I love Brothers & Sisters but ...
Question: I love
Brothers & Sisters but cannot stand Holly. I mean, how realistic is it for Nora to invite her late husband's mistress to her daughter's engagement and birthday parties? What annoys me the most about her is that she has no remorse for her actions and basically demands that the Walkers be nice to her. Also, it feels like the writers are making Sarah look like the bad guy sometimes, to make Holly look more sympathetic. In my opinion, the show should write out Holly. What is her purpose, anyway? She has no real storyline.
Answer: She is the odd person out in this series, isn't she? And that's no fault of
Patricia Wettig, a fave of mine since her triumph on
thirtysomething. What the show needs to do is give Holly more of a purpose — a romantic interest outside the Walker family, maybe? — because the character isn't going anywhere (and not just because Wettig is married to Ken Olin, one of the executive producers). Consider the show's premise, which is all about the Walker family carrying on after the death of the patriarch, who was leading a secret double life. The implications and repercussions of that betrayal give teeth to what would otherwise be an ordinary, though extraordinarily well-acted and well-written, family saga. Holly, like her daughter Rebecca, is trying to figure out how to belong in a group of people that would mostly rather (like you) forget she exists. But she feels she has rights, and she isn't going back into the shadows without a fight. Which is a pretty good dramatic situation, if only they could give her character more depth. Sounds like a challenge. As for Sarah coming off like the bad guy: Just chalk that up to a show's need for conflict. Sarah has every right to resent this woman, but a lesser show wouldn't make her feel so bad about it. Holly has shown herself to be plenty selfish along the way as well. No black or white hats here, which is a good thing.
