This Is Us Recap

The simplicity of This Is Us is one of its more striking attributes, cutting through the increasingly transparent attention-grabbing efforts of “Peak TV” and presenting viewers with a show about people and their relationships with one another. Here’s an edited version of what I wrote about “Us” in my season preview in September and a month later after three episodes aired.

Now back to present day, Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Sloane Sandburg (Milana Vayntrub) are leaving the building after learning the play has been canceled, and it’s Christmas Eve. When Rebecca asks if Kate’s weight is her fault, Kate honestly can’t say. When Young Kate tells her mother that her stomach hurts, and Rebecca replies that it must be because Kate ate all of Santa’s cookies. But the audience was further shocked when Randall was enlightened via a letter Rebecca wrote to William after that initial meet-and-greet which proved that she actually kept in contact with William and knew he had gotten himself clean. The pair had a discussion that showed fans just how deep issues run in this family, as Rebecca questioned her role in Kate’s mental anguish. “That’s how kids work and she will forgive you”, Randall advised, before possibly offering a clue to what he may have experienced with his own father, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia). Thankfully, Randall was able to show some understanding in “The Trip”, when he acknowledged how lonely keeping that secret for all of these years must have been. We learned that William was in a loving same sex relationship, which he abandoned when Randall came calling and the cancer prognosis turned end-stage.

But this is “This is Us”, so you knew there had to be a twist. A consultation with her doctor for the surgery revealed that she had been taking Prozac to treat depression, which was news to her mom. While Kate was processing the information, her mother had a noticeably harder time coming to grips with her daughter’s possible new reality.

In Kate’s case, it feels more like she’s being pretty unfair to her mom. Rebecca says the house looks like a toy factory and isn’t sure what kind of message that sends. Back in the ’80s the family rushed little Kate to the hospital for an appendectomy. Adult Kate relives this shame during her gastric bypass consultation. Does it even have any meaning when there are so many, much bigger, things to worry about? If you’re looking for some escapism, but with a side of challenging drama and topics that don’t ordinarily get discussed, then This Is Us is the ideal remedy. He encouraged her to be the best version of herself, even if that meant achieving those goals without him. This is something he probably never really did as a child. Then William brings him home for Christmas. Toby complained of aches and pains, but blamed them on the plane ride, and he seemed more winded than usual following some fooling around with Kate.

Speaking of Kate, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a plus-size woman on screen when her sole goal for existing isn’t her size. Her insecurities are completely warranted, but the attitude just doesn’t make sense. Kevin had arrived with the playwright, having earned her ire after running off the lead actress by sleeping with her, and making her face her fear of commitment in a real relationship.

Tonight’s This Is Us Recap begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!

HollywoodLifers, do you think that Toby is going to pull through? For those who missed last night’s episode, this is a friendly warning: this story may contain This Is Us spoilers from the season 1 finale.