The second season of Brothers and Sisters saw the terrific top-notch cast hit their stride. The chemistry between Calista Flockhart's Kitty and the Republican senator she works for, played by Rob Lowe, is palpable, and their engagement this season makes for a charming thread entwining the tales of the rest of the Walker family. And what a year they're having. Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) has lost custody of her kids, but is now running Ojai Foods, and trying to navigate through the family issues that accompany the family business. Uncle Saul (Ron Rifkin) might be gay. Iraq vet Justin might be falling off the wagon. Affairs are lurking around every corner, tempting just about every Walker at one time or another. The sun around whom all the Walker planets spin, however, is still Nora (Sally Field), whose good humor and big heart go a long way toward giving the clan the glue it needs. When Justin apologizes for his snappish behavior at the family meeting the previous night addressing his drug use, Nora says, "No one expects you to be warm and fuzzy at your own intervention, dear."

This season, Nora gets some affairs of the heart herself, with a charming guest appearance by Chevy Chase as Nora's college draft-dodging beau, back in the states as a teacher but still exactly on Nora's not-quite-reformed hippie wavelength. But tension awaits in the form of Isaac (Danny Glover), Nora's political opposite, but absolutely her equal mentally and emotionally. It's satisfying to see a woman older than 35 have a real love life, with real sparks--and real consequences. --A.T. Hurley




Stills from Brothers and Sisters: The Complete Second Season (Click for larger image)