The circle of life and all its complex, symbolic undertones were on display on Brothers & Sisters, which saw Nora and Saul struggling to deal with their elderly mother while several characters awaited word anxiously on whether they will soon become parents themselves.

In "Where There's Smoke..." Nora's mom Ida lit a fire under her like she always does. Hit by a car and suffering an ankle injury, Ida actually has bigger problems.

Dementia. The doctor says that she must be kept in 24-hour care, as she is too disoriented to be left alone. Nora asks her to come live with her, but Ida declines.

Impatient waiting for Michelle's test results, Scotty and Kevin go to see a psychic named Miss Nadine... who says she foresees new life and a thick cloud of smoke.

All we're envisioning is the Smoke Monster from Lost.

Don't pack those bags just yet, Luc ...

Michelle isn't the only one whose pregnancy hangs in the balance - it turns out Sarah may be too. Luc is headed back to France the next day, so that's unfortunate.

You knew she wasn't going to be, though, and this was merely a vehicle to bring them closer together. Which it did. Luc says they'll make it work no matter what.

Scotty and Kevin receive a double whammy in the form of Miss Nadine's predictions when Ida almost burns the house down and they hear Sarah's maybe-news.

Sarah, Luc, Kevin and Scotty are all overwhelmed with their baby issues for different reasons and clearly on edge, which is wonderfully uncomfortable to watch.

A baby will force them to stay together, he says, which did not strike us as something Sarah would want to hear (gee, thanks), but it's all moot in a few moments.

Sarah's pregnancy test comes up negative, at which point Luc does some serious backtracking and says he know they're meant to be because. Somehow it works!

Then, even bigger and better news arrives, via letter for Luc. He was part of a lottery for green card applicants. The man has just won the green card lottery! Holla!

Meanwhile, the phone rings and Michelle gives Kevin and Scotty the news - she’s pregnant, which is awesome, even if we expected it all along. Got names yet, guys?

Ida knows she’s deteriorating, but wants Nora to allow her the dignity of making her own choices before it’s too late. Terrific acting by Sally Field and Marion Ross.

Two scenes in particular stood out - Saul admitting that his supposedly close relationship with Ida is all based on lies, and when Ida mistakes Nora for an old friend.

A photo from the scene filmed more than a month ago.

While slightly cheesy that she spoke of Nora's kids to Nora, complimenting Nora unknowingly on her parenting, it was still sweet, as she'd never admit as much.

Then we have the slllllllowly unraveling mystery of Robert's job, which is starting to rival the Narrow Lake situation in terms of being dragged out painstakingly.

Kitty discovers that Robert's heart issues may not have been why he didn't get it. A man named Joe Rawling had him blackballed ... by why? Robert is still cryptic.

Here's where it gets really interesting. One of Justin’s buddies from in Iraq was killed in action. At the funeral, he has a reflective chat with Robert at the cemetery.

Robert understands how he’s feeling, and meets Joe Rawling again. The one thing he told Kitty was that he was being asked to do something for his country.

At the end, Robert says he’s changed his mind. He’s in. For what, we have no idea, but we suspect it won't end well, given the Brothers & Sisters spoilers we've read.

What did you think of last night's Brothers & Sisters? How great was Nora? Will Luc stick around for good now? What is Robert up to? Comment away!

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.