This Is Us (5×05) A Long Road Home Review

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

Synopsis: Kate confronts her past; Randall’s brush with viral fame leads to an unexpected discovery; Kevin debates the best path for his future. (NBC)

This Is Us never ceases to disappoint, and while I can do with the COVID-19 references, I’m certainly happy that the series is back after a two-month hiatus. As always, the series wastes no time and picks up right where it left off–with Kate revealing she had an abortion when she was a teenager.

This is a secret she’s never shared with anyone until now, which has Toby feeling a certain way. But the feeling isn’t one of negativity or pity, but rather, one of sadness that he didn’t know about sooner. Of course, he would love nothing more than to hurt Marc (Austin Abrams) the guy who hurt Kate, but he’s extremely supportive and attentive to her story and needs.

It comes as no surprise when he agrees to join Kate on a road trip to San Diego where she hopes to confront adult Marc (who she tracked down via his MySpace page, which still exists for some reason). It’s quite a glorious moment for Kate who comes face-to-face with the guy who made her life a living hell as a grieving teen. Instead of letting Marc (who is just as horrible as she remembers him) make her feel bad, she stands up to him and squashes him under her power and confidence. She found an amazing guy who loves her and with whom she has created a family with, Marc means nothing to her now. And it’s why this confrontation was so necessary for her to move on in life–and it’s Toby’s unwavering support that helped her achieve it.

Speaking of families, Kevin and Madison have some issues figuring out the future of their own this episode of This Is Us. There is a lot of confusion given how abruptly they got placed together in a relationship amidst Madison’s pregnancy and the coronavirus pandemic. But yet, they’re trying to make it work, but it’s not until Kevin’s work schedule comes up that things really start to get complicated. Madison wants to support him and even urges him to go on his current shoot in Vancouver, despite it being a weird time. But she doesn’t mean for it to be a permanent or ongoing thing, which quite personally, was a bit contradictory and confusing.

Kevin’s excitement to hire a nanny, who he intends to have travel with them during shoots, is what really sets Madison off about the uncertain future. Sure, he’s going on a shoot now, but what about later? Does he want to uproot their family every time he has to leave for a shoot? It’s something she and Kevin are not entirely on the same page about, but with him heading off to Vancouver, she asks him to seriously contemplate just what their future looks like, one that they both have fallen in love with–well, at the least of it anyway.

The real tearjerker of this week’s episode of This Is Us comes with Randall’s portion of the story. As we saw in the previous episodes of the season, Randall’s mother didn’t actually die from an overdose, even though William truly believed this to be the case.

After Randall’s accidental viral video making its way around the internet, a man by the name of Hai (Vien Hong) was eager to get in touch with him. As it turns out, Hai is the man we’ve seen in a couple of flashbacks and someone that had a relationship with Randall’s mother. Up until now, he hadn’t reached out to Randall, but after seeing his video, he couldn’t help but do so. And it’s a good thing, as Randall spends most of the episode believing William lied to him about his mother being alive. Unfortunately, this truth was something even William did not know about, and it’s exactly what Hai tells him when Randall and Beth decide to call him.

There is a lot that Hai has to share with Randall, and based on next week’s promo of This Is Us, it looks like we’re headed to the Orleans Parish–and taking a trip down memory lane as we learn more about Randall’s mother and what happened in the days, months, and years after she gave birth to him.

It’s great that This Is Us is finally back and trekking right along as it continues to churn out the best of the best storylines. While it seemed like they would hit a dead-end at some point, it has yet to happen, and it’s a good thing because the writing, cast, and everything else has truly delivered. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

Until next week!

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