This is us..

[PollyannaMom]

(just watched this morning)

Wow!! I so didn't think it was going to go that way!

I'm really disappointed in Rebecca. I get that she needed to leave William out in the beginning. A drug-addicted parent would not have been good for Randall, and she couldn't bond with a baby that she might be taken away at any minute. But I don't understand why she didn't let him in later, when William was clean, and Randall was older? Couldn't they have arranged to "find" him then? Or even when Randall was an adult and actually looking for his family information? - I get that she was afraid he would be mad at her for not telling sooner, but if she and William had presented it as a united decision, I think it would have worked out.

I loved the Thanksgiving traditions, and seeing the origins!

I felt bad for Toby when Kate left him, but I can see that she really would not be strong enough to lose the weight while watching him do all the things she wanted to do. It's sad, because I think he was good for her in other ways.

I cannot figure out Kevin's girl. One minute I like her and the next I don't. But he is definitely growing up.

Oh, and my DVR had a problem at the very beginning. - Can anyone tell me what young Randall said to Rebecca about the grandparents and the twins?

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh, and my DVR had a problem at the very beginning. - Can anyone tell me what young Randall said to Rebecca about the grandparents and the twins?

He hated going to the grandparents' house because they took all those pictures, and always asked him to step out for some so they could take pictures with "just the twins".

 

[lovin'fl]

Randall said he didn't want to do Thanksgiving when he grows up because he hates it. Something to do with Rebecca's parents and how she acts around them.

Honestly, this show is too unrealistic. I will still watch because, well, Justin Hartley. But all the drama and it always gets solved with these big happy endings. I do like that this episode ended without the drama of the William and Rebecca thing being solved. But I don't think Randall would have blown up at the table with his kids there like that. I don't think they'd take a 3.5 mile hike with poor sick William.

 

[lovin'fl]

He hated going to the grandparents' house because they took all those pictures, and always asked him to step out for some so they could take pictures with "just the twins".

I missed that part.

 

[ronandannette]

He hated going to the grandparents' house because they took all those pictures, and always asked him to step out for some so they could take pictures with "just the twins".

I actually found this pretty implausible - I don't know any adoptive parents that would have stood for that nonsense for 5 seconds, let alone repeatedly over years. (I myself am adopted so I find Randall's storyline to be interesting but not always very realistic - at least compared to my own experiences.)

 

[PollyannaMom]

He hated going to the grandparents' house because they took all those pictures, and always asked him to step out for some so they could take pictures with "just the twins".

OMG, that's awful!!

Thank you for catching me up.

 

[anniemae]

Randall said he didn't want to do Thanksgiving when he grows up because he hates it. Something to do with Rebecca's parents and how she acts around them.

Honestly, this show is too unrealistic. I will still watch because, well, Justin Hartley. But all the drama and it always gets solved with these big happy endings. I do like that this episode ended without the drama of the William and Rebecca thing being solved. But I don't think Randall would have blown up at the table with his kids there like that. I don't think they'd take a 3.5 mile hike with poor sick William.

They sent the kids upstairs, so they were not at the table. I agree about the hike, I was surprised they took William along, he is literally on his last leg and has trouble moving around the house let alone a 3 mile hike.

 

[Diane♥Disney]

I liked the talk between William and Olivia. Maybe he should have a talk with Kate. I loved seeing all the Thanksgiving traditions. My DVR was acting up too and I missed the part about the pictures, that's sad. I also wondered why they took William on a 3.4 mile hike. Loved this episode.

 

[elgerber]

I loved the entire episode! Some of it broke my heart, and some of it was downright hilarious.
I was kinda surprised Kate hadn't made that decision sooner, but yes, since the actress isnt' having surgery, I'm sure Kate will change her mind.
I totally get why she ended it with Toby for now, she had too.
The whole Thanksgiving origin story was so wonderful! And so horrible that Randall found out on his favorite holiday.

 

[anniemae]

I loved seeing where all the Thanksgiving traditions came from, it was so sweet. I was like "why on earth is Randall sending Kevin to the store for hot dogs and saltines?" Then it was interesting to see that they had to walk 3.4 miles as kids to the gas station, so that is why they do the 3.4 mile hike.

That said, I wonder if they should keep these traditions going. I mean it was probably fine when they were all younger and after Jack dies (we don't know how old the kids were at the time of Jacks death, but it was at least after high school since we saw them last week in hs), it may have helped them to re-live that iconic Thanksgiving for a while, but now that they are grown, Randall is married, has kids, Rebecca re-married etc. It seems like maybe they could stop some of the traditions (like the pilgrim hat, hot dogs and saltines, yarn throwing, Rebecca saying word for word what Jack said that night) and make new traditions with the new members of the family. I don't know, but it just seemed like they were so intent on reliving it exactly as it happened word for word, minute to minute instead of maybe taking a few of the highlights as an homage to Jack, (like the hike and the movie) and starting new traditions that would have include and have meaning to Beth, the kids, Miguel, and whoever Kevin and Kate wind up with.

Don't get me wrong, I thought it was cute, just like they were trying too hard to recreate that day years ago.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I loved the entire episode! Some of it broke my heart, and some of it was downright hilarious.
I was kinda surprised Kate hadn't made that decision sooner, but yes, since the actress isnt' having surgery, I'm sure Kate will change her mind.
I totally get why she ended it with Toby for now, she had too.
The whole Thanksgiving origin story was so wonderful! And so horrible that Randall found out on his favorite holiday.

Is there an article that says the actress isn't having gastric bypass surgery?

 

[lisaviolet]

Honestly, this show is too unrealistic. I will still watch because, well, Justin Hartley. But all the drama and it always gets solved with these big happy endings. I do like that this episode ended without the drama of the William and Rebecca thing being solved. But I don't think Randall would have blown up at the table with his kids there like that. I don't think they'd take a 3.5 mile hike with poor sick William.

I agree.

The unrealistic parts stop me in my tracks. Absolutely on the hike.

But I didn't feel Randall blew up around them. And I think he was in complete shock. And simply couldn't hold himself back. I am not sure any human could keep themselves composed with that kind of information, and the feelings boiling up almost against our own will, considering he is running out of time with his father.

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Earlier in the season I found Rebecca's instant support of Jack wanting to leave his job and start his own business totally unrealistic. One, her character has a lot of anxiety around some issues - they had already shown that he was going for the office position because it was more secure financially, ie. were they not struggling making ends due with the kids?I understand she is a supportive partner/wife but it felt off for me for her to be instantly happy and supportive. Lovely but still off.

I also completely understand Miguel feeling left out but to ask for the hat when Jack's sons felt the need to continue their father's choices. I totally get the premise of feeling like no one is letting you in but it felt off.

Sometimes I feel like the reasons are totally valid on a lot of these choices in writing, but the execution is too simple.

But maybe I should stop analyzing the writing! Laughing.

I actually found this pretty implausible - I don't know any adoptive parents that would have stood for that nonsense for 5 seconds, let alone repeatedly over years. (I myself am adopted so I find Randall's storyline to be interesting but not always very realistic - at least compared to my own experiences.)

This is not an adoption issue and I don't want to negate others' experiences with adoption with this comment but my mother was exactly like Rebecca. So although I thought "really?!?" with Rebecca saying nothing. Or even Jack not saying anything, even though they are his in-laws. Really writers. Sigh. (I did wonder if the grandmother did it when the adults were not in the same room.)

But my mother was totally another person around her parents. So the premise is at least real. Always wanting to please them, mostly her father, no matter the consequences to her children. My grandfather could be a complete you know what to us at times and my mother's instinct was to make sure he was okay, their relationship was okay. Because I guess she was still his little girl, needing his validation.

Exactly like Rebecca, strong mother - strong at home, but different ways when they were around.

Although I too questioned it last night I love it when kids see the honest picture that adults don't see, with such clarity. Like when one of them said even your voice changes Mom.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I loved seeing where all the Thanksgiving traditions came from, it was so sweet. I was like "why on earth is Randall sending Kevin to the store for hot dogs and saltines?" Then it was interesting to see that they had to walk 3.4 miles as kids to the gas station, so that is why they do the 3.4 mile hike.

That said, I wonder if they should keep these traditions going. I mean it was probably fine when they were all younger and after Jack dies (we don't know how old the kids were at the time of Jacks death, but it was at least after high school since we saw them last week in hs), it may have helped them to re-live that iconic Thanksgiving for a while, but now that they are grown, Randall is married, has kids, Rebecca re-married etc. It seems like maybe they could stop some of the traditions (like the pilgrim hat, hot dogs and saltines, yarn throwing, Rebecca saying word for word what Jack said that night) and make new traditions with the new members of the family. I don't know, but it just seemed like they were so intent on reliving it exactly as it happened word for word, minute to minute instead of maybe taking a few of the highlights as an homage to Jack, (like the hike and the movie) and starting new traditions that would have include and have meaning to Beth, the kids, Miguel, and whoever Kevin and Kate wind up with.

Don't get me wrong, I thought it was cute, just like they were trying too hard to recreate that day years ago.

I don't know - it seemed to me like Beth and the girls were just as into it as the original "kids". I think it's sweet that they still have all those things.

 

[bethbuchall]

I loved the Thanksgiving and all the traditions. I don't expect television and movies to be 100% realistic, so I'm willing to suspend some disbelief and not question everything that happens. I'm not saying that's wrong for other to do; I'm just explaining where I'm coming from. I wonder how long they've done Thanksgiving like this. Did they start the very next year with the hike, movie, food, etc. or did it happen after Jack died or when they became adults and weren't living all together anymore?

I completely understand Beth not wanting to keep that huge secret from Randall any longer than she needed to, but I was practically begging her not to force Rebecca to do tell Randall on Thanksgiving and take that away from him. He loved the holiday so much and was so happy getting everything in place. I cried when young Randall told Rebecca that he'd changed his mind about Thanksgiving and always wanted it exactly like that one knowing what was coming for him. But then I also realized that the entire episode was showing us that nothing can ever truly be exactly the same. We can't go back and re-do, re-live; we need to catch those moments as they come the first time. There's nothing wrong with re-creating some events and having traditions to help us evoke those feelings, but we also need to remember that the fact that they are not something that we can get exactly the same, is what made the events so special in the first place. So, Thanksgiving will never be exactly the same for Randall, but it can still be happy.

I think that Kate jumped on the gastric bypass because she sees it as an immediate solution and as a declaration of "I'm really losing this weight once and for all." My guess is that she won't actually have the surgery, but I'm not sure. I think that as she looks into it and starts the required counseling, she'll realize that it's not a quick solution and that she needs to face the underlying reasons in order for any type of weight loss to work. Also, she won't be happy with herself at any weight until she works her mind. Even with drastic weight loss, she is going to be insecure and have problems with self-worth. She just doesn't realize that yet. As she confronts those issues, she'll also work on losing the weight without surgery.

I'm still going back and forth on Miguel. I didn't have that immediate dislike of him that so many others had, but I wasn't sure that I should trust him. And, of course, he's no Jack! Which may be the problem that the "kids" have with him, too. I loved Randall's line, "He's our stepfather, not ISIS," to Kevin even though Randall doesn't seem to be exactly enamored with him either. When Kevin said that his mother is married to his father's best friend, he didn't seem to hold malice. He wasn't thrilled about it, but he wasn't necessarily angry either. I'm hoping that Miguel was just there to pick up the pieces when Jack died, and he and Rebecca became close a little to quickly from the kids' point of view. I liked that Kevin passed the hat on to Miguel. Kevin is so growing on me as he become less 2-dimensional.

I felt bad for Toby when Kate gave her speech about why she needed some distance. Again being opposite many people, I didn't really care for Toby too much in the beginning. But, I could see in last night's episode that Toby is struggling with self-worth as much as Kate is. He just copes with it differently. I'm more of a "Kate" so I found Toby's behavior annoying/troubling. But he really just needs to work on himself and his self-esteem and get through his underlying issues. I think that they will find a way to work through their issues together.

Oh, William! He is such a great character, and the actor is just phenomenal. It is going to be so difficult to see him go because he's so present day. Jack can still be "alive" to us through the backstory even though we already know that he has died. William is here and now, so once he dies, there isn't a lot to go back to. I'm sorry that Randall missed so much time with William, and I hope that he keeps catching the moments now and that this revelation doesn't make him miss any more.

I have more, but this is way too long already!

 

[lisaviolet]

I did love that a stressful situation turned into to something beautiful, simple and important. A tradition started from a blown tire. I find life absolutely magical like that.

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Obviously I watch too much television but I have never forgotten Meredith Grey's final thoughts on one Grey's Anatomy. I always try to remember through the ugliness of some life experiences that are full of shock and sadness -

She said,

They hit you out of nowhere. When bad things come, they come suddenly without warning. We rarely get to see the catastrophe coming. No matter how well we try to prepare for it.
…
We do our very best but sometimes it’s just not good enough. We buckle our seat belts, we wear a helmet, we stick to the lighted paths. We try to be safe. We try so hard to protect ourselves but it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference cause when the bad things come, they come out of nowhere. The bad things come suddenly with no warning but we forget, that sometimes that’s how the good things come too.

 

[lovin'fl]

Another detail that makes no sense... why would Kevin have to go to store ON Thanksgiving day for the hot dogs and saltines? Wouldn't that have been picked up on the Thanksgiving meal grocery shopping trip?

 

[katie01]

I actually found this pretty implausible - I don't know any adoptive parents that would have stood for that nonsense for 5 seconds, let alone repeatedly over years. (I myself am adopted so I find Randall's storyline to be interesting but not always very realistic - at least compared to my own experiences.)

Holy cow, I totally agree! I totally missed that part last night, but I am appalled hearing it now. I have two bio kids and one who was adopted, and if any family member dared to say something like that they would no longer be a part of our lives. With as strong willed as Kate's character is, I have a really hard time believing she would stand for that either and even ATTEMPT to spend Thanksgiving with these people

 

[bethbuchall]

Randall did tell William that he'd go get the car during the hike. William wanted to be fully present in the traditions. Though, I do think that realistically, someone would have made the better choice and not had him take a 3.4 mile hike.

One other part about the hike that left me wondering...when Kevin and Rebecca were talking about the play, she asked him what the name of it was. He said that he'd told her like eight times. Was this to show that Rebecca still wasn't as present in Kevin's life as she should be or was it a memory issue for Rebecca?

Also, Rebecca is a common name...why does the spell check here not like it?

 

[lisaviolet]

I loved the Thanksgiving and all the traditions. I don't expect television and movies to be 100% realistic, so I'm willing to suspend some disbelief and not question everything that happens. I'm not saying that's wrong for other to do; I'm just explaining where I'm coming from

It's funny. I don't do this with other shows in the same way. Certainly not Grey's which is completely and insanely unrealistic at times.

I think This is Us is so realistic to people's lives and feelings that when it doesn't seem real in response, it really sticks out.

when young Randall told Rebecca that he'd changed his mind about Thanksgiving and always wanted it exactly like that one knowing what was coming for him.

The best moment for me.

I loved Randall's line, "He's our stepfather, not ISIS,"

Hysterical. And perfectly said.

People can really be harsh, can carry things for a long time, when others step into loved ones roles.

Oh, William! He is such a great character, and the actor is just phenomenal.

Beyond.

It's too bad.

 

[lisaviolet]

Holy cow, I totally agree! I totally missed that part last night, but I am appalled hearing it now. I have two bio kids and one who was adopted, and if any family member dared to say something like that they would no longer be a part of our lives. With as strong willed as Kate's character is, I have a really hard time believing she would stand for that either and even ATTEMPT to spend Thanksgiving with these people

People do this all the time, not the exact situation but the same reaction. People aren't always strong in character around other loved ones.

Especially in past days and ways.

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Trust me my mother is strong-willed and a beautiful mother but her relationship with her father brought out a completely different side of her.