'Brothers & Sisters': News Clash!

While I eagerly await seeing whether the adoption story line gives Rob Lowe enough to do next season — or if his Robert becomes as peripheral as Tommy's wife, Julia — I'm more impatient to know how the writers will work out the Justin and Rebecca relationship. Until I read some of the comments on last week's TV Watch, I didn't realize how skeeved out some of you were at the thought of them becoming a couple. It's never bothered me, probably because as soon as I felt the attraction building, I assumed they weren't related. But you have a point: The characters thought they were related, so how do they make that switch? I'm not sure the writers even know. They bought themselves a bit of time by having Rebecca meet Justin on a hilltop — an appropriately isolated spot for discussing such a rare situation — to tell him that she can't do what he wants her to. For a moment, I thought she meant she couldn't ''start over'' and pretend that she hadn't just spent a year thinking that she was his sister. But actually, she meant that she couldn't pretend that she doesn't know him as well as she does, that he isn't the person she wants to talk to most. Maybe, she said, the mystery of her paternity was just a way for her to meet him. Justin responded with a simple kiss, which was followed by some awkward giggling and the admission that neither of them knows what to do next. I wonder how the family will respond if Justin and Rebecca go public with their mutual feelings. Tommy sounds like he'd be supportive. Shockingly, so does Kevin. Of the Walker women, I'd be most concerned about Nora. She said she'd always consider Rebecca a member of the family after she helped get her through Justin's time in Iraq. But then again, because of that, Nora's seen more than anyone how much Rebecca cares for Justin, and we know that she just wants her kids to be loved. All I can say is, it's going to be weird the first time Nora sees Rebecca coming out of Justin's bedroom. Do we think there's any chance Rebecca and Justin will move in together elsewhere? Though I guess that means both of them would have to have an income. What do those two do all day? That's another good question I saw raised in last week's comments.

So how do you feel about where things are headed for Rebecca and Justin now? How would you like to see the tale of William Walker's (alleged) fourth son unfold next season? And how will you make it through the summer without this series? I'll miss the drama, but I'll also pine for the subtle moments that make watching a scripted, character-driven show so fulfilling. Like when Kevin told Scotty he needed to tell him something important before the ceremony, and Scotty immediately asked, ''Did something happen in the living room?'' And when Saul came out to the room of Walker children because he assumed gossip boy Kevin had already broken the news for him. And even the way Tommy and Justin reclined in their seats in the car instead of pacing as I would have done had my sibling just gone into the den of difficult in-laws.

You Might Also Like

• Television News Spotlight on Dave Annable and Emily VanCamp | Lynette Rice
• Television News Replacements for your favorite shows | Abby West