If you would like to read my review of the last episode of This Is Us, click here.
Synopsis: Kevin arrives at the ville where his father served; Kate pursues a new opportunity; Randall debates Councilman Solomon Brown; in the past, Jack struggles to get through to his brother. (TVGuide)
Writer: Shukree Hassan Tilghman
Director: Ken Olin
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 45mins
Airs: Tuesdays at 9pm on CTV (Canada)/NBC (United States)
Just like that, This Is Us has aired its season 3 midseason finale. Can you believe it?! While we now have to wait two months for its return, there is so much to process from this particular episode. The episode’s title, “The Beginning Is the End Is The Beginning” may seem extremely confusing at first, but after you watch the episode–it makes complete sense.
This Is Us had quite a few revelations in this episode and left us with a lot of burning questions for where the back half of the season is going to go. In Vietnam, Jack is still trying to connect with Nicky, who now has 48 hours left with him. But he’s had no such luck getting through, and things are even worse than they were before.
Nicky’s commanding officer refuses to extend the time so Jack tries to appeal to Nicky by having a conversation with him next to the water (talk about foreshadowing). Jack is pretty sure Nicky’s struggles come from the fact that he isn’t on drugs anymore, and now the war is all he has to think about. However, Nicky’s attitude towards the war is all about killing and murdering while Jack reminds him their mission is just to get home.
Nicky wakes up in a panic one night and rummages through a bag to find any drugs that can calm him down. The next morning, Jack wakes up to find that Nicky is not in his sleeping area, but rather high as a kite sitting next to the water. Instead of flipping out on him, he tells Nicky that he will help him get sober again. But that’s the thing, Nicky doesn’t want to be sober. In fact, being high keeps the nightmares away.
As the day comes to an end, an explosion occurs near the ville as Jack starts inquiring about Nicky. While the scene details are still unclear, Jack dives into the water towards “one of their guys”. It’s not confirmed, but we presume it was Nicky who may have been in the explosion.
This revelation comes simultaneously with Kevin and Zoe’s visit to the ville. Upon arriving there, Kevin learns that one of the elderly men doesn’t remember his father but believes Kevin’s visit there serves a greater purpose. And boy, does it ever. As Zoe and Kevin get ready to leave, their guide mentions something about none of Kevin’s family members dying there. However, as far as the Pearsons knew, Nicky died in Vietnam. Well, not according to their infantry records.
According to the guide, Nicky may be dead now, but he certainly did not die in Vietnam. And his words lead into a scene where we see an elderly man in a trailer and then a close-up shot of an envelope with the name Nicholas Pearson on it. SAY WHAT?! NICKY’S ALIVE?!
Kate’s pregnancy is so far, so good, and this episode focuses on the big gender reveal. It also takes Kate down a path she didn’t quite plan for herself. Because of the long hours of driving her Adele-o-gram gigs require, the doctor isn’t too keen on having sit for so long. Instead, she tries to apply for a job as a chorus director at a high school. Unfortunately, since she never got a college degree, she is unable to be considered for the job. This prompts Toby to convince her to go back to school, despite how scary it is. Also, they’re having a boy!!
Randall gives a pretty amazing performance at his election debate, but unfortunately, it’s not enough to gain the support he should have at this point in the game. His campaign manager says they should just put an end to the campaign now, but Randall isn’t so convinced. On the other hand, Beth and Randall have quite a bit of things they’re dealing with at home. This includes Tess coming out to them and Deja revealing she wants to go visit her mother. But despite that, Randall doesn’t want to quit the campaign, and tells Beth he just can’t walk away now. Hello, marital problems.
The flash-forward in this episode of This Is Us left us with a lot of questions. Like are Beth and Randall divorced? Is Rebecca dying? And is the “her” they’re all going to visit Rebecca? Ahhh, and to think, we have to until January 15th for more This Is Us. Not cool, not cool at all.
Score: 8.5/10
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