This Is Us (5×03) Changes Review

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

Synopsis: Kevin and Madison navigate their engagement as Kate and Toby take a big step in their adoption journey. Jack and Rebecca brace for puberty. (NBC)

This Is Us dives into a topic that many fear (especially parents of teenagers), and they handled it pretty darn well. This week is all about the Big Three battling puberty as teenagers. It’s a bit ironic considering the actors themselves have definitely gone through a growth spurt since they were last on-screen. It totally works and makes for some hilarious moments as Jack and Rebecca try to navigate through the murky waters of their kids getting older.

But before getting into the thick of the recap, it is worth mentioning the brief update we got from last week’s intriguing cliffhanger. As we learned. Randall’s birth mom didn’t actually die from the overdose soon after giving birth to him. Unfortunately, young William (Jermel Nakia) never came to know of this and it was always assumed that the mother had died. Well, she lived, and apparently, she went on to live some semblance of a happy life as witnessed in the interlude of two new characters. The scenes cut in and out as we meet a young girl and her grandfather who is eager to teach her Vietnamese. All the while, she’s curious as to why her grandfather is so eager to cook, and if he’s doing it to impress “someone”.

Who could that “someone” be? Yup, Randall’s birth mom, Laurel, who we see in a picture with the grandfather when he was much younger. Hmmm, and the plot thickens. If Randall’s birth mother went on to have a family, then it means he has half-siblings out there, and technically, this older gentleman would have been his stepfather. Dang, this is a mystery we must know more about!

In the present, Kevin and Madison face hurdles as they try to navigate their new relationship. They’re not quite friends, or even acquaintances really and it definitely shows as we see what a day in their life looks like. What’s most empowering about this new relationship is the fact that they are about to have twins, are basically strangers, but yet, somehow managing to come together for the long haul. We’ve heard Kevin say time and time again that he wants the “one” and he wants that family life, and to finally see the beginnings of it feels great. But more importantly, this episode does a great thing by bringing Kevin and Madison together by making them vulnerable to one another.

As you may recall, Madison first came into Kevin’s life through Kate who met her during meetings that she would attend for people with body image/weight issues. Never would we have imagined that the super talkative Madison would one day become a part of the Pearson family in this way, but yet, here we are. For someone that has struggled with her weight for most of her life, Madison is at a crossroads with the pregnancy. She’s conflicted over her body changing, and it’s taking a toll on her mental health. Of course, watching Kevin walk in shirtless after 2+ workouts a day doesn’t help either.

Luckily, after an awkward breakfast, Madison finally opens up to Kevin about the struggles she’s facing and explains that for someone who dreaded hearing she had gained weight, it’s a lot to handle when it’s supposed to be a good thing now. This conversation allows Kevin to open up towards the end of the episode as he shares how he’s an alcoholic with daddy issues and is still a work in progress as well. He’s by no means put together just because he’s a movie star that has roles that require him to have a chiseled body. In fact, working out is something that connects back to his childhood when Jack first taught him how to start lifting weights. There’s a lot of baggage between them, but something tells me, Kevin and Madison are going to be endgame.

Randall and Beth have their own fair share of drama and teens going through puberty in this week’s episode. With Tess getting older and finding herself, she’s managed to discover her inner, activist voice. One that leads her to record a scathing video calling out one of her teachers for always touching her hair, simply because she’s Black. Randall and Beth aren’t entirely pleased with how she handled the situation, but Randall does recognize that it’s nice to see Tess realizing who she is. Unfortunately, as much as she may be discovering her inner self, Beth and Randall team up to make sure she is reprimanded accordingly–6 weeks of being grounded, with no phone. Yikes.

We saw in last week’s episode that Randall had made the decision to change therapists. He wanted to talk to someone that was Black and might understand his background a bit more than someone else could. After talking to a handful virtually, he clicks with Dr. Wilton (Tony Winters) who he vibes with and feels understood with. We’re just starting to see this patient-doctor relationship start out, but I can confidently say that we’re about to see Randall go through some major changes in the weeks to come.

Last but not least, Toby and Kate take on the adoption process as they go to meet a potential birth mother, Ellie (Annie Funke). It goes better than expected as between the three of them they manage to find a mutual interest in all things pop culture. In fact, Ellie is even smitten with the way Toby and Kate argue about diapers and taking care of baby Jack. But as wonderful as this meeting might have gone, the adoption process doesn’t come without its obstacles, and given the luck the Pearson family has, This is going to be a long road ahead for Toby and Kate.

The Big Three’s stories this week all somehow connect back to the past as their teenage selves figure out the woes of puberty, young love, and how they view themselves. Despite how amazing Jack and Rebecca were as parents, many things did slip through the cracks which carried on with the Big Three into adulthood. Whether it’s Randall’s conflicted self-identity with being Black growing up in a white family (and having to deal with a white girl saying she’s always wondered what it would be like to kiss “someone like him”), Kate trying to work through a past relationship, or Kevin just getting immersed into working out as a way to ignore his issues, it’s clear that all these things manifest in different ways as they become adults.

This Is Us should be commended for taking some time out this season to really explore these characters on a deeper, visceral level. We know about them, and we’ve seen a lot over the past few seasons, but there is still so much more to know and understand. And as each of the Big Three adults ventures into new phases in their lives, we are surely going to see a lot of layers peel back–and I can’t wait for it!

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