Brothers & Sisters

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?

On this Sunday's new episode of Brothers & Sisters, as the trailer below states, everyone is falling for Giiles Marini's Luc.

Except for Nora, that is.

Also this week: Robert tries to take Kitty's mind off her disease; while Kevin and Scotty's argue over starting a family. Watch the official promo below:

We've also compiled a few photos from "Last Tango in Pasadena." Remember to visit TV Fanatic each week for the latest Brothers & Sisters quotes, we you click on the pics below to enlarge each one...

Perhaps inspired by Sarah's burgeoning relationship with Luc (Giiles Marini), Norah will soon find a new squeeze on Brothers & Sisters.

TV Guide Magazine reports that Jon Tenney, who stars as Fritz Howard on The Closer, will portray a new boy toy named Simon for Sally Field's character.

Tenney will appear on four episodes of the ABC drama, debuting November 8.

"Nora meets Simon, who is an oncologist at the hospital where Kitty is getting treated, and they start an affair,” says executive producer David Marshall Grant.

As fans of the Sex and the City movie know well, Gilles Marini is a pretty face with an even prettier body.

But his guest-starring stint on Brothers & Sisters, which kicked off last night, is about more than mere looks. As Luc Laurent, Marini could be The One for Sarah, Marini told TV Guide recently.

"It's more than a fling. He's different than her past [significant others]. It's a beautiful relationship between them," the actor said. "Going into the filming of the fifth episode, there was a lot of talk of me coming back, so you may not see the last of Luc."

Last night, Marini debuted on the show, trekking to California to prove that he's the real deal for Sarah.

As he tries to woo the woman he met in France, Luc will pitch in at home and at work, tasks that are typically beneath the successful painter.

"But it doesn't matter because he does everything for her because he's just madly in love with her," Marini said. "We concentrated on the fact that he is there for her. Sometimes people who do that are seen with an agenda, but this guy just doesn't have one. She realizes she has to look outside of the box and understand different people."

Balthazar Getty and Sarah Jane Morris are returning to Brothers & Sisters.

The actors will reprise their roles as Tommy and Julia, respectively, for the upcoming wedding of Justin to and Rebecca. ABC has not confirmed if the characters will return as a couple or not.

Getty Tommy was last seen in May's finale, holed up in Mexico, attempting to get his life in order.

According to TV Guide Magazine, Marion Ross, who portray Nora's mom, is also likely to return for her grandson's marriage.

The nuptials are scheduled to air on December 6, but this will be the final episode before the drama takes a holiday hiatus. We wouldn't be surprised if there's a cliffhanger centered around either Justin or Rebecca having a change of heart.

Viewers will nee to tune in and find out for certain.

Brothers & Sisters spoilers alert: Gilles Marini is very handsome!

Viewers need to be warned about this fact before they tune in Sunday night, as the former Sex and the City movie star premieres on the ABC drama.

It's a funny, cool little twist, the show will actually tweak its opening credits for the episode, referring to itself in Marini's native language. Are you excited for Frères & Sœurs?!?

So, will Marini's Luc get Sarah pregnant? Marry her?

The actor wouldn't say, but he did tease future appearances during an interview with E! News this week. He said:

"Last Friday, we shot our last scene. Very good news to come, which means much more for me. So you know that means I must have done a good job. I might stay around, or I might leave and come back. I don't know. You guys have to watch. I saw the first episode of the four I did, and I was myself like, 'This is good. This is really good.'"

We have a feeling viewers will have the same reaction.