Hello, fellow This is Us fanatics! How excited are WE? Just SIX DAYS and all shall be revealed!
Well, not all. Not on the first episode! But lots and lots will be revealed, especially over the course of eighteen gloriously new episodes.
By the way, how cool is it that our grueling six-month wait culminated last Sunday with Sterling K. Brown winning an Emmy as Randall? So richly deserved, right? Bravo!
I can’t wait to hop back into recapping each and every week. For now, here’s a refresher course on all things #Us:
1. The First Twist: Witness the twist to end all twists when we find out Jack and Rebecca end up losing their third twin and adopting Randall instead. Voila— a beautiful adoption story is born.
2. Toby Hangs in the Balance: The mid-season cliffhanger had jovial Toby on death’s door! After only a month of nail-biting, we find out Toby is alive–and friskier than ever! (Didn’t you think he was a goner? I did!)
3. The Fireman’s Story: “Who’s that guy?,” my husband asked (he was concurrently reading a magazine–can you believe it?). “He’s the firefighter who brought Randall to the hospital,” I said, “praying for a miracle.” Really close-to-the-bone acting from Brian Oblak as the firefighter. And Oh–the scene where the firefighter brings wee Randall home to his wife, brimming with cautious hope that this orphan can fix their broken marriage. “I prayed for a miracle,” he says, helplessly, hopefully. And then we find out it is his wife who directs him to the hospital, where the firefighter’s bundle finds belonging.
4. Jack Picks His “Vomiting” Children and Possessed Wife: Rebecca is LARGE with child(ren), and acting like a deranged, otherworldly mammal of some sort. Miguel takes Jack golfing to get him outta there, but Jack comes back with the sweetest thing (doesn’t he always?). “I still don’t want to escape her (aww) or my vomiting, crap-ridden future children…” Jack always says something perfect.
5. Kate Rages at Fat Camp: Kate backs out of bariatric surgery and decides to try an “immersive weight loss experience,” aka Fat Camp. I liked how the camp was meant to get at the root issues of weight, the sadness, loneliness, rage etc. And when Kate got in touch with her rage over her dad’s death (and other issues) during that drumming class? Spot on. That’s when I had tears. Because I understood her anger/grief mash up so well.
6. The Jeffersons’ Maid Tells Kevin How It Is: When Kevin sweetly asked that old couple if they would change tables so he and Sophie could sit at the booth where they had their first kiss? Adorable, and wasn’t that Marla Gibbs, aka Florence Johnston, the sassy pants maid from “The Jeffersons”? I Googled it so you didn’t have to: It was her, and she’s 85! Looking good, Flo!
7. Miguel Tells Kevin ‘You Remind Me of Him.”: When Kevin shows up on Rebecca and Miguel’s doorstep, hoping to get an “artist to artist” pep talk from Mom to ease his nerves, it’s his step-dad who surprises him with help. When Miguel told Kevin, regarding Jack, “You remind me of him,” I had tears. “It breaks my heart that you don’t like me,” Miguel said. “Because when I’m around you I feel like I get a piece of my best friend back.”
8. Randall’s Breakdown: It’s a perfect storm for Randall and he will not emerge unscathed. Sanjay is getting his paws all up in Randall’s business–literally. Beth’s mom broke her hip so Beth had to take off, leaving Randall with a crisis at work, a crisis at home (William’s quickening decline), and family obligations, including attending Kevin’s play. Can he handle it all? No, no he cannot.
9. William Says Some Beautiful Things at the End: He calls Randall his “beautiful boy” and affirms again that Randall made the right choice to risk so much for the chance to know and love him. And also gives him a spiral-bound collection of poetry, “Poems for My Son.” Dear William has some magnificently meaningful things to say before he leaves this world:
* “I want (the girls) to remember looking up at me, not down.”
* “The two best things in my life are the person at the very beginning and the person at the very end.”
10. Kate Reveals She May Have Somehow Caused Jack’s Death: “My dad’s death was my fault,” Kate wails to a listening Toby. OH NO. Of course, she’s terribly wrong. Dear girl needs WAY more therapy if she still pins the blame on her teenage self.
11. Jack and Rebecca’s Awful Fight: Jack and Rebecca have a blazing, scorching, soul twisting barn burner of a fight. Yelling. Screaming. I felt like they were my parents (who I don’t remember fighting much at all) and I just wanted them to stop! Okay, so maybe I’m a little overinvested in this show! But it was hard, right guys?
12. Sneak Peak at the Triplets’ Future:
The way we got to peek into Kate, Kevin and Randall’s lives was perfect. Just a little taste of things to come next season:
- Kate: “I want to sing” (like her mama!)
- Kevin: “I am going to meet with the director (Ron Howard!).” Poor Sophie is not thrilled, but supportive as befits a woman in love.
- Randall: “I WANT TO ADOPT A BABY!”
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