I Can't Believe How Much Kevin Has Changed on 'This Is Us'
If you told me during Season 1 that Kevin would be the Pearson to uncover Jack’s backstory, I would not have believed you. He was so self-consumed, I didn't think he’d ever be able to face a reality outside his own. But here we are, following Kevin’s post-therapy journey as he boldly tries to piece together the fragments of his late father’s history-and forge a strong bond with Zoe.
But he's not the only character whose story has reached a surprising turning point. The relationships between Kate and Rebecca, Kate and Toby, and Beth and Randall all shifted in this week's episode.
Kate is starting to develop a healthy relationship with Rebecca.
Kate's been holding onto a lot of anger and sadness from her past, much of which she hurls directly at her mom. It's refreshing to finally see her connect with Rebecca in a healthy way, calling on her mom for help as she grapples with Toby’s mental illness and her own pregnancy. Toby's taken to his bed, too depressed to get up, so Kate calls her mom for advice. Kate and Rebecca actually have normal conversation-no passive aggression here-and there's something very pure and easy about the way these two women speak on the phone. This moment underscores exactly what Rebecca's been saying all along: when Kate is ready to let her mother in, she'll welcome her with open arms. It finally happened.
Toby fears Kate will leave him.
After nearly spinning out of control in last week's episode, Toby is barely able to get out of bed this. While Kate is at the vet with their dog, Audio, for an emergency appointment, Toby forces himself to get up and get dressed. Later, he admits to Kate he's afraid she'll give up and leave him-that dealing with his depression is too hard. She reassures him she's not going anywhere. She’s in it “for better or for worse, for sickness and in health.” Forever. She even forces him to go for a walk with her and Audio.
I keep thinking about that future scene, with Toby in bed and Randall trying to get him to visit the mysterious “her.” Was that a signal that he'll still be dealing with this intense depression decades later?
Jack may have had PTSD from the Vietnam War that he tried to keep at bay with boxing.
We knew from flashbacks last season that Jack dabbled in the boxing ring. But after learning more about his time in Vietnam and the trauma he hid after the war, this activity seems like more than just recreation.
This episode returns to the Pearsons' early years as a family of five, with Jack coming home with a black eye and admitting to Rebecca that he's been boxing other people at the gym. She's horrified, worried he'll get brain damage, until he convinces her the sport is necessary for him to work out some things on his own. Later, he admits to her that he used to bond with his brother Nicky over the spor. Is boxing a way for Jack to hold onto his memories of his brother? Or is he trying to punish himself for something? If the latter, it supports my previous theory that Jack somehow contributed to Nicky’s death, and he’s never forgiven himself for it. Maybe that’s why he never talked to his family about what happened over there.
Jack’s skeletons are about to come barreling out of the closet, because Kevin is going to Vietnam.
Come hell or high water, Kevin is determined to learn the truth about Jack's time in the war. He books a ticket to Vietnam and-wait for it-asks Zoe to join him. And she actually says yes! Kevin continues to surprise me this season. He's actually maturing, and working to build a real relationship with Zoe. She’s come into his life at an interesting time, not only because he’s working on his own self-reflection, but because he’s also trying to forge a relationship with his father's memory. Ever since Jack’s former squad member gave Kevin that black-and-white photo of the mysterious woman, Kevin has been downright obsessed with finding out who she is. Jack gave Kevin that woman's chain, after all, and he's always cherished it. Now, he has to know its origins.
My theory is that Jack and this woman had some kind of relationship, and that she may have passed away. She was clearly very important to Jack, which means she's just as important to Kevin.
As Beth teeters on the edge, Deja gives her a surprisingly Randall-like pep talk.
Actually, it might be more of a Jack-like pep talk, because as we know, Randall gets most of his corny-yet-sage words of wisdom from his dad. In any case, Beth lashes out at her daughters after an overwhelming experience trying to sell Girl Scout cookies. Annie, Tess, and Deja are disappointed, and Beth can’t handle it at all. It turns out she has her own Superman complex, just like Randall, and in the wake of losing her job, she's crumbling.
In a one-on-one intervention, Deja reminds Beth she's truly "exceptional." It’s a real moment of Pearson solidarity, because it’s the very word Randall used to describe Deja once, completely altering her perspective. Deja encourages Beth to tell Randall what’s going on, so he can offer famous advice that's fixed so many things in the past.
It’s another interesting moment of a child comforting their parent in a time of need, just like when Randall assisted Rebecca after Jack’s death. Beth and Randall’s relationship right now is now the reverse from the end of Season 1, when Randall quit the pressure of Corporate America and Beth became his support system. Now that Beth’s told Randall she’s struggling, how will he shift his priorities to support her-especially now that things are starting to pick up for him? Will his offer for her to join his campaign be enough?
Randall’s campaign for city council finally gains strength after he cultivates unexpected support.
Randall's big campaign for office in Philadelphia has been touch-and-go for a while (let's be honest, he was practically run out of town), but it seems like his campaign has finally reached a good place.
After his latest ploy to charm the city-by visiting a black church, where his opponent quickly calls him out-backfires spectacularly, Randall comes up with a new plan: To use Kevin’s huge Korean fanbase from The Manny to galvanize the city's Korean community. But at a voter registration drive in Koreatown, one young man sees right through this, calling out Randall for taking advantage of the community. Instead of backing down, Randall promises to listen and learn about community's needs in order to support its residents. He convinces that young man, Jae-Won, who stops by Randall's campaign HQ later to offer himself as campaign manager.
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