If you would like to read my review of the last episode of This Is Us, click here.
Synopsis: Kevin and Zoe land in Vietnam; in the past, Jack and Rebecca take a road trip to Los Angeles; Jack’s war story continues to be revealed. (TVGuide)
Writer: Bekah Brunstetter
Director: Ken Olin
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 45mins
Airs: Tuesdays at 9pm on CTV (Canada)/NBC (United States)
This Is Us is back after a two-week hiatus and even that was a bit too long if you’re asking me. This week’s episode, “Sometimes” was all about trips in the past and present, as Jack and Rebecca drive to Los Angeles and Zoe and Kevin head to Vietnam. We finally a bit more about Zoe’s tragic past and see the beginning of Jack and Rebecca’s relationship which left us with a lot to think about and adore them even more than we already did.
The episode opens to a Vietnamese woman making a pendant–the same pendant that Jack once had and passed down to Kevin, and also the very same pendant that a woman is wearing in a picture with Jack in Vietnam. We see the woman wrap up the necklace, give it to a guy who plans on giving it to a girl he likes but ends up leaving it at the bar when he sees her with another girl. The necklace is then picked up by another man who puts the necklace on, and when he dies in combat, the woman in Jack’s photo takes the necklace off of him and wears it.
We left off in episode 4 with Jack meeting his brother, Nicky, in Vietnam who seems less than pleased to see him. All Jack wants is to help his brother out, but Nicky could care less about being saved by him. Even his commanding officer is reluctant to hand Nicky off to Jack to shape him up especially because of military law that prevents family from being in the same unit. So Jack is told to return to his base (on foot!) without Nicky in tow.
Trying to make his way back, Jack bumps into a Vietnamese man named Bao who he asks to give him a ride back to his base. When Bao stops unexpectedly, Jack starts to suspect that Bao may be up to something, and his suspicions grow when he sees that Bao is delivering empty cans to some men–the same type of cans that are used to create explosive devices.
Bao does drop Jack off in a safe place, but not before Jack inquires if he is Vietcong to which Bao replies, “sometimes”. By the end of the episode, we see the moment Jack meets the Vietnamese woman from the picture and Nicky’s CO decides to bring him to Jack after all–even though Nicky would have rather been left to rot.
In the past, Rebecca and Jack begin their road trip to Los Angeles which starts off a bit awkward but soon becomes a romantic whirlwind as they start hooking up at every hotel room they stay in. It’s actually super adorable, but things take a turn when Jack starts having a PTSD-related nightmare that wakes Rebecca up. The next day when Rebecca tries to talk to him about it, he refuses to open up which makes the rest of their trip to LA a bit quiet and distant.
Once they arrive in Los Angeles, Jack meets one of Rebecca’s friends and the next day drops her off for her big meeting with record producers while he goes to visit the parents of the man that died in his troop after stepping on an IED. He tells them he is responsible for their son’s death, but after sharing what happened, they assure him that it wasn’t his fault. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s meeting goes alright and after listening to her tape, they tell her to keep in touch and that she is simply “Pittsburgh good”.
When Jack picks her up, she decides she wants to go back home, but before they do, he asks her to sing the song to him and as it strikes an emotional nerve with him, he breaks down. Sigh, This Is Us is always about the feels isn’t it? And while he didn’t open up about where he was, he did tell Rebecca that he can’t talk about the war and that he doesn’t want to bring it into their relationship.
We get to see another flash-forward moment come to fruition as Kevin and Zoe arrive in Vietnam. As Kevin continues to wonder about his father, he also wants to know why he knows nothing about Zoe’s family, and why she never mentioned her father lives in China. While on a walk, they get into a huge argument over it but it comes to a halt when she falls ill and starts throwing up (totally thought she was pregnant).
Back in their hotel room, Kevin tells Zoe he is falling in love with her (and she feels the same, yay!). Zoe then opens up about her father and how he sexually abused her (ugh). And she doesn’t tell Kevin this out of pity, but because she doesn’t want her dad to ruin this too, just like he has her whole life. When Kevin tells her he didn’t know because she always seems so strong, her perfect response is–I am strong.
We love you, This Is Us. Thank you for giving us the best episodes and storylines, ever.
Score: 8.5/10
Check out my TV blog to read reviews, recaps, and much more! Be sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and like my Facebook page! @watchwithreebs
