It's completely my bad that it's taken so long to write this recap. I took notes on this episode while watching it and then accidentally deleted it (stupid phones) and then in an attempt to recover said deleted note, I deleted it forever, because I don't know how to use technology. So not only is this post hella late, it's also going to be completely based from memory because I figured it would be more fun that way. I am writing this obligatory SPOILER ALERT because I will feel very bad if I don't, but if you're two weeks behind on This is Us, that is nobody's problem but your own! Sorry for the sass, let's get to Kate's "Hell of a Week". Up until this point, the show has been building up an incident between Kate and her older boyfriend, Marc. He's 23; she's 18. He hired her at the record store and she likes him because he's like a security blanket from all the bad things she's endured. EXCEPT, he's really causing a lot of shit in her life. He gets mad at her for the smallest things, including her talking to a customer about music at the store THEY BOTH WORK AT. He's not driven, shows little to no interest in interacting with her family, and quits his job on a limb because he's pissed at Kate and then proceeds to get more pissed at her when she informs him that she won't be quitting with him. Side Note: I totally he said he quit smoking, when he said he quit his job. He said something about smoking in that same breath. I was probably just really tired. Anyway, Marc seems to have some sort of mental illness/alcoholism because he is very back and forth. When Kate addresses his outbursts, he apologizes and kisses her like nothing ever happened. I've read people on line diagnosing him with BPD or Bipolar Disorder, and I don't want to just throw a label on his issues, but those two do seem to make the most sense. Case in point, when Kate tells Rebecca that she and Marc are going to go stay at the family cabin the day after Bec's birthday dinner and Bec expresses minor discomfort, Kate and Marc take off, skipping her birthday celebration all together. On the ride there they seem to be having an okay time, singing Ben Folds and holding hands, until Marc snaps and begins to swerve off the road in the snow. He leaves Kate on the side of the road, with nothing but her overnight bag. Now's a good time to mention that not only is Marc emotionally abusive, he verbally harasses Kate on multiple occasions, typically resorting to calling her 'fat', which of course is triggering to her because she has always struggled with her weight, but having the person you love call you ugly and fat...that's just not right. Kate runs to the nearest gas station where she calls her mom, and this is the scene we've watched several times of Bec cancelling her birthday dinner and Kevin phoning Randall so they can go rescue Kate. Shortly after hanging up the phone, Marc pulls up to the gas station with a blanket for Katie girl, and they go back to the cabin before his next outburst. In the present day, Toby is sucking majorly and skips out on the blind children retreat because of 'work' and because he isn't really feeling having a blind son. Old Rebecca rules, and she decides to step up and go with Kate so they can spend some time together. Kate and Rebecca manage to go an entire trip without fighting, actually they bond instead. When Kate refuses to go swimming because of how she will look in a bathing suit Becca exclaims, "You're fat, I'm ancient, we're gorgeous!" I gasped as I watched such a positive, hilarious mother-daughter moment on TV and wept as they finally seemed to get each other. Becca heartbreakingly reveals her medical diagnosis, and Kate feels jipped because of course Bec's health is failing just as their relationship is back on course. There's a moment where the two of them sing "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morrisette at the karoke bar and it's so wholesome and beautiful. Side side note: Kate calls Gregory (her neighbor) to check in back home instead of Toby, and while I'm not sure it's anything romantic, I sure do love their dynamic. Oh! I totally forgot to mention that this whole time Jack is reading toddler Kate a bedtime story, one that she helps tell. It's all about a princess who just wants her mama. It's so fitting and perfect for everything that happens. She just needs her mom. Finally, the trilogy ends with Kevin and Randall calling Kate when she arrives back from the retreat and telling her that they want to take a 'Sad Three' trip to the cabin. What did ya think? Did you think the Marc stuff would be more or less extreme? Which episode of the Big Three Trilogy was your favorite? (Mine was Kevin's, obviously). Tell me in the comments! And if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, don't be afraid to the domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Everyone deserves help. It's not your fault. XOXO, Em
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Hi, my dear readers and This is Us fans! I want to apologize deeply for the delay in getting this recap up, school has been kicking my butt and this is the first chance I am having to write about, what I personally consider, the best episode of This is Us all season. Actually, it might be the best episode since Season 2. I know, I know, I'm getting crazy. In "A Hell Of A Week: Part 2", we get to see Kevin's difficultly to let go of the past and perhaps finally move on from his great love story. THIS IS YOUR SPOILER ALERT, ALTHOUGH THIS EPISODE AIRED LITERALLY TWO WEEKS AGO SO LIKE, YOU'VE WATCHED IT BY NOW. In an effort to continue incorporating Jack in the show, we learn that the night that toddler Randall couldn't fall asleep, neither could toddler Kevin. He wants his little sheep mobile that Rebecca has already donated. Jack tells him, toward the end of the episode, that he's going to "find something else to love" and if that isn't putting the nail in the coffin for Kevin/Sophie, I don't know what is. Oh wait! Yes, I do! The rest of the episode! That does it! We know by now that Sophie called Kevin because her mother, Claire, passed away. In flashbacks, we as viewers meet Claire for the first time and she's...eccentric. She's irresponsible with money, Kevin's biggest fan, but she also is somewhat realistic. She refuses to give Kevin her mother's engagement ring, a beautiful emerald ring that Sophie wants badly, because she wants him to earn it. He never does. The whole episode is incredibly meta. As Kevin is working on night shoots for his movie, he insists to the director that the "ending we already shot was pretty good,". But, the director persists, "This is the ending everyone wants and they still won't see it coming." We thought that we were done with Sophie when she announced her engagement to Grant (whose face we don't see in this episode), but this episode proves there's more to be told when it comes to Kevin's greatest love thus far. Additionally, a running gag between teenage and adult Kevin and Sophie is predicting an ending when things get sad. To what? Well, we learn that the night of the horrific Pearson house fire, Kevin and Sophie went to a party in the woods. They got bored and decided to get donuts and go to the movies instead, where they saw MOST of Good Will Hunting. The power goes out and they aren't able to see the end so they make it up for the next 20 years, vowing to never watch it. After showing up at Claire's funeral and then again at her old house for the reception (with powdered donuts!!), Kevin whisks Sophie away to that same spot in the woods, where they finally watch the ending. I love so much of this because Kevin and Sophie as kids and as teenagers are perfect for one another. They compliment each other so well, and I could watch an entire movie of teen Kev and Soph's love story. I also love the realism that this episode has. Yes, they were perfect, but Kevin messed it up. He cheated on her during their marriage and they were never able to come back from it. They tried, but his alcoholism got in the way and eventually she found someone else. I like to see them as the anti-Jack and Rebecca. They just didn't work out, and while it's so sad, it's okay. They had some really beautiful moments. Speaking of beautiful moments, I LOST it when teen Sophie hands Kevin a napkin during his father's funeral with an alternate ending to the movie. What a perfect, emotional moment between two vulnerable people. Also, the scene when Kevin talks to Claire's grave and leaves his headshot and then takes it away is so sad and funny at the same time. I can't stop thinking about how amazing Justin Hartley is. After Kevin and Sophie say their goodbyes, Kevin heads back to LA and to Kate's house to hang out with her and baby Jack. When he arrives, Kate's bff Madison opens the door. Apparently Toby is at work, Kate and baby Jack went on the retreat she originally got as a birthday present for Toby, and Madison is dog sitting Audio. They have a cup of tea and share their romantic struggles. Kevin tells her not to focus so much on being left and instead celebrate the fact that she's the one who wants to stay. One thing leads to another and it sure looks like they sleep together. I mean, we don't see them kiss or anything sexy but Kevin does wake up shirtless in the bed next to her when he calls Randall the next day. He suggests the three siblings go back to Pittsburgh to the old cabin. As Sophie goes through her mother's things, she is finally able to have the emerald ring she always desired. She looks at it and compares it to her current engagement ring from faceless Grant and cries to herself. Some may take this as the Kophie story not being over, but I think it is. I don't think Kevin will ever earn that ring; it's Sophie's to keep now. When you think about it, it's really gut-wrenching and brutal, but life is like that sometimes and it's nice to see that play out on TV. I haven't decided whether or not I'm okay with this Madison thing yet, or if I believe that she's his baby mama and future fiancé. It would be nice to see the story unfold, and no matter how much I love Sophie and Kevin's story, I think it's time to finally let it go and move on. What do you think? Are you still team #Kophie or are you ready for Kevin's next great love story? Let me know in the comments! XO, Em Oh wow, y'all. Oh wow. Where do I even begin? I truly feel like this is the first This is Us episode in like 2 seasons where I truly was at the edge of my seat and the cliffhanger blew my mind. Remember when we found out that Rebecca was married to Miguel at the end of the second episode of the series? This felt like that. I CAN'T REALLY SAY MORE WITHOUT MAKING A VERY BIG, VERY BOLD SPOILER ALERT FOR "SO LONG MARIANNE". IF YOU CONTINUE READING THIS AND THEN YOU'RE MAD THAT YOU GOT SPOILED I WILL NOT FEEL BAD FOR YOU. K, THANKS. It's Thanksgiving and you know what that means! Randall is hosting! Well, Beth is hosting and Randall is going on a wild goose chase to Jersey for their Thanksgiving decor (i.e. The Pilgrim Rick hat) with Annie and a very anxious Uncle Nicky at his side. Nicky feels uncomfortable in the Pearson home, especially given that Jack killed him off in his life's story. I cannot stress this enough, I LOVE Uncle Nicky. One of my favorite Uncle Nicky moments this episode is when he tries to convince Kevin to let him go with Randall, saying, "It gives me some time to get to know Russell." Only to be corrected by Randall himself, "Randall." Nicky then proves his own point, "See?". As for my other favorite Uncle Nicky moments, well, they come in the form of some flashbacks that we'll get to later. Toby and Kate take baby Jack on a plane to Philly where Kate decides to come clean and tell her husband that their son actually tried avocado for the first time with their neighbor Gregory. Toby is mad, but quickly gets over it, and I've now realized he has no place to be mad. He lied to Kate for MONTHS about going to the gym, getting jacked, and joining Crossfit, but she lets him believe for 24 hours that his first time eating solid food was with his dad and she's the bad guy? I don't love it. And you know things must be bad if I'm taking Kate's side. ALSO on Thanksgiving when Toby asks Kate to take a photo with his phone, she finds a message from someone named "LadyKryptonite" that says something along the lines of "Don't let her get you down." First of all, who puts someone in their phone as LadyKryptonite (No spaces either) and second of all, EXCUSE ME? Toby Damon, go home, you're drunk on Crossfit. In the flashybacks a much younger and pre-Vietnam Nicky and Jack decide to skip their family Thanksgiving because their parents are fighting. They spend some time together, listen to Leonard Cohen, and order five pounds of shrimp. The back and forth between Randall explaining what "So Long, Marianne" is about to old Nicky as young Nicky explains what it means to young Jack is truly heartbreaking. Nicky feels erased, but he also feels his brother's love, all in one breath. I cried, obviously. Nicky brings the 5 pounds of shrimp out again at 2019's Thanksgiving dinner. He says, "It's for Jack. My brother." And then I exploded into a puddle of tears, you know, as one does. Also on the guest list is Shauna, Deja's birth mama, and she's doing fantastic, which should cheer everyone up, but in reality bums them out. Beth is scared that Deja will long for her mom, and Deja breaks down and asks Beth why Shauna couldn't be like that for her. It's hard to watch. Rebecca is still pissed at Randall for recommending that she see a doctor for her memory issues, and when he tries to apologize she shuts him down. She insists on going to a movie alone, and I'm irritated by Miguel's silence in all of this. He just stays out of it, which is weird. I feel like as her husband he should tell Randall and the other kids what is going on with their mother's health. We watch as Becca goes searching for a bakery to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. She mistakes a young black man for a young William, and then loses her phone at the grocery store checkout where she buys flowers instead of cake. Then she goes and gets Chinese food (it's Thanksgiving, sis) alone and finally realizes that she doesn't have her phone which sends her spiraling. Honestly, the whole thing is very difficult to watch and I give props to Mandy Moore for her performance. I wrote in my notes for this episode that the new live action Cats movie looks terrifying. They must've show a commercial for it. I stand by that statement. adorablenessYou guys! Kevin has a really good episode (well, almost)! He is Uncle of the Year by taking Tess out and supportively urging her to come out to her friends at school. He is just so real and honest and grown-up with her and I love it. He also comes to the conclusion that in 9 months time (The Big 3's 40th birthday), he wants to be settled down. He wants to be married, or engaged and he wants a baby. Randall is like "Okay my dude please slow down" but Kevin is like "Nah, enough of this waiting bullshit" (This is exactly how their conversation goes, don't try to argue with me). So guess what? We see into the future, many parts of it actually. Grown-up Jack Damon and his wife make an appearance on a Thanksgiving probably 20+ years from now, where Lucy is pregnant with their child and stressed about hosting. Jack tells her not to worry, eat some shrimp adding, "There's five pounds." MY HEART. (If you don't understand what any of this means: remember the flashback from earlier? The adoreableness?) Do you also remember earlier when Rebecca's dumbass went and got Chinese food on Thanksgiving? Well, turns out she didn't. She actually wandered off on August 31st, 2020, 9 months into the future. On Thanksgiving she really did go to the movie, but by the time she got the previews she forgot what she had come to see. She reluctantly asks Randall to help her navigate whatever illness is plaguing her. But in the flash forward, she's doing much worse. That's where she got lost on her way to the grocery store, left her phone there, and had an afternoon lunch for one. After her meltdown in the restaurant, the police escort her home...to Kevin's home. Yes, Kevin's home where he is celebrating his 40th birthday with his sister Kate and his pregnant fiancée (this mystery woman is offscreen, suffering bouts of morning sickness). Miguel is also there, but I don't care because clearly he is no help with this Rebecca thing. Kate signs the legal documents as "Kate Pearson" which raises several red flags like; Where is Toby? Where is baby Jack? Why didn't she sign it Kate Damon? Do we care? And finally, when Becca asks Kevin where Randall is, he painfully reminds her, "We aren't speaking." FOR WHY, Kevin? FOR WHY? Aaaaaand that's a wrap on the first half of Season Four. What do we think so far? Got any wild predictions? Who is Kevin knocking up and marrying (if it's Sophie, we RIOT)? Why aren't he and Randall speaking? Surely, it's got something to do with Rebecca's health. And are we on the road to a KaToby divorce? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading and happy holidays! XO, Em This Is Us returns Tuesday, January 14th at 9PM on NBC. Sorry. It's both a powerful word and a word with no meaning at all. It depends on the context and the emotion behind it, I suppose. I don't really believe anyone who said "sorry" on last night's This is Us. The word is thrown around so much there doesn't seem to be much truth behind the 'I'm' that comes before it. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SEASON FOUR, EPISODE EIGHT "SORRY" OF THIS IS US I STRONGLY SUGGEST BOOKMARKING THIS POST AND SAVING IT FOR LATER OR ELSE YOU'LL BE...SORRY. PLEASE APPLAUD ME THAT WAS A GOOD ONE. Well, we're one week away from the Fall finale of This is Us and you know what that means? Draaaaaama. No seriously, all the drama is about to come pouring in and I don't know how invested I am in it? I guess we're saying farewell to Jennifer Morrison's character? I guess Randall and Rebecca are fighting now? I KNOW for a fact that Kate and Toby's marriage is going downhill. All the drama is just kinda sad. I want something happy! But I guess you can't always get what you want and that's the truth in this episode. After sleeping with Cassidy a few weeks ago, Kevin realizes he fucked up a pretty solid friendship and Uncle Nicky yells at him so bad he starts imagining that the words are coming from Jack Pearson himself. So what does Kevin do? He goes to the fucking bar. He doesn't drink, but he wants to. Then he gets punched in the face (he totally deserved it). Cass and Nicky come to his rescue, but it's all so manufactured and done before. We've seen this Kevin a million times. Will he ever change? My favorite Kevin is a changed one, and for most of this season we've had it. But he totally blows it every single time. After thinking about it some more, I've decided I'm not happy that Kevin and Cassidy slept together. It ruined their dynamic. I wish they had fallen in love before the sex. I wish it was a slow burn. Instead now it just looks she's another name on Kevin's list. Especially now that she's headed home. Which brings me to Nicky's trial. He doesn't get jail time for throwing that chair through the window. He's just on probation (I think). Afterward, Cassidy, Kevin, and Nicky have a long talk about how Cassidy should try to make amends with her jackass husband for some reason, and so she does. She walks into the restaurant they always go to on Wednesday nights after Matty's swimming lessons and sits down with her family. Kevin and Nicky watch from afar, rooting her on. She hopes that Kevin gets his happy ending. So what exactly was the point of Jennifer Morrison's character on this show? She had like a four episode arc that just led to her getting back with a man who was not kind to her and wanted her to be the old version of herself. I loved her friendships with Kevin and Nicky, but it was so short lived. Is she coming back? What is happening? I'm so confused. Anyway, Kate and Toby are definitely gonna get divorced. They don't communicate well, and Toby is missing all of baby Jack's firsts. Gregory the neighbor who had a stroke but is now Kate's walking buddy is there when baby Jack eats food (avocado!) for the very first time, but Kate allows Toby to think the first time is later that same day. It made me feel icky. That's that entire plot line there. Moving on to my precious babies Deja and Malik. They're having a ~supervised~ date while Beth is in the kitchen but oh no! The kids are fighting! Beth gets Malik to spill what exactly they're fighting about and it turns out it's a pretty mature argument. Deja wants to see her birth mom but doesn't want to bring it up to Beth and Randall, since they kinda swept it under the rug last time. Malik wants her to say something, Deja doesn't want to. Beth confronts Deja and says that they will most certainly make time for her to see her mother. Deja asks if she can invite her to Thanksgiving. Beth says yes with a kind of strained smile. She lets the teens have 30 seconds of unsupervised time to kiss, and it's sweet. I love Beth. I love Deja. I love Malik. Now for the juicy stuff. Rebecca comes to town and wants Randall to show her his office since he's a congress-erhm-councilman. She's super odd this episode. She has a new phone and wants to take pictures of literally everything. When she momentarily misplaces her phone, she acts like it's the end of the world. Becky, calm down. In flashbacks, Randall initiates the very first "R&R" time when he comes home to do laundry and offers to look over Bec's resume so that she can get a job to help with her finances. When her interview goes poorly, he goes in and advocates on her behalf. Randall is son of the year, any year. She gets the job, they laugh and bond and it's so good to see them like that. But in the present day, Rebecca isn't doing so well, and no amount of R&R time is going to fix that. Randall addresses his concerns about her health, but she immediately gets irrationally defensive over literally nothing. She tells him that she is still the parent and he is still the child (who hasn't heard that line before, am I right?). Randall counters, but restrains himself from saying, but still implying that he has been the parent in this relationship for the past 20 years. Rebecca says that he is being cruel and TBH I kinda agree with her, even if she's acting completely irrational. Here's what I think: I think Randall is the BEST son. I think he's done everything right. When Rebecca's world came crashing down, he stepped up. He didn't have to, but he's Jack Pearson's son and he did. Was it a healthy move? Not necessarily. That doesn't mean it was wrong. I do think maybe Bec should've set better boundaries and not relied so heavily on her son, but they had/have a good relationship and it thrived on mutual love and respect for one another. I don't think he became the parent, I think he just matured quicker than Kevin and Kate and did more for his mother. That's not to say she didn't do anything for him. I don't think Randall's argument here is unfair. He has done a lot of heavy lifting for the family since Jack died, and insinuating that he has been the parent for the past 20 years isn't complete bullshit, but it's still really hurtful, and there's other ways he could've said it. He shouldn't have done it right then and there, when Rebecca is obviously going through something. As I've written this, I've realize I've contradicted myself like 20 times, and rather than go through and make a clear argument, I'm gonna let it be. Life and family is messy. There's no good answer to this. It's so many things. I'm worried about Rebecca. I worried about her relationship with Randall. When he goes to say sorry she shuts the door in his face. I wish she had Jack. I wish they had all went to therapy (together) back in '98. I wish I wish I wish. What do you wish? What do you think? What's going on with Bec? Was she out of line? Was Randall out of line? Tell me in the comments. XO, Em It's all about sex and golf on this week's This is Us. Think I'm kidding? Think again. The plots go as follows; 70s Jack goes golfing with Rebecca's dad, Randall goes golfing with work folks, Toby and Kate are just tryna bang post-baby, and Kevin has a date and a spur-of-the-moment hook up. Let's talk more! SPOILER ALERT: I'M SO LATE POSTING THIS BECAUSE I'M ON A TRIP THIS WEEKEND BUT IF FOR ANY REASON YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SEASON 4, EPISODE 6 "THE CLUB" I'D ADVISE YOU TO STOP READING BECAUSE A LITTLE PLOT ADVANCING STUFF HAPPENS TOWARD THE END OF THIS PARTICULAR EPISODE. In the early days of Jack and Rebecca, the two lovebirds wake up in bed and are so gorgeous it's sickening. They look so happy too! Bec gets a call from her mama about going to brunch, and she asks Jack to drop her off because her car is with her sister. Jack obliges, but is cornered by her dad asking him to play golf at the ~country club~. Jack is like "No thanks, man" and Bec is like "Please this could be IMPORTANT and good for BONDING". So Jack says fine and embarks on a very, very awkward day. Randall has a political storyline in the present day, which means I'm slightly confused and mostly bored. The moral of the story is that he's playing golf, and flashbacks from '92 show him learning how to play from Papa Jack. There's a very important scene where Jack claims he doesn't see Randall's color, just him as his son. But Randall says if he doesn't see his race, he doesn't see him. Daaaaamn. Truthfully, Jack has become jealous that Randall is really getting along with his new teacher (the one who wrote him a yellow slip for wearing shoes outside the dress code). Jack seems uncomfortable that Randall has found a potential father figure in someone who isn't him, and someone that he shares a race with. By the episode's end, Jack realizes how important he is for Randall, and invites the teacher and his wife over for dinner. It's sweet. 70s Jack has a few too many drinks at the club under pressure to do better at sports and ends up kind of embarassing himself in front of Mr. Malone. Jack then tells him off and says that he is going to marry his daughter, and that he is good enough for her. Hell yeah! But also lay off the booze, Jack (please). Grown-up Randall takes some time alone on the golf course to hit a ball into the water just like Jack always used to. He says, "This one's for you pops," and then I ugly cried. That's the end of that. Toby and Kate haven't had sex since before baby Jack was born, and are having a hard time connecting due to the demanding needs of their newborn. Additionally, they haven't had sex since Toby lost weight, which makes Kate feel self-conscious. She pleads with him to keep an old pair of pants, and they argue over her motivations. They plan a night out with Rebecca and Miguel babysitting. But it's awkward because Toby can't get up and Kate thinks it's because of her and they sit in a romantic hotel room in silence. When they go home, Kate rips up a pair of pants (not THE pair of pants, much to Toby's disappointment) and they finally get something going. Yay! Happy married couple sex! We love to see (hear about) it! In the adventures of Kevin-and-Nicky, the trailer park boys are enjoying the outdoors and looking at pictures of Kevin's ex, Zoe. Her documentary finally premiered, and Kevin shows Nicky a picture of her and a male friend and asks if he thinks they're dating. He says, and I quote, "They are just friends," PAUSE "Who are definitely having sex." Welp. Poor Kev. He asks Nicky if he wants to go on a hike, he respectfully (well, as respectful as Nicky can) declines. Kevin goes to the gym with Cassidy where a young woman who knows Kevin's order by heart gives him her phone number. This woman's role is so insignificant I don't even remember her name. Anyway, Kevin tells Cassidy that they say you shouldn't enter a new relationship within the first year of sobriety, but he goes out with what's-her-name anyway. They are bored with each other, and when Kevin asks what there is to do in her small town, she says all anybody does is do drugs and have sex. Beat. "And I don't do drugs," Kevin reluctantly takes her back to his trailer but finds Cassidy there waiting for him. She's fighting with her jackass ex husband and wanted to talk about it. Kevin sends what's-her-name away and then tells Cassidy that just because she's made mistakes that doesn't mean she's unloveable, it just means she's human. Awwww, I guess. Then they hook up. Nicky seems to know, and he tells Kevin that he wishes he had taken that hike with him today. Is this sad foreshadowing about Kevin and Cassidy rushing into a relationship (while they're both still struggling to get sober and she's ya know, still married)? I don't know, but I'm tired of Kevin having meaningless season-long storylines with women that just turn into nothing. Introduce us to Kevin's future wife, dammit! (Kinda secretly hoping it's Cassidy, kinda unsure of how I feel about them right now). So what did y'all think? Are you a fan of Kevin/Cassidy? What do you think the future status of Kate and Toby's marriage is? And did you ugly cry when Randall swung one out for Jack? Tell me in the comments! XO, Em This is Us Is Going Back to Its "Storybook Love" Roots And I'm Totally Here For It (S4, EP5 Recap)10/23/2019 Our love is a storybook story and I'm wiping the tears away as Mandy Moore sings to her bratty children while they dance around her new house. It's her wedding gift to Kevin and Sophie, who got married in New York on a whim after seeing a theater playing their favorite movie, The Princess Bride. All Rebecca has to remember their wedding by is four polaroids (ahhh so 1998), but she chooses to take the high road and make the night as perfect as it can be for her children. THIS IS THE PART WHERE I TELL YOU TO STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE OF THIS IS US, "STORYBOOK LOVE" DIRECTED BY JACK PEARSON HIMSELF, MILO VENTIMIGLIA. SO, SPOILER ALRT. We start our episode in 1980. Rebecca and Jack have just moved into the home they'll raise their children in and she's a few months along with the triplets. They're unpacking and she's cooking lasanga, but burns it in the oven. Jack comforts his wife and they make the most of the night until things go haywire when a bird gets loose in the house (they had opened the windows to let the smoke and burned smell out). Jack is, according to 1998 Rebecca, terrified of birds and does everything in his power to protect his pregnant wife from the creature. He lets out squeals. He breaks the burned lasanga dish. They clean up and order a pizza instead. The scenes of young Jack and Rebecca together make me so incredibly happy. I miss them. I feel like we haven't seen them in happy in such a long time, and Jack's screen time has been dwindling since his character's tragic death in Season 2. I just love seeing them love each other, even if we know that their future is not perfect, nor is the ending necessarily happy. In 1998, Kate and Bec have just moved into their new home post-fire and post-Jack. After receiving that odd voicemail from Kevin, Mama Pearson decides to host a little dinner party to celebrate the couple's nuptials. Meanwhile, Kate is making money AND making out at the record store she now works at. Oh yeah, teen Kate has a boyfriend now, and his name is Marc. Little Beth and Randall are there for dinner too, and they're precious. Beth observes as Randall's leg shakes nervously (something that comes up again later) and as he reaches for his notepad every time he finds something that needs fixing around the house. He's Jack Pearson's son, after all. Beth is generous and brings hot sauce as a housewarming gift for Bec and Kate, which brings back memories for the Pearson's because apparently Jack used to put hot sauce on everything (we see in flashbacks for this specific episode that prove this to be true). Beth says that her father (who also passed away recently, remember?) also used to put hot sauce on everything, and would carry a bottle around with him everywhere he went. It's cute. Beth wins this show in all the timelines. Marc shows up out of the blue with handpicked flowers, telling Kate he got her address off of her application. Side note: Didn't she just move in to this new house? Wouldn't he have her old address? Does this matter? Of course this probably matters. Kate introduces Marc to her family as her friend from work, but he takes it a step further and tells them that he is indeed her boyfriend. They look happy. And you know who else is joining the Pearsons for dinner? Miguel. Kate makes a joke about him bringing a sleeping bag, because he's always around. It's a funny moment knowing that Rebecca ends up marrying him later on, but it's sweet to see that Miguel still wants to be involved in all of their lives even post-Jack. Jack was his man and he promised to take care of his family. Dinner doesn't go so great, though. Rebecca ruins the cornished hens and the Big Three end up fighting in the kitchen about their significant others. Kate is hurt that Kevin got married without telling her, "his person". Kevin and Randall tell Kate that they don't like Marc, and that they get "weird vibes" from him. It should be noted here that Marc is 23, while Kate is 18. 5 years isn't a lot, but at that age it kind of is. Beth gets good reviews from Kevin and Kate though, with Kate hilariously saying "She even has a beauty mark. Didn't know that was a thing until now." Rebecca bitches out her whiny children, telling them to get it together because she is trying her fucking best by herself! They oblige, she tells the story about Jack and the bird, they order pizza, and she plays the piano while the kids dance and take polaroids and seem normal and happy for the first time in a very, very long time. In the present day, Kevin is enjoying being next door neighbors with his Uncle Nicky, and asks for stories about Jack from his childhood. The best that Nicky has to offer was that he "liked ice cream" and honestly I mean, who doesn't? Kevin tells a story about Jack slicing ice cream cake for him and his siblings, and the flashbacks are so wholesome I could cry. Kevin and Nicky plan on going to a hockey game that night because the stadium is honoring veterans, and Kevin promised he'd help Cassidy get her husband back. "You have very weird relationships with people," says Nicky. He's not wrong. The hockey game doesn't go great, because Cassidy's husband (I don't even know his name omg) is kind of a jackass and leaves before the ceremony even begins. Nicky also has a freakout because he's surrounded by people consuming alcohol, which is incredibly triggering, so he leaves. Kevin drives Cassidy and her son Matty home, and calls out Jackass Husband for being a jackass. He explains that he's loved Cassidy since she was 15, but that the military destroyed her and he didn't want to celebrate that. He also tells Kevin to stay away from his wife. Okay so like...why ya serving her divorce papers then, man? Kevin tells Cassidy that her husband still likes her, but I don't know if he does. It seems more like he's holding onto someone who no longer exists. In Randall-world, Tess has a panic attack and is upset because she doesn't want to have the same issues that her father does. Beth delivers the monologue of all monologues telling both Randall and Tess to stop shit talking each other and themselves because 3 of her favorite people in the world have anxiety (hi, William!). Tess apologizes, Beth finds her and Randall both therapists. Randall thinks that's great for Tess, but his 39-year-old ass legit refuses to see somebody. WHERE IS THE GROWTH, SIR? Also as someone with horrible anxiety, this part of the episode was hard for me. It pains me that Randall doesn't want to see his daughter go through this while simultaneously refusing to get help. It's incredibly frustrating from an outside perspective, because it seems like he would want to better himself for his family. But that's just my two cents. Kevin returns to Nicky who bought him an ice cream cake, and finally tells a cute story about Jack and him and their dad. It's another flashback that actually does make me cry and wow you guys, I love uncle Nicky. ALSO! Toby wants to win Husband of the Year so he has the old Pearson piano delivered to him and Kate's home. Rebecca is there and she's so excited for adult Kate. Kate goes looking through the piano bench and finds the polaroids taken in 1998. She stares longingly (maybe? or horrified?) at the picture taken of her and Marc, and Rebecca looks at it too, stunned. She says she so badly wanted to believe in that moment that all of her kids were happy. Wait a minute...what the fuck happened with Marc? So that's the end! I'm really terrified for what's to come because Teenage Kate is awesome and I have a feeling her life is gonna get real bad! Also, Kevin and Sophie are THE most annoying couple ever, Miguel is a huge dork, and Rebecca deserves so much more credit than she gets. What did y'all think? You got Marc theories? Let me hear them. XO, Em Hello, friends! This week's This is Us took us back to 1998 and somewhere around 2011/2012. Then in the present day, Kate drives me bonkers and Randall continues to be the absolute best Pearson. And Kevin is there too! Let's get started, shall we??? SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED SEASON FOUR, EPISODE THREE "FLIP A COIN" OF THIS IS US STOP READING THIS BECAUSE YOU WILL GET SPOILERED! OKAY??? Do y'all remember last season when we got to see Beth and Randall's horrendously awkward first date? If you don't, let me remind you of it. Randall and Beth went out to dinner (after Kevin helped Randall ask her out over the phone). Randall pretty much just talked the entire time, and Beth was super uncomfortable especially when their waiter was definitely racist. But Randall was a perfect gentleman, almost too gentlemanly for an eighteen year old. Beth wasn't sold. Randall (being Jack Pearson's son) already knew she was the one. So now it's 1998 and it's Parents' Weekend at college. Rebecca asks Kate if she wants to join her, but she respectfully declines. So Rebecca has lunch with her son who cannot stop staring at this girl from across the cafetaria (it's Beth, guys, totally Beth). She's with her mother (Carol, the very rigid and loving BUT also rigid Carol) and Randall is basically the human form of the heart eye emoji. Rebecca is a SAVAGE so she makes Randall go over and sit with Beth and her mom. It's the first time they've seen each other since their awkward AF date. Randall slides a lemon wedge onto Beth's tray. She's like, "Okay guys I gotta go to class now!" and Randall is all, "Me too! But we're going to the same building so let's walk together!" so then that's awkward AGAIN. Rebecca says to chat with Carol about grief, and it's really sad. Carol says she hasn't read a book since Beth's dad died and how disappointed he would be, and it's a really beautiful moment. Rebecca asks if she should take off her wedding ring. HELL TO THE NO says Carol. Rebecca is relieved. Later, Beth comes to Randall's dorm and asks him why he gave her that lemon wedge. He says because on their date, she ordered a lemon and a coke. At lunch, she was drinking coke but didn't have a lemon. She kisses him. IT'S THE START OF AN ERA, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. YOU GUYS! "The Manny" got cancelled! If you don't remember "The Manny" then you're not a true This is Us fan and I need you to exit this post immediately. I'm mostly kidding, of course. In case you've forgotten, flashbacks from eight years prior are given to help you. "The Manny" was Kevin's claim to fame and his starring role at the beginning of the series. Of course, he famously quit on his 36th birthday because he couldn't handle the bullshit anymore, so they replaced him with a new hot young muscular blonde dude. However, Kevin is still pretty shaken up by the demise of "The Manny". In flashbacks we see it was a pivotal moment in his life, because he originally didn't even want to the pilot to do well or for the show to get picked up. The baby wouldn't stop crying, the dialogue was a hot mess, and it was tentatively titled "Untitled Hot Babysitter Project". But he grew to love it, especially after the last scene in the pilot where he calms the baby down by just being himself, and the writers decide to go with heartwarming instead of funny. While out and about with Nicky and Cassidy in the present day, many people approach him to tell him how much that moment meant to them. Speaking of Nicky and Cassidy, they're upset because their AA meeting is moved to later in the afternoon, so they have several hours to kill. Cassidy's husband wants to proceed with the divorce and she's itching for a drink. She's also painfully moody, and projecting all of her anger onto Kevin (who is just trying his best, dammit!). He asks her to flip a coin: does she want her husband back, yes or no? She says yes. Hands down, yes. "Then we're gonna get your husband back." Hmm, this seems more like a recipe for love between the two of them but Imma just sit back and watch it all play out. Also! Kevin's done staying at the hotel so he buys a really nice trailer with all his "Hollywood douchebag money" and parks it right next to Nicky's. This is mostly because Nicky refuses to get a new trailer. HE WANTED TO TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH SALLY, YOU GUYS. I love Teenage Kate so much more than Adult Kate. She's like the coolest little indie rocker chick ever and Adult Kate is so whiny and kind of mean and just blah. 1998 Kate finally gets out of the house and wanders into a record store, where she meets a cute guy who offers her a job. 2019 Kate fights with Toby as she takes baby Jack to music class, where he is overwhelmed by the people and the noise and cries the whole time. Kate takes a lot of it out on Toby, which isn't fair. I'm annoyed. Are you? In the present day, Carol comes to visit on the day of Beth's dance studio opening. Beth is stressed because, like I said earlier, her mama is kinda rigid. Randall promises to handle it all, but when a dead animal is found in the walls of the studio, Beth loses it. The whole studio smells like rotting animal and Beth cannot reschedule. Carol is all like, "We will reschedule!" and Randall is like, "The Hell we won't, Carol!" We then learn in a flashback that Carol didn't think Randall was right for Beth initially. She was wrong. Randall also meets Malik (!!!) before allowing him to take Deja to the movies (with friends, y'all. They're TOTALLY gonna go with a group of friends. Wink wink wink). He makes a comment about what he would do for his daughter and Randall is like, "Haha, yes, when you have a daughter one day." But then he starts speaking directly ABOUT his daughter, Janelle, and what she did that morning. Randall says, "What exactly do you mean by the words 'my daughter'?" And Malik comes clean and Deja stares at her fuckin' feet the whole time! Randall tells Beth and they agree their 14 year old daughter will not be seeing a boy who "puts babies in people", which I get to an extent. But also, I love Deja and Malik, and I love Malik for being so open and honest about his life. The fact that he's not ashamed of his daughter (he shouldn't be) is going to make her life a lot better in the future. Having a dad who loved her so much and was proud to be her father is going to do wonder's for her. The episode ends with a Rebecca and Kate playing a voicemail from 1998 Kevin where he says that he's doing great and just got married to Sophie, but also could use some money. Um, what? I know that we know that Kevin and Sophie ended up married at some point, but in my head it was always a nice event with their families (sans Jack of course, sadly) in like 2003/2004! I didn't think they'd legit elope. I thought Kate would be there. To be completely honest, I'm a little disappointed, but excited to see how it all unfolds. So! What did we think? Would you let Deja date Malik? Are you sad that "The Manny" got cancelled? How do we feel about Kevin and Cassidy? How did YOU think Sophie and Kevin originally got married? Is Kate pissing you off too? Let me know in the comments! XO, Em This week's This is Us reminded me how much the Pearson family can really get on my nerves! I'm mainly talking about the present-day Pearson's of course. I can't find much fault in the 1992 versions of the kids and their parents. Also! This week we get to learn the slightest bit more about Malik and Cassidy. Not much substance though, unfortunately. SPOILER ALERT: I CAN'T IMAGINE A WORLD IN WHICH ANYBODY IS CLICKING ON THIS BLOG POST HAVING NOT WATCHED THIS WEEK'S EPISODE OF THIS IS US, BUT ALAS, HERE IS YOUR TYPICAL WARNING. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SEASON FOUR, EPISODE THREE "UNHINGED" STOP SCROLLING! AND IF YOU HAVE PLEASE CONTINUE TO SCROLL AS FAST AS YOU SEE FIT. It's Randall's first day of school in 1992, and it's his kiddos' first day in 2019. Kevin and Kate start later, because they're not super duper smarty-pants like their brother. Randall is psyched, he's got this new teacher who he's done tons of research on. Only his teacher ends up giving him a yellow slip for wearing shoes that are outside the dress code. How rude!!! In 2019, Tess is stressed because she has to continuously come out, and Deja learns that the boy she likes (Malik) has a daughter, Janelle. So like, there's a lot going on for those two. In lighter news, Annie's teacher looks like Zendaya which leads to this amazing line from Beth, "Cute Spider-man Zendaya or HBO drugged out Zendaya?". In the world of Randall-politics, he is receiving praise for his "unhinged" open door policy. He literally had someone take the hinges off of the door so that disgruntled citizens could come and complain to him. They do. All. Day. His assistant-secretary-person is not impressed by his kind gestures, and actually urges him to fire his actual assistant. But he fires this new lady instead. It's all kind of lackluster, much like Randall's political campaign of last season, if you ask me. In 1992, Rebecca's storyline is literally just looking ridiculous in late 80s/early 90s workout gear, and Kate joining her. Kate weighs herself after one workout with her mom, and is disappointed that there are no results. It's quite sad, actually. Jack and Miguel's friendship blossoms (even though I'm pretty sure in 1992 it had already been well established) at work as Jack fucks up big time and gets fired. Miguel steps in and vouches for his friend, talking about how much of an asset he has been to a company for the past 20 years. He says that if Jack's gone, so is he. I don't know man, I feel like in most work places if somebody said that they'd be like, "Okay, goodbye to both of y'all then." But alas, that was not the case. Kate and Toby's storyline this episode mostly just upsets me. Kate's delivery of the line, "I should come with a label: May contain uncomfortable moments," when Toby asks the waiter at the restaurant for a different table because his wife cannot fit in the booth is heartbreaking. To make matters worse, he's with clients. To make matters worse than that, Toby is looking fine as Hell and Kate feels inadequate but her whininess makes it hard to feel for her. That's literally their entire story for this episode. Oh wait! I forgot! Kate becomes friends with her neighbor who is at first really rude to her, but then she learns he suffers from medical issues and they become walking buddies. It's cute. Kevin has a great episode, though. 1992 Kevin comes through and lies to Rebecca to go rescue Randall at his fancy smart kids school. He signs the yellow slip and calms Randall through his first (?) panic attack. Ugh. I have a soft spot for sweet Kev. In the present day, we learn why Nicky threw that chair through the AA window. He had been meeting with a veteran therapist/advisor, and was opening up and getting really close to her when she got transferred to another state! So he relapsed and got arrested and Kevin is trying to get him out of trouble. More specifically, jail time. Nicky accompanies Kevin to an AA meeting where Cassidy is also present. "You threw a chair at me!" She accuses. "I wasn't throwing it at you." Nicky clarifies. Kevin bonds with Cassidy's son at the Veteran's Center, and later cracks her up at AA. Kevin goes on a long rant about his meaningless, woe-is-me life, and Cassidy can't help but laugh at what he's saying. Pretty soon Nicky gets a case of the giggles too, and the three of them proceed to make everyone else in AA more uncomfortable than they probably already were. Next week it looks like we get more of a look into Randall and Beth's origin story and Beth's relationship with her mama. What did y'all think of this week's episode? Do we want Cassidy and Kevin to be a thing? Does anybody understand Randall's new job? Which Zendaya do you think Annie's teacher looks like? Comment and let me know! XOXO, Em Hello, friends! This week on This is Us we're going back to the pool. This time the Pearson kiddos are a little older and a little meaner, and also all those new characters we met last week? Yeah, they don't come in to play at all! Instead, we split our focus between the present day and the last day of Summer in 1992. Let's dive (pool pun, I'm so funny) in, shall we? SPOILER ALERT: YOU'VE HAD TWO DAYS NOW TO WATCH SEASON FOUR, EPISODE TWO "THE POOL: PART TWO". IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T WATCHED IT, THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM AND YOU'RE BEING WARNED RIGHT NOW TO STOP READING THIS BLOG POST. HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE INSISTENT ON BEING DEFIANT, GO AHEAD AND KEEP READING. OTHERWISE, GO WATCH THIS EPISODE REAL QUICK AND COME BACK TO ME. THANK YOU. So it's 1992 and Jack and Rebecca are the parents to three hormonal nightmares. They're oh-so-excited that the kids are going back to school tomorrow, but decide it would be nice to have a family day at the pool. However, there plans are ruined when the kids decide to be the literal worst - er, uh - 12 year olds. Kevin is being a dick to Randall by making him look stupid in front of his friends ("Your brother is blacker than you!"), Kate gets manipulated by notorious mean girls (f'ing Jessica P.), and Jack finally gets five chairs! Enough chairs for the whole family! And they aren't sitting! What the heck, Pearson kiddos??? Rebecca can't focus on time alone with her husband because she's so concerned with the little bitches torturing her daughter (mother knows best, guys, always) and Kevin and Randall get into a physical fight that forces Jack to break them up. Randall tells Kevin that he's supposed to be his brother, he's not supposed to tear him down. Ugh. Randall is just the best and wise behind his years, guys. Later, Kevin goes to Jack and asks him if he's a good person. Jack is clearly taken aback by the questioning. Jack gets honest with his son and tells him that Pearson men have a lot of demons they have to fight off, and this would make my heart happy if I didn't already know all the shit grown up Kevin is going to go through anyway. Jessica P. and her other friend end up being terrible to Kate just like Rebecca thought, telling her to go stand behind the food shack and wait for her crush to come kiss her. But he doesn't emerge from behind the snack counter, but instead a nerdy little boy whose name I don't remember and doesn't even matter does. She tells him she was expecting somebody else, he says he was expecting her. She kisses him regardless and it's a really sweet moment for an otherwise annoying Kate (I swear, grown-up Kate sucks and little Kevin sucks). The Fab Five end up sitting in the chairs after all, reading books and enjoying each other's company beside the pool. I like when the Pearson's get a happy ending, even if I know it won't last forever. In the land of the best couple to ever grace this show, Randall and Beth are paralleling the 1992 Pearson's by trying to plan their own family day of fun around their three monsters. Tess wants to get her hair done, Deja wants to do a. trial run of riding the bus, and Annie (bless her soul) is fine with doing absolutely anything. Randall and Beth split up and plan on meeting back up later. Beth has concerns about Tess getting her hair cut and is overall struggling with her eldest biological baby growing up so fast. Randall has similar concerns with allowing his eldest to ride the bus alone to school with plenty of strangers and creeps bound to talk to her. When they do a test run, Deja asks Randall to pretend that he isn't there, to see what it would really be like. A man starts chatting Deja up instantly, and Randall (he just can't help it, can he?) intervenes. Deja is PISSED. Randal is like, "Okay fine, you're not riding the bus." Deja gets extra PISSED. When the gang meets back up, they play what Randall and Beth play the "Worst Case Scenario" game. Immediately I'm like, oh so the anxiety game that I play everyday without even trying. The game kinda freaks me out, but they force the kiddos to play and when they do everyone feels better. Randall decides to allow Deja to ride the bus (Oh! On the bus she saw Malik working at that auto shop) and everyone agrees that Tess's new hair makes her look grown up and beautiful. Annie, unproblematic angel that she is, just has a good time. The other two members of the Big Three share a storyline this week about growth and coping with the trials of adulthood. Kevin remains sober, a loving dad of a plant, and worried sick about his uncle. Kate has taken up stress eating again due to her son's disability and the constant care he needs. I'm worried about Kate, y'all. Something about her just seemed real off this episode. Kate and Toby have everybody over to meet with a specialist on raising blind children properly (Kate found her on Yelp!). Rebecca and Miguel (ugh) show up, as does Madison, Kate's defacto bff. Everyone is noticing how much slimmer Toby is looking (Chris Sullivan has it going on, y'all) and Rebecca is once again worried about her daughter (MOTHERS ALWAYS KNOW BEST). Toby is also worried about Kate, just as he is worried about his son, and has taken up working out behind his wife's back which is not the worst thing you can lie to your spouse about, but still seems like it's going to put a strain on their marriage. Kevin bonds with baby Jack over the fact that he's as old as Kevin is sober, but struggles to connect with him physically because baby Jack cries everytime Kev tries to pick him up. Kate explains to her brother that you have to narrate everything you're doing because he cannot see and isn't prepared to be grabbed. Kev successfully holds his nephew, and I've decided that this is my favorite moment of the whole episode. Kevin has been struggling with whether or not to take a movie deal in Chicago, and by the episode's resolution I'm not really sure if he does or not. All I know is that he brings his little plant baby to visit his uncle, who doesn't seem to want to see him. Those damn Pearson men are so stubborn. What did everyone think of episode 2? Not as emotionally wrecking as episode 1, in my opinion, but still sweet nonetheless. Are you worried about Kate? Do you care about the uncle Nicky storyline? What happened to all of our new characters? Let me know what you thought in the comments! XO, Em Let's be real for a moment, NBC's critically acclaimed drama This is Us can be pretty hit or miss. Yes, Dan Fogelman and co. have the ability to make you cry like a baby, but they also have recently (cough season three, cough) showed their ability to bore viewers to tears. There's only so many times we can watch Kevin (Justin Hartley) struggle with his acting career and alcoholism, have absolutely nothing go Kate's (Chrissy Metz) way, or watch Randall (Sterling K. Brown) seemingly fall from grace only to be lifted back up onto his perfect pedestal. Even the story of Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) gets tiring at times, especially once viewers saw Jack's fate play out in front of us. I went into Season Four with low expectations. I love the show and care about the characters, but I wasn't expecting anything Season One-era groundbreaking. I also hate when things are overhyped, so I steered clear of the tweets about how much it made viewers (and the actors on the show) cry and didn't read any articles (like this one, ha) about the episode until I was finished watching. Turns out, that was the way to go. SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED SEASON FOUR, EPISODE ONE "Strangers" DO NOT KEEP READING. UNLESS YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO WATCH THE SHOW OR JUST WANT TO KEEP READING MY WRITING, SERIOUSLY STOP, GO WATCH IT, AND THEN COME BACK TO THIS PAGE. THANK YOU. New characters are all the rage in Season Four, and we're introduced to them literally minutes in. Of course we start our journey with Jack and Rebecca, returning from their cross-country road trip and falling for each other instantly. They're so smitten, it's adorable. Jack gives a Jack-esque speech and all of a sudden a bunch of randoms grace our television screens! A man, he's blind and has a really cute dog! A woman, she's in the military and looks like she's battling some internal demons! A young boy, he's cute and young and full of life! Who are these people? I applaud for This is Us's never-ending ability to make me care about people I know nothing about and have never met. From the second the tall and handsome (later to be revealed blind) man dropped his plate while feeding his pup bacon I knew I was a goner. I wanted to know more about this guy. I didn't face the same problems that seemed to plague viewers, questions like "How does this have anything to do with the show I know and love?" but instead figured it would all connect in the end, and decided to sit back and enjoy the ride. The woman in the military gets her own little subplot in which we learn that her name is Cassidy Sharp (played by Jennifer Morrison) and she has a husband a kid at home. She's struggling by not being with them, we as viewers can tell, and when she finally does return home, her demons get the best of her and she succumbs to alcoholism and marriage struggles. She hits her child, and her husband has enough. He orders her out of the house and into AA, where she meets (dramatic music and/or drum roll please) the infamous Nicky Pearson (Griffin Dune). He slams a chair through the window and gets arrested. He calls Kevin to bail him out. Is she about to be Kevin's new lady? Abs-so-freaking-lutely. The adorable little kid turns out to be a boy named Malik (Asante Blackk) who happens to be a teenage father living with his parents. He works with his father, goes to high school, and is just working his damn hardest to make the world a better place for his daughter! At a barbecue, he locks eyes with Deja (Lyric Ross), Randall and Beth's (Susan Kelechi Watson) adoptive daughter and the rest seems to be history. Randall and Beth 2.0, anyone? Back in well-known Pearson world, Rebecca and Jack's dinner with her parents goes to hell when they bring up his time in Vietnam, something she specifically asked them not to ask about. Kevin gets the call that Nicky needs to be bailed out of jail and heads to Philly on his 39th birthday, while Kate and Toby (Chris Sullivan) learn that their son Jack will be permanently blind after suffering some health issues following his premature birth before celebrating her birthday with old Rebecca and Miguel (Jon Huertas). As for the blind man who broke the plate, that's grown up little Jack (Blake Stadnik). His story is told concurrently throughout the episode as he ventures into a diner, meets a young woman named Lucy (Auden Thornton), falls in love, asks her to marry him, and pursues his dream of creating music (in the footsteps of Kate and Rebecca!) by taking the stage for thousands minutes after learning that he and Lucy are expecting their first child. Can this whole show be about them? And so just like that, I'm sucked back in. The parallels between young Jack and Rebecca and future Jack and Lucy are breathtaking. The fact that a Pearson (well, technically Jack is now a Damon) finally achieves a successful music career is heartwarming. But my favorite part of it all is that we know that this baby, Kate and Toby's precious premature baby boy, is going to grow up to live a very happy, beautiful life,. I'm so interested to see what happens between Deja and Malik. He seems to have a good heart, but it also willing to stop at nothing to give his daughter the best life possible, which could lead to Deja getting into more than she bargained for. And as for Cass well, I just hope that Kevin finally gets his happy ending. I love that This is Us is expanding and going forward, backward, and basically anywhere in time. It's truly at its best when it doesn't try to outdo itself and is just honest, raw, and real. Little big Jack and Lucy's love story is so simple and yet is the thing that brought tears to my eyes. As viewers we love to watch love and heartache that feels real unfold in front of us, and that's exactly what "Strangers" did. If I've learned anything these past three years, it's to trust Dan Fogelman and his Fogel-plans (that was the worst pun ever and I'm so sorry). What did you think of the season premiere of This is Us? Let me know in the comments! XOXO, Em |