'Brothers & Sisters': Hard choices, good choices, dumb choices

The Walkers can be lovely people, but you have to admit that just about every Walker interaction comes with a buffet of all-you-can-eat crazy. That's why when someone has the chance to shake off the Walker influence on "Brothers & Sisters," I applaud them for taking it. Then there are those who decide to immerse themselves in Walker World -- and in the worst possible way. Oy.

Nora, Kevin and Julia
Tommy took a second mortgage on his house to fund the Crawford Orchards deal (in addition to raiding the pension fund), which Julia knew nothing about, and now the bank has foreclosed on the house. She's desperate -- she needs a job and someone to call off the foreclosure hounds. Walkers to the rescue!

Kevin takes on the mortgage company, but when his legal bluster fails, he ends up paying the overdue balance of $16,400 himself. Scotty is NOT happy -- he has no desire to "become another victim in your brother's midlife crisis." Ouch. When it becomes clear that no one is hiring teachers in Southern California (really?) Nora invents a job at the center -- never mind that there are currently no kids that need tutoring, and that there's no room in the budget for the position.

Then Julia does the unforgivable and takes steps to solve her own problems -- she takes a great job in Seattle. Nora and Kevin lose it -- you can't take Elizabeth away from us! Tommy needs a reason to come home! Julia is not amused. But Nora and Kevin eventually remember, for the 8 millionth time, that it's Not About Them, and the whole family gathers to celebrate Julia's new job and wish her well. Julia admits that she'll miss these dinners. Ahhh! Stockholm Syndrome! Julia, run while you still can!

The family business
Creepy Ryan is looking for a job, and Holly offers to take his resume in to Ojai Foods. Feh! He spits. I'd NEVER work at William's company! Fie on the Walkers! Fie! It looks like they're going to leave it at that, but then Holly decides she's sick of being quasi-nice and quasi-human, because wah,  the board likes Sarah best, and it's NOT FAIR! They're just siding with her because they're blinded by her Walkerness!

Ah, but any child of William who works at Ojai gets voting shares. Holly tells Ryan to suggest the idea of working there to Sarah, who thinks it's a good idea but worries the Holly will feel under siege. Then Holly storms in all embattled because she's going to be outnumbered, and if HE gets shares then REBECCA should get shares! Sarah agrees, and Rebecca blinks like a deer in the headlights. Then, when Ryan openly mwah-hah-hahs! and twirls his metaphysical mustache and does Mr. Burns hand-rubbing, Rebecca FINALLY figures out that hey, he's creepy! She goes to Justin and tells him, that he was right about Ryan -- he's EEEEEEEEVIL. We cut away before we can hear Justin say "I told you so!"

Your cheating heart
Kitty is spending ever increasing time with Alec, and she's lying about it to Robert. Sarah gently confronts Kitty on her history of chasing the next shiny object as soon as the current shiny object starts to tarnish, and that she's got to stay away from the park if she wants to save her marriage. Kitty admits that yes, she's having an emotional affair, and says she'll avoid the park -- but immediately meets Alec at a house he's thinking of buying and gets all swoony about how perfect it, and by extension he, is. They're gazing dreamily at each other on the way back from the house and Kitty smacks into another car.

Robert is all sweetness and solicitude, and Kitty, feeling awful about what she's been doing, makes moves to reconnect with him. then she takes a recover-from-car-crash nap, and Robert decides to take Evan to the park. There, Ben greets Evan, then runs to Alec, who has airbag burns just like Kitty's. Robert comes home with the moral high ground tucked under his arm, and Kitty can't answer him when he asks if she loves Alec. later, she goes over toe Alec's new house, and they kiss on the porch swing. Doh!