This Is Us

[nathanfan1]

I enjoyed the episode, especially the way it showed Jack doing something special to ensure that his and Rebecca's marriage did not go stale like Miguel's did. Jon did a nice job in the scene where he explained the divorce to Jack. I agree with you, Tycho, we need a lot more on how Miguel's family blended with Jack's down the line.

For once, I'm actually rooting for Kevin because I think he's finally being honest and sincere. However, the odds of resurrecting an old marriage are not very good. We'll see. 

I also agree that I want Toby to be treated better! He did such a lovely thing to get a hotel room and plan a special day with Kate to give her his grandmother's ring, and she blew him off. I do understand that she's trying to stay committed to the program but still ...... The one thing I don't swallow is that she's headed to the other guy's cabin for any kind of romantic encounter. I think it was just meant to mislead us and that she's going to tell him off or something.

My heart aches for Randall. He's tying so hard to do everything he possibly can to make William's last days good and fulfilling and he's trying to be a good dad and husband. I get the sense that his job is going to be on the line and that could devastate him too. I wish someone would make it better for him!

[nathanfan1]

I'm happy I was right about Kate telling the jerk from camp to take a hike. I'm surprised she got kicked out but it was for the better. I think Toby has a really good suggestion - that they take their time and enjoy being engaged, also allowing time to get to know each other better. I was soooooo hopeful that we'd get to hear what happened to Jack but I guess they'll string us along some more.

Jon Huertas really played the gamut tonight! He was getting back out there and looking to pick up a woman and then he was 20 years older and giving sage advice. The makeup dept. really does a great job of aging him. I loved the way he confronted Kevin with not liking him, yet he truly tried to give Kevin some support. It's going to be fascinating to see how he and Rebecca come together.

Tonight was the first real tarnishing of Jack's character for me. He was trying so hard to do something for Rebecca by taking over so she could go on tour, but the jealousy and hurt just got the better of him. I wasn't sure what to make of the closing shot of him having the Valentine's Day dinner, seemingly alone.

Once again, my heart breaks for Randall. He's trying to be there for everyone and now we find out that he pays a heavy price for shouldering all of that stress. He's had one nervous breakdown and seems to be headed for another, although, the sneak peek at next week looks like he and William might get away and he can relax a bit.

Kevin stole the whole show IMO, with that last line - "I'm thinking about what my father would do." The second he took off I knew he was headed to find Randall and make sure he was OK. My tears started flowing! He put someone else ahead of himself and though he also let a lot of people down, I love him for doing it.

DANG! This show has me wrapped around it's little finger!

[tycho657]

Nathanfan1 I also was so happy that Kate took your advice and told this jerk off. I was hoping to hear the story of Jack demise but was not surprised when they kept that back for the final or next season.

Jon Huertas was tweeting a lot about last night so I thought he might have another good episode. I loved the talk he had with Kevin. It sure looks like Kevin is finally stepping up as a man now. I was proud of him when he went to his brother, who he has been so unkind to and took for granted over the years, in his time of need.That was the tissue part of the episode. Randal was in real trouble and needed his Dad. So nice that Kevin is now taking up that role for him. I think Kevin will be able to spin his absence as a family emergency. The NY Times critic might not be so kind but I hope he will.
I fear that Jack is back drinking again and that could be part of his demise? Somehow we know it must involve Kate as she can't even talk about how he died yet. That is going to be a big episode when we learn what happened.

[CF40]

Well, here I am again......still sick (4 weeks now) but just finished watching the latest 2 episodes. I'm like you nathanfan, this show has me wrapped around its little finger. I won't repeat everything you and Tycho have said about these last 2 episodes since I agree with it all. YAy to Kevin!! I'm still bawling over that scene with him and Randall.

I can only say that I am wholeheartedly dreading the day we see Jack die. I do wonder how long they will keep us waiting for that now that it has been renewed or was it part of the plan to have Jack die this season, renewal or not.

[nathanfan1]

Well, I cried a puddle of great big tears tonight. This show touches me like no other. It was great to get William's back story all the way back to his birth. He was always a gentle soul with a total commitment to family. 

I love that he and Randall got to take the trip to Memphis, knowing it would do as much good for Randall as it would for William. Randall was so delighted to meet actual extended family members and William was able to make peace with his cousin and make wonderful music again for a night. The side trip to the tree where some of Jack's ashes were spread was a total surprise and oh, so touching. William's dialogue with Jack was very moving. 

Another thing that this show does so beautifully is link the past and the present and I felt one of those great moments was at the hospital in the end when Randall took William's face in his hands as Jack had done for him. The actor who plays Randall is incredible. That scene with the doctor at the hospital was amazing, as was the bedside scene as William was dying. I'm so glad that he was able to tell Randall how great of a son he was, and his statement about the best parts of his life being the people at the beginning and the end, was yet another example of tying in an earlier scene.

I have to say that I'm glad William died this way, back at his home, and with Randall at his side. I caught the intro credits and the show's creator wrote this episode. I thought it served the characters well and hit all the right emotional notes. I haven't watched the after-show discussion yet but I'm anxious to do so. As far as I'm concerned, this show is in a class by itself!

[tycho657]

That was a multiple tissue episode for sure. What a wonderful episode with the road trip. I loved that William was able to tell Jack thank you for raising his son for him. Nice scenes from Memphis. My husband went to college in Memphis. We will be going back for a reunion in May. He recognized many of the places they showed in the episode. Too bad they never got the shot of the Peabody ducks. They are fun to see them come down the elevator and march to the fountain to the march music. I thought it was fun that Randall stopped on the road to let the ducks cross the road.
His show just keeps getting better and better.

[tycho657]

You know me and focus on the music...
Here is the composer for the show talking about writing that amazing song for the last episode. I might just have to buy that song. 

[nathanfan1]

Wonderful interview! Thanks for sharing it, Tycho. I was extremely moved by the lyrics and how meaningful they were in regards to William and his mother as well as William and Randall. I'd sure love to learn more about the people behind the scenes that are making this awesome show happen. Do I feel another Castle addiction coming on?

[nathanfan1]

First off, I finally had time to watch the after show discussion from Tuesday's episode. Holy buckets! Even that was emotional! The connection that Sterling Brown (Randall) and Ron Cephas Jones (William) have is fantastic. They were both so totally invested in this episode! My heart went out to Sterling as he shared that his own father died when he was only 10 and he regrets that he was considered too young to go to the hospital and say goodbye. That made this moment with William very real in the sense that he was picturing his own father. No wonder he cried in that scene. So powerful.

I also did some research at IMDB on Ron Cephas Jones. I'm so impressed with the makeup work on the show. They make him look like a 20 something as well as an old man and I was curious as o how old he actually is. The answer is 60. He actually looks younger than that IMO. I think they must have to work harder to age him than to make him younger. I'm so darned impressed with his ability to act the part of a dying man so perfectly.

Lastly, I discovered that Sterling Brown appeared on an episode of Castle! I had to get out my DVD's and watch. It was season 7, episode 16 called The Wrong Stuff. The story centered around a murder on a Mars simulation and Sterling played the director of the project. He's in the first part of the episode when the team first arrives at the facility and he explains the project to them.

[nathanfan1]

Second to the last episode tonight and it was jam packed with emotion! I love that William left the 2 girls in charge of his memorial and they did an awesome job of remembering all of the fun things  about their grandpa. It was also such fantastic writing as they were able to tie in so many other story lines to the memorial. Seeing Kate lose it as she remembered saying goodbye to her dad and seeing Randall be the one to comfort her, was so touching. I also felt really glad that Rebecca finally got to say tell Randall how sorry she was about keeping William from him all those years. The most beautiful part of that IMO was Randall acknowledging that at least he had time to come to love his father and to know that his father loved him.

I'd read a while back that the creator said he wanted to make sure it was apparent that William changed Randall's life and they certainly did a good job of jump starting that story line with Randall quitting his job. It was so beautiful for Randall to come to understand how William had connected with people by taking the time to visit with them. The phone conversation with Jesse was heartbreaking. My other sobbing moment came when Beth got William's post card with the touching goodbye. All through the show tonight it was clear that William had a huge impact on everyone.

I've come so far in my respect for Kevin! I loved him for walking out on his play to go to Randall and I loved the way he committed himself to Sophie. I'm glad that they didn't take the predictable route and have the drama critic show up at the premier of the play because it allowed Kevin to focus on the huge amount of support that he got from the people he loved. Having Ron Howard call him was a total shock! I'm anxious to see how that opportunity will play out since it means going back to LA and Sophie's job and home is in NYC.


We were told we'd be learning a little more about Jack's death and - once again - they made the reveal in the most subtle but impactful way. The combination of Kate revealing that she felt responsible for his death and him driving off to go see Rebecca left me stunned. I'm going to be absolutely CRUSHED if we find out that the last thing between Jack and Rebecca was that strained parting at the door when she left for the tour. They've had such a loving relationship! I just hope there's more to the story than a fatal car crash on the way to see her.


One more episode left and I have no doubt that I'll be a puddle of mush! What an awesome show!!!!! 

[tycho657]

Great send off for William. The girls did him proud. Yes, he was only in their lives for a short time but his influence will live on forever. Nice that Rebekka finally had the conversation with Randall that she should have had years ago. The healing has begun. 
Good to see Kevin's play finally happening. How cool that Ron Howard saw it with his daughter and was so impressed. I hope that he will be able to do the movie. I know he is getting back together with his first love, but she needs to realize that he is an actor and that will mean he will have to be away from NYC , at times, to do his job. The real test will be if she can trust him to stay true to her and he can stay loyal to her if they are apart. Next season...
It is looking like we will get the story of Jack demise in the season final. I have suspected that his drinking will play a part in his death. Kate, having told her Dad he needed to drive the 2 hours to see Rebekka perform will weigh heavy on her. I think she will take this as her causing his death. 
Since they only have 18 episodes this series will end early. Maybe that is a way to keep the actors happy. They should have time off to do other projects or rest up. I wonder if they are already filming some of the next season? Jon was saying on twitter that they have asked him to keep his hair long until July. If you are on twitter go and read Jon's feed. They had a Q & A with the cast on Monday night. 

[nathanfan1]

Well, I'm sure anxious to hear what others thought of the finale tonight. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. I certainly appreciated them continuing the story line of Jack driving to Rebecca's performance and reaching some closure on that, but to also have the rest of the show feature Jack's early history left me missing more with the rest of the cast. The 1 minute at the end where each of the kids sets the tone for season 2, just didn't feel like enough.

I can sure say that Jack had a rough time of it in his 20's. This was the second time we saw his dad be verbally abusive and to think that he was still living at home must have been very depressing. We did find out that he was a Vietnam veteran and that he'd been a mechanic. The risky poker game was a desperate decision and he paid the price, which was hard to watch, but not at all unexpected. I was very glad that he never followed through on the robbery but that also raises a lot more questions about how and when he finally found a footing and was able to become independent. 

I enjoyed the twist of both he and Rebecca being setup on the same night but with different people and then meeting each other by chance.

The more I thought about it this past week, the more I was convinced that Kate's comment about being responsible for her dad's death and Jack driving drunk were planted as red herrings. I figured they wouldn't really show Jack's death just yet with 2 more seasons already guaranteed. I was right about that but I sure never saw the huge fight and separation coming. The shouting match between Jack and Rebecca was one fine piece of acting. They both had very understandable positions and it's impossible for me to take sides. As much as I hated to see Jack leave, I like the fact that the writers stayed true to the characters and their points of view. That fight would have lost all its impact had Rebecca just told him to stay.

As I said, I'm not taking sides but I have to say that's Jack's speech telling Rebecca what he loves about her now, is the one thing that brought me to tears this time. Again, darn good acting!

The snippets we got from the 3 kids about the directions of their lives are definitely intriguing and setup a lot of possibilities for season 2. I see Kate having an uphill climb to become a professional singer, mainly because of her weight. Like it or not, body image is a huge factor in the entertainment business and I don't see a way that she can break into the business. Kevin actually has a pretty good shot at the new movie but the fact that it means LA will be the crisis he has to face, just as he and Sophie are really clicking. Randall already quit his job so he's got a major change coming but the surprise was his desire to adopt a child. WOW! That's quite the twist, although we have no idea if Beth will go along with it.

All in all, I have to say that this has been an engrossing show from start to finish and I can hardly wait for it to return. Both the writing and the acting are as good as it gets IMO!

[tycho657]

I agree, I was disappointed in the final. They were telling everyone to get their Kleenex ready and then nothing. I think this was the only episode in this first season that I really didn't like.
I agree Kate will have an even harder time trying to be a singer than her Mother did. I see grief for her next season.

Kevin has a great chance to be a real actor now. Let's just hope he has learned some control and doesn't try to jump in bed with the next actress he is working with if he gets the Ron Howard movie.

Randall is a changed person. I wonder if his family will like this new guy, especially since he doesn't have a nice cushy job anymore?

They will have lots to tell us next season for sure.

[tycho657]

The cast had a Paley Center panel last night. Jon H said he wasn't going to be on the panel. We were watching a movie last night so I didn't live stream the panel. Now I wish I would have. They even had Dr. K ( Gerald M) on the panel from the pictures I have seen. They had it at the Dolby Theater instead of the theater where Castle had their big panel. That means they had a lot more people able to see the panel. The Dolby is the one that is on Hollywood Blvd across the street from where they film the Kimmel show. That is the theater where they hold the Oscars.
I hope someone posts this on You tube. I might have to buy the CD. I did see someone post that the big fight scene was filmed in one take. They use have had 2 camera filming?
I was glad t see they included more than the basic 5 people from the cast. I saw an after show panel that included the William character. I think Jon's character deserves more recognition. I commented on Jon's twitter feed that I was disappointed in the final, especially since they didn't show Miguel. He liked it back 😎

[tycho657]

Here is an article that tell a little bit of what went on during the panel. 


www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/03/10-things-we-learned-about-this-is-us-at-paleyfest.html