Brothers & Sisters

My new obsession is this amazingly beautiful show about the complicated relationships of the Walker family. It is so heartfelt and funny and well-acted that I fell in love with every single one of these people. This is not an exaggeration: Senator McCallister (Rob Lowe) is one of my favorite characters in all of the television that I have ever watched. Aside from the fact that he is absolutely gorgeous, he is so charming that I found myself replaying his scenes just because they made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. And extremely giggly on the outside, as my mother can attest to.

I really don't know how it took me so long to get around to adopting this show. I mean, its executive producer is Ken Olin, whose work on Alias as a director/producer was amazing. I think it might have something to do with the fact that B & S started last year at the same time as 6 Degrees, and they seemed so similar to me from all the promos that I saw. I decided that if I had to pick one, I would choose 6 Degrees because it was J.J. Abrams' show (this was at a time when my anger towards J.J. had not yet been fully realized-- *see previous post, "Rescue Me," for explanation). Needless to say since that show is no longer on the air, but I was disappointed.

Anyways...Partially out of my boredom from doing homework and partially because of the fortuitous and random nature of my moods to watch certain shows, I thought now would be as good a time as any to see how much I like Brothers & Sisters. If it's great, I'll have something to watch after Desperate Housewives. 7 days and 26 episodes later- I'm completely hooked. I love everything: from the sweet family moments that made me tear up on several occasions and the hilarious bantering between the brothers and sisters, to the insane drama that occurred throughout the season (Ohmygosh, I can't believe their dad died. And he had an affair. And he had another kid. And now she's living with Nora.) and the meaningful lessons about the importance of family and about living life to the fullest.

All of the Walkers bring something unique and wonderful to the dynamic of the show. Nora is the heart of the family. She loves all of her children so much but is constantly having pointless little fights with them. Sarah can be pretty moody, yet at the same time she is a strong and intelligent woman. Kitty, whom I personally adore, shares my love for Ronald Reagan (and my newfound love for Senator McCallister). She's brilliant and witty and reverts to this cute childish behavior when dealing with her siblings. Tommy takes a while to get to know, but now I've seen how sweet and mature and endearing he can be. Kevin is awesome. There's really no other way to describe him. All I know is that I would love to have him as a brother. Justin seems like such an idiot at first when he's strung out all the time, but he has grown so much since then that I almost forget about his moronic addiction phase. He's an amazing uncle to Paige and Cooper, a loving brother to his siblings, and a great son to his mother, even though he has to endure being treated like the child who always needs to be taken care of. The supporting characters- Saul, Joe, Julia, Rebecca, Robert, et al- sometimes get lost in the heat of the Walker family arguments and mayhem, but they each play a valuable role in the overall scheme of the show.

Okay, I realize how much I am rambling right now. I think I have made my point that I think the show is fantastic and engaging and deserving of all kinds of praise. In conclusion, I love Senator McCallister. He is dreamy. The end.