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'This Is Us' Season 2 Episode 11 Recap: The Pearson Three Have Their Biggest Fight Ever


This Is Us is back, and it’s weepier than ever. Huzzah! Read the recap, below—I’m not going to keep you waiting. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

We start with a flashback: Child Kate’s playing Monopoly with Rebecca. Child Randall—the world’s most perfect child—has new glasses, and he’s afraid the kids at school will call him Urkel. Pre-teens are terrible. Child Kate asks Rebecca for more cookies, and Rebecca says they should eat apples instead; it’s awkward. But all of this is interrupted by Mustache Working Dad Jack, who comes home, much to the delight of Kate. (His ‘stache looks particularly off the rails in this shot.)

Jack’s co-worker has a cabin in the Poconos and says he and his family can have it for a full week, if they want. So the Pearsons are going on vacation, which means emotional fuckery is afoot.

Child Kevin arrives to the Poconos a few days after everyone else because he was at football camp or something. Rebecca has to straight-up tell Kevin not to make fun of Randall’s glasses because he’s a monster. And she’s also concerned about Kate, too: She notices everything exciting Kate about their trip revolves around food. Jack says Rebecca’s overreacting and that Kate is just “big-boned.” Oy. There’s a lot to unpack here; hopefully This Is Us deals with this subplot respectfully.

Kate, Kevin, and Jack start playing a football game, and Kate says she’s tired and wants to stop. Jack says she’s been “eating a lot of sweets” and wants her to exercise to be healthy. This upsets Kate, and she runs away. Jack follows her, and she asks him straight-up if he thinks she’s fat. It’s a poignant scene. The actress who plays Child Kate, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, is heartbreaking here.

But you know who isn’t? Child Kevin, who throws a football at Child Randall and calls him “four eyes.” WTF?!? Randall then loses his glasses, and Rebecca immediately thinks Kevin had something to do with it…as she damn well should. Kevin then goes on a rant, saying he “hates” Rebecca and that she “sucks” and their family “sucks.” Well, you know what? I hate him, and I don’t care if he’s a child. He’s the worst! Always and forever!

In the middle of the night during a thunderstorm, Kevin finds Randall’s glasses under the bed and rushes to his parents’ room to tell them. There, he finds Randall and Kate sleeping in the bed with their parents, and there’s no room for him. So he goes to sleep on the floor, which is beyond heavy-handed foreshadowing for what happens in this episode.

Adult Kate

Kate’s packing for something and lamenting about how it’s been a month since she’s seen Kevin. He’s in rehab—remember the DUI from last episode?—and she thinks that’s somehow her fault. Toby takes out the trash, but the bottom of the bag gives in, revealing junk food containers. It appears Kate’s broken her diet, and he looks concerned. I could write an essay about how policing Kate’s eating on this show is icky, but let’s just focus on what happens next. (FWIW, Toby looks considerably less annoying in this episode, and I don’t know why.)

Adult Randall

Randall’s going on a trip, too. Apparently, all of the siblings and Rebecca are visiting Kevin in rehab. We learn Tess hopped into the back of Kevin’s car because she was sad about Déjà moving out of the house. She promises not to run away again, but Randall and Beth are still worried. (Randall also looks hot AF in the jacket he’s wearing, but that’s neither here nor there.)

“If she was doing a little worse, then I could stay here with her and not have to visit your jackass brother.” —Beth, reading Kevin for filth.

Beth, Queen of This Is Us, starts dragging Kevin right out the gate. She calls him a “jackass” and says she’s pissed they have to visit him. They’re both upset with Kevin, but Randall says they need to be there for him because Kevin helped him during his lowest points last year. Essentially, they’re grinning and bearing their anger on this trip, which Beth calls “white people repression.” Iconic.

Adult Kevin

Everyone shows up at the rehab center for Kevin. He emerges looking like his old self; the beard is gone, and he’s enthusiastic and lively. He looks like a damn snack again and, honestly, thank God. He’s very jumpy, though, which is weird. His therapist, Barbara, suggests a therapy session between him, his siblings, and Rebecca, which is going to be interesting.

Kevin apologizes to Kate, Randall, and Rebecca during the session, but it’s clear Randall is pissed because he keeps saying, “We’re here for you, Kev.” (That’s what he and Beth agreed to keep saying to mask their anger toward Kevin.)

But the therapy goes deeper. Kevin says he became an addict because he’s always felt like the third runner-up to Kate and Randall. Kate always had the attention of their father, and Randall their mother. He drowned out his insecurities with football, fame, and then drugs and alcohol. He then says the Pearsons are a family of addicts: Kevin’s one, Jack is one, their grandfather is one, and Kevin suggests even Kate is one—with food—and this strikes a nerve in her. Rebecca vehemently defends Jack, saying he’s “so much more” than an addict.

“Of course, he’s Mr. Rehab.”—Beth, dragging Kevin more.

And then the family completely explodes. Randall says Kevin isn’t an addict, but just desperate for attention. This causes the two brothers to go at it: Kevin says Rebecca’s always loved Randall the most and that Tess hopped in the backseat of his car to avoid the insanity of Randall’s home. This leads to a pretty shocking confession: Rebecca thought Randall was the “easiest” child to love.

The Pearson Three then have a tranquil debriefing on a park bench. Randall says they all view their upbringing through different perspectives and he doesn’t want to “crap all over” Kevin’s. They apologize and smile and make lighthearted jokes about their intense therapy session because this show shifts emotions every five seconds.

Meanwhile, the supporting family members kicked out of the therapy session—Beth, Toby, and Miguel—go have beers at a bar. Their conversation pivots to Jack, who Beth and Miguel dub the ultimate “Pearson no-fly zone.” They say they’ll never meet Jack or live up to him. Toby confesses Kate’s “fallen off the wagon” with her eating and he’s upset she isn’t talking to him about it. It’s clear all three of them feel on the outside of the Pearson gang—no one more than Miguel, who says point-blank he married his best friend’s wife.

Things end with Toby confronting Kate about her secret junk food. But Kate beats him to the punch: She says she has “a lot of issues” with food, so we’ll probably delve deeper into that as the season continues. Honestly, I’m here for that—so long as it’s done carefully and empathetically.

The final scene is rough: Rebecca reveals to Kevin she didn’t think she had to worry about him growing up, and now she’s seeing how she’s wrong. Oof, talk about coming back with a vengeance. This Is Us has me bawling all over again…and rolling my eyes. But mostly crying.

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The Cast of 'This Is Us' Reveal What Happens Next After the Pearson Family's Intense Therapy Session


This Is Us rang in 2018 with quite the emotional episode—but would you expect anything less? (Read our recap here for a full breakdown.) For the actors, it was just as intense IRL. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, these are really authentic moments,'” Justin Hartley tells us. “They’re talking about really hard things to people they love. They don’t want to hurt each other, but it’s going to hurt.”

One moment in particular—a 12-minute scene of Kevin’s family therapy session without a break in the action—is rarely done on television. “You can’t pick up that momentum [if you stop at any point when filming], so we just did take after take all the way through,” Hartley explains. “I don’t think anybody dropped a line.”

The scene—which prompted a devastated Rebecca to admit that Randall was an easier child to love than closed-off Kevin—also revealed that Kate’s addiction to food runs deeper than anyone was truly aware. “We all have struggles in our lives, and I think being honest with the people we love is the only way to face those issues,” Chris Sullivan says. “Being transparent and honest [with yourself and others is] really [the only way to] overcome something like that.”

Adds Hartley, “It’s a life-long struggle. It’s one moment at a time. It’s the same with Kevin. He knows the man he wants to be, but he just puts a lot of pressure on himself when he doesn’t need to.”

PHOTO: NBC

The episode ended on an uplifting note for the big three, but the hard work is just beginning. While it remains to be seen if Kevin has a future with ex-wife Sophie, Hartley played coy but noted that “you’ll be seeing her again.” Still, Sophie isn’t the only woman in Kevin’s life that he’ll need to work on repairing a relationship with. His sister-in-law Beth isn’t quite ready to forgive him after he unknowingly drove under the influence with her daughter in the backseat of his car. “There is going to be a tension there until [they really sit down to talk things out], Susan Kelechi Watson tells us. “It’s not like she hasn’t had tension with him before, but this was definitely a lot more serious. She’s definitely not as willing as Randall is [to take the stance that], ‘Oh, he’s getting help.’ She still feels like it’s all about Kevin in a way. There is going to have to be some kind of a stronger resolution for them.”

With only seven episodes remaining in season two, it remains to be seen if Beth and Kevin will have that opportunity, but one thing we do know is that the details about Jack’s death are closer to being revealed. “All I can say is be prepared,” Milo Ventimiglia says cryptically. “And yet, I know there is no real preparation for something like that. At the same time, we all know it’s coming. Just remember, it doesn’t mean the character is leaving or I’m leaving. It’s just one chapter in Jack’s book, and there’s a lot more to learn about the man.”

Speaking of Jack, Ventimiglia says that as vulnerable as we’ve seen the character this season, he actually has a tough time pulling back that emotion. “Jack is not one to cry, and I myself am more emotional than Jack. The hardest moments for me are where I personally have to hold my emotion in. When Jack opens up about his drinking problem [to Kate]…I’m welling up thinking about the experience, but thank God I have partners like [teen Kate] Hannah Zeile, [10-year-old Kate] Mackenzie Hancsicsak, and all the kids both ages. And Mandy, Mandy, Mandy…she’s a God send.”



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'This Is Us' Season 2 Episode 6 Recap: The Pearson Three Are the Same Hot Messes in Their 20s


Tonight’s This Is Us showed the Pearson Three in a brand-new decade, but spoiler alert: They’re still the same hot messes. Just younger! And with less facial hair! Here’s what happened…

First, we start off with the three in their younger years: Halloween is approaching, and Rebecca is busy making costumes for her ungrateful kids. Well, except Randall. Randall’s not ungrateful. Kate, on other hand, straight-up says she doesn’t want to be a veterinarian after Rebecca spent God knows how long making the costume. She now wants to go as Sandy from Grease, and Jack volunteers Rebecca to make her costume at the last minute.

Naturally, Rebecca’s pissed about this and tells Jack he has to stop saying yes to everything Kate wants. Jack retorts by saying Rebecca is just as easy on Randall. They go back and forth for a few more annoying seconds before Rebecca says Jack is setting Kate up to be miserable in her 20s—which leads us to…

The Pearson kids! In their 20s! Well, their late 20s, which are far less reckless and irresponsible than your early 20s. It’s October 2008, which puts the Pearson Three at 28, if my my math is correct.

20s Kate

Kate has instantly-iconic bangs and is working as a waitress in a restaurant. She’s insanely thirsty for a bearded, plaid-clad patron with a nice smile. Kate asks him if he’s trick-or-treating tonight, which is weird because he’s a grown-ass man. He says he’s going to a bar with friends for Halloween; she has class, so she can’t join him. It’s clear he wants her to, though—or so it seems.

As luck would have it, Kate’s class is canceled that night, so she decides to surprise Plaid Guy at the bar. But things turn awkward: He jumps up from his table immediately and runs over to her before she can meet his friends. He says he’s “just about to leave” the bar and asks if they can go some place more quiet. She agrees, but not before noticing Plaid Guy’s friends smirking in her direction. Oh no.

They go back to Kate’s place, have sex, and Plaid Guy quickly gets out of bed and says he has to leave. It turns out he’s married, which is why he panicked when she came to the bar. Kate says she knew this and slept with him hoping things would “feel right” afterwards. But they didn’t. Plaid Guy sucks and should never return.

20s Randall

Beth is pregnant, and her due date is the next day. Randall has no facial hair and is pissed about a ceiling fan in his nursery not working (in other words, the same but less hair). It seems like Randall had one of his panic attacks a few months ago, because he keeps saying how he doesn’t want Beth to worry about him. But that’s a little hard not to do when he’s having a full-blown conniption over an effing fan.

Rebecca comes to town for Beth’s delivery. She expresses concern that Randall might have another panic attack, which he overhears. It’s sad, sure, but I can’t stop looking at Rebecca’ middle-part wig.

They have a long chat about Randall’s episode from two months before. Rebecca then awkwardly pivots and asks Beth to help her set up a Facebook account because, remember, Facebook was the thing in 2008.

Randall opens up to a random store clerk about the mental breakdown he had. The root of his anxiety is the fact Beth has a baby on the way; he’s completely petrified about being a father, and the store clerk offers some warm but generic advice about how babies have all the answers. It’s sweet—not counting the fact Randall made a racially insensitive remark about the store clerk’s turban. (What the hell was that?)

Surprise, surprise: Beth goes into labor literally right after this. An ambulance can’t get to the house in time, so Randall, after assuring Beth he won’t have another panic attack, delivers the baby on their living room floor. Rebecca says it’s one of the happiest moments of her life, but it’s also somewhat sad because Jack isn’t there. Insert obligatory Randall-and-Beth feels.

Rebecca uploads a photo of Beth and Randall’s newborn to her Facebook account and almost immediately receives a message from Miguel. Yes, that Miguel—the Miguel Rebecca eventually marries. Now we know how their whirlwind romance began: He slid into her DMs.

20s Kevin

Kevin’s washing hair at a salon and permanently “waiting for pilot season to start.” His roommate just booked a Kevin Spacey movie—which is a problematic thing to be excited about, given recent events—and invites our Kevin to a private party with the director and cast. Kevin’s clearly jealous and upset but agrees to go anyway.

I’m immediately over this party. It’s full of pretentious Hollywood cardboard cut-outs drinking and cackling at nothing. Kevin’s roommate introduces him to the director of the Spacey film, who gives him a terse, snub-ish hello and moves on. Rude. Doesn’t he know he’s talking to the future Manny?!

Actually, wait, Kevin’s the one who’s rude here. He backs the Spacey director into a corner and implies he’s a better fit for the role his roommate snagged. He says the character is written as an “all-American handsome” guy and that his roommate is a “character” actor (read: ugly). What a snake! I hate Kevin in every decade! The director walks away and says he’ll never hire Kevin for a project after this encounter. Thank God! Relegate his (fine) behind to The Manny!

Kevin and Kate have an emotional heart to heart after Beth gives birth where they essentially admit to failing their 20s. It’s endearing and relatable and one of the best scenes between Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley in This Is Us history. It ends with Kate moving to Los Angeles to live with Kevin.

This episode wasn’t just during the kids’ 20s, though. Here’s what happened during the super flashbacks:

The ’90s:

Rebecca and Jack are going as Sonny and Cher for Halloween, which is the second Kardashian parallel to happen on this show. (Kim Kardashian and Jonathan Cheban went as Sonny and Cher this year, too. How the hell does Kris Jenner do this shit?)

Randall’s dressed as Michael Jackson, Kate’s Sandy from Grease, and Kevin’s a random dude with five o’clock shadow. Randall, the genius he is, made a map outlining the best houses to hit for trick-or-treating, which Kate and Kevin (of course) don’t appreciate. They don’t want to use Randall’s map, so Jack takes them trick-or-treating separately while Rebecca takes Randall alone. Jack scolds Rebecca for giving into Randall’s “rigid” demands, but she contends he’s just anxious. This is obviously foreshadowing for Randall’s type-A panic attacks.

Child Kate has a crush on a boy named Billy Palmer, and she wants to ask him to go through the neighborhood haunted house with her. Kevin, as per usual, is a grade-A asshole about this and says Billy is “just as popular” as he is and that there’s “no way” he’ll hold Kate’s hand. He’s so terrible; let’s vote him off the island. Fast-forward a few hours later: Billy does hold Kate’s hand in the haunted house, but only because Kevin gave him all his Halloween candy to do it. Kate doesn’t know this. Damn, I’m crying.

Rebecca tries to get Randall to divert from his map for five seconds, and he has a full meltdown about it. This leads to them having an uncomfortably emotional conversation about why Randall was adopted in the first place. I hate that Randall has to deal with the most trauma despite being the best child. His life should be all candy and rainbows and trick-or-treating maps, but nope: This show makes him sad all the time.

Parting thoughts: I hope Kevin’s roommate is now a huge movie star and hate-watches old episodes of The Manny.

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'This Is Us' Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: There's Another Pearson We Didn't Know About


This Is Us is running two for two in terms of bonkers final-minute reveals. Last week we found out Kate is pregnant, and this week we learned…well, read on to find out.

The ’90s

Jack is putting all the flannel he wears to good use and taking Child Randall and Child Kevin on a camping trip. Jack and Rebecca think this will help Kevin and Randall get along better…because trapping two kids in a tent helps them bond? In my experience, not having access to air conditioning just makes people more irritable.

Rebecca and Child Kate are going to have a “girls’ day” while the boys are gone, which is just a train-wreck waiting to happen. But things take a turn when Rebecca gets a call from a nursing home saying Jack’s father (Stanley) is close to passing. Rebecca tries to call Jack, but to no avail. Remember, he’s literally in the woods.

Rebecca goes to the nursing home to visit Stanley. It’s quiet and overly dramatic. Stanley doesn’t say anything, and Rebecca laments about his difficult relationship with Jack. Stanley notices Kate standing outside his hospital room and asks to see her; Rebecca quickly shoos her out of sight. Yeesh.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Kevin’s being a grade-A douche to Randall. Their contentious relationship is all Kevin’s fault; I don’t know why Randall has to endure mosquito bites to mend something he didn’t break. Jack reprimands Kevin and asks why he can’t be nice to Randall. Kevin rudely says he “doesn’t know” and asks Jack to stop talking. Can we just send Kevin to boarding school? He’s like the Blair Witch, only less cool.

They ultimately squash their beef after Kevin finds Randall’s notepad, which includes an entry about things not to do to annoy him. (Further proof Child Randall is a god among peasants.)

Rebecca finally gets a hold of Jack and tells him about Stanley. She asks Jack if he wants to visit the nursing home, and he flat-out says Stanley’s been dead to him for a long time. It’s ice-cold, but I suppose I understand where he’s coming from. (See Young Jack’s storyline, below.)

Adult Kate

Kate wastes no time telling Toby she’s pregnant. He acts excited, but it feels forced and disingenuous. My only evidence for thinking this is the face he makes after hearing the news looks like Taylor Swift’s infamous surprise face. Kate’s understandably worried her age and weight might cause her to lose the baby. Toby tries to comfort her, but it doesn’t work and, instead, she tells him to keep any excitement he has about this baby to himself. His hope, she says, will just put more stress on her. This is such faulty logic. He’s just supposed to not mention it for nine months? Then why even tell him in the first place?

Kate lashes out at the skinny girl, Madison, in her Overeaters Anonymous class, and they have a super annoying fight in the parking lot. It’s clear Kate’s just resentful of this girl because she’s thin, and that’s kinda ick; like, people of all shapes and sizes have eating disorders. However, it’s also clear this overt, random-AF fight means Madison and Kate will become friends.

Yup, I’m right. They have a fender-bender in the lot, which causes Kate to freak out because she’s pregnant. When Madison hears this news, she’s not even mad about her car; she just hugs Kate and congratulates her. This is arguably the fastest-developing relationship in TV history. Imagine if our world leaders were like this?

The accident gives Kate a revelation about her pregnancy: She isn’t afraid to tell people about it now. So Kate and Toby go to a random restaurant, and she tells him he can tell one person inside they’re expecting. This is more bizarre than it is cute, but the mood music’s making me feel things.

And Toby doesn’t even follow the rules! He tells everyone in the restaurant that Kate’s pregnant and starts dancing. He then pours water on himself like he’s in Flashdance. This is all so dumb and disrespectful and not at all endearing! Kate said one person, man. Also, his real name is Tobias? WTF?

Adult Kevin

Kevin can’t stop taking pills to fix his knee. There’s some dramatic “addiction” music happening here that’s, honestly, making me feel pretty uneasy. Kevin stares at himself for a long time in the mirror—which, again, is sort of overkill. When did this show take a turn into Intervention territory?

He’s visiting Sophie in New York. They’re attending some fancy hospital gala where Kevin’s getting auctioned off for a date to raise money. Kevin asks Randall if he’s jealous of this, to which he (rightfully) replies, “No Black man will ever be jealous of being auctioned off. #AmericanHistory.” Yes, he says “hashtag,” which I’ll let slide because Randall’s perfect.

Kevin is blowing up his doctor’s phone for more Vicodin. It’s uncomfortable. He starts drinking a beer while Sophie’s getting ready for the gala; she reprimands him, and he gets defensive. I don’t know how to handle all this substance-abuse foreshadowing! Is Kevin going to get drunk at this gala and embarrass Sophie?!

Yes. That’s exactly what he does. Kevin misses his cue to go on stage for the auction because he’s drunk and yelling at his doctor on the phone. Sophie rips Kevin to shreds for this, and he offers no explanation. Instead, he acts evasive, says he’s stressed, and that he never should’ve agreed to attend the gala. I hate to say this, but he’s acting like most addicts do when confronted. Any doubt these pills are a problem for Kevin just went away.

Adult Randall

Kevin, while visiting, makes some comment about Déjà being “surly,” which Randall doesn’t appreciate. He tells Kevin to tread lightly with her and to not mention her hair. (Remember, Déjà cut off the braids Beth did for her after she realized Beth told Randall about her stress issues.) Déjà asks to attend Kevin’s gala; Randall agrees, but says he’ll have to take her because Kevin will be busy. Beth objects; it’s clear Déjà only wants to go because she’s crushing on Kevin. Stupidly, Randall doesn’t listen to Beth and says he’s taking Déjà anyway. Always listen to Beth, fool!

At the gala, things are awkward AF between Déjà and Randall. It’s obvious all she wants to do is hang out with Kevin, who’s frantically calling his doctor about Vicodin. (He’s also sweating. And drinking more. Oof.) Déjà’s crush on Kevin is cute; I just hope things don’t turn dramatic, but knowing this show they will.

Randall stares intently at Déjà’ as she eats a shrimp cocktail. He freaks out on her right as she’s about to eat the tail, which causes her to run to the bathroom. Randall rushes after her, and we learn the reason behind her fear of being touched and yelled at: Her former foster mother’s boyfriend used to beat her with magazines. Randall doesn’t know what to say to this, and, frankly, neither do I. It’s heartbreaking.

Young Jack

Yes, Young Jack makes an appearance in this episode (probably to aid the story about his dying father). He and his dad are going on a fishing trip, but they detour to a tavern for a quick drink. Jack’s visibly upset by this, which hints that he’s aware of his father’s drinking problem. This also foreshadows Jack’s future alcoholism and, if you think about it, Kevin’s pill addiction. Layers!

Holy shit. Stanley straight-up leaves Jack in the car to get drunk…and he stays in the bar for hours.

Wait. Wait. Wait. There’s someone else in the car with Young Jack. It’s another child. Jack’s brother. Jack has a brother. A younger one named Nicky! Whaaaat?! There’s an entire human we knew nothing about! Another classic This Is Us plot twist that came out of left field. We’re supposed to believe no one has ever mentioned this guy up until this exact moment??!? Color me annoyed but, yes, intrigued. Damn it!

Parting thoughts: Does Jack’s little brother also have a mustache now?



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