Brothers & Sisters was riding smoothly until the crash

     I have some complaints about ABC's Brothers & Sisters finale, "On the Road Again", but first, let's start with the good stuff.  The Walker family mostly worked out their issues.  Justin (Dave Annable) and Rebecca (Emily VanCamp) seemed to be in a good place.  They have decided to spend a year apart, but, based on interviews I've read with the people that make the show, they'll be all right.  Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) was taking the dissolution of the family business pretty hard, but I'm sure that she'll recover.  Though are her kids ever on the show anymore?  Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) and Saul's (Ron Rifkin) restaurant looks to be the new business venture for the family, and I'm hopeful.

     Sadly, though, Saul has HIV.  I understand the explanation that he could have had it for decades without symptoms, but it seems to be stretching some already stretched believability.  When the series began, there was no hint of Saul's homosexuality, and it seemed to come from nowhere.  I am glad to see plot for Saul, when he is often left out, so I will forgive those mistakes.  I will also forgive the finding of water at Narrow Lake, though again, it seems very convenient, and a little cheap.

     Killing off Robert (Rob Lowe) was the best way to go, if he had to leave the show, though I'm still bitter about his departure.  It was also nice that it was done in an unexpected way.  However, the multi-car pileup, with so much of the family involved, was not handled all that way, and I am unsatisfied with it.  If Holly (Patricia Wettig) dies, I will be furious.  She is easily one of the most interesting characters on the show, and sorely needed.  I was sad to see her get so little screen time this week, but the series has been fairly good to her lately, so it can have a pass, for now.

     I am being this tough on Brothers & Sisters because it is usually such a good show, and I was not happy with the finale.  I don't feel it lived up to the show's usual standards.  I am not sure about how the reduced role next season of Kitty (Calista Flockhart) will bode, nor is it a good sign that only eighteen episodes have been ordered.  By contrast, this year saw twenty-four hours, and most drama series deliver twenty-two currently.  Next year will also pick a year after the events of this season, so perhaps that may give it a new injection of life.  I am simply concerned, and really hope that I one of my favorite shows bounces back soon.