If you would like to read my review of the last episode of This Is Us, click here.
Synopsis: The Pearsons have an unconventional Thanksgiving dinner; in the past, Jack, Rebecca and the Big Three spend Thanksgiving with Miguel. (TVGuide)
Writer: Kevin Falls
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 45mins
Airs: Tuesdays at 9pm on CTV (Canada)/NBC (United States)
This Is Us celebrates Thanksgiving this week across the past and present through multiple countries and moments in time that will forever be cherished by members of the Pearson family. In fact, in the three seasons, the show has had some of the best Thanksgiving-themed episodes, and this one continues the streak.
When the episode begins, the camera is zoomed onto Rebecca’s face and for a moment we’re led to believe she’s reminiscing about Thanksgiving with Jack. But fret not, she’s not crying, she’s just peeling onions. Phew. It’s basically the last Thanksgiving both she and Jack have with the Big Three, and they aren’t planning on spending it with either of their extended families.
And it’s a good thing because it seems like the Big Three are perfectly content with each other and their parents as Randall works on his essay for college applications. The question he has to answer is asking what person has had the most impact on his life, and he finds this question to be silly because one person can’t be singled out for it–it’s a culmination of many people.
While they aren’t celebrating with any of their families, Jack did invite Miguel over because it’s his first Thanksgiving without Shelly and the kids, and it’s a glimpse into a future Thanksgiving dinner he and Rebecca have with his kids. Miguel arrives while fighting with Shelly on the phone and it throws a damper on everyone’s high spirits. But don’t worry, Jack Pearson is here to save the day and he gives Miguel the motivation he needs to be a better father to his kids.
Beth and Randall are busy on the campaign trail and with the Thanksgiving holiday upon them, Beth organizes a soup kitchen for a homeless shelter. Instead of having it at the church, Beth changes the location to a rec center and she’s fairly certain Jae-Won (the campaign manager) is not happy with this last-minute change.
As Beth, Randall, Deja, and Annie head to the soup kitchen, Tess stays back with Kate and Toby because she’s not feeling well. KaToby are responsible for cooking the Thanksgiving meal this year, and with Toby just getting back on his feet, everyone’s a bit nervous about how it will go. But we are happy to report that while the meal didn’t go as planned (even with Randall’s intricate recipes), Toby saved the day by going to Cracker Barrel and Kate even gave him the honor of comparing him to Jack.
Why wasn’t Kate around to help Toby? Well, Tess wasn’t feeling well and it turns out it’s because she just got her very first period. Unfortunately for Toby, he finds out when she runs into him holding pads and tampons, but Kate came to the rescue and walked Tess through it all–and even learned that Tess is into girls.
Back at the soup kitchen, Jae-Won is growing increasingly frustrated because Beth is undermining every decision of his. Randall finally snaps and tells him that Beth is his wife and he can’t go against what she’s saying. This is largely in part due to the fact that Beth lost her job and he’s just trying to keep her happy. Can’t blame the man for trying to make his wife feel important, right?
In this episode of This Is Us, we also found out how William and Jesse first met, and how their love story went on to become what it was. They met at an NA meeting and from there, a friendship blossomed into something more. They truly were such an adorable couple.
In the present, Miguel and Rebecca made their way to Scarsdale, NY where they are going to have Thanksgiving with his kids. But when they get there, their welcome is all but warm, and his son, in particular, is not happy with Rebecca being there. Miguel makes it clear that they will not be ashamed of their marriage, and nothing about it happened too soon. He demands that his kids show respect to his wife, even if they do not extend that courtesy to him. I have to say, Miguel earned some major points this week.
The biggest reveal from this week’s Thanksgiving episode was regarding the woman from Vietnam. It turns out that on Thanksgiving, Jack tried to help her son who had an infected foot. He asked Nicky to help but he refused to help a kid that would grow up and one day hurt them. But Jack Pearson does the right thing and helps the kid out anyway, and hears Nicky out when he tells him of his own horrible experience.
But throughout the episode, Jack is very kind to this woman and her child, and out of gratitude, she gives him the necklace. So no, it didn’t come from a woman Jack hooked up with or had a child with, it was just a simple thank you to the man who always takes care of others.
And just like that, we are one week away from the season 3 fall finale. Ugh, already?
Score: 8.5/10
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