TV.com

Brothers & Sisters Season 5 Episode 5

Call Mom

Favorite

Watched It I've Watched This 0

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

9.0

User Rating

65 votes

Your Rating: 10
Your Rating: 9.5
Your Rating: 9
Your Rating: 8.5
Your Rating: 8
Your Rating: 7.5
Your Rating: 7
Your Rating: 6.5
Your Rating: 6
Your Rating: 5.5
Your Rating: 5
Your Rating: 4.5
Your Rating: 4
Your Rating: 3.5
Your Rating: 3
Your Rating: 2.5
Your Rating: 2
Your Rating: 1.5
Your Rating: 1

Rate Now

EPISODE REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

Write A Review

Episode Summary

EDIT

AIRED: 10/24/10

A radio producer asks Nora to audition for a new show; Kitty gets back into the dating game.

Fan Episode Reviews (4)

Nora Walker tries out for a radio show, Call Mom. Kitty wants to start dating, but she balks. Sarah is jealous of Luc when he butt dials her while on a 'modeling' job. Justin meets a Juice Bartender. Kevin wants to adopt. Scottie drops a bomb.moreless

7.0

By Chipslinger, Feb 28, 2011

Radio Nora goes live! Nora Walker tries out for a radio talk show, Call Mom. But first she has to best the other candidate--a media professional with books, experience, and a PhD. She is a brash outspoken woman, and she clearly intimidates Nora. Nora calls in her entourage for support. Though Kevin is depicted as being extremely busy with his law practice--too busy even for his husband Scottie--he drops everything to come down to the radio station and give her a pep talk. Of course, Nora forgot to mute their mike, so everyone at the radio station heard Kevin diss Nora's rival, including the rival herself. Nora is too shy to say much, a problem that her rival doesn't have. Kevin calls in and she starts to loosen up with advice on how to bake a pie, but the other host asks "Devon" what the pie is really for, and she gets him to talk about his frustration about not being able to get a child with the surrogate mother. Of course she has a chapter in her new book about "Womb Envy" and gets in a plug for it. This radio host seems like she is supposed to be a less homophobic version of Dr Laura. But for all her media skills, all her degrees, her own children won't even speak to her. Kevin gets Kitty to call next, when she calls Kevin looking for Nora. She pretends to be named Kathryn. Nora is in her element and starts dishing out the good motherly advice. Kitty slips up, though, at the end she says, "bye, mom." The radio station decides to hire Nora after all, because she did a good job, but also because she is cheaper. Dr Alexandra pretends to be a good sport, saying this little show wouldn't be worth her while anyway. She says she is on to Nora, though, and she can't just keep having her own kids call in. This leads to the admission that her own kids won't speak to her, so Nora ends up telling her to just ring their doorbells until they answer, then telling them that she is their mother, and will be in their lives whether they like it or not, so they might as well get to know her. Ahhhhh. Kevin is sorry that he let his call be diverted by Dr Alexandra. Nora accepts his appology, but tells him he doesn't suffer from "womb envy," he just wants to have a child. This leads to a revelation for Kevin and he comes home to Scottie to tell him the news. He wants to adopt a child instead of trying for a surrogate birth. Scottie has some news of his own. He was feeling neglected and had a fling a few months back. He is sorry. Talk about a Drama Queen! Kevin goes ballistic, and I think he kind of over reacts. My prediction is tears before bedtime, and the writers will milk the Scottie/Kevin rift for as long as they can before Kevin finally decides to give the repentant Scottie another chance. In the coming attractions clip last week it looked like Sarah was going to catch Luc up to some hanky panky. This would make sense, as he is if not too good to be true, he is at least too good to be true to Sarah. Why can't they for once have one of the main characters in love with someone much LESS attractive than themselves. That would be a plot twist. Anyway, as Luc is going off to his modeling gig, Sarah wants to kiss him but can't because it might mess up his spray tan. Later, after Luc butt dials Sarah and she listens in on a woman trying to lure Luc away, she calls Scottie and they go out to his modeling job and confronts him. Sidebar: Why is Scottie, who is also very busy with a restaurant, also on call for Sarah? Back to Luc, Sarah finds that Luc is talking business with a clothes designer who is offering him big bucks for doing a modeling job for her clothing line. Back at home Sarah is sorry that she doubted Luc's fidelity. But she questions why he hasn't lifted up his paint brush since he began modeling. He had said the modeling would support his passion, the painting, and that was the man she fell in love with: the painter, not the model. Luc agrees that he needs to get back to painting. He also shows Sarah a wedding ring he has bought her. Kitty and her carpenter are both sweaty, returning from a marathon run. They are just about to bring the relationship to the next level when the doorbell rings. It is Justin, who hopes he's not interrupting anything, but really needs to talk. He misses Rebecca. Justin is going to stay for lunch, but then finally realizes the gravity of the situation and splits to leave them alone. Problem is, when he leaves, Kitty can't close the deal, and besides, she thinks they have little in common. Later, she goes to Nora's house looking for motherly advice. This is when she calls Nora at her radio audition and pretends to be Kathryn. But the carpenter dude shows up, and then he tells her that he used to be an investment banker and once wore a suit. So, maybe they have more in common than she thought.

Justin stops at a juice bar and is talking to himself. The Juice Bartender asks about his imaginary friend, as a way of striking up a conversation, and he confesses that he just went through a divorce. She is a cute blonde and starts flirting like crazy. She wants to give him the juice shake on the house. She asks him to go to a bar later and hear a band. He is a raging alcoholic and drug addict, so he says he can't drink, but he likes music. I just have to say that both the Kitty romance and the Justin thing are not really believable. Especially the Justin thing, as really when you have just been dumped or divorced, even if you get set up with an incredible date, or meet someone, you start talking about your divorce and it repells, not attracts. And you keep talking about her, asking what went wrong? It is a huge turn off. So, I am not a believer in this latest plot twist with Justin. Are you kidding me? No Holly, no Rebecca, except for lip service. No Uncle Saul. Sarah's kids are invisible. Out of the blue romance for Justin, and Kitty's carpenter is suddenly a former banker who once wore a suit. That changes everything. Kevin and Scottie are in for some drama. Sarah and Luc are OK for the moment, but Luc has to get back and finish that painting. And find those invisible children. Should we have a top ramen romance for Nora, too? Just add water and stir? Gosh, would the audience be able to suspend their disbelief? I don't know, how about giving her a radio show? Worked for Frazier Crane.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
2 0

Flag
Share Hide
Poor Nora!

9.5

By JarrodMcDonald, Feb 28, 2011

This was the best episode Sally Field has had in a long time. Her expressions when Nora was trying out for the radio gig were priceless. In fact, this episode re-centered her character...it was what this show does best, with Nora as anchor for her children, dispensing wanted (and unwanted) advice. My only quibble about Nora is that she has no man. All the other characters on this show have had marriages except for Nora. Is she going to mourn William forever? Meanwhile, I am not buying Justin already falling for some new chick...can't he be single for like at least one or two episodes? And I am still not into Kitty and her new beau. But I really like Sarah and Luc, that story is great, and they're the show's hot supercouple, replacing Kitty and Robert. We did not see Holly or Saul in this episode. In the past, if a character was not seen, he or she would get mentioned. But there was no mention of Saul or Holly this time. I would have thought that Saul might call Nora on the radio. It's like these characters exist one week, then the next week, they don't exist at all. As for Kevin and Scotty, I guess something big had to happen with them, but why did it have to be infidelity???moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
5 0

Flag
Share Hide
Loved This Episode!!!

10

By aidensdaddy2k9, Feb 28, 2011

This episode goes to show why Sally Field is one of my favorite actresses. No one could play Nora Walker, or even Mama Gump, better than her. And one of the many reasons why I love this show.

She absolutely timeless. In my book, she ranks up there with Phylicia Rashad and Julie Andrews. I have to admit, I got a lil teary eyed during the scene when Nora was talking "on the air" to "Devon & Catherine" and makes me wish I had a mother like her.

But another thing I couldn't help to wonder was, where is Evan? Has he just been written out without any explanation? I know he was in the season premier when it showed Kitty making cinnamon rolls, but he hasn't been seen or mentioned since. (With the exception of this weeks when Justin came up to see her.) All this "exploring herself" and fooling around with the hunky carpenter, but wasn't Evan supposed to be up there with her? He hasn't been with anyone else? The dedicated viewers and fans who watch this week after week aren't slow enough to let something like sneak by. So what's the issue here? Just wondering.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
6 0

Flag
Share Hide
Loved the way they used the radio programme to thread to the show together.

10

By amazing_race, Feb 28, 2011

This episode was really cleverly done, in my opinion, as they utilisesd the Nora storyline to tie all the other nstorylines together. This was a clever technique, and I enjoyed the humour aspect of things - particularly on the radio show.

I enjoyed the Justin sotoryline, and things may potentially develop there. Kitty's storyline is a little weird - her husband just died for crying out loud. Divorce is one thing, while being widowed is another, in my opinion.

I also liked the Sarak storyline, and a big change took place there! Great writing work!

All up, a cleverly done episode, and I really enjoyed it! I hope this standard is maintained as we move forward into the season!moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
1 0

Flag
Share Hide

See All Fan Reviews

Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Matthew Rhys	Kevin Walker
Ron Rifkin	Saul Holden
Dave Annable	Justin Walker
Luke MacFarlane	Scotty Wandell
Sally Field	Nora Holden
Patricia Wettig	Holly Harper

See All Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Jeremy Davidson	Jack Randall	Guest Star
Debra Monk	Alexandra Kirby	Guest Star
John Apicella	Frank	Guest Star

See All Cast & Crew

Watch Online

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (1)
ADD TRIVIA
- The day after this broadcast, ABC announced that it had ordered four more additional episodes for the fifth season, bringing the total from 18 up to 22.
  EDIT SHARE
QUOTES (0)
ADD QUOTES
- ADD QUOTES from this episode.
NOTES (3)
ADD NOTES
- Ron Rifkin (Saul Holden) and Patricia Wettig (Holly Harper) do not appear in this episode.
  EDIT SHARE
- Featured Music:
  "Only You" by Matthew Perryman Jones
  EDIT SHARE
- Original International Air Dates:
  Canada: Sunday, October 24, 2010 on Global
  United Kingdom: Thursday, February 17, 2011 on More4
  Czech Republic: Sunday, February 3, 2013 on Universal Channel
  EDIT SHARE
ALLUSIONS (0)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- ADD ALLUSIONS from this episode.