‘This Is Us’ Season 4, Episode 12 Recap: Kevin Faces His Past…and Sophie
*Warning: Spoilers ahead*
Last week on This Is Us, Randall (Sterling K. Brown) reached his breaking point after an intruder burglarized the home he shares with his wife, Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson). Although he’s been keeping Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) memory-loss condition from Kevin (Justin Hartley), Randall finally confided in his brother about his current mental state, admitting he’s not OK.
In season four, episode 12, Kevin takes a walk down memory lane as he reunites with his ex-wife, Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge), for her mother’s funeral. Here’s what happened.
1. The past
We flashback to teenage Kevin (Logan Shroyer) and Sophie (Amanda Leighton), who come home from college early to surprise Rebecca on her birthday. Kevin is beaming with excitement, since his Days of Our Lives episode just aired on TV. Unfortunately, Rebecca didn’t watch because she was told his line got cut. Kevin tries (and fails) to hide his disappointment.
Later on, Kevin visits Sophie’s house and is immediately greeted by her mom, Claire (Jennifer Westfeldt). Not only does Claire welcome “the future star” with open arms, but she also raves about his Days of Our Lives appearance.
“I saw you on Days,” she says. “So handsome I could have cried.”
When Sophie leaves the room, Kevin explains that he’s disappointed he couldn’t give Sophie her dream wedding. So, he wants her to have her dream ring. Kevin tells Claire that Sophie always talks about the emerald sparkler that belonged to her grandmother.
“That ring has a story,” Claire says. She explains that her parents fell in love while they were both going through divorces. When her father was drafted, he purchased the ring, brought it as a souvenir and then gave it to her mother when he returned. Claire says she won’t just give Kevin the ring—he needs to “earn it.”
2. The Present
Kevin is on set of his movie when he notices several missed calls from Sophie. On the phone, she explains that her mom passed away and she didn’t know who else to call.
“It’s weird that I called, isn’t it?” she says.
Kevin disagrees and promises to be there in no time. In the car, Kevin calls Randall and asks why his texts sound so formal. (If the conversation sounds familiar, it’s because we first saw the scene in last week’s episode.) Randall explains that someone broke into their home, so he’s been on edge.
At the funeral, Kevin is sitting in the back, listening to Sophie’s speech about her “impossible mother,” who refused to stop moving even after she was diagnosed with M.S.
Sophie is in disbelief that Kevin showed up. When he arrives at the reception, she meets him outside and says, “Get me out of here?” They drive in silence for a while—long enough for Kevin to notice she’s wearing her grandmother’s ring on that finger. He dives into a speech about overcoming grief, since they “have a history of getting each other through funerals.”
Kevin drives Sophie to the same place where they used to hang out when they were kids.
“I never thought I could come back here,” Kevin says. “My childhood ended right here.”
After taking a figurative walk down memory lane, Kevin assures Sophie that her pain will lessen over time. Right when they’re about to kiss, Sophie says, “It’s time for me to go home.”
When Kevin drops her off, Sophie gives him an old headshot he autographed for Claire. “She was always rooting for you,” Sophie says. “She was your biggest fan.”
Kevin visits Claire’s grave, which is surrounded by flowers. After thanking her for her unconditional support, Kevin apologizes for never earning the ring.
After leaving the cemetery, Kevin heads to Kate’s (Chrissy Metz) house only to find Madison (Caitlin Thompson), who is house-sitting for Kate and Toby (Chris Sullivan). Madison invites him in for tea and opens up about her troubled love life.
The next day, Kevin receives a phone call from Randall, who admits he’s not OK. When Kevin suggests they call Kate, we flashback to Rebecca telling Kevin that dinner is canceled. Rebecca is worried because Kate ran away with her boyfriend and then called her crying. Rebecca thinks she’s in trouble.
Back in present day, Kevin calls Kate, who teases the future of her relationship. “I’m about two seconds away from my marriage completely imploding,” she says.
Just then, the camera pans to reveal Madison lying next to Kevin in bed.
Wait, is Madison the mother of Kevin’s child? This just got really, really interesting. This Is Us returns to NBC in two weeks on Tuesday, February 11, at 9 p.m.
