"This Is Us" is back after Christmas. We see young Jack (Darren Barnet) defending his mother being abused by his aggressive father (Peter Onorati). The family drama leads Jack to understand that he'll never be like his father. The following flashbacks are leading the viewers through Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca's (Mandy Moore) challenging journey to being happy parents. The place they secured seems to be small and inconvenient for such a big family, which makes Rebecca pessimistic about "nesting for three."
Jack asks his boss for a raise, getting less then he needs. Rebecca has an upsetting conversation with her mother (Elizabeth Perkins) who diminishes Jack's potential to finance the family. Later, Rebecca tells Jack she's considering the idea to move in with her parents in their spacious place for a while, her mother's idea. As a result, Jack sees his abusive father to borrow some money – the decision he has to make as things are getting worse between him and Rebecca. He gets help from his father, sacrificing his principles, to buy a house he has been constructing. He tells Rebecca he got it with the help of his boss, hiding the truth about his deal with father. Rebecca is happier than ever, and they say "We have a home" to each other.
The end of the last episode left the question about Toby's (Chris Sullivan) life unanswered. Fortunately, he is getting better in a hospital, with Kate (Chrissy Metz) visiting him. Although he had a heart attack, he seems to be more than alive as he talks to Kate about his sexual fantasies. But the news is that Toby needs a surgery in order to repair his heart condition. Although he refuses at first, he later makes a quick decision to do it, saying to Kate he loves her on his way to the surgery. Later, Kate reveals her feelings to Toby, thinking he's still asleep after the operation. Well, he's not.
Kevin (Justin Hartley) is still staying at Randall's (Sterling K. Brown) house, having an affair with Sloane (Milana Vayntrub), the writer of his play. "You're probably thinking that me sleeping with the writer of the play that I'm producing is probably going to end up blowing up in my face, right?" he says to William (Ron Cephas Jones) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson), even trying to amuse them coming up with the new word "artnerships" for this type of affair. When Randall makes an appearance, Kevin brings up the issue of William's attraction to men, making jokes out of it. However, it seems that Kevin is the only person in the room who is comfortable with his jokes. Later, Randall calls himself "homophobic," getting an advice from his wife to get to know William's partner, Jessie (Denis O'Hare). Although it seems to be a good idea, Randall's little chat with Jessie brings only more confusion. However, underneath this funny confusion is real family drama, with William hesitating to burden the family with his cancer and looming death. He reveals to Randall that, with all medications, he feels sicker than ever. It's a hard period for Randall and William to get through, but they're going to stay together till the end.
In the meantime, Kevin and Sloane are appraised for their acting from Ron, the director of Kevin's play. "I think you two can pull this off," he says, admitting that he was more pessimistic when Olivia (Janet Montgomery) disappeared. Right when they have a lovely conversation about this budding romance between them, Olivia makes a sudden appearance. She's blonde and provocative, saying "Well don't you two look cute together? I'm back." She wants to be back both in the play and in her relationship with Kevin, stating she's ready for something real. Although Sloane makes an attempt to give Olivia a heads up, Kevin is obviously confused. As a producer, Kevin has to make a hard choice, both for his play and his personal life. While he's unsure about choosing Sloane or Olivia, the audience hopes he'll pick what's right. Kevin doesn't let the viewers down, making the choice to listen to his heart and choose the trustworthy person.
Reach Staff Reporter Mariia Kovaleva here.
Annenberg Media