise to never be needlessly mean explaining my reactions, but it's like you guys took a wet rag and wrung out all the fun and inspiration that you associate with the best of B&S. And what I was left with were the oppresive "tasteful" production values (the burnt cinematography, the glinting sunlight streaming through the windows) that glued all the humdrum action together.

[will]

Dan:

What I mean is: the fun shouldn't seem so manufactured. Remember the inspired bits of dialogue spread amongst several characters in the mexican restaurant near the end of the season 2 opener? Or Kitty and Kevin and Nora spontaneously calling the right-wing radio host at the side of the road in the following episode? These segments didn't come off as quite so packaged.

The "Book Burning" dinner table scene felt like one of those paint-by-number coloring books I used to work as a child. It's naggingly prefabricated. It's one-size-fits-all. It's pre-digested. The pieces and parts seem to be reassembled from previous successful comedy bits.

Actually, ok. I've made my point. I tend to overanalyze. But I prefer the comedy to be light and almost involuntary... knee jerk, off-the-cuff. Where you don't see the writers' staff meetings and calculation underneath it.

[will]

"Book Burning"

You know, come to think of it, maybe it would've been better if Justin came to Kevin about his relationship troubles instead of cornering Sarah. Kevin would've ended up being uncomfortable and saying a lot of screwball off-the-wall stuff and the scene would've played zanier and free-er. I noticed last season that Dave and Matthew have a good, loose rapport together (maybe it's just MATTHEW, though; he seems to have a good, fluid rapport with EVERYONE: with Rachel, with Calista, with Sally... I guess it's just whoever he happens to be paired against, the scenes zap into life...).

Oh boy. Holly/Saul scene where she comes "bearing gifts" (coffee and donuts... and asking questions about "Ryan"). I see Ron, comfortable in his role. Not a demanding or challenging role, but he fleshes it out, he wears it well. And Matthew fits into Kevin hand-in-glove. In fact, he's far more "Kevin" than most of the lines he's given to say. But... BUT....my mind drifts when Patricia's on. I think of other actresses who might make this role work. I GO THERE. Something about this actress and this role that chafes, it's not a melding. Your mind tends to wander outside the context of the scene. I end up over-noticing hair and lipstick - and my minds subversively rewrites plot....

Ok. I've just re-watched the Kitty/Kevin scene in the Walker kitchen where Kitty tells about "the book". Watch Matthew's face. He really does entertain. Light and sarcasm and nuance and flecks of all kinds of shades of emotion dance off that face. A pleasure to watch (I tend to go off the deep end talking about Matthew, I know. Just something so shimmering and luminescent about this guy when he's ON. Something quietly bubbling away, a BOUYANCY under those eyes).

No pop or fizz in the Justin/Rebecca thing. I suppose the overriding factor is that they're YOUNG and IN LOVE and this is supposed to somehow be enough to fill a screen. But I get perverse watching these two. Kept noticing how Emily had too much make-up on during the outdoor jogging scene. I LOVE how Rachel grimaces and says to Tommy, "He's talking massage oils!" while on the phone with Justin - and how Tommy grabs the phone and yaps away. They're such a socially incestuous family, completely in each others business, which is fun, which is the running gag.

All right. I'm at the Holly/Rebecca scene (the I'm-giving-you-2-million-dollars-now-you're ready scene... the you're-just-buying-my-love-you-never-do-anything-without-ulterior-motives! scene). Ok. Whatever. Ho hum. Patricia is not so bad here I suppose. Emily's dialogue is needlessly sarcastic. We can always focus on the burnished cinematography if all else fails, the TASTEFUL production values... watch the stream of sunshine glowing, filtering into the room....

I give it to the set people. Nora actually looks like she lives in that house. The kitchen is nicely cluttered for a change. I like mess. But it's still warm and homey.

Rob Lowe's underplaying and less-is-more thing really works. He makes a virtue of his introspection. God knows with Matthew delightfully chewing the scenery and Calista with all her Sandy Dennis-like quirks and grimaces and halting speech patterns and bells and whistles going off in her facial contortions... well, it's nice to have some sanity around. Rob's a great, steady anchor here.

Geez. Not even halfway done with the episode. This thread is getting long. Ok, MORE LATER!

[Karen]

The show is much sharper this year and the writing quite good.
I agree about the cliche of Ryan though. I also think turning Holly into an unredeemable cow is also a cliche.
And it seems that whenever Kitty and Nora fight, they have an inevitable "make nice" scene with tears, etc.
I love the banter among the characters and please use Rachel Griffiths more, her and Sally are by far the best actors on the show.
Oh and how is it that Robert is going to adopt a child, when he pays no attention whatsoever to his own kids.
And finally, not sure what's up with the fellow writing the Paige-Kevin dialogue a few comments up, but not really seeing the point of it.

I appreciate this venue to express my opinion as a fan of the show. That's rarej.

[Ana]

This is the best show in history. So many mixed feelings I love it. ABC has to keep up the work as well as the actors.

[Sim]

What's happening with Writer's Room? Is it coming back?

[will]

"Book Burning" (2)

You know, to extrapolate on this dinner table scene: it is so broadly played. Kevin is seen taking a bite of food while his eyes begin to widen, Sarah hacks and quickly washes her bite down with wine, Julia spontaneously excuses herself; Nora furtively sniffs at her fork; Sarah, Justin and Kevin are seen in a row with green cloth napkins to their noses and mouths.

This is all very kooky, but the topper comes when Nora slams a drink into adoption lady Carla's lap, a ploy, a preventive, to stop her from getting a biteful of food, working on the assumption that an uncomfortable lapful of alcoholic beverage is preferable to a sane family member saying, "hey, lady, I'm sorry, better not eat that - it's overspiced".

This is what I mean by manufactured kookiness. It doesn't spring from the characters. It's not inherent to any character's psychological make-up. The kooky is just sort of a zany mishap grafted on.

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There used to be a show in the '70's and early '80's called "Alice". I was at a friend's house recently and she owned a boxed set of "Alice". We watched an episode where Mel (the diner owner) was having gambling problems. He just couldn't stop placing bets. Then, all the sudden, he decides to stop cold turkey. Which turns out to be a struggle. In a show of support, the waitresses (Alice, Vera, Flo) decide to give up an addiction also, a way of helping Mel kick his habit: Alice gives up smoking, Flo gives up coffee, etc. Thoughout this episode, Alice is shown JONESING for a cigarette, although she'd never smoked very much in previous episodes. Flo was madly jonesing for a cup of coffee. All three waitresses, in other words, had developed full-blown "addictions" for ONE EPISODE, all for the sake of a plot point.

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I want to see some real comedy, long protracted segments, that spring solely from the characters' personalities, that feed only off their individual neuroses and individual psychological plumbing. Kitty is, after all, a scattered, neurotic chick who, deep down, seems to suffer from an inferiority complex and overcompensates by overacheiving - a personality trait that might also be ascribed to her brother Kevin.

These are funky characters with funky personalities. The comedy is who they are are how they interact. Use THAT more - and less grafted-on situational mishaps. It makes for funnier stuff.

More later....

[will]

Ok. I'll finally try to polish off this episode. Dan, you and some of the other writers at B&S who've been around the longest will be kindly allowed to pay my rent should I get fired from this job for my constant posts.

"Book Burning" (3)

Dinner is finished, adoption lady has left, and Kitty is defending herself against agitated family members who've read her tell-all book ("The book isn't about ANY of you! You represent archetypes of american voters, did you not understand that?!"... Kitty's admonishment rings very hollow by the way. Kitty herself represents the only stab at political diversity in this family of unabashed limousine libs).

There is a heated exchange at this point between Kitty and Nora that's sort of a showcase for Sally, mostly, the two actresses cut loose, yet in a very reserved way. This show can sometimes feel suffocatingly genteel (along with that tasteful cinematography). Let Nora pick up a biscuit or a plate and FLING it, damnit! Let her fly off the handle! Do something out of character and irrational! I've seen Merchant-Ivory Productions that were less genteel. Give these actresses more GRIST. These arguments are becoming like packaged, staged, stock segments. It's "SALLY'S MOMENT!"... or it's "CALISTA'S MOMENT"... Screw the freaking "moments" guys! Catch LIFE in your butterfly nets - not dissociated "moment" over here to be exploited and that "moment" there.... the camera set-ups should become FLUID. Everything seems to come to a standstill while certain actresses are arranged and given "moments". All the rest of the cast at the table stops and mutely observes. There are static camera compositions as the actors act. This is supposed to be LIFE! I get frustrated with these television conventions! Robert Altman would never allow these "okay, you talk!"..."now YOU talk!"...."now, come on, SHINE!, it's your moment, Sally! hit your mark" nonsense. Robert Altman would have overlapping bits of dialogue and characters in the back overheard and life happening behind them, messy reality, recognizable emotions, all with a fluid camera (his camera just happened to be there to CATCH IT!).

All right. This isn't going well. Sorry. I am belaboring points and still only two-thirds in....

Later.

[Nikki]

I noticed that there was a lot of takes for the scence of rebecca and her boyfriend when they were at the hotel because her hair was in front of her ear and then without her putting it behind her ear it was behind her ear. I think that the editors should have noticed that and changed it.

[will]

Dan the man:

I hope you write up a stimulating blog-note for Sunday night's "Tug of War" (& before Sunday night!). Ungraciously, we were all thrown under the bus last week.

No blog-diary for "Book Burning" - with the usual personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes gossip - was entered until after the fact. And, even then, we were treated only to a terse, cursory comment. (Jennifer Levin's liking for almond butter notwithstanding).

[Jon]

I guess I am in the minority here but felt that this was one of the poorest episodes. Missing Scotty too!

[will]

Sign of the Times

I saw this short article from the Associated Press this morning while scanning some new sites and wanted to share it with everyone:

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NYC National Debt Clock runs out of digits

Wed Oct 8, 10:03 PM ET

NEW YORK - In a sign of the times, the National Debt Clock in New York City has run out of digits to record the growing figure.

As a short-term fix, the digital dollar sign on the billboard-style clock near Times Square has been switched to a figure — the "1" in $10 trillion. It's marking the federal government's current debt at about $10.2 trillion.

The Durst Organization says it plans to update the sign next year by adding two digits. That will make it capable of tracking debt up to a quadrillion dollars.

The late Manhattan real estate developer Seymour Durst put the sign up in 1989 to call attention to what was then a $2.7 trillion debt.

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[Kevin]

Fantastic writing again, fine acting and strong script~ Hope to see more mishaps between the Walkers. its brilliant~ Cant wait to see more of the walkers every Sunday~

[matt]

I continue to really like the show.
I think this episode was fine; where the writing was lagging the actors picked it up (ie. the dinner scene where Mccallister was cutting into all the loved-ones. Nora gave it the weight we needed to be able to buy into the whole argument).

I think the discussion of what to do about Ryan is something we've seen before. It's getting loopy. It's a plot device which has already been maxed out in the first and second seasons.

I miss humor. It allows us to really rally behind the family because of their joy and bonds. Left without the spontaneous quirks and humorous scenes, it's difficult to invest ourselves when things get rocky.

What was fun about the first two seasons was seeing how characters outside of the family effected the family unit (Rebecca, the Senator's family, Scotty at first, Nora's pot friend, the Joneses, etc). Now that Rebecca and Scotty are a part of that unit, they should be effected likewise by some new characters. I'm sure even though Scotty and Kevin are finally in a union the discrimination doesn't stop...(I found Scotty's parents really intriguing.)

Raise the stakes and bring in some fresh sparks and catalysts. I really think if the Ryan storyline keeps getting drug out it's going to burn out. Also Holly is becoming one dimensional. Let us see deeper within her, perhaps the flawed reason she acts the way she does with the Walkers.

Over-all, it's a good show and continues to be a favorite. Just continue to let us know how much we can relate to the Walkers.

[jolande]

best line of the whole episode
be an adult..... get a filter. loved it!!!

[will]

The Connecticut Supreme Court has just legalized gay marriage this afternoon (4-3 ruling, just like in California).

All Californians: get out and vote NO ON 8 on election day.

[TBMeow]

Late to comment here for last Sunday's ep but just rewatched.
Good ep. I've liked the first two eps this season in that we have gotten a lot of the family altogether. (Going to get harder with the family growing. That's still my biggest complaint - too many characters.)

My favorite so far this season was Robert standing up to Nora. What a scene! Two of my all-time favorites - Sally Field and Rob Lowe yelling at each other - I mean in a great scene together.

I agree with the comment above about RL:
"Rob Lowe's underplaying and less-is-more thing really works. He makes a virtue of his introspection."

It's great up against the out there Walkers always sharing their feelings as Robert points out in his outburst.
Rebecca actually says it later to Justin - "Robert is usually so composed."

And the great line "get a filter!" Good to hear even though it isn't going to happen with this family on this show.

I agree. Good writing and good acting all around.

[laurat]

Please tell me I'm missing something. Justin and Rebecca are half sibs and contemplating having sex. I must have missed something.