For our review of the last episode of This Is Us, click here.
Synopsis: Kevin keeps a secret from Zoe; Randall gets unexpected news about Deja; in the past, the Big Three graduate from high school. (TVGuide)
Writers: K.J. Steinberg and Danielle Bauman
Director: Sarah Boyd
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: 45mins
Airs: Tuesdays at 9pm on CTV (Canada)/NBC (United States)
This Is Us will be back on our screens for the next month and words can’t express how great this is. This week’s episode, “The Graduates” amps up the emotions ten-fold as the past and present celebrate graduations and accomplishments. The episode begins with a throwback to the past as Jack and Rebecca shop for a video camera with the Big Three in their strollers. Going a little more forward in time shows Rebecca shopping for another camcorder but this time sans Jack.
She bumps into a man whose kids go to school with her kids, and as he helps her to pick out a camera, he ends up asking her out. It’s at this moment that we start to understand that Rebecca has a long road ahead of healing ahead of her. The very idea of being asked out rattles her as she makes a quick exit. Back at home, Kate is bitter about Kevin’s plan to move to New York and has decided against attending graduation while Randall prepares to be honored at a valedictorian at his.
When graduation night arrives, Rebecca finds herself having a panic attack and finding it too difficult to attend such a big even without Jack. Cue Miguel. As Jack’s best friend (and Rebecca’s future husband) Miguel steps up in Rebecca’s time of need and helps her navigate through this time. He suggests she try grief counseling and she takes him up on it later that night when the kids are out of the house and she feels extremely lonely and broken. It’s one of Mandy Moore’s strongest scenes to date on This Is Us, and if she isn’t recognized come award season, I will be so livid.
At the graduation party, Kate finally comes around to the idea of Kevin moving away and gives him her support and approval. The Big Three share a tender moment as Randall promises that whatever happens after high school, as long as they are in each other’s lives, they will be okay. They sure will, won’t they?
Can we please talk about Randall asking Beth to stop teaching dance for a while? She just started and he’s not even giving the new schedule a chance! Like what gives?! It’s frustrating to see him ask Beth to put a pin in it because hiring a babysitter would be too much and leaving the kids without anyone around is too much. It’s heartbreaking to see the look on Beth’s face as she sees her dream slipping away while Randall enables himself to follow his.
During the episode, Randall learns that Deja has been doing really well for herself at school. In fact, her teacher wants to have her skip eighth grade altogether and go right to high school. But she doesn’t exactly go about it the right way. Instead of asking Deja if she can put her essay up on the internet, her teacher posts the essay online and Deja finds herself embarrassed because of the story she wrote–about living in a car. It all seems to work out in the end, however, because Deja reveals that she doesn’t want to skip high school because she finally has a routine and stability.
Kevin has officially relapsed and things are not looking too hot for him. It doesn’t help that Kate is catching onto his weird behavior and lies during the little graduation ceremony Toby has organized for her. She leaves this party to confront Kevin who darted out early to avoid Zoe and the rest of his family and finds alcohol scattered all over his hotel room. She urges him to get things in order and tell Zoe but he wants a moment to try and get over this and says he’ll do whatever–even attend meetings. She looks up a meeting to take him to but on the way Kate’s water breaks.
Since Kevin had been drinking all day he couldn’t drive Kate to the hospital so they had to call Toby and tell him what is going on and call 911. Toby isn’t too happy to learn about Kevin’s relapse during Kate’s situation but they will certainly be a conversation for later. Kate’s labor is halted with some medication during which Randall makes his way to Los Angeles to be with his siblings. The baby is way too early, and Kate is worried her child won’t make it. But her brothers promise her that it’ll be okay.
We sure hope it will be.
Score: 9.5/10
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