Recap: This Is Us Episode 5
Before This Is Us became known as a runaway success and network television's first Emmy contender in years, it was known for its twists. And though the show has backed off a little on those dramatic rug-pull moments (because honestly, moderation is key), season two just brought us two in a row: Kate's pregnant! And now, Jack has a brother!
So...who is Nicky Pearson, and why have we never heard of him before? Did he die in Vietnam? Is he estranged from Jack? Why didn't he show up to their father's deathbed (other than the obvious reason, which is that Stanley Pearson is a monster)? We have no answers, but what we do have are Thoughts and Feelings.
1. Kevin, you have been working in network television for long enough to have seen House. Don’t mess with Vicodin! I guess we’re jumping forward in time significantly from last episode (he’s already gone through all of his refills), which explains how his addiction has spiraled this quickly.
2. “No black man will ever be jealous of being auctioned. Hashtag American history.”
3. I have to constantly fight the urge to quote every exchange between Randall and Beth in its entirety. But I’ll keep it just to: “You know I love me a good Kevent... ”
4. Hallelujah, Toby has a job! And an office! The fact that this guy seemingly does nothing all day has long bothered me, so this is a relief. I feel like I’m really coming around on Toby after my long-held hatred, y’know. Maybe this will finally be the episode that turns me.
5. I will say, though, that Toby feels like he’s in a different show a lot of the time. Take this one line - “That’s how it always starts in the pornography that I….don’t watch!” - which plays like sitcom dialogue to me. Could have been taken right out of a Friends script.
6. Oh damn, Jack’s awful, awful father is dying. I can’t decide whether I want to see a deathbed reconciliation here or not – that relationship just feels too toxic for any healing to be possible at this point.
7. Why is little Kevin so mean to little Randall? Little Randall tries so hard!!!! Between this and Rebecca’s mom last week, I’m very stressed about poor little Randall.
8. “That’s hurtful. And untrue. I’m very funny.” YES, Randall. Although, I’m gonna say, giving Deja a brief history of the stores that have since turned into other stores is…maybe not your funniest moment.
9. Poor Jack sitting alone in the car waiting for his dad to emerge from the bar. (“He’s coming back…”) How did this guy grow up to be such a good father????
10. Somebody needs to release an actual episode listing for The Manny, because these episode titles are honestly glorious. ‘Manny Pedi’! ‘Hollow Manny!’ “Of Mice and Mannies!’
11. Okay…what in the ever-loving hell is Kate’s problem? She is being absolutely awful to this Madison girl who, yes, is annoying, but could have a legion of food issues that Kate isn’t aware of. I guess we’re meant to think this is pregnancy hormones talking, but Kate has been a real asshole this season, between this and the way she went off at her mom in episode two.
12. Ugh, I hate Madison’s overjoyed reaction to Kate being pregnant - it rings so false. First of all, we’ve seen no indication that these two have ever been remotely friendly - like, sure, it’s nice that Madison is happy for Kate, but why would her pregnancy invalidate how awful Kate has just been to her? She hit Madison with her car! This entire scene feels very awkward.
13. Ooof, at Randall’s struggle to bond with Deja being juxtaposed with flashbacks to Jack trying to explain why Kevin is mean to him. I know adult Randall gets a ton of love (from everyone, including Kevin) but THIS IS STILL SO SAD.
14. Justin Hartley and the This Is Us makeup team are doing a very, very good job of making Kevin a sweaty, shaky mess. Vicodin withdrawal is brutal (again, everything I know I learned from House), and though it’s a little rushed, this feels like a really convincing and compelling development for Kevin. “You feel too much, and I try not to feel anything at all.”
15. Randall not noticing that Kevin is clearly not okay is really weird. He does eventually notice, and I get that he’s distracted with Deja, but Randall, that was the least convincing “I’m okay” I’ve ever heard! Do not take that at face value!
16. Sophie already took Kevin back after he cheated on her when they were married. I am unsure how many more screw-ups she’s going to be willing to put up with at this point. Obviously she has no idea that he’s in pain, or that he basically worked through what should have been his recovery period from surgery - but when she finds out, I can actually see the fact that he kept that from her being the dealbreaker, rather than the Vicodin in itself.
17. “You can’t grab me like that.” Deja’s abusive foster care backstory isn’t surprising - we’ve obviously been building to this for a while - but it’s still heartbreaking. It’s also nice to see Lyric Ross get to play something a little lighter in this episode, with Deja’s crush on Kevin (he actually made her smile! A few times!)
18. Guys. Um. Help. This coffee shop scene with Toby, I just…I can’t…I don’t understand. Why is he like this? Why is he tipping a water bucket over his head? Why does he need to blast Hootie & the Blowfish while announcing Kate’s pregnancy to these poor strangers? WHY AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND THIS CHARMING? I cannot believe this episode briefly had me thinking I would turn around on this weirdo. (Incidentally, I do not believe for a second that the denizens of that hipster coffee joint would put up with this nonsense.)
19. I’m glad Jack didn’t go to see his father, honestly. If the “Stanley is dying” storyline had been built up over a few episodes, then maybe there could have been a parallel drawn with William and Randall - except that William was delightful, and Stanley is a monster. Some parent–child relationships are estranged for a reason, and I don’t think I would have bought any kind of reconciliation here.
20. Ohhh, Kevin, no. Now he’s doctor-shopping to try and get a fresh prescription? This is all getting very dark very quickly, and while it's incredibly sad, Kevin's demons give us so much more to think about than any storyline he's had so far. He really is "Jack Pearson’s son."
21. WHOA. So Jack has a brother called Nicky, who can apparently sleep through any amount of emotional neglect! We’ve never heard any of the Pearson kids mention an Uncle Nicky, so there are a few options here: Maybe Nicky died in Vietnam, although that feels like a dead end story-wise. Maybe he’s estranged from Jack and his family. Maybe Jack never even told Rebecca he had a brother. Maybe Jack thought he died in Vietnam but he actually survived, like Dick Whitman in Mad Men. So Many. New. Possibilities.
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