BROTHERS & SISTERS: THE COMPLETE FIFTH AND FINAL SEASON
(not rated)
MOVIE: **** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
I have reluctantly become a fan of “Brothers & Sisters” over the years. While it’s not my typical show, I have grown to really enjoy the writing and the character interaction. The fifth season was just as fun as the previous ones and features some fantastic drama. Kevin and Scotty’s story takes a front seat as they struggle to adopt and reconcile a previous surrogate. And Norah’s story about getting back into the dating game – with a neat bit part played by Beau Bridges – is also quite entertaining. I was less interested in Kitty’s post-cancer, post-widow story, but at least how things went down with Sarah and her sexy model hubby-to-be worked in quite well.
“Brothers & Sisters” sometimes stretched the drama too tightly and caused problems with relationships that were forced (including the story of the prodigal bastard Ryan or the break-up between Justin and Rebecca). And with this in mind, the fifth season being the final one – while sad to see – is just as well. The show didn’t have the chance to jump the shark, and this last few episodes work as well as any dénouement of the series could have to wrap up people’s lives.
The DVD set comes with a handful of deleted scenes, audio commentaries, bloopers and outtakes. There’s also two featurettes: “Giles Marini: Uncovered” looks at Gilles Marini as an actor and sex symbol, as well as “Writing for the Walkers” about how the writers of the show use the drama in their own lives to seed the stories on the show.