If you would like to read my review of the last episode, click here.
Synopsis: Randall, Kate, and Kevin find themselves on new paths as they each celebrate their 38th birthday. (TVGuide)
Writers: Dan Fogelman, Isaac Aptaker, and Elizabeth Berger
Director: Ken Olin
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 45mins
Airs: Tuesdays at 9pm on CTV (Canada)/NBC (United States)
This Is Us is BACK! Words can’t express how happy I am that my favorite TV show of all time is finally back for its third season and suffice to say the season 3 premiere did not disappoint. Season 2 ended with Toby and Keith’s wedding and a series of flash-forwards that had us scratching our heads all summer for what’s to come.
This episode mostly focused on Rebecca and Jack’s first day when he fell in love at first sight after watching her sing “Moonshadow” that one fateful night. As he stood there dumbstruck at her beauty and voice, there were flashes of the Steelers game from that night and the star player that got them their miraculous win. The purpose of this will be explained later–and it’s so worth the wait.
It’s the Big Three’s 38th birthday and the day is filled with a range of emotions that oozes the classic This Is Us aura we all have come to love and hate with love. Kate and Toby are still figuring out how to navigate through the fertility issues that have now presented as a result of Kate’s weight and Toby’s not so speedy sperm (due to him taking antidepressants). At first, the doctor dismisses them because it presents a huge risk for Kate to undergo IVF and with a 90% chance of failure, it’s not worth the trouble she’d have to endure. And although Kate spends her birthday heartbroken, the doctor asks them to return only to tell them she’s willing to give it a shot.
Unfortunately, Toby isn’t too thrilled over the idea, although he isn’t going to share that with Kate anytime soon and flushes his anti-depressants down the toilet. Now that flash-forward of Toby from the season 2 finale is starting to make a little more sense.
Beth and Randall decide that they want to formally adopt Deja and Randall shares this with her and gives her a choice since they cannot foster her forever. He takes her back to the building he and Beth bought last year, the very same one that William lived in. We see flashbacks of Deja as a young child with her mother walking by a story with a man that always makes eye contact with them. We assume it’s her father, and this fact is confirmed when she later pays her biological father a visit to tell him about her saying yes to the adoption and to get Randall a birthday present. Yay, Deja is officially going to be a Pearson!
Beth is onto Zoe and Kevin who have been dating since they hooked up at Toby and Kate’s wedding, and although she swears on Oprah and promises not to confront them, Beth does so anyway. Except her concern isn’t for Zoe but rather for Kevin who she is afraid will get his heart broken by Zoe. Well, obviously he doesn’t intend on listening to Beth due to the flash-forward we have already seen from the season 2 finale.
Can we please discuss another flash-forward that alludes to a “her” and takes us back to the scene with an older Tess and Randall. In fact, Randall even calls Toby who is sitting in a room by himself and again, the mention of “her” is brought up. WHO IS HER?!
Now, let’s go back to Jack and Rebecca’s first date–the cutest and most hot mess of a first date two people could have. When Jack first set his eyes on Rebecca, he was in the middle of trying to steal some money from the bar but what does some money matter when you’ve just met the love of your life. Jack and Rebecca end up at a carnival with Jack only having nine bucks in his pocket. He pays for their admission, buys her a hot chocolate and candy apple, but is left with no money to buy her an umbrella when it starts to pour.
At this point, their date starts to go downhill and they find they don’t have much in common. As he pulls up to her house at the end of the unexpected first date, he tells her the truth and they share the most romantic kiss of all time. She leaves behind something of hers in his car as a sign that she wants him to come back the next day, and it’s safe to say that he is on cloud nine. As Rebecca excitedly gets ready the next day, she opens the door to see the other guy standing at her front door, and unfortunately, Jack pulls up to see the two kissing.
Their entire first date is set to the scenes of the football game from the night of their first date, a game that was a miraculous win for the Steelers. We get to see the player who made it all happen and the final moments of the episode close out with some wise words completely applicable to Jack and Rebecca. Sometimes the ball will fall into multiple hands before landing with the right one.
Sigh, This Is Us is back, guys.
Score: 9/10
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