This is Us

Tools    





I must have been napping at some point, because I didn't realize until the opening of ep 16 that Miguel passed away before Rebecca did. Loved Beth's entrance into the family meeting...I love that the "Pierson Process" is starting to weigh on her and that she needs to get away from it every once in awhile. Once again, Randall wants to run the show, despite knowing this is exactly what Rebecca didn't want. Loved when the triplets sat down and Kevin and Randall were using chopsticks but Kate was using a fork...just spoke volumes to me, I don't know why. LOVED Beth and Sophie pretending to be Randall and Kevin. Teen Kate's self-pity is so tiresome. Randall is a US Senator now yet he thinks he's the only one who has the time to care for Rebecca? The ego on this guy. Rebecca's makeup was....ghoulish but extremely effective for the scene. Pre-teen Kevin's tooth fairy trap was adorable. Actually screamed when Rebecca and baby Kate were watching KNOTS LANDING, my favorite TV show of all time. Phillip's a little late to the party to be so judgmental. Loved Kate and Toby's phone call...Chris Sullivan is a wonderful actor, who always brings more to the scene than is in the script. I hope what Beth said to Randall sunk in, but I couldn't tell. Gee, sure feel better knowing Uncle Nicky is going to be around. Thank God Kevin and Randall came together in that beautifully acted and directed scene. Justin Hartley was wearing that beard. Can't believe there are only two episodes left. I love this stupid show.



The Adventure Starts Here!
I am now two episodes behind but hope to catch up today! (We were on vacation for a little more than a week.) I'm avoiding your last post and will be back once I've caught up!



Well, with two more episodes left, I shouldn't have been surprised that ep 17 got off to a confusing start, actually introducing new characters. It was nice to see Ron Cephas Jones again though. Loved the actress who played adult Deja...her resemblance to teenage Deja is uncanny. Beth's farewell to Rebecca was lovely and I'm so glad she shut Randall down when he wanted to know what Beth said to Rebecca. That was so cool when they showed the three Randalls and the three Kevins together. I loved the detail that went into Rebecca's out of body experience, but for a show that has always nailed continuity, I shouldn't have expected less. What Gerald McRaney said to Rebecca that he said he wasn't supposed to say...he should have listened to his instinct, not sure if that's what Rebecca needed to hear at this time. Loved Toby's farewell to Rebecca too. Glad that Dule Hill found time in his Wonder Years schedule to play Marcus' father. So Marcus was in surgery the night Jack died? How can that be? Bill Irwin was terrific as the surgeon. I wouldn't have made out of body Rebecca as naive about what she's going through as they do here. They made us wait for it, but the final moment was perfection. I love this stupid show.



The Adventure Starts Here!
Boy, I did a lot of blubbering and sobbing during these past two episodes. Shouldn't have watched them so close together.

TOTALLY agree on the casting of adult Deja. Plus, I think the actress has nailed how teen Deja speaks, which adds to the uncanny casting. You know immediately who she is by both her look and her speech patterns. I also loved seeing the three versions of each guy in the train scene. That's really how parents/moms tend to see their adult kids. We hold versions of them together as timeless. I can think of baby Yoda, toddler Yoda, kid Yoda, teen Yoda, and adult Yoda as all the same person and all at the same time.

I'm still not quite clear on how Marcus Brooks fits into the larger story... EXCEPT that the doctor who dashed away to help him that night (at the expense of Jack) saved a boy who would grow up to make medical strides against Alzheimer's, the very disease that claims Rebecca. But, I suppose this show has always been famous for throwing brand-new characters at us at weird times, throwing us off until we figure out how they fit in.

Also, I kept thinking that Marcus was the one with adult Deja, which really confused me until I heard her say "Malik!" to him at one point. Then I realized the Marcus story was its own little story and NOT part of adult Deja's story. They should have had Deja say Malik's name a little sooner--maybe while telling Randall she's pregnant?--so that we had no chance of making that mistake I made.

Unless I'm just slow on the uptake.

Hard to believe we're coming down to the wire now, but the pacing and story arcs are feeling like they're wrapping up. We'll be left knowing each Pearson Big Three member (and their families) will be all right without either parent.

Also, what are the odds that all three of them would be SOOOOO successful? I mean, c'mon. Nobody's just a cubicle worker somewhere?



I can't believe I'm actually getting ready to talk about the final episode of this stupid show. Watching our families on the swings was a lovely and inventive way of opening the show. Teen Randall explaining "mathletes" was completely annoying. Loved Beth's funeral ensemble. Pre-teen Kevin's whining about his inability to do pull-ups sounded a lot more like his brother Randall. I'm not sure why, but I absolutely LOVED the scene of Jack teaching Kevin and Randall how to shave and Rebecca's reaction to it. Didn't really get the point of the scene with William and Randall, except for the fact that they wanted to include Ron Cephas Jones in the finale. Loved Randall's reaction to learning he was having a grandson...silly and spontaneous minus the pretension I expected from Randall. I'm glad we were spared of Randall's eulogy too...it would have been completely over the top. If I missed one thing I was hoping to get from the finale, it would have been a look into how Randall and Beth's marriage ended, but I understand the "back to basics" approach to the finale, and, all in all, it was a lovely finale to a show that was appointment television for six years and never jumped the shark. Thank you NBC.



The Adventure Starts Here!
About 7 or eight episodes back it was revealed that they were no longer married and that Beth had started another dance studio.
This season? I'm going to have to find that episode and rewatch. I don't remember that at all, and it's odd that they never revisited it.