Brothers & Sisters

With an ensemble cast as big as this, it's difficult to introduce everyone sufficiently, yet I felt that each member of the walker family was given enough screen time that the audience could get at least a strong initial impression of them, from the politically conscious Kitty to the troubled war veteran Justin. Although the spouses/partners of the Walker Siblings were not really developed much (except Jonathan), this will surely come in time as we learn more about the family. There were only 2 characters I didn't warm to in this episode, and thankfully, one of them doesn't look like they survived it. While William Walker, the patriarch of the walker clan, appears to be the perfect father, it's obvious that he's hiding things, as Justin suspects and Sarah learns at the end. Uncle Saul seems fairly shady too, though I'm wondering if he and William were working together on whatever secrets are being kept at the company. I'm intrigued by the presence of Holly, the woman at the office, and am sure she will come to play a larger role! With several strong-willed characters, lots of issues and a few secrets waiting to be revealed, it looks like a rocky road ahead for an intriguing series.

This exciting first episode centers most around Kitty, who is celebrating her thirty-eighth birthday by returning home to L.A. to spend it with her family. There is her sister Sarah, who is with Joe, and their two kids. Sarah and Joe are seeing a councilor because they are having problems in the bedroom. Sarah works for her father's company Oh Hi. Then there is her brother Kevin who is gay and works for his father's company Oh Hi as a lawyer. There is her brother Justin who is a war vet who came home from Iraq and seems to be somewhat unstable and has no job. He drinks and is dating some girl named Fawn, who the family wasn't really impressed with when they met her. Then there is her brother Tommy who also works for Oh Hi, but we haven't heard much about him yet. Kitty and her mother Nora haven't seen much of each other in three years because Nora blamed Kitty for Justin going to war. Nobody likes it very much that Kitty is on a radio show voicing her political views, and now she's being offered a job to be on national television doing the same thing. Nora and Kitty finally have it out about this, and Kitty says that is basically an excuse, and that Nora could never lover her and she doesn't know why. Later, everyone is sitting around the table sharing stories of Kitty and toasting to her birthday. When it is Nora's turn she says that though she will always fight Kitty's opinions violently, she has never stopped loving her for thirty-eight years. Before this, Sarah uncovered a secret about her father's business, that Nora's brother, their uncle Saul has accounts on his computer that are locked and no one else can get into. When Sarah confronts him about it he is defensive, refuses to open the accounts to show Sarah and her brother, and avoids the situation by going to a meeting. Sarah later talks to her father about it who says he can't get a straight answer out of Saul. Sarah does some investigating of her own and finds out all these accounts are pensions, and she suspects that perhaps her father has taken the money and Saul is covering it up? Sarah also continues to have problems with Joe, and it seems he is the one who doesn't want to be intimate. William, the father and the owner of the company tells Justin to be at his office the next day. Justin shows up late and sees Holly, a not so bad looking blond talking to William in his office. She wants money, so apparently there's an affair going on there. William says he got Justin a job at some kind of restaurant. Justin later asks Tommy about Holly, and Tommy says she and their father have been friends for years. Justin asks if there was anything going on between them and Tommy says he wouldn't know. However, these secrets and more are all going to have to be uncovered and revealed in their own way, because at the end of the episode William has a heart attack and falls in the pool,and the boys fish him out. If he is not ok they will have to find answers another way. What a great series this looks like, i can't wait to see the next episode.

The first episode of a show is supposed to give you an idea of what the show is about. This episode was very fast paced and loaded with a mix of everything. Mom & Kitty don't agree and haven't talked in three years. Kitty's lawyer brother is gay and Justin who was in the military during 9-11 is a drug bum. Sara and her husband are in counseling while she's still crushing on her ex-partner. Jonathon proposes to Kitty to keep her in New York instead of her choosing a job near her family. Dad and Mom have what appears to be a perfect relationship. Surprise Surprise! Dad is having an affair with his long time friend Holly Harper, which Justin knows about. Mom and Kitty make up. Dad falls into the pool and dies of a heart attack. The only reason that I'm giving this show a chance is because I like Sally Fields. I've never seen Sally Fields like this before and I didn't like it.

I love the show, but haven't watched all the episodes. I just recently watched the first episode!

At the beginning of the episode we are introduced to our first Walker - Kitty Walker. The first scene is quite funny, with all her siblings ringing her as she tries to have a hot date with her boyfriend Jonathan. Kitty arrives at her parents' house, and you can feel the tension between Kitty and her mum - Nora. We are introduced to more Walkers, Kevin - who's a lawyer, Tommy - who helps run the family buisness, Sarah - who is beginning to work at the family's buisness, and Justin - the youngest sibling and the most gregarious. He introduces his new girlfriend - Fawn. His father, William, seems to be quite intimidating, tells him to meet him at the office tomorrow at 12pm.

Sarah and Kitty - the two sisters in the family, begin to talk about Sarah and her husband Joe going through counselling. All the siblings are gathered round the table at their parents house - and is quite funny when they begin arguing with Kitty - about Jonathan and politics. Kitty leaves the table in a huff, and Kevin gets told off for starting the bickering.

The next day begins with Justin in bed with Fawn. He wakes up, looks at the alarm clock beside his bed in shock, and starts getting dressed. He arrives at the office and sees his dad talking to a woman. He watches them both suspiciously. Kitty is out early jogging, and is surprised to see Jonathan! He's flown out from New York to join Kitty and her family for her birthday celebration.

Sarah is at her old job, and there seems to be some sexual tension between her and her old work colleague, Noah. Nothing happens between the two though.

Kitty is introduced to the studio, if she decides to quit her old job on radio and make the transfer to TV.

Sarah is back at Ojai Foods and is suspicious about some accounts. She sneaks into Saul's office, before she and Tommy confronts Saul about the locked accounts Sarah found.

Jonathan and Kitty are dining together. Jonathan proposes to Kitty by having the ring on a lemon rind in the glass. Very romantic and soppy!

Sarah is talking to her father about the locked accounts.

We see William on the phone to Saul, and the conversation sounds dodgy!

Nora confronts Kitty, the two exchange words and both get emotional, as some mothers and daughters do.

Justin hunts down Tommy and tells him what he saw. Tommy assures him that nothing's happened between their father and the woman - Holly, but I don't think Justin's convinced, and neither am I (especially when I saw most of the season!)

One of the last scenes is of the entire family gathered together to celebrate Kitty's birthday. The toasts for Kitty begin flying, but it's her mother's toast for her that brings tears to Kitty's eyes. It's quite poignant.

Shortly after the dinner, Sarah goes to use her father's computer to send an email, and what does she find? The locked accounts! Very shifty business if you ask me. The last scene is of William with Paige by the pool. He doesn't look too well, he can't raise his arm above his head, and he's having pains in his chest – the first few signs of an impending heart attack! The scene is played out in slow motion to increase the dramatic effect, and there's no dialogue – it's been replaced by dramatic music to increase the tension of the scene – and I feel all this is achieved very well.

A very enjoyable episode. The only problem I had was the characters weren't introduced to the audience as well as they could have been – I knew who they all were because I'd watched later episodes, but it would have left a first-timer a bit confused. However, the portrayals of all the family members great, and they all acted like a "real" family, with the loving and the bickering and the caring and the arguing. Aspects of family life well-shown. A great episodes, and a wonderful TV series to watch.

The introduction to the Walker's family...

Kitty, the democrat

Sarah, married with two kids

Kevin, the gay one

Tommy, married and working in the family company

Justin, the addict one



Then we have the mother, Nora and the father William.



This is a great start for a great show. They are like every other family, they have their trouble, their fights and they keep loving each other at the end.

This episode reveals a bit of each personality and view point.

But the end, it was tragic. William has an heart attack by the pool with his granddaughter and fells. He dies. I thinks that the main theme will be the problems left by William, in both his personal and professional life.

There are too many secrets..

Kevin (to Kitty): "Look go have your lurid hot sex with your gorgeous boyfriend and I'll take care of Mom".



Okay that might not be the best quote I could've used among my first review of this series but after resisting the urge, I've finally succumbed and I am now reviewing this excellent series that has drawn comparisons to the likes of Thirtysomething and Six Feet Under to it.



Thing open up in New York with conservative radio host Kitty Walker (Calista Flockhart) on the phone to her older sister Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) discussing her impending arrival while she attempts to cook a meal for her boyfriend Jonathan (Matthew Seattle) and explaining that she isn't a **** or passively aggressive.



Well I haven't seen enough to determine whether or not Kitty is fair in her own assessment of herself but it turns out that there is some tension between her and her mother Nora (Sally Field) and as a result Kitty would prefer to stay in a hotel as opposed to staying with her parents.



Kitty seems to be something of an expert multi-tasker or extremely chatty because not only is she talking to Sarah but her gay lawyer brother Kevin (Matthew Rhys) is also offering to deal with their mother (when he isn't commenting on Jonathan's hotness) and then Justin (Dave Annable) and Tommy (Balthazar Getty) are arguing over which one of them will actually pick her up from the airport.



Now less than five minutes has actually passed and already my head looks set to spin with the amount of information I've acquired about Kitty but seeing as shows nowadays have to give you a lot to go on in order to keep you hooked, I'm not complaining. In a lot of ways this episode reminds me of Six Feet Under's opening episode. From here on in that won't change much.



When Justin collects Kitty from the airport, the first bit of sibling rapport is affirmed. Kitty's clearly delighted that her somewhat unreliable brother has managed to keep to his word and picked her up and also expresses concern regarding his weight and the after-effects of serving in the military in Afghanistan.



However while Justin is delighted to have his sister back home for her birthday, his delight doesn't extend to arriving home with Kitty. In fact Justin would rather go meet a hot chick named Fawn than see his mum and sister collide.



Kitty's arrival home is suitably strained as well because while her father William (Tom Skerritt) is delighted to see her home, Nora's uncomfortable stance towards Kitty could be seen from outer space. The way she almost had to be nudged into hugging her daughter was one thing but when Kitty later tried to reconnect with her, Nora practically blew her off. As much as I liked both actresses, I felt bad for Kitty here.



It's not really long before the reason behind the tension between Nora and Kitty is established as we learned that Nora blames Kitty for Justin's decision to enlist in the military and while I can understand Nora's anti-war stance, I'm not entirely sure that besides Kitty agreeing with Justin's decision to enlist if I should really hold her accountable. Justin is after all an adult. It's not like Kitty held a gun to his head.



In fact Kitty's entire political beliefs are something that are thematic to the entire season and they got launched here wonderfully with every single member of her family only too willing to express an opinion. To Kitty's defence both William and Tommy seem to share her conservative opinions, although it's obvious that unlike Kitty neither of them have carved out a career for themselves regarding them.



If Nora isn't quick to dismiss Kitty's views and use them to hold her responsible for Justin's life then Kevin is quick to crack comments about being invited to the Log Cabin Republican and the flaws in her views and Uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin) also has some issues with Kitty's views on immigration too. She might be loved by her family but the ratio of conservatives to liberals in the Walker clan is kinda low.



Within the first half hour of this show not only has it been quickly established that we have a family show on our hands (to which there are still an astonishing lack of in American television nowadays) but this is also one where politics factor in a big way. It's quite daring given how TV seems to fair for more escapist dramas but it plays a huge role in which I'm watching this series and for that, ABC should give themselves a major pat on the back.



If it's not Kitty's family who have an expressive view on her politics, then her total dullard of a boyfriend Jonathan is also rather put out when his attempts of getting Kitty to marry him and settle down in New York aren't as much of an allure than her job offer as a host on political show Red, White And Blue.



In fact that is the real reason that Kitty is back in California. Her radio gig has generated enough interest in this show that show runner Whit thinks she would be perfect and capable of bringing an edge to their series and as soon as she meets her future sparring partner Warren (Josh Hopkins), it doesn't take Kitty long to actually consider taking the job. Even Nora is more eager for her to take a job where Kitty would express views that don't jibe with hers rather than her daughter marry a bloke she doesn't seem to in love with anyway. What are the odds that Jonathan will be gone before we even get to the first quarter of the season? Hopefully rather high! He kills his chances of being likeable for the nasty "smart-ass" comment he made when Kitty was talking about considering the job. Luckily for us, Kitty does end up taking it.



However much as Kitty is a huge focus compared to all her other siblings (don't worry, this is an actual ensemble series), my favourite Walker sibling is Kevin. Okay I'll admit that Matthew Rhys is as cute as a button as well as being a good actor and while Kevin doesn't get quite as much to do here, given the people involved in this show, I hope that as a gay character we'll finally get someone as three dimensional as David Fisher.



At the party, he's the only Walker child without a lover and Nora is quick to point out that no-one in the family harbours any problem with him being gay and Kevin then explains he hasn't had time to meet anyone. The fact that Kevin is already out is something of a relief along with him not exhibiting any discomfort with being who he is. Already he's getting off to a great start as a character.



However someone who is kinda vocal with things is Tommy, one of the two Walkers kids with a spouse (kindergarten teacher Julia, played by Sarah Jane Morris) who is pretty annoyed with how younger brother Justin is mollycoddled by the rest of his family when he turned up stoned to the family house.



Tommy might have an actual point about Justin's overall behaviour as one minute Justin was fine and then he did appear wasted for no reason at the party with Fawn but if Nora and company baby Justin, then Tommy complaining behind Justin's back instead of confronting his brother on his druggie ways might not be any better.



Tommy wasn't shy about laying into Justin for not having found work and even made it an issue twice during the episode. Tommy's probably not the most exciting out of the Walker siblings but he's not detestable either and that's good.



Also to Justin's credit, he did keep his promise to pick up Kitty and there seems to be a wonderful closeness between the pair of them and when he stopped by William's office he was smart enough to pick up on the tension between his father and a mystery woman named Holly Harper (Patricia Wettig).



It didn't take a genius to deduce that William and Holly are somewhat involved as not only was he furious at her for calling him at home but Holly also asked money of his for her bills. Tommy was quick to dismiss Justin's concerns of Holly but if William could fool Tommy about Holly, what else could he fool his family about?



There lies the crux of the matter and when Sarah wasn't trying to repair her marriage with Joe (John Pyper Ferguson), deal with her kids Paige and Cooper and avoid getting involved with a former co-worker in her old company, her shrewd business skills were put to the test as the family agricultural business Ojai Foods seems to having more than a few problems.



The first bad sign was the lawyer for the disgruntled workers complaining of delays in payments and both Saul and Tommy deliberately blowing Sarah's concerns off. Maybe it's down to watching Alias but even I'm pretty iffy about Saul and he certainly does a lot in this episode to justify a fair amount of suspicion surrounding him.



With Rachel Griffiths on fine form, Sarah's snooping results in discovering some locked accounts and having the stones to stand up to Saul, who tried to use the invasion of privacy spiel in order to avoid opening them. As Sarah pointed out to Tommy, this is a family business and Saul is doing no-one any favours by keeping stuff from everyone else in Ojai Foods.



However the nice twist of the episode is that it's not entirely Saul's choice for things being kept secret as William learns of Sarah's suspicions and forces Saul to come up with something plausible in order to get her off the scent.



It's a pity for William that he didn't act much faster as Sarah soon discovered the Pension Fund cleaned out during Kitty's birthday celebrations but before she could confront her father, things went seriously down the pool.



If Six Feet Under opened its very first episode with Nathaniel Fisher's hearse colliding with a bus then this episode equally goes for the dramatics with William suffering an attack and hitting the pool and while nearly everyone from the family tried to save him, it was clear he was a dead man before hitting the bottom. With an episode so emotionally charged, it was a good way of ending it. Also in "Patriarchy"



Like many series in the US today, Brothers And Sisters doesn't have any opening credits and instead opted for a modest title card.



Justin: "I'm at Zuma right now with Tommy. He's being a total asshat"

Kitty: "You know what you're both being asshats. Didn't Kevin tell you not to call?"



In the original pilot Kevin was actually Bryan, played by Jonathan LaPaglia who was only recently coming out and was in the middle of a custody battle with his ex-wife for their teenage son. The difference now is amazing.



Sarah (re Fawn): "Who is that?"

Kitty: "She's with Justin"

Sarah: "Nice rack".



Kitty: "We probably have a lot to say to each other"

Nora: "You know what Kitty, we don't, we really don't".



Sally Field and Tom Skerritt also played a married couple in Steel Magnolias, Rachel Griffiths and Matthew Rhys were in the movie Very Annie Mary and Calista Flockhart and Josh Hopkins appeared in Ally McBeal.



Sarah: "You set her off Kevin"

Kitty: "Yeah you set me off Kevin".



Holly: "You are handling me exactly as if I were a problem"

William: "Well that's exactly how you are behaving".



Ron Rifkin, Balthazar Getty and Patricia Wettig all starred in Alias, a show which also had Ken Olin (director) and Sarah Caplan (co-executive producer) on the payroll.



Kitty (seeing her poster): "What? Oh no, oh God"

Whit: "What oh no? The poster is my closer".



Tommy (re accounts): "Locked?"

Sarah: "Yeah, it's not cool Tom. This is a family business, there shouldn't be any secrets".



Sarah's surname is Whedon, a clear ode to the Buffy creator Joss Whedon. Marti Noxon briefly worked on this show.



Kitty (re engagement ring): "I am thinking about it. Don't get too excited big boy. You haven't sealed the deal yet"

Jonathan: "But it's looking good aren't they?"



Also in the original pilot, Nora was also played by Betty Buckley and Jonathan by Dan Futterman. So this series had to go through some extensive retooling.



Kitty: "I see that. I see you bending over backwards trying to be polite"

Nora: "Well do you want my opinion on whether you should marry a man I barely even know?"

Kitty: "Well it was your choice. You were the one who virtually refused to be in my life for three years".



Tommy (to Justin): "The answer is no, you can't borrow my surfboard, no I don't have any money to lend you and yes, girls still think you're cute. I'm kidding".



This is one of the few shows that bothered to give it's very first episode a name instead relying on "Pilot".



Nora: "I think you should take that job if you want it"

Kitty: "I think I do"

Nora: "We fight. We … fight! It's not the end of the world. Just come home".



Standout music: KT Tunstall's "Under The Weather" and Elaine Elias' "Running". This show seems to have an interesting ear for music.



Paige (re Mars): "It's the God of war. He was a warrior"

William: "That was me alright".



Chronology: September 2006 and also Kitty's 38th birthday.



Brothers And Sisters might not be the most original series in the world but for a debut series it certainly boasts an impressively varied cast and "Patriarchy" gave a multitude of wonderful characters, realistic but sparkling dialogue, intriguing plot strands as well as a timely look into family politics. If Desperate Housewives has become the successor for Sex And The City, then Brothers And Sisters looks set to become the same for Six Feet Under. That isn't a bad thing having a polemic series nowadays.

I liked this pilot. It definetly got me into the show, i will watch it. I thought each character was good in there own way, i liked the way we knew nothing about them. this is good because we will more then likely find these things out later. You can tell different relationships are rocky which could make some great drama! Overall good will continue to watch!!

After the hesitation I decided to watch this show and it is really great. The first episode was really lovealbe and the characters are fresh and unique and they have a lot of room to develope. Kitty is politically involved and she is about to start her own show on national television. She has a long standing feud with her mother because they disagree in many ways. There are also a lot of others in family each unique and special in their own way but it all ends as William the father dies with heart attack leaving family behind him and company without no money.

Really hooked up and I will continue to watch.

Wow what a way to start the show. Tom Skerritt's character William Walker has died leaving behind a trail of secrets - wait till the family finds out!!



Great first episode with a exciting ending. Paige is the cutest little thing and I loved the moment with her and William sitting together by the pool just before he died. Not many grandfathers seem to have time for their grandkids like him and I thought this was a lovely moment.



I can't wait to learn more about these characters and get more involved with their lives.



They seem to be a family on the move all the time with events happening everyday.

Oh My God ! It's definitively a huge surprise for me. I really don't heard something about this show since is creation and I was intrigate by this because the cast is impressionnant. What can I Say About This Pilot ? It's one the best i have ever seen. Calista Flockart is awesome, and all the cast too. It's enorm this show and it's why I Wrote this review because you must see this episode and the rest of the show. The music is unbelieveble. The first scene is so good i will love this show I think. Oh My God !

The pilot episode really is the reason that I watch the show. Besides the fact that it's the first episode of the series which is meant to introduce the story, it's a great episode to get everyone hooked on the show. The pilot episode of Brothers & Sisters is one of the best pilots for a TV show that I've ever seen. It does an excellent job of introducing each of characters. I thought that the pilot episode was very exciting which I think is rare for a TV show. I usually find the pilot episode of a TV show to be kind of boring and slow, but that's not the case with Brothers & Sisters. The whole episode is very exciting, and the end of episode is very exciting. All in all, this was a great episode and an amazing start to an excellent TV show.

I first heard of this show from my cousin and she told me to check them out on the abc website. I watched this very first episode and I must say I got hooked instantly. It was definitely capturing and interesting. I can't believe Johnathan was being very selfish with Kitty just because Kitty was considering on taking the job. I felt bad for Kitty and her mom's relationship but couldn't help but shed a tear when her mom said she never stopped loving her even though they do argue a lot. The characters are interesting and this episode definitely makes me want to keep watching to see what happens especially to the dad after that intense closing scene where he falls into the pool after I suppose having a heart attack.

What a great first episode! The first episode of a series is the most important because it helps them decide whether or not they want to keep watching the show. And this episode sure made me want to keep watching, what a cliffhanger. Right from the first scene I was hooked. Sally Field amazed me, I love her work, she's an amazing actress! I'll definitely be watching the next episode.

This is definitely a very dysfunctional family! It has potential...for there a rarely a television show that shows the true struggles a family faces!



Granted, i'm not entirely sure there is a family out there who has all the problems outlined in this new series...but it does make for great entertainment!



I can't wait to see how the writters develop the storyline for each sibling!

Kitty comes to LA for an interview for a TV show and visits her large family, consisting of her sister Sarah, and brothers Kevin, Justin and Tommy. Everything seems okay at first, but we later find that Kitty and her mother don’t get along, Justin’s a wild child, Kitty’s dad William has a big secret, and Sarah’s marriage problems with her husband. I really liked the pilot episode of this show. This is one of the very few emotional dramas that has released this fall. Most of the new shows are adventure, suspense, or comedies. It’s refreshing to see a talented cast for this series. Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Tom Skerritt, and the rest of the cast act flawlessly. The scene where Kitty and her mother finally argue about their past, when Justin makes a fool of himself when he brings home his girlfriend, and the last scene of the episode, are some of the highlights of this episode.





I will definitely continue to watch this series to see how it goes.

so this is the pilot for brothers and sisters i must say that it is an heavy episodes sometimes diffcult to watch because there were so many characters to introduce i find it good even though the focus was too much on the kitty caracter for my taste i just loved that we get little hint on the father cheating with holly and everybody' eslse problems

Family that is full of secrets that is indeed as Kitty comes home to her family as well as start her new job as a female version of Rush Limbaugh. As the family welcomes her but it isn't all kissing and hugging. As this family has had probably more than their share of problems. Led by Sally Field as the mother. Who just can't seem to keep it together. Great ensamble show led by Sall Fields and Calista Flockhart. Here's hoping that it will become a hit.

I have to admit I like the cast. I am hoping for improved writing and some real ace acting with a cast like this. I was not a loyal Ally McBeal watcher, so I didn\'t tune in because of Flockhart. I got deja-vu when I saw Skerritt and Field together as in Steel Magnolias..they have proven real chemistry in the past. I do like Rachel Griffiths, I just hope they use her to her full ability. Patricia Wettig? What isn\'t she in? Prison Break..now defunct Alias...then I saw Ken Olin in the credits so I knew then why she was in this show. I see LaPaglia in the photo on the page here but didn\'t see him in the pilot episode..so I guess Windfall is over..oh well. It seems there are alot of secrets and underlying problems with this family but it seems nowadays that is the norm. I also hope that Skerritt wasn\'t just in the pilot and then killed off that would be really disappointing. I am intrigued but will have to see how this family unfolds..It\'s off to a slow but promising start..as soon as Kitty dumps Jonathan for her TV show..a move in the right direction..I don\'t care how cute he is..an ultimatum like he gave her begs to be confronted. I would like to think someone with strong enough political views to be on the radio would tell that man where to get off and in a hurry.

The cast is so awesome: I love Ron Rifkin, Balthazar Getty, Patrica Wettig, Dave Annable; I really like Sally Field and Calista Flockhart. Such a great cast!

The chemistry between the siblings was great, I really liked it. :) Only problem I have: so many new names, because the cast is so big! Lol. I have to learn them.

So far, I guess I like the gay brother and Dave Annable's character the most. Let's see how that changes.



For a pilot episode it could be a bit slow, but it wasn't boring. And we didn't get that much information, but I guess that's still to come.



The end scene was so sad. :( With the slow motion and the music *sigh* I definitively keep on watching! Let's see what the second episode brings. ;)

I was excited to about seeing Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, and Patricia Wettig together. However, was especially excited to Wettig because I had not seen her in anything since "Thirty Something" (I know I was young at the time, but I have always loved TV and cartoons was not the only thing I watched). I like the show. As the show's credits ran at the end, I knew the father was going to die bc Tom's name was listed as guest star (did not read anything about the show before hand). I was disappointed about that the show went on because he is leaving a mess behind and someone else has to clean it up while going through the shock of his death and lies. Still, I will watch it because I am drawn to it. It is a good show, but not as good as the former holder of this time slot.

Everything was bing bang boom. Here is this character and and he has an issue but maybe we won't tell you...YES WE WILL. Characters were introduced a random pace, with no names attached or background attached, you are forced to just assume who they are and figure it out for yourself.



Welcome to America, as I'm the one who is complaining about being totally confused, but I don't think I'm asking to much to be a bit more clear on who the characters are. I understand that it is very much an ensemble cast, each with their own issue, but the plot is somewhat convuluted at times so that it feels too much like a soap opera and not enough like a family drama that it claims to be.



I'm tuning in next week simply to see if it gets easier to understand. We'll see.

The biggest problem with this show is the writing. There is a lack is wit and sparkle that make personalities shine; consequently they come across uninteresting and dull. In one scene the family was joking in the background and their conversation was just lame. The mother and daughter (Flockhart) go through their histrionics, but we already know something’s irregular about their relationship because we’ve been beaten over the head with it so many times before they confront each other. I think it would have been far more interesting if it unfolded in front of us and piqued our curiosity. For instance, the mother acts bubbly around the other siblings, but snaps at the daughter for nitpick things.



It's brought up that the mother transfers her anger on the daughter for reasons other than what's claimed. This reminds me of "The Thornbirds" where the mother unfairly scolds the daughter who was sired by a man who abused the mother, while she dotes on the son, who was fathered by a man the mother loved but couldn't marry.



The show seems overdramatic and worrisome before I have a chance to care about any of the members. Flockhart’s proposal by a goodlooking boyfriend from the past seems to be amateur storybook/soap opera stuff that never happens in real life.



On the bright side, I did notice that by the end of the show, it can grow on you. Also, it’s in a timeslot of little competition so it has a chance to develop an audience if they use that time wisely.

I was never actually intending to watch this show. From what I'd read, Brothers and Sisters was nothing more than a star-heavy series that was low on anything remotely interesting. It was trashed by critics and had a ton of behind-the-scenes issues that had already put me off watching the pilot. But, since there was nothing else on, I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, this was a pretty good series premiere.



The cast themselves were all great. Sally Field shined, and it was great seeing her back on TV. Rachel Griffiths was by far the most believable sibling, and her performance was flawless. I also thought Ron Rifkin was excellent, and despite taking a little time for me to get over the fact that he used to play a complete evil genius on Alias, he really impressed me here. With the death of Tom Skerritt's character, I hope to see Rifkin's Saul try and maintain the well-being of the rest of the family. Most media attention was concentrated on Calista Flockhart's return to television and, yes, despite being a capable actress, she didn't really impress me much here. Despite her huge scene with Sally Field, her conservative Republican character was the only sibling that didn't interest me, and Kitty seems to be the only character who could easily turn into a lame caricature, something I hope doesn't happen.



This is definitely a show that could be great. There's a lot of things going against it, but I'm optimistic that with such a great creative team behind the show (including Everwood's Greg Berlanti), it'll get better, and I'll definitely be a long for the ride.



Director: Ken Olin

Writer: Jon Robin Baitz

Rating: B

I know this is the pilot episode but the previews and commercials promised more than this episode delivered. The family members were not captivating and Ally McBeal, I mean Calista seemed to be towing the line. The moments I found most interesting occured when Sally Field was on screen and the ending. The show may pick up from this \"let\'s meet the cast of players\" pilot so I\'ll give it another shot next week.

I caught parts of the pilot for the series before it did its big cast overhauls and shift in tone. I don't know how that version would have worked out but this one seems to show some promise, even if everything doesn't click well.



Flockhart seemed wrong at the beginning but I started to get behind her a bit more. I liked how she was more comfortable behind the microphone than on camera and she doesn't really hammer home her opinons so much. Her conflict with her boyfriend was nice and promises to add some dimensions to her. The family affairs seemed to range all over. Griffith's marital problems seemed on the back burner and the gay brother and the druggie one were pretty much filler. Field is pretty good (although I still think Buckley did well in the role before she was replaced). Her conversation with FLockhart revealing why they have such problems was nicely shot and handled and I look forward to how it develops.



It was a good idea to put Skerrit's death off until the end as it allowed more time to see how he impacts his kids. This leads to the strongest parts of the pilot, the revealtion of the business' problems. Seeing Griffiths reading the sheets of missing money while her father was having the heart attack was good direction and added to the pathos of the moment.



All in all, this looks rather promising as long as it's given more time to develop and some sharper writing.