This Is Us (4×15) Clouds Review

For our review of the last episode of This Is Us, click here.

Synopsis: Kevin spends the day with Rebecca; Toby makes a grand gesture; the Big Three get their report cards. (IMDb)

This Is Us kicks off this week’s episode with the Big Three getting their report cards. As expected, Randall is kicking butt at school, but he’s disappointed that instead of an A, he got an A-minus. It’s a jarring insight into how Randall’s anxiety has been around since he was a kid. To help balance his stress levels out, Jack decides to get Randall out on the track. No better way to let loose and reduce stress than to get some exercise. It’s always these moments with Jack that make us miss him so much, even though he’s still here.

Despite Kevin getting mediocre grades and some rough criticism for his behavior at school, Rebecca spends the day with him and eventually takes him to the card store. He collects baseball cards, and he’s looking for a very specific one. This comes into play in the present timeline when an adult Kevin returns to that store and finds the card.

Speaking of the present, this episode spent the majority of its time with Randall going to therapy for the first time. It was an incredible arc for Randall and it’s great to see that This Is Us has finally gotten Randall to this point. The entire time he’s in therapy, the camera stays on Randall’s face, to give the audience a very jarring perspective of what Randall is going through.

Sterling K. Brown did an incredible job and gave one of his best performances yet. The way you see Randall struggling and trying to encapsulate his feelings. He gets defensive, irritated, and nearly gives up. That is, until Beth shares that she needs him to help himself because she is stressed out too, ever since the break-in. She hasn’t shared her troubles with him because he’s already too burdened. And guess what? He went back, and there’s a strong chance that things are only going to get better from here. Hopefully!

Toby and Kate have been going through the wringer in their marriage, but luckily, things end up in a way better place by the end of the episode. Toby is trying to be better and he makes a grand gesture by deciding to build a music studio for Kate, with a little section for Jack (now it makes sense why he grows up to be a musician himself!). Kate is resistant at first, but Madison helps her see the light. Ironically, Kate went to meet Madison to talk about her and Kevin hooking up, but she ended up getting advice that saved her marriage.

By the way, does anyone else think Madison might be the woman Kevin marries? It’s not clear just yet, but who knows!

Rebecca gets her MRI results in this episode, and it turns out what they feared is true–she’s showing atrophy that will lead to Alzheimer’s. It’s an unfortunate reality, but it is not going to stop Rebecca from making the best of whatever life she has left. This is why it’s adorable how she and Kevin spend the day together doing things she loves–including paying a visit to Joni Mitchell’s old house, somewhere she tried to go with Jack back in the day.

Whatever is in store for our This Is Us characters is yet to be seen, but as of now, things seemed to have fallen into place. Let’s just hope they stay there, at least for a little bit.

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