Brothers & Sisters

There's no new Brothers & Sisters this week, but when the show returns a week from Sunday (November 30) it sure looks like the drama will make up for lost time.

In ABC's promo for the episode, Rebecca mulls what to do about her pregnancy (a continuation of what we saw in "The Wine Festival"), namely how to tell Justin.

We suspect the truth will come out at dinner in typical Walker fashion. Awkward! Meanwhile, Nora and her younger man get hot and heavy. Even more awkward!

As for what happens to the company - and Holly, financially - after Ryan sabotaged the new wine, that remains to be seen. We hope that little punk gets his, though.

Here's a preview of the upcoming episode, entitled "Pregnant Pause" ...

As we noted earlier in our review of "The Wine Festival," there's a lot going on with the Walker family these days, from life-changing decisions to critical business dealings.

Below, our staff members analyze and discuss some of last night's developments in our Brothers & Sisters Round Table. Here's our panel's take on some key topics:

1. What was your favorite Brothers & Sisters quote from the episode?

The Barnacle: Any exchange between laissez-faire Scotty and OCD Kevin re: the egg donor. You knew they would approach it that way. Love that Kevin came around.

Dr. Shepherd: Robert telling Kitty that he loves her for reasons that have nothing to do with her hair. I would watch the show if it focused solely on Robert's political career, but was great to see their story line focus only on their love/marriage for a change.

M.L. House: Nora's "this is the box I live in" speech to Simon. You go, girl!

2. Were you sad to see Luc go back to France?

M.L. House: They had great chemistry, no doubt about it, but they were too different, from their culture to what motivates them in life. All good things come to an end.

Dr. Shepherd: Very. I loved how Sarah tried to see things from his point of view and really wanted to make it work. Disappointing that he didn't reciprocate the effort.

The Barnacle: Eh, not too sad. Since I knew from all the Brothers & Sisters spoilers that Gilles Marini wasn't sticking around, I found it hard to get too attached to Luc.

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There were six separate story lines intertwining on Brothers & Sisters last night, which always seems appropriate for such a huge family. Also appropriately, some ended well, some did not, while some featured plenty of drama and some none at all.

A lot like real life. Click here for a full recap of "The Wine Festival." Below, we've written a brief review of each of the characters' story lines and why they worked or didn't ..

Kitty & Robert: Kitty's rocking a shaggy, blonde wig these days and Robert is all over that. She worries it's all about the wig, and that he's pretending she is someone else.

But he's not. When she shows him her bald head as a test, he doesn't bat an eye. He loves her for so many reasons that have nothing to do with her hair, he says. Swoon.

Sarah & Luc: Sarah wants Luc to design the label for the Walkers' new wine. Because he is so laid back, he can't fathom why she wants him to commercialize his talent.

Sarah being Sarah, she asks where this is going, how he will get a visa to stay in the U.S., etc. Luc being Luc, he paints ... to paint. He doesn't want her to be his agent.

In the end, she tells him she loves him and will support him no matter what. But he goes back to France anyway. Bad move, Luc. You don't know what you're missing.

Gilles Marini's run came to an end last night as Luc returned to France.

Kevin & Scotty: They're researching the perfect egg donor. Predictably, Scotty wants a healthy kid and that's it, while Kevin goes OCD trying to craft the perfect child.

Saul puts it in perspective with a great metaphor: Like wines, all children are unique, unpredictable and shaped by their caretakers. Kevin lets Scotty pick at random.

Nora & Simon: Our favorite story line of the night, and one you don't see addressed on other shows: Widowed mother of five Nora struggling on the dating scene.

She and Simon are going well, but the age difference clearly bothers her. He tells her it's not going to work as long as she lives in a safe little box. That one hurt.

In one of our favorite Brothers & Sisters quotes, Nora insists to Simon that she doesn't live in a safe little box, but she could embrace more of his attitude as well.

Justin & Rebecca: Justin is stressed over a med school test and can't make time for Rebecca. She can't find the time to tell him she's pregnant. He's, like, so busy.

Please. You're marrying the guy. He has a right to know. Okay, so he said he doesn't want kids three weeks ago. That'll change in two seconds. Man up, Rebecca!

The Walkers' wine won big ... until shady Ryan ruined everything.

Saul, Holly & Ryan: After Saul actually loves the new, inexpensive wine and wants to enter it in the local wine festival, Holly is thrilled. This is her last chance to succeed.

She's even more excited when it does really well, and it's looking like her business and personal financial prospects are finally turning around. But Ryan is not as thrilled.

He wants the company to fail, after all. The annoying little sleaze.

After the success of the festival, Ojai is planning to roll out the wine ASAP. But Dennis York tells Ryan if they do, he'll never gain control of Ojai. Ryan needs to fix this, now.

Oh, and fix it he did. Holly and Saul find all the wine drained out of its tanks. Holy crap. Kid better skip town and change his name. It's gotta be obvious who did it, right?

Seriously, that's got to be at least somewhat difficult to pull off, right? This isn't just a box of Franzia where you leave the tap open. Oh, and are there no cameras in there?

Logistical plot holes aside, it was a solid story and episode.

Tommy Walker was a key character on Brothers & Sisters until the end of last season, when he went off the deep end professionally and would up in seclusion in Mexico.

This somewhat strange plot development coincided with actor Balthazar Getty falling out of favor, supposedly, with the show's cast and crew, amid personal drama.

Getty was never taken off the show's credits, however, and we just saw Tommy make a surprise appearance two episodes ago, only to bolt for Seattle at the end.

What is up with this guy?

According to TV Guide, the once-embattled star is looking to have his full-time, series-regular status restored next season and is in talks with ABC to make it so.

“That’s what we’re talking about,” Getty said from the set, where - spoiler alert - he's making another cameo for Justin and Rebecca’s December 6 wedding episode.

“I’ve made some suggestions, and they’re working out what’s best for the show. At the end of the year, everybody will sit down. I’ve made a commitment to this show."

If there was once bad blood between Balthazar and the cast, it seems to have passed.

“It’s great having Balty back,” co-star Calista Flockhart, who shined on last night's episode, "The Wig Party," said. “I love him, and it makes me happy when he’s here.”

Executive producer Alison Schapker claims that the series, now in Season Four, always planned to have Tommy “leave the family, as siblings do, but to one day return.”

Prospects appear less bright for Tommy’s estranged wife, Julia (Sarah Jane Morris). Instead, new show runner David Marshall Grant is planning a new love interest for him.

In typical incestuous style, rumor has it that will be Holly’s kid sister. Awkward!

Last night's Brothers & Sisters featured 3-4 different story lines that loosely intertwined, and which were all entertaining, save for Rebecca's, which felt cliched and predictable.

Click here for a full recap of "The Wig Party." Below, we offer a brief analysis of why each of the Walker family stories from November 8 worked for us, or in one case, did not.

Kitty, Robert & Nora

The star of this episode, if you had to single one out of this consistently diverse and talented cast, would obviously be Calista Flockhart, whose own idea it was for Kitty to swear off chemo and explore alternative treatments for her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Sarah and Nora are stressed about this decision and throw themselves into getting her to reconsider, but all Kitty wants is to get dolled up for Nora's Open Doors benefit.

There, Kitty's hair starts to fall out and she starts to fall apart emotionally. She delivers the obligatory "Why Me?" speech very effectively and shaves her head the next day.

Also interesting is what this is doing to Robert. When a right-wing nut enters the primary and accuses Robert of being too liberal, Robert takes out his frustrations on him.

Even when Kevin learns Robert's tirade was caught on YouTube, he refuses to back off. Some battles need to be fought, he says. Sam Seaborn lives! As a moderate Republican!

What we also enjoyed about the cancer story line was that as much as Nora worried about Kitty, she actually had another distraction - new "friend" Simon Craig (Jon Tenney).

He's a volunteer, a doctor, handsome, is strong but also sensitive to Nora's situation and hey, he owns a motorcycle. He asks Nora out! Way to go, Nora. Life begins at 63.

Calista Flockhart was brilliant last night as cancer-suffering Kitty.

Kevin & Scotty

Scotty's dad stops by L.A. for a comic convention unannounced, then tells Scotty that his mother left him because they "drifted apart." Scotty tells him about the surrogacy.

Later, though, Scotty and Kevin go to his dad's hotel and see him with a woman. Scotty presses and learns that he's been dating her for awhle and that's why his mom left.

Scotty storms off, but comes to his senses when Kevin describes his own father's failings. The next day, Scotty's dad mails him a vintage comic to help pay for the baby.

Luke MacFarlane is always terrific and it was great to see Scotty's dad come around like this. He's clearly not used to the gay aspect, but he's awkwardly trying hard. It's cute.

Rebecca & Justin

Rebecca has been in bed for a week and Justin wonders why. He's, like, a med student and all, and can't figure out why she's so nauseous and her sense of smell is "off."

Even though we've figured it out a half hour earlier, at the benefit he puts two and two together and asks point blank if she's pregnant. Rebecca says no, that's just crazy!

Then, at the end, Rebecca totally has to tell him something, but before she can, Justin interrupts and says he's sorry for trying to diagnose Rebecca and pressing her earlier.

He says he can't imagine having a baby right now! Thank goodness she's not pregnant! He leaves ... apparently not noticing the positive test she's HOLDING IN HER HAND.

We expect better, especially from these two. Dave Annable and Emily vanCamp are great, this is just subpar writing. Why can't Justin and Rebecca be happy for once? Sigh.

It's been a tough few weeks for Nora on Brothers & Sisters. That's what happens when your daughter is diagnosed with cancer.

But the Walker matriarch catches a break this Sunday in the form of Dr. Simon Craig.

Played by The Closer's Jon Tenney, he'll provide a nice distraction for Sally Field's character.

"It's the beginning of Nora trying to find some balance in her life in terms of dealing her daughter," said showrunner David Marshall Grant. "It's the beginning of a source of hope for Nora, and reminds the audience, despite what's going on, there's always hope in the future."

Watch a clip of Nora meeting Simon below and remember to return to TV Fanatic soon after "The Wig Party" concludes for a full recap/review:

As we've been reporting in our Brothers & Sisters spoilers section for weeks now, Tommy Walker (Balthazar Getty) returned to SoCal last night, and certainly made an impact.

He also made mole. Dude is totally Zen now, having lived on a vegan commune in Mexico since the last time we saw him. But you knew Nora would bring out the old Tommy.

It was only a matter of time.

Follow the link for a recap of "Zen & the Art of Mole Making." Now, some thoughts on what was vintage B&S and what could have been improved on last night's episode ...

Tommy was kind of a jerk last night, but then again when was he ever not, and his return to the Walker household rekindled old memories (good and bad) in typical fashion.

As much as he's tried to turn his life around and find himself, the guy is a total mess, which was kind of the point, and Baltahzar Getty certainly looked the part last night.

First off, the opening scene in the kitchen (above) where Kitty and Nora were both terrified by Luc (Gilles Marini), who went on to attack "intruder" Tommy was just hilarious.

Next, the Walker phone tree that happens the morning after Tommy comes back was adorable and hilarious. Less adorable but equally real was Nora's subsequent freak-out.

Learning that Tommy plans to divorce Julia set his mom off, which set him off, accusing her of having impossibly high expectations and saying he gave up on meeting them.

The truth hurt, as it has a way of doing, for both of them. Ultimately, they worked it out, or at least took a step in that direction. Nora apologized for "giving Tommy away."

He went to Seattle to try to be a father to his daughter, if nothing else. Speaking of being fathers, Kevin wanted surrogate Michelle to sign a contract. Scotty freaked out.

Like Tommy and Nora, they were both right, and both wrong. Brothers & Sisters captures the nuances of complicated issues like this so brilliantly, week in and week out.

Scotty admitted Kevin was right to try to protect them. Kevin asked Michelle to reconsider bailing on them. Meanwhile, at Ojai, Holly's financial problems keep escalating.

We're not entirely sure where this story line is going, but sensing her weakness, opportunistic Dennis tried to get her to sell her shares of the company and she did not.

Way to go, Holly. We'll see where this leads. We hope.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

• It was nice that Gilles Marini was still featured this week but on the outskirts. A sexy Frenchman he may be, but Sarah does have a life. This week, we saw that dynamic.
• Sarah's kids, Paige and Cooper, got really big! The show is in Season 4, we suppose, but still. Kids. They grow up so fast. Before we know it they'll cast teenage Evan.
• Matthew Rhys, who plays Kevin, is Welsh. His first language is Welsh. He may win Best American accent on TV (FlashForward star Joseph Fiennes being the worst).
• Much as we love Robert (Rob Lowe), it was overdue that he would miss an episode for believability. The man is a U.S. Senator. He works in Washington sometimes.
• Roxy Olin does a nice job as Michelle, Scotty's friend and would-be-surrogate. But given that she's an aspiring actress - and her folks, Ken Olin and Patricia Wettig, both star on Brothers & Sisters, it's impossible to take her seriously on The City.

On this Sunday's episode of Brothers & Sisters, Tommy returns.

But that on-screen drama - which you can preview right now - is actually nothing compared to the action taking place away from the set of this ABC hit.

As first reported by Entertainment Weekly, an ABC spokesperson has confirmed that Monica Breen and Alison Schapker are out as showrunners. Veteran writer David Marshall Grant will take over lead producing duties.

There's no way to predict how this will affect any storyline, but a network rep says Breen and Schapker will keep their executive producer titles, but are now “concentrating more on development.”

On Sunday's all-new episode of Brothers & Sisters, Kitty is excited to see a certain visitor.

Who is it? This promo for "Zen & the Art of Mole Making" reveals all:

Meanwhile, Sarah tells the children about Luc; while Holly gets help from Rebecca and Ryan with her finances.

But the best scene takes place when Luc, Nora and Kitty think there's an intruder in the house. Tommy never did make the smoothest of entrances. Click on the pics below to enlarge images of this late-night surprise:

Two tidbits regarding Brothers & Sisters appear to mean that Sarah should start planning a baby shower:

1. Giiles Marini has signed on for four additional episodes of the drama. The actor, who premiered on the show last Sunday, will now appear as Luc Laurent for at least nine total installments.
2. According to E! News, a character will soon discover she's pregnant.

Sources say the knocked up character is not Nora; nor is this scoop related to Scotty and Kevin's plans for surrogacy.

This pretty much just leaves Sarah, Kitty, Rebecca and Julia as candidates. Who do you think will be expecting?