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Brothers & Sisters Season 3 Episode 24

Mexico

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Aired Sunday 10:00 PM May 10, 2009 on ABC

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AIRED: 5/10/09

When the Walker family reaches out to Tommy, they're devastated to find that he may be unwilling to accept their help. Robert & Kitty reach a crossroads in their marriage that they may not be able to successfully navigate; Justin makes plans for the future, with or without Rebecca; and Saul makes a shocking admission about Ryan Lafferty's mother.moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (10)

Really disappointing way to end the season

1.0

By jose_l_rs, Jun 13, 2011

I think the this season was better than the previous seasons and that the show really became so much more realistic and interesting but wow! this episode was all about uniting all the caracteristics that make this show cheesy and unbearable sometimes. for starters where in the hell is Tommy!?

yeah right he lives in a small town in Mexico where he's totally unreachable but hey! the senator found him in a couple of hours...of course the whole family arrived the same day, all dressed up and all, the cellphone reception was kinda bad... but hey its mexico right! all of our cellphones work, we are just in what it seems to be the middle of the jungle in La Sierra, near Merida **right**( thats where tommy is buying some pipes)....

Now the whole marriage thing, we are lead to believe its not gonna work out, she just gets excited so she run to the store and bought his groom a $20k watch and brought it with her to Mexico!!!! great idea! you know im just excited i couldn't wait to give it to you or tell your family, IM SO RUSHY! Kitty gets her so awaited separation, even though the senator moved his appointments to go to Mexico, he cares! but shes so sad, shes not feeling it, of course her son is well taken care of, also Sarahs (oh right they live with her dad now, but thats ok)

Kevin could be celebrating with his husband in a fancy restaurant but he rather not going to work (even tough hes like so important to the senator staff) hes rather chase his brother wich he doesn't need at all... he abandoned us!!

wow i could just go on forever i guess...moreless
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The Walkers are going to Mexico

10

By vicky24c, Apr 04, 2010

In this episode of Brothers and Sisters, the following happens. We open this episode in Mexico, with Nora searching for Tommy. Sarah and Holly try to come up with a plan to get Ryan out of the company and Sarah suggests that they let him go with a severance package. Nora finds out where he is and when she goes there, she isn't allowed to see him as he isn't there. And since there is no way of getting hold of him, she has to wait until he returns. So Nora phones Sarah and soon she tells her siblings about the situation. Since Sarah is going to Mexico, she asks Saul to give Ryan the severance package, but he says that he doesn't feel comfortable doing it. But Sarah has a word with him and he soon agrees to do it. Rebecca and Justin tell her parents that they are engaged and Holly isn't happy about it and so Rebecca and Justin leave. And then we see the whole Walker clang down in Mexico. They head to where he is staying and finally they all see him. He looks both shocked and pleased to see his family, especially his mother. Then they all have to eat in silence, as that is the house rules where they are staying. But of course with the Walkers, the silence doesn't last. And soon the family are asked to leave. And soon Robert arrives, by means of helicopter. And soon Nora learns, as does the rest of the family, that Kitty and Robert are separating. Saul goes to see Holly and asks to go back to the company. From him we learn that he went to see Ryan's mother, not William, as Sarah went into labour with Cooper. So Saul took her a cheque and told her to never contact William again and he says that she was devastated. The next day Saul heard about the accident and her death and so in some ways, Saul blames himself for her death. As Robert leaves, Kitty realises that she still wants to be with him and so she runs, in the hope of getting to him before he gets on his helicopter and leaves. But as she gets there, it's too late and he has taken off. We then see Nora and Tommy talking and Tommy starts to cry and Nora simply holds him. Justin re-proposed to Rebecca in front of his whole family, and of course she says yes. As the family leave Mexico, they also leave without Tommy, as he chooses to stay in Mexico. Overall an ok end of series episode, but it's not what I expected. After the previous 2 season finale being really good, I was disappointed in this one.moreless
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It was really good but weird as a finale...

9.0

By stewie1423, Jun 19, 2009

So season three is over and I've been pretty impressed with the 2nd half of the season. This episode continued this streak and I found it to be really enjoyable. However I did find it a bit strange as a finale...couldn't this of been the one before the finale. I know seeing Tommy was a big thing for the Walkers but it was other storylines that I was interested about. But in fairness, the writers did handle them well.

I loved the way Kitty and Robert were with each other...I think she should leave him purely because he will always have to focus on his job. There snappy comments at each other were funny...but also quite intense. Robert was right to leave because Kitty was giving strange signals with the 'separation to find each other again' thing. She ran to stop him but was too late...I am interested to see how this turns out.

I've never liked Justin and Rebecca because they always had the same fight over and over again. Plus they were forced together. However I did like the engagement storyline. The scene where he proposed in front of everyone was nice but more interesting was Holly's reaction. She seems to think that her daughter is being too impulsive, perhaps has done or is going to do something. I really hope Rebecca isn't pregnant...even more so...if she is it'd better be Justin's. Another thing I'm looking forward to seeing.

Other things included Saul saying hew was the one who told Ryan's mother that William was leaving her...paying her off in fact. Wasn't a massive twist really. Not much else happened...there wasn't a huge cliff-hanger. Seeing Tommy was better than I expected and the whole Mexico side of things was funny. Will he come back? Who knows! Looking forward to season four.moreless
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Retreat Written by Monica Owusa-Breen And Alison Schapker Directed by Ken Olin

9.0

By shawnlunn2002, Jun 19, 2009

Karin: "Silence is as deep as eternity. Speech is as shallow as time."

Kevin: "And this place is as nutty as a fruitcake."

As quotes go, that's a fairly memorable one to go with for an introduction to this review. Finally after so much dithering about Tommy disappearing, this episode has him reappear.

Last week ended with Nora landing in Montevista, Mexico and the opening scene is a delightful western parody that hypes up the first ten minutes. Given that Tommy has done nothing but distance himself from his family, Nora immediately assumes that her son is in danger.

It doesn't help that she gets no real help from any of the locals who point her to various places that don't really help. There are plenty of assumptions that Nora could've made but assuming that Tommy has been drawn into a cult did generate more comedy than fear for the guy's safety.

Telling all of her remaining kids this crackpot theory was hilarious, mostly for Kevin and Justin's reactions. Kevin was pretty cynical about the idea of Tommy in danger but Justin actually went into overdrive about cults. Having him read out various strategies that cults take on to lure people in cracked me up.

On that front Rebecca didn't really help either. After all, it was her who pointed out that Tommy was at a weak point. Even still, Tommy doesn't strike me as someone who would be susceptible to a cult. Isn't he like a little old fashioned to be conditioned into such a thing?

I'm not sure if there was really a point in having all of the Walkers descend on Mexico. Now, for all we knew, Nora could've actually been right and Tommy could've been in danger but the last couple of episodes never really suggested that he was so to speak.

In fact, the cult he's allegedly joined are a group that are called Selfless Service and the only thing Tommy's been roped into doing is fixing the fountain that's long been defunct in the small town he's taken up residency in. In other words, he's totally safe and it gives weight to Kevin's lack of enthusiasm to rescue him.

Kevin pointed out that Tommy wasn't going to appreciate everyone flocking in to rescue him and he was right to a certain point. Sure, Tommy was a bit more apologetic and even accepting of the fact that he screwed up but he also made it known that he had no desire to return home either.

Even in Mexico, the Walkers are unable to behave. Them being silent in general is hard work for them but them having to be silent during the community's meal time was always doomed to failure. They might have made a bit of an effort with sign language and writing things down but finding out about Justin getting into medical school soon hampered all of that.

Like a lot of episodes, there were plenty of things that got the Walkers arguing with each other. No-one was impressed with Kevin's lack of sympathy in regards to Tommy. Even Scotty told him to go to Mexico, despite the fact that their anniversary was coming up.

Usually in these situations, I always expect Justin to be the most antagonistic with Tommy given that whenever Justin screws up, it's Tommy who reacts the worst. Kevin's got valid enough reasons to be mad at Tommy. Tommy did screw up big time with Ojai and he abandoned both Julia and Elizabeth. Kevin had every right to throw that back into his face.

However as much as Tommy's general stupidity is worth slamming, there were some good scenes. Nora for instance being there for Tommy was moving as was Tommy and Kevin eventually making up and Sarah attempting to understand his motives a little better with Ojai.

It's already been announced that Balthazar Getty will be recurring in the series fourth season, so in a lot of ways this episode isn't a big departure for Tommy. On one hand, he promised Kevin to take responsibility for his wife and daughter and on the other; he's sticking to helping out the community who have taken him in. If they're a cult, they are a pretty benevolent one.

Getting back to Kevin, I can understand why he didn't want to go to Mexico. Sometimes the Walkers do need to deal with things without just all of them descending on a problem. Also if this finale really has anything truly going against it, it will be that Scotty got very little to do.

It's actually a shame that Scotty didn't get to go to Mexico, considering that both Rebecca and Robert did. Then again, Saul was also absent from the 'rescue Tommy or not' mission this week, so it's not like he wasn't the only one stuck in Pasadena for this finale.

Robert's motives for coming to Mexico had Kevin violate his original Switzerland stance on things. The start of the episode had Kitty guns blazing to separate from Robert and by the end of the episode, she realised almost too late that she actually didn't want out of the marriage. Hindsight's a great thing, huh?

The helicopter scene where Kitty missed Robert had a decent dramatic edge to it but at the same time, she still can see him back in LA and unless we're going to lose Rob Lowe from the series, it's definitely safe to say that Kitty and Robert aren't over just yet.

I have to admit that I did feel sorry for Robert here. While his obsession with his career and his blatant disregard for how that affects other people has been a massive sore point in this season especially, I do think he's trying to save marriage because he cares for Kitty and not just for appearance sake.

Kitty really went out of her way to further sabotage things with Robert. Alec was bad enough but their meeting at the start of the episode did her no favours and she went way too far with the barbed comments when he did fly down to Mexico. Still, it did mean that Nora was now in the loop about Kitty and Robert's fractured marriage. I'm still sure that they will get back together, if not straightaway.

With one marriage cracking under, Justin and Rebecca certainly seemed to have different attitudes about telling their respective families. Justin wanted to be sensible and wait for the right moment, Rebecca wanted to bulldoze in right ahead. Needless to say, I sided more with Justin here.

The even scarier part is that I actually sided with Holly a lot in this finale as well. I'm still in shock but damn, that woman was actually logical in this episode. She cited that Rebecca was rushing into marrying Justin a bit too fast that I was surprised that David didn't side with her a little more than he did.

In fact, Rebecca's behaviour in general throughout this whole episode was erratic at best. The way she was incessantly jumping about trying to give Justin an expensive watch, even her attempts of trying to get him to elope her. She reminded me of Billy Chenowith.

Holly even added fuel to the fire by telling David a bit more about Rebecca's chequered past. Thanks to Holly, we learned that Rebecca was stalking the same teacher she was married to which might indicate that Rebecca has some mental health issues, which could lead to some really promising storylines next season. It's weird that I liked Holly in this episode.

The other moment in this episode where I agreed with Holly was her opposition in regards to Ryan. Getting him out of the building made sense and while Sarah's heart was probably in the right place with a severance package, Ryan does have a family and he doesn't exactly strike me as destitute either.

I know that there's a lot of viewers out there who complained about this plot, given how much they want Luke Grimes gone from the series but I actually found myself a little interested in Ryan for the longest time. That doesn't mean I want him as a regular next season unless the writers can genuinely justify keeping him around.

Saul coming back to Ojai so he can keep an eye on Ryan is sweet but is there enough of a story there for a full season that won't have viewers tearing their hair out? I doubt it but at least we got an explanation on Connie. Saul was the one who gave the woman a pay-off in lieu of William and she killed herself because of how callously William cast her out.

It's hardly compelling but it at least proved that she killed herself and wasn't murdered. Like Holly a few weeks ago, Saul told Ryan to move on from his grudge with the Walkers but Saul did do it more out of concern and to be fair; this is the best contribution to an episode that Ron Rifkin has made in a while. That is more of a snarky remark about the writing for Saul rather than the character himself.

Out of the remaining Walkers, Sarah was sadly underused in this episode. She spent most of her time trying to keep Kevin in line, empathising with Tommy and Nora, telling Saul to hand Ryan the severance package she drew up but I suppose her best moment was getting Kitty to make a proper decision about Robert. Next season I want more from Rachel Griffiths.

Also in "Mexico"

At first, I wasn't sure what Nora was going to pull out of her jacket pockets. The picture of Tommy and the book of phrases made sense.

Justin (re Tommy): "You didn't see him in Baha. He was an emotional wreck."

Rebecca: "And that's when they get you. When you're weak and vulnerable."

Kevin: "He wasn't vulnerable. He got into a fist fight with a bunch of drunken frat boys."

Okay because of TWOP posters have pointed it out, the 'Mexico' set did look a little fake as well.

Pablo: "Thomas Walker."

Nora: "Why is it that everyone knows his name and no-one can tell me where he is?"

Scotty: "Kevin, I'll be here when you get back. That's what we're celebrating, right?"

Blimey, Scotty really is a saint, isn't he? Can we please see Wally and Bertha again next season?

Rebecca (re engagement): "Mom, say something."

Holly: "It's a lot to take in."

Justin (to Holly): "Look, I know we've been through a lot but I love your daughter and I'm gonna be a good husband to her."

It was good that Saul told someone the truth about William and Connie. I hope he told the full story to Ryan as well.

Justin (re Tommy): "If he doesn't know who we are, he could be a completely different person."

Kevin: "Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed."

Ryan: "Why did they send you? You don't even work here."

Saul: "Oh, I used to work here. As a matter of fact, I helped build this company. Take a look at that."

Both Rob Lowe and Sally Field are popping up in ads with other ABC actors to promote various shows that are returning this fall for the station.

Nora (re Tommy): "I shamed him in front of everyone. I hit him."

Kitty: "Oh, you didn't hit him. Okay, you slapped him but there's a very big difference."

Kevin: "Come on, look at this place. Does it even have a bathroom?"

Justin: "Yeah it does, down by the hall."

At one point, all of the Walkers (including Kevin) were helping Tommy fix the fountain.

Kitty: "Stop being such an egomaniac. Whatever's going on with Tommy is not going to be solved just because you descended from the sky."

Robert: "I was talking about us."

Rebecca: "Justin, let's just do it, let's just do it here. Let's just find the priest and do it. I mean this, this is perfect."

Justin: "Yeah, Rebecca, we should just find a priest and get married. My uncle Saul's gonna kill himself but what the hey?"

What was up with that comment? Wasn't it last season that Saul lost the will to live? He's been mostly okay (if savagely underused) this season.

Justin: "I'm sorry; I just want to get married in front of our families, that's all."

Rebecca: "Really? Because you wouldn't even tell them we're engaged."

Sarah: "I never planned to be the only Walker there."

Kitty: "You may not have expected it but it doesn't surprise me. Ojai was always gonna be yours. I knew it, Dad knew it, even Tommy knew it. I'm sorry but you're the heir apparent."

I liked the last scene with Tommy picking up the family photo that Sarah left for him. Moments like that are sweet but they enrich the series in a way.

Tommy: "I'm trying to change, it's not easy."

Kevin: "I know."

Tommy: "At least I hope that when I do."

Kevin: "I'll see it too."

Nora: "Maybe I've learned something over the last few days."

Kevin: "Really? The only thing I've learned is that vegan food gives me the trots."

Standout music: Ryan Adam's "Wonderwall" and James Taylor's "Mexico".

Sarah: "He'll be alright, Mom."

Nora: "I know."

Chronology: A year since "Prior Commitments".

"Mexico" to me is probably the weakest of the finales that we've had but seeing as there has been so many disappointing finales this years, I thought it was also one of the strongest episodes from the third season and it left me wanting more.moreless
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Great ONE !!

10

By Yasser-24, Jun 05, 2009

what a way to end a great and beautful season ! , i really loved evreyhting about the season , and the drama in this season was one of best drama in all of the shows at this time , in ths eposide is a simple prove ! , Tommy storyline was really great this season and his secne with his mam when he was crying were great and touching , kitty and reobert were gret this season i hope they comeback next season togather , sarah i really hope she find someone next season , rebeca and justin WOW they really are grown-up ! love there storyline , saul and rayn will we have to wait to see what's they ganna do . but after all what a great season !! and really can wait to see the next one ! . a 10/10 season ! really .moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Sarah Jane Morris	Julia Walker
Matthew Rhys	Kevin Walker
Ron Rifkin	Saul Holden
Luke MacFarlane	Scotty Wandell (Season 3+, Recurring Previously)
Emily VanCamp	Rebecca Harper
Balthazar Getty	Thomas Walker

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Mario Quinonez Jr.	Eduardo	Guest Star
Randee Heller	Karin	Guest Star
Brian Lloyd	Sven	Guest Star
Ken Olin	David Caplan	Recurring Role
Luke Grimes	Ryan Lafferty	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (3)
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- At the close of the third season, Sally Field (Nora) was once more nominated for the Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
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- ABC released the complete third season on DVD in the U.S. (region 1) on September 1, 2009. It was sold in international regions starting in October 2009.
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- This is Balthazar Getty's first appearance since "Spring Broken." He was credited for every episode after that but did not appear in any of them.
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QUOTES (8)
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- Sarah: I never planned to be the only Walker there.
  Kitty: You may not have expected it but it doesn't surprise me. Ojai was always gonna be yours. I knew it, Dad knew it, even Tommy knew it. I'm sorry but you're the heir apparent.
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- Justin: (regarding Tommy): If he doesn't know who we are, he could be a completely different person.
  Kevin: Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed.
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- Nora: Maybe I learned something over the last few days.
  Kevin: Really? The only thing that I learned is that vegan food gives me the trots.
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- Robert: You want a separation, you got it. Because I'm done. I'm done chasing you and I'm done trying to figure out what you want. If you want to move to Pasadena, move to Pasadena. You want to take Evan with you, we'll work out the terms of the custody. You want to tell everybody in the world that we're separating, do it.
  Kitty: Robert.
  Robert: You just closed the deal. Have Kevin work out the details, whatever you think is fair. And for the record, I didn't come down here because Kevin told me to. And I wasn't fighting you on the terms of the separation because I wanted to be Governor. I was fighting you on the terms of the separation because I believe that if you move out of our home, that you will never come back. You want a separation, this is what one looks like.
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- Karin: Silence is as deep as eternity. Speech is as shallow as time.
  Kevin: And this place is as nutty as a fruitcake.
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- Justin: Mom. Tell us about the cult.
  Nora: Uh. I ... I may ... I may have overreacted just a little.
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- Sarah: Listen, Saul. I know that Ojai doesn't feel like our company any more and I'm going to change that. I want to bring Tommy home, I want to put this family and this company back together, because one doesn't work without the other.
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- Scotty: So you're not going to go?
  Kevin: No. It's our anniversary.
  Scotty: That's not an excuse. Kevin, Kevin, you don't celebrate something that's working when you're being asked to help with something that's not.
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NOTES (4)
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- International Episode Titles:
  Czech Republic - Mexiko (Mexico)
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- Music:
  Wonderwall by Ryan Adams
  Mexico by James Taylor
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Norway: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 on TV2
  Australia: Monday, August 3, 2009 on Channel 7
  Latin America: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 on Universal Channel
  Czech Republic: Sunday, June 19, 2011 on Universal Channel
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- Although credited, Kerris Lilla Dorsey (Paige Whedon), Sarah Jane Morris (Julia Walker) and Maxwell Perry Cotton (Cooper Whedon) do not appear in this episode.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Justin: By my calculation, you lost contact with Mom over an hour ago, which means that every minute we're on this phone call, she could be heading up a river into the heart of darkness.
  
  Heart of Darkness is a novel by Joseph Conrad published in 1902 about the search for a company agent in the Belgian Congo in Africa. It was also used for the basis of the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now although the setting here was Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
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