'Brothers & Sisters': 3 Strikes and You're Out! The Series Has Been on the Air 5 Years and May Not Be Renewed

This week's episode of "Brothers and Sisters" was written by Geoffrey Nauffts and Brian Studler and directed by Bethany Rooney. It was not a strong episode. It illustrated why this show is "on the bubble" for renewal after 5 years on the air.

CIA Subplot Involves Kitty and Cancer

Part of the plot revolved around Nora's (Sally Field, who executive produces) conviction that her daughter Kitty (Calista Flockhart) is working for the CIA in Washington, D.C. Nora convinces Sarah (Rachel Griffith) to fly to D.C. with her to investigate and to visit Evan, the black child that Kitty and her now-deceased husband (played by Rob Lowe) adopted, because it is Evan's fourth birthday. Evan's birthday party goes horribly awry. At episode's end, the Walkers are staging a piñata-style party about as genuine as fool's gold and lifeless in its forced gaiety.

What Nora and Sarah learn in their travels, is that Kitty is having some stem cell problems that relate to the previous cancer plot, which saw poor Calista Flockhart have to don truly horrible headgear as she battled the Big C. Nora also tells Kitty, "I feel like you're shutting us out for some reason."

Gekko Plot (Gack !)

The gay duo of Kevin and Matthew are trying to adopt Olivia, an older child who turned out to be a proficient thief and pickpocket at their first meeting in the orphanage. This endeared her to the boys. She has been visiting them on weekends, where she mainly wants to be left alone to paint, but is, instead, dragged to the grocery store, so that her store purchases can be overruled by Scotty.To please Olivia, the gay couple purchase a Gekko, which Olivia names Zemulon.

The entire episode becomes completely ridiculous when the gay partners convert their entire house, into a playhouse for a Gekko, with elaborate draping and whatever else the well-housed Gekko would most desire. The Gekko house takes over the real house. The Gekko episode defies any version of reality, gay or straight.

Egg Faux Pas

Another misstep was the subplot involving Sarah's daughter, Paige, who is stood up for an important formal dance by her boyfriend Cody. Naturally, she is crushed. Her stepfather, Giles (who is babysitting for the weekend while Nora and Sarah explore the completely contrived CIA investigation plot), tries to cheer her up by suggesting that they take 14 eggs to Cody's house and egg the house. (Wouldn't any responsible parent do the same?) It seemed as though it might have been a better idea for the scintillatingly handsome Giles to put on a tux and escort the all-dressed-up-with-nowhere-to-go Paige to her dance. But no. Instead, let's go throw eggs at Cody's house because he bowed out at the last minute.

Great message for American youth, by the way. [If rejected by your boyfriend, go egg his house.]

A Rose By Any Other Name.....

One bit of good news was that we didn't have to see much of "Rose" (Cara Buono) who recently appeared in a previous episode with the MIA Tommy Walker (a guesting Balthazar Getty, described as "an equal opportunity Lothario"). Rose almost immediately began making a family tree and alienating all of her future in-laws. Rose's digging into the Walkers' family history in that previous episode caused Sarah to believe she was not a real Walker, but the biological child of a character (Nick Brody) played by Beau Bridges, when Nora's pre-wedding pregnancy was revealed. There was mention of Brody's dog still hanging around in Nora's kitchen in the March 6 show, so we have not seen the last of the least attractive of the Bridges brothers. Nobody liked Rose, including me. One Walker sibling texted another, "She's weird." I agree.

Kevin Walker

Our favorite EMT, Kevin Walker (Dave Annable) broke up with his girlfriend (played by Odette Yustman of "Cloverfield"), primarily because she refused to take his side about whether he was "safe" or "out" in a hospital baseball game. She claimed not to have even seen the play at the plate. The disagreement erupted into a fistfight between Kevin and an intern his new honey once dated. Exhibiting the childishness of the "Gekko" plot combined with the lawlessness of the Egg Faux Pas, this plot strand, too, was one strike closer towards being out at the plate, thematically-speaking.

One line (used in reference to the Gekko cave) was, "I think it's out of control."

My sentiments concerning "Brothers & Sisters" plots, in general, lately.