‘This Is Us’ Recap: Work Studies

Warning: This recap for the “Career Days” episode of This Is Us contains spoilers.

It was not just another day at the office for any of the Pearsons on the latest episode of This Is Us.

JACK AND REBECCA
As the kids get older and their needs increase, Jack realizes his construction job isn’t going to make ends meet, so he moves to a cubicle even though, as Rebecca points out, he doesn’t own a tie. After a few years, Miguel gets promoted and wants the first act of his elevated position to be making Jack a project manager. But Jack has other plans — he wants to go out on his own and start Big Three Homes in order to spend more time with the kids.

At home, report cards have arrived. When Jack hears that ice cream is in order, he assumes good grades were had by all. “No, mostly Bs and Cs. I caved,” says Rebecca. “Parenting makes my cerebellum hurt.” (It seems Randall’s teacher has requested a meeting.) Rebecca plans to pass on ice cream so that Jack can continue to pick her up when kissing her hello, but he shrugs off her concern with a “you’re tiny.” The comparisons between mother and daughter come up again a few scenes later when Kate wanders into mom’s bedroom post-shower. Rebecca asks her to retrieve a shirt from the closet, and Kate notices the label reads “Small” compared to her own XL.

At the parent-teacher conference, Jack and Rebecca learn that Randall is gifted, and the teacher suggests his grades might better reflect that if he sent to a more challenging private school. Jack balks thinking that Randall will feel even more alone and out of place without his siblings. When the teacher tries to carefully explain that they would not excel there, Jack corrects her. “All of our children are exceptional.”

But Rebecca drags him to check out Hanes Academy anyway. Jack is not impressed. “This place Is whiter than Randall’s already pretty-white other school,” he grouses. “These kids look like Nazi robots.” He also reveals that he’s been thinking about starting his own business, but now admits it’s not good timing given that they may have to start paying tuition. Seeing her husband’s disappointment, Rebecca suggests they solve the Randall situation another way: “I just don’t want you to be unhappy.”

Jack brings up the school situation the swimming pool lady when he goes to pick up Randall from a play date. He says he doesn’t think it would be a good idea given that Randall would likely feel even more different, but she’s not having it: “So you want to hold him back because he’s black? Randall is special. So if you’re looking for somebody to make you feel better about denying him a special opportunity, you may just have to find yourself another black person.”

Jack realizes that it’s time that he takes an honest look at what’s driving his reluctance. He brings Randall to work and tricks him into doing mental math. The second time, Randall figures out what Dad’s doing and plays dumb. “Why are you pretending not to know this stuff, getting Bs in math, not letting people see how smart you are?” Jack asks him.

“I don’t want to be different from them,” explains Randall. “If I get an A, I will get ice cream. Kevin and Kate won’t and then they’ll hate me.”

The light bulb goes off for Jack. “Your mom and me try to treat you the same, but it hasn’t always worked because you are not all the same. You are adopted. We don’t talk about that enough because to me, you are every part my son. Maybe I don’t want you to feel like you stand out, but I want you to stand out. I want all of you to be as different as you can possibly be in all the best ways. I love you as much as a human heart can, kiddo. You are an exceptional young man. So don’t let your dad’s poor choices make you feel afraid to be different.”

And with that, Jack puts his dream on hold and accepted Miguel’s job offer in order to allow Randall to attend the new school. He teaches his son how to tie his uniform tie and drops him off on his first day.

RANDALL
Randall comes home to find William playing piano and singing for his kids. When he explains that he was taught by his dad who was taught by his dad before him, the girls mistakenly think that means their dad should be able to teach them as well.

“I wish I could. Grandma and aunt Kate got all the musical talent in the family,” he admits. “I was all knuckles.”

Meanwhile, Randall’s daughter wants grandpa or uncle Kevin to speak at her career day because she thinks her dad has “a boring job.” Kevin comes in and makes matters worse by making loud snoring sounds. It hits a nerve. “Daddy’s doing career day. End of discussion,” snaps Randall. “And it is going to be lit.” (It really is adorable when Randall tries to play it cool.)

His frustration continues when he practices his spiel on Beth, who clearly doesn’t understand his job trading weather commodities. Finally, Randall admits that finding out about his dad’s musical skills has him questioning the career path he’s chosen. “Maybe I was meant to be a musician or a writer. There’s this whole genetic side of me that nobody even knew existed. Maybe I had an artistic side all along and nobody knew to empower it,” he says. “Maybe I wasn’t meant to be a straight and narrow math geek like my parents thought.”

Beth continues to be the model partner. “Your biological father just came back into your life, and it’s bringing up all kinds of stuff. It’s normal,” she assures him. “Why don’t you try out the crazy artist side and get the presentation poppin’ and see how it flies with 8-year-olds before you shift careers and start playing open mic saxophone nights? This early midlife crisis is so you, I can’t stand it.”

Randall does just that… and his career day appearance is a disaster. He wrote a song to explain his job, and winds up embarrassing his family. Back at the pad, William tries to make him feel better by offering to teach him how to play piano properly, and by assuring him that when he talked about his job, his face looked exactly as joyous as the faces of great musicians discussing music.

Later, after popping on his trusty tie just like his adopted dad showed him how, Randall walks into the kitchen and announces, “My dad put a tie on every day because he had to. I put one on every day because I want to. It is important you know that. To me, my work is challenging and exiting. I will not apologize for the fact that it is hard to explain to people.”

He also turns down William’s offer of lessons. “At this point, I don’t think it’s healthy to introduce that dynamic into our relationship, so starting Tuesday I am taking lessons from Mrs. Perkins down the road,” he says. “There will be a recital in the spring.”

As he walked out, one of his daughters asks what just happened. Beth’s response is perfect: “That was a midlife crisis baby, but just a little one — so eat your waffle.”

KEVIN
Kevin is still struggling with the play, and he keeps screwing up the “the pinnacle of grief” scene. This causes the director to go off on him, as does the playwright, who jokes that his delivery has all the charisma of a Google Maps voice. In an unexpected twist, his co-star Erin defends him. “Enough,” she insists. “He will get there.”

Part of her plan to get Kevin to that emotional place? Dragging him along to crash a memorial service. When the widow asks Erin and Kevin who they are, she claims they were lovers who met in the dead guy’s class.

Disgusted by her techniques, Kevin seeks out a little solace from a bottle in the kitchen, where he runs into the widow again. She’s trying to clean out all of her husband’s pickle jars to make room for all the funeral casseroles people were bringing, and she confides to Kevin that her 15-year-old son said he didn’t want any of his father’s things. Kevin can relate. “My dad and I used to build models together,” he says. “I picked the most complex ones because they took the longest. I was one of three kids so you had to strategize to get alone time with dad. And then when he died, I threw all the models away. I don’t know why. I have this necklace of his. It’s all I have left of him. At first, I wouldn’t even look at it, but now it’s all I have. I can’t take it off now.” Their conversation ends in a tear-jerking hug.

Later Erin finds Kevin in the coatroom, and he’s pissed. ”We shouldn’t be here,” he says. “This isn’t a play. She’s a real person. I’m a real person.” He breaks down. “My dad died. And I hated him for it. I couldn’t eat for a month. I used to wake myself up crying so I could cry myself back to sleep again.”

At last, the emotional breakthrough the actress was looking for. “You can’t just kill the feelings like they’re some creature you are afraid of,” she tells Kevin. “That pain is a part of you. I can see it now. I can feel it.” And then they start making out and fall towards the bed. (Sure glad the poor widow didn’t walk in to see that.)

Back at work, wounded puppy Kevin brings Erin a cappuccino, having forgiven her for teaching him a lesson because it worked. But she isn’t done having her fun yet. “That’s not the only lesson. What happened between you and me, that’s never going to happen again,” she insists. “This is who we are. You are my husband and I’m your dead wife and you will never sleep with her again. How does that make you feel?”

“Sad,” he admits.

“Great. Use that.”

KATE
Kate has another job interview to be the associate of a woman who runs a foundation. She checks all the boxes — grant writing experience, abnormally organized, celebrity connections — but is warned that she might be asked to do personal stuff like drive her daughter to and from places occasionally. “Whatever you need, I’m your girl,” Kate promises. And as if on cue the terrible teenager Jemma wandered in and says, “I see you hired the fat one.”

Kate perseveres and is killing it on day one. Unfortunately Jemma needs a ride to Ashley’s house, and Mom pawns her off on Kate. “I’ll be in the car, intern,” snaps Jemma. In the car, Jemma ignores Kate and won’t even give her the address of where they’re going. Kate gives it right back: ”I only put up with this because I value the work.”

Jemma pounces. “What’d she tell you? You’d be an associate? You thought my mom was going to give you actual responsibilities? Clearly she only hired you because she thought the fat girl could get through to me. I feel sorry for you.” This is where Kate reaches her breaking point. “Don’t feel sorry for me because I have a ride home,” she barks. “Get out of the damn car before I toss you out. You can walk to Ashley’s.”

Flash forward to the next day — apparently Kate didn’t return to work after the showdown — and her boss calls her to apologize after squeezing the story out of Jemma. “I have left her at three malls and wanted to push her out of the car on the freeway at least once,” admits mom. “I don’t know what to do with her anymore. Before yesterday she’d spoken seven words to me in two weeks.”

She also admits that Kate partially did get the job because she thought she might “be able to understand her issues,” even though she realizes this sounds horrible now that she’s said it out loud. Kate agrees to stay on the job if there is no more personal stuff, she gets an office, and gets to chair the Butterfly Ball.

But because she does to a certain extent understand what Jemma is going through, Kate seeks her out one last time to drop some knowledge. Which, of course, is greeted with a “stop trying to have a moment with me” because teenagers are awful creatures.

But Kate persists. “My mom is skinny and gorgeous. She still gets hit on by everyone. She was once asked if she was a model when she had the flu. It is pretty hard growing up with a mom like that. I spent all my time comparing myself to her, and then I took it out on her. Now we barely talk and it sucks. Your mom is not perfect. You’ve got to cut her a break or you’re gonna regret it.”

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of This is Us for free on Yahoo View.