Relationships seem rocky in this episode of This Is Us, titled “I Call Marriage” Rebecca and Jack get some troubling news from Miguel that makes them question their own relationship. Meanwhile, Kevin tries to get Sophie back, Kate struggles with balancing her own needs and Toby’s needs, and Randall just won’t accept William’s fate.
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Fight or Give Up
On their wedding day at City Hall, Miguel gives a loving speech about passion and devotion for Jack and Rebecca. Years later, when the kids are teens, Rebecca and Jack are excited to go out for dinner with Miguel and his wife, Shelley. It’s clear they need to make more time for each other, as Jack is working long hours and Rebecca is back with her band. However, things get weird when Miguel tells them that he and Shelley are getting a divorce.
Rebecca understands how people can drift apart, but Jack can’t shake the feeling of doubt. He confronts Miguel about it, asks what went wrong. Miguel says one day he woke up and realized that he and Shelley stopped noticing each other; they stopped trying to make each other happy. He adds that that’s how he knew it was over because sometimes you have to decide whether to fight for a marriage or just give up and move on.
This new information really rattles Jack. And it’s clear Rebecca is a little concerned too. After the band performs, her band mate Ben tells her that a booking agent wants them to go on an East Coast tour. She tells him that she has to check with Jack. Ben tells her that if Jack loves her, he’ll understand and let her go. She flips out on Ben, telling him how devoted Jack is and how he is an amazing man who doesn’t need to prove his love by letting her go.
When she gets home that night, Jack has packed a bag and is taking her on a surprise overnight trip. He brings her to their first apartment, which he has rented out for the night. He has decorated it with Christmas lights and candles for a romantic evening. Later on, he breaks out their wedding vows, which they read to each other. And then she drops the bomb that Ben wants her to go on tour with the band.
Accepting Fate
Randall now has nightmares of coming home and finding that William has passed. After Annie wakes him one night, he and Beth find William and Tess up late playing chess. Tess reminds them of her upcoming tournament and explains that the only time to play with William is late at night because of their busy schedules. She adds that she needs to get in all the time she can with William, which makes Randall upset since he doesn’t want to accept that William won’t be with them much longer.
Beth and Randall seek advice from a professional, Simon, about palliative care. It’s an approach to improve the quality of life of someone with a terminal illness. Simon also offers advice on how to deal with the girls. Again, Randall doesn’t want to deal with it, and he runs to work, where he’s still dealing with his co-worker Sanjay trying to take his accounts. At work, his boss, Tyler, tells Randall that he needs to work together with Sanjay to land a new account. Sanjay books a reservation for dinner that night, but Randall ends up not going because it’s Tess’ chess tournament.
The next day, Randall not only learns that Sanjay landed the account but also that Tyler wants Randall to split all of his accounts with Sanjay. While Tyler assures Randall that this isn’t a reflection of his work ethic, it seems that something else is going on, which has Randall worried. When he gets home later that day, Beth is already asleep. He takes a glass of water from the night table, and his hand is shaking a lot. What does this mean? Is it work nerves or is there something medically wrong with Randall? Or maybe it’s just his stress from William?
Another Chance
Kevin is obsessed with getting Sophie back. He arrives at the diner where she first kissed him in eighth grade on a class trip and patiently waits for her. She comes in fuming, ready to tell him off, but he lures her in with fries. She tells him she’s doing well as a nurse manager, but when he tells her he wants to pick up where they left off, she storms out. He chases after her onto a train, where she reveals that she doesn’t want to relive the fact that he cheated on her, which ended their marriage.
The train gets stuck, and eventually Kevin switches seats with someone to sit next to Sophie. She warms up to him, and they discuss what’s been going on in their lives. He tells her about his family and how Kate is getting married. When she asks about Miguel, Kevin tells her he’s always hated him. When he asks about her mother, he reveals that he’s secretly Facebook friends with her because he created a fake account to keep tabs on her. She eventually tells him that it was really tough for her after they broke up. She reveals that she did remarry but then divorced. However, now she’s dating a nice guy and her relationship is good.
Once the train starts moving, she gets off at the next stop, and he follows her. He tells her that he’s been in love with her since the fourth grade and he’s never stopped loving her. Before she walks away, he tells her he’s going to be at the diner the next day waiting for her. And, of course, she shows up.
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Temptation
At fat camp, Kate is really enjoying herself. She’s immersed herself in all of the classes and activities. Even when Duke keeps hitting on her, she manages to ignore his advances. Things get weird, though, when Toby shows up with a care package. He suggests that she get away from the camp for a while to spend time with him, but she says she doesn’t want to lose focus. While seemingly upset, Toby tells her he understands and doesn’t want to distract her. However, as she walks away, he realizes she forgot to take the duffel bag he brought for her.
In the parking lot, Toby runs into Duke, who thinks Toby is joining the camp. He tells Toby that the camp is a great place to meet women. When Toby reveals that he’s Kate’s finance, Duke gets quiet and awkward. Soon, Toby shows up at the drum stick class, telling Kate he got a day pass. Throughout the class, he is joking around and isn’t taking it seriously, which annoys Kate. After class, she asks what’s up. He explains that while he loves her and loves supporting her, he needs her to think of him every once in a while, as he misses her while he’s alone in New York. Before he leaves, he hands Kate a ring box with his grandmother’s engagement ring, which was in the duffel bag.
It’s clear that Kate feels like a dope now. Later on, she lets off some steam on a treadmill, and Duke shows up. He spouts off a bunch of stuff and eventually tells her that at some point she needs to stop trying to be someone else and start acting like herself. He then tells her his offer still stands and his cabin number is 13. That night, it appears that Kate is walking toward his cabin!
Trouble in Paradise
Things don’t seem to be going so well for the Pearsons right now on This Is Us. It’s clear that Rebecca and Jack will disagree about her band’s tour, especially because she used to date Ben. Oh, and the fact that she has three teenagers at home. And while I don’t think Rebecca will fall into the arms of Ben again, I do think this could be the beginning of something with Miguel. I do hope that she doesn’t cheat on Jack, though.
Kevin really needs to figure out what he wants. First, it was all about Olivia. Then it was Sloane because she was the right thing to do. And now it’s back to Sophie. And, clearly, there were women in between Sophie and Sloane because he cheated on Sophie when they were married. However, the move to Los Angeles was probably the beginning of the end of his marriage. But what does her showing up at the restaurant mean for them now?
Kate better not cheat on Toby. He’s a good guy, and he has a point that their relationship seems one-sided, with him always making the grand gestures. It’s time that she step up and own herself and their relationship. She needs to put in the work. And while I agree with Duke that Kate needs to be herself, that doesn’t mean she needs to hook up with Duke!
I’m curious what’s going on with Randall. There’s clearly something else going on with him. He’s always been a quiet person who keeps his emotions to himself. And now I fear that he’s keeping all of this stress to himself instead of unloading onto Beth. Also, what ever happened to him being mad at Rebecca?
What did you think of “I Call Marriage”? Do you think Kate will really give in to temptation? Do you think Rebecca will really go on tour with her band? How will this affect her marriage and her kids? What else do you think is going on with Randall? Do you think that Kevin should just be alone for a while? Let us know in the comments section below.
This Is Us season 1 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC. Want more news? Like our This Is Us Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
