(S02E07) "Well, who'd chain you the radiator and poke you with a stick?" Sarah, knitting.

Meh. This episode was fine. It wasn't special. It was just kind of... filler. And I don't mean to cast aspersions on the show at all: That is what shows do leading up to November sweeps. They can't have anything really important happen right now. I hesitate to say anything negative about the writing these days because I fully support the WGA strike. But this episode felt forced. They totally set it up a few weeks ago when Justin started taking pain killers again, and they gave themselves a convenient family "crisis" to deal with now.

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(S02E06) "I didn't want this baby."-- Robert McAllister

I am starting to regret every time I have criticized the show for being too prone to hijinks and slapstick, because after the past two episodes, I would love to have Robert's crazy family show up again so they can all jump into the pool. The best way to describe this episode is maudlin. No wonder Justin is taking more pain meds. This is some pretty depressing stuff, and it doesn't look like it's going to get happier anytime soon. Is this the writers' way of dealing with the impending strike? A little doom and gloom for everyone? And is Tommy growing a mustache, and could someone please call his agent and tell him to shave it?

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(S02E05) "That shrimp smells rancid."-- Kitty Walker

Oooh, this was a painful episode to watch. In a good way. The writing was absolutely spot on for this episode, and it was just beautifully played. Some things happened that I expected and some things that I didn't, which I will get into after the jump. It was the obligatory Halloween episode, but nicely downplayed also. I loved the fact that the minute Nora's back was turned, Justin and Rebecca dove into the candy bowl like a couple of little kids. It was a good juxtaposition to pair Robert's debate with Halloween instead of focusing on the Walkers engaging in a big costume party, as might have happened with this crazy bunch.

(S02E05) I tend to separate Brothers and Sisters episodes into light and dark episodes these days, even though every episode certainly has elements of both. Last week was pretty dark, and this was a relatively light episode, though, thankfully, they kept the slapstick to a minimum. This episode definitely explored the nature of relationships, or, as we get from the title, unions, namely: Nora's with her and her children, and the romantic nature of all of the siblings with their significant others. If you can say that Justin's significant other is Rebecca... And the show is definitely exploring what happens when siblings meet as adults and go from strangers who could have dated under different circumstances to instant family members.

(S08E14) Just like last week, this episode took a complete turn a little more than halfway through. I felt pretty unhappy with the ending because, once again, it seemed rushed. An entire murder investigation was wrapped up extremely quickly and then another storyline was opened with Elliot and his wife- all in the last 25 minutes of the show.

The episode started out like any other. A father (Cary Elwes) and his son arrive at his estranged wife's house to find someone inside. The mother is dead, the father gets whacked on the head with a vase and the boy runs for his life. It turns out the family may have the mob after them, but that lead dries up quickly. Then the father remembers seeing his daughter in the house and the investigation quickly turns to her. She was on drugs that made her violent and she had a violent relationship with her mother. The case pretty much seems wrapped up until tests come back to reveal that the urine in the toilet that proved the daughter was high on drugs, did not belong to her. It was a man's - probably her boyfriend.