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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I loved everything about the scenes with Kevin, his Uncle Nicky, and Cassidy. I loved when they showed Nicky talking to Kevin, and they showed Kevin seeing his father talking to him with those important words. I loved Nicky's speech to the judge. And it felt like they were wrapping up Cassidy's storyline, and they even had a nice nod to Jennifer Morrison's previous show "Once Upon A Time". (For those of you who aren't familiar with OUAT, an important part of the show was about each character finding their "happy ending", so her final line to Kevin, "I hope you find your happy ending, Kevin.", was a nice touch.)

It's nice to see that Beth is starting to see that Malik is a good influence for Deja. I think that Deja wanting to see her mother made sense. No matter what her mother put her through, she's still her mother, and Deja still loves her. Malik seems like a smart young man, and I'm glad that he spoke up about why Deja was upset. I thought it was cute when Beth let them be alone just long enough for a goodbye kiss.

I don't know why they seem to be making Kate more and more unlikable, while making Toby more and more likable. They seem to be headed down the wrong path with Kate.

While the lost phone doesn't mean that Rebecca has Alzheimer's, the final scene made it look possible, and that matches up with a previous episode where they hinted that something was wrong with Rebecca in the future.
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The Thanksgiving episode displayed flashes of brilliance. I was totally fooled by everything that happened with Rebecca. I'm wondering where it was in Pierson time that the birthday party at the cabin took place and why Kevin and Randall weren't speaking. It was great to see Michael Angarano return as we saw pre-Nam Jack and Nicky create their own Thanksgiving tradition. Loved when Beth and Kate confessed their awful things to each other. I understood exactly how they felt but Kate is going to destroy her marriage if she keeps all this hidden from Toby. Daija is killing me...last week she begs Beth to have her mom for Thanksgiving and this week she's upset that her mom now isn't the mom she had growing up. The past is history that Daija needs to move on from and be happy that her mom is getting her life together. Tess coming out at the drive through window was stupid but I'm glad she came out on Instagram. And when Nicky told Kevin he's going to be just fine, I actually believed it. Love this stupid show.



The Adventure Starts Here!
I was fooled by the Rebecca flash-forward stuff too, EXCEPT that when she was in the park, the weather looked WAY too temperate for Philly at Thanksgiving. (I grew up near there and still live in Pennsylvania.) The weird thing is, in that scene she asks that guy about the nearest bakery so I'm thinking that WAS present time, not future. Dunno. Will have to rewatch and pay better attention to the clothing, etc.

The birthday party is only nine months ahead of present time, so something happens soon to make Randall and Kevin stop speaking to each other. And Rebecca obviously starts to go downhill fast after this point. And I'll have to rewatch to also see whether Toby was in that last cabin scene. Kate was, but I don't remember seeing Toby.

Also, just a reminder: her name is spelled Deja, as in deja vu. I think they mentioned that when she first appeared on the show. And I don't blame a 14/15-year-old girl for having swings in perspective like this. (I raised two teen girls, so I know that stage well.) Anyway, I didn't find that so hard to believe. Deja was so ready to see her usual mom, and now here's her mom being all healthy... too late for Deja, though. I think it would make her think her mom's bad situations in the past were her fault somehow... "Mom's fine now that I'm gone."

YES, the drive-thru window thing was dumb. That would be harder than school.

I too believed the Nicky line was genuine this time. I hope that's not because they're phasing him out of the show, though. He adds a nice dimension and gives us another person to keep us in Jack flashbacks.

Based on the pacing with Rebecca's illness, I'm wondering how many more seasons of this show we'll get. Maybe 2-3? Or will they continue it with just the kids once we hit that future timeline where Randall's visiting Rebecca and she's clearly debilitated?



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
The birthday party is only nine months ahead of present time, so something happens soon to make Randall and Kevin stop speaking to each other. And Rebecca obviously starts to go downhill fast after this point. And I'll have to rewatch to also see whether Toby was in that last cabin scene. Kate was, but I don't remember seeing Toby.

I don't remember seeing Toby in the cabin scene either. I like him, but it's not looking good for Kate and Toby. I'm not sure, but it looked like there was a text from another woman when Kate looked at his phone.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I was thinking about Kate and Toby, and this doesn't make much sense. If I remember correctly, Toby was not in the final scene at the cabin in this week's episode, but I think I also remember a previous episode with a family gathering in the future where Toby was there, but Kate wasn't there. Maybe she was on her way, or maybe she wasn't coming at all, but these two scenes seem to be complete opposites.

Does anyone else remember that previous scene with Toby there, but not Kate?



Well the long awaited episode 10 had my stomach in knots and yelling at the screen. I'm really having trouble with this whole thing of Kevin being so romantically challenged and right after being led on by that married woman, he magically gets a phone call from Sophie? Please. And my long standing hate for Miguel was definitely refueled with this episode as well. There is no excuse for him either not noticing something was wrong with Rebecca or being in denial about it. And when that doctor called them in the office for her results? Could these results and her alleged prognosis have been anymore vague? Having that juxtaposed with Rebecca flashing back to rocking Randall as a child just made think the writers haven't decided what they want Rebecca to have now or that Mandy Moore is renegotiating her contract for more money. Her scene with Elizabeth Perkins was excellent though. I absolutely HATE what they're doing to Toby. He's pulling away from Kate because Jack is blind and just when they're about to end things, the baby starts seeing light? I don't buy that Toby was never in the long haul where Jack was concerned, but I guess that's why we got hints in the last episode that Kate and Toby aren't going to make it. And who the hell was that in Randall's house?



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Well the long awaited episode 10 had my stomach in knots and yelling at the screen. I'm really having trouble with this whole thing of Kevin being so romantically challenged and right after being led on by that married woman, he magically gets a phone call from Sophie? Please. And my long standing hate for Miguel was definitely refueled with this episode as well. There is no excuse for him either not noticing something was wrong with Rebecca being in denial about. And when that doctor called them in the office for her results? Could these results and her alleged prognosis be anymore vague? Having that juxtaposed with Rebecca flashing back to rocking Randall as a child just made think the writers haven't decided what they want Rebecca to have now or Mandy Moore is renegotiating her contract for more money. Her scene with Elizabeth Perkins was excellent though. I absolutely HATE what they're doing to Toby? He's pulling away from Kate because Jack is blind and just when they're about to end things, the baby starts seeing light? I don't buy that Toby was never in the long haul where Jack was concerned, but I guess that's why we got hints in the last episode that Kate and Toby aren't going to make it. And who the hell was that in Randall's house?

I felt so bad for Kevin when she finally told him that she was married. He tried so hard to have the perfect date with her. Now it seems like the writers are determined to get Kevin and Sophie together again.

I think the writers have a plan for Rebecca, but they just don't want to let us in on the secret yet. At this pace, we probably won't find out until the final episode.

I agree 100% about what they're doing to Toby. He's been such a great guy until now. I find it hard to believe that he would even think about turning his back on his son just because his son is blind.

I don't know who was in Randall's house, but in the preview of the next episode, it looked like that guy might have been holding a knife.

And on a side note, in the flashback of Rebecca rocking Randall as a child, that baby had one of the cutest smiles ever.



I didn't know where they were going to go with that intruder in Randall's house at the end of ep 10, but it morphed into an emotionally charged ep 11 that I really enjoyed. It was so refreshing seeing a vulnerable side of Randall, rich with demons from his past that we hadn't been privy to up to this point. Randall has always been projected as this all-knowing tower of strength who know what's best for everyone, save that one breakdown with Kevin a couple of seasons ago. It was wonderful seeing this addressed again. I swear I was actually holding my breath during that initial encounter with the intruder and I loved watching Randall jump every time he got a notification from his security app. I'm also enjoying the tentative relationship that's developing between Randall and Darnell (Omar Epps) and the way Randall bristled at Darnell's suggestion of therapy. Loved that final phone call between Randall and his personal therapist, Kevin. I was also glad that the phone call from Sophie wasn't what I thought it was. This episode was extremely well-directed featuring Emmy-worthy work from Sterling K. Brown and Niles Fitch as teenage Randall. I love this stupid show.



Big bouquet to the director and writing teams for a meticulously crafted ep 12 that made a beautiful 360 degree trip back to ep 11. I was so afraid when Kevin got that phone call on the set that it was going to lead to a reconciliation between him and Sophie, but luckily the writers remembered that even though Kevin and Sophie will always be connected that their relationship is over The love story of young Kevin and Sophie was so romantic...the party in the woods, the donuts, their connection to Good Will Hunting...I loved all of it. And leave it to this show to introduce and make us fall in love with a character who is dead. Jennifer Westfeldt was absolutely luminous as Sophie's mother and I loved her relationship with Kevin. The scene where he asked her for the ring was especially effective. And once again, Justin Hartley proved that he is more than a pretty face and perfect pecs. Hartley's work in this show was on the money and if I were him, I might even submit this episode for Emmy consideration. There was some wonderful camera work too. LOVED when Kevin was outside of the house where the reception was and we see Sophie on the phone talking to Kevin whose reflection was in the window...God, I loved that. And who saw Kevin hooking up with Kate's BFF coming? Couldn't believe it. I love this stupid show.



The Adventure Starts Here!
I love how they explained to us the "I got one for you" stuff between Kevin and Sophie. Hadn't a clue where those were coming from, especially when Sophie's wasn't humorous. Then, of course, we find out it's them trying to make up endings to Good Will Hunting. Nicely woven in.

Add in the missing sheep mobile, and the segues forward and back at various points in time (all smoothly done), and I have to agree this was a very nice episode. Sophie and Kevin sitting in the car reminiscing about her mom was really poignant. Not much was actually said, but both actors really captured the quiet grief of newly losing someone important to both of them.



I must confess that ep 13 was a bit of a letdown since it was supposed to be the conclusion of a three part story arc and I really didn't feel any resolution to any of the stories that have been presented during the arc. I hate the way Toby wiggled his way out of that seminar with Kate. My heart sank when Kate asked Toby if he could be a father to Jack and he replied that he wanted to be. Then he turned around and said he wanted to take care of Jack while Kate went to the cabin? This isn't the Toby we were introduced to four years ago and I don't know where this change is coming from. The Jack and toddler Kate scenes were just creepy and reinforced the oddly incestuous relationship between these two and Mark's treatment of teen Kate was just disgusting...I hope we find out what's behind this psychopath's behavior pretty soon because the way he treats Kate and her fascination with him are both difficult to gauge. Despite solid direction by Justin Hartley (Kevin), this episode was oddly disturbing, but I still love this stupid show.



The Adventure Starts Here!
It was a bit of a letdown, wasn't it? I felt like we really didn't get any new information about anybody -- we just got a lot of scenes playing out things we already mostly know.

And I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt the scenes with Jack and young Kate were just... off. I reminded myself that this was more about Kate's perceptions (as a child, as a teen, as an adult) and not really about Jack's feelings for his only daughter. "Daddy's girl" worked fine for me in smoothing that out.



Ep 14 was a mixed bag, but it was a big improvement over 13. The idea of the Pearson siblings gathering at the cabin together was a good one on the surface, but the three of them were so wrapped up in their own issues, that they really didn't handle anything until they dug up the time capsule. What the hell is wrong with Madison? Who leaves a voice mail with their BFF confessing she slept with her BFF's brother? I was hoping we could get through one episode where Kate wouldn't fantasize about her father, but I guess that was too much to ask for. I loved that scene when Mark broke Kate's cup...I loved that the camera was not on the cup when it broke so that we had to decide whether or not he did it on purpose, kind of like Melinda Dillon breaking Darren McGavin's leg lamp in A Christmas Story. And who the hell is this psycho to lock Kate out of HER family's cabin? Loved when Rebecca made him leave, I was actually holding my breath because I didn't know how he was going to react. That scene of baby Jack choking was frighteningly realistic, one of the scariest things I have ever seen on this show. How did they get that baby to react that way? I also loved Chrissy Metz' playing of that scene where she's giving Toby last minute instructions on caring for the baby. You could see the inner terror Kate was feeling about leaving her son alone with his father. I love this stupid show.



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Ep 14 was a mixed bag, but it was a big improvement over 13. The idea of the Pearson siblings gathering at the cabin together was a good one on the surface, but the three of them were so wrapped up in their own issues, that they really didn't handle anything until they dug up the time capsule. What the hell is wrong with Madison? Who leaves a voice mail with their BFF confessing she slept with her BFF's brother? I was hoping we could get through one episode where Kate wouldn't fantasize about her father, but I guess that was too much to ask for. I loved that scene when Mark broke Kate's cup...I loved that the camera was not on the cup when it broke so that we had to decide whether or not he did it on purpose, kind of like Melinda Dillon breaking Darren McGavin's leg lamp in A Christmas Story. And who the hell is this psycho to lock Kate out of HER family's cabin? Loved when Rebecca made him leave, I was actually holding my breath because I didn't know how he was going to react.
I loved when Rebecca told Mark to leave, but a small part of me really wanted to see Kevin hit him.


That scene of baby Jack choking was frighteningly realistic, one of the scariest things I have ever seen on this show. How did they get that baby to react that way? I also loved Chrissy Metz' playing of that scene where she's giving Toby last minute instructions on caring for the baby. You could see the inner terror Kate was feeling about leaving her son alone with his father. I love this stupid show.
This whole storyline about Toby having trouble accepting his son Jack seems a bit out of character for him. He was always Kate's rock, and now he just seems like a different person.

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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Yeah, I mentioned that a few posts ago...this is not the Toby we were introduced to 4 years ago.

I hope they bring the old Toby back soon. The episodes that focus on Kate are lacking when he's not himself.



Ep 15 was a mixed bag...the highlight of the show, hands down, was Randall's attempt at therapy. It was so Randall that he seemed to be totally open to the idea, but still completely trying to control it at the same time. It did seem odd that with what's going on with Rebecca, that he didn't want to talk about her. Loved Beth's speech when he got home where she talked him into going back. Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson were superb. The scenes with Kevin and Rebecca were odd, couldn't quite put my finger on what bothered me. I guess I didn't really catch the connection between baseball cards and Joni Mitchell's house. Loved Jack's pancake analogy and it seems like the old Toby might be on his way back to us, but the committee's still out on that. I did love that final montage showing Jack growing up though. I love this stupid show.



For me, the thing that completely dominated Ep 16 was what a complete jerk Randall was being and I mean in all three stories being presented. This whole thing of him being the only person on the planet being able to take care of Rebecca? Seriously? And blaming Kevin for the fact that Rebecca would not agree to participate in that clinical trial? I knew the second Randall brought it up that Rebecca would want nothing to do with it. And telling Rebecca about the trial at the premiere after promising Kevin he wouldn't just because she forgot the name of the hotel (though I did have a hard time swallowing the fact that Rebecca forgot "The Plaza", the most famous hotel on the planet). All three Randalls were completely invested in the negative things this character had to do in this episode. It was great to see Dave Annable, who I have loved ever since Brothers and Sisters and is aging oh so gracefully, as Kevin's acting teacher and dare I say, there was actually some chemistry between him and Mandy Moore? Loved every moment they shared onscreen. And I'm glad that Rebecca finally got to see her painting. I'm also guessing that what happened between Kevin and Randall tonight explains why they weren't speaking to each other in that episode at the cabin a month or so ago. I love this stupid show.



The Adventure Starts Here!
Yeah, Randall needs to take it all down a few notches, doesn't he? Kevin's insistence that their mom have "one great day" was marvelous, and then Randall goes and spoils it, supposedly for her benefit. Well, we saw what he envisioned himself doing to save Jack from the fire, so it's clear that Randall is a huge Type-A control freak. "If I don't do it, it won't get done right."

Not sure how anyone could live with someone like that. Beth deserves a medal or something.