May 13, 2007: Matriarchy
The birth of Tommy and Julia's twins has been anticipated by the Walkers all season long. Sadly, what should have been the happiest moment in Tommy and Julia's lives turned out to be one of the most difficult. I can't imagine how awful they must have felt, trying to decide whether or not their daughter should be a kidney donor for their son. Although he's usually not a very emotional person, you could really see Tommy's anguish when he told Nora that he was afraid when he saw his daughter that he wouldn't be able to ask her to give her kidney, especially knowing how much she had been through. And although we haven't seen much of Julia this season,
Sarah Jane Morris really shone tonight in her portrayal of a mother saying goodbye to her son. I thought it was especially sad when the doctor asked Tommy and Julia if there were any final things they wanted to do, and Julia said she wanted to hold the baby.
The other central story line tonight involved the Senator's marriage proposal to Kitty. And their engagement was beautiful, at least visually. But at the same time I found myself annoyed when they switched from Tommy and Julia's last minutes with Baby William to Kitty and the Senator. I definitely felt more invested in the Tommy/Julia story line tonight and would have liked to see more of it. Unfortunately, Kitty's engagement wasn't quite the happy moment she and the Senator anticipated, as she found out the news about Baby William's death just moments after she accepted the Senator's proposal.
Another moving moment occurred when the Walkers, who have become so well-known for their gossipy phone chains, had to call each other with the sad news of Baby William's death. I liked that we couldn't hear what they were saying. Just watching their faces react to the news was enough to convey their devastation.
For Sarah, tonight also brought sadness about her marriage, as she and Joe decided to try a separation. Telling their children about it was, of course, a difficult moment. It was interesting to see how Paige and Cooper's age difference affected their reactions. Cooper seemed very accepting, not really grasping the magnitude of what his parents were telling him, but you only had to look at Paige's face to see she knew.
In addition to proposing to Kitty, the Senator played a role in two other story lines tonight. First, he was almost blackmailed by Daniel Cole, a fellow Gulf War veteran who was a witness to the Senator's alleged heroic efforts. Luckily, Daniel had some pretty serious legal troubles of his own. I was wondering why, if he knew so much, Daniel hadn't tried to blackmail the Senator before. I guess the debts that Kevin found out about were his main motivation. As a war veteran himself, the Senator also spent time with Justin at a veteran's hospital, helping Justin deal with his fears about going to Iraq and to realize the importance of his skills as a medic.
Rebecca had only a small role tonight, sharing a cup of tea and conversation in the kitchen with Nora. But this week Rebecca's character was portrayed in a much more sympathetic light than last week, when we heard Holly warning Nora about having Rebecca in the Walker home. Interesting that Rebecca appeared at the window with the rest of the Walker siblings when they went to see baby Elizabeth, although we didn't actually get to see anyone discuss Rebecca's presence. Some of the best moments tonight really didn't need words: They were in what we saw, in watching facial expressions and in noting who was present for important family-only moments.
