This Is Us (5×09) The Ride Review

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

Synopsis: A series of car rides propels the Pearsons towards new stages of their lives. (IMDB)

Three cheers for Jon Huertas for directing one heck of an emotional ride (get it?) during last night’s episode. The concept was simple and plain, but the emotions were so deeply intertwined into the crux of the story we all know and love so much. This isn’t the first time this has been mentioned here but I’m always floored at how This Is Us managed to keep us on our toes even after five seasons. They’re coming up with new and creative ways to tell a story from so many different perspectives and points. It’s not something that can be done so easily, and we have yet to witness a moment of burnout from this series.

This week’s episode takes us into the past, present, and future (yes, future!) lives of the Pearsons as they head home with their new babies in tow. In the past, we revisit Jack and Rebecca going home with the Big Three as well as Randall and Beth going home with newborn Annie. In the present, we’re celebrating Kate and Toby taking home their adopted newborn baby girl, and Kevin and Madison taking home their newborn twins. Last but not least, a flash-forward shows us an adult Annie (Iyana Halley) picking up an adult Deja (La Trice Harper) from work. FYI, Deja goes on to become a doctor, and this flash forward reveals she’s pregnant–but apparently, no one but Annie seems to know about this just yet.

What makes this episode so special is that it is so relatable. That ride home from the hospital to home is a shocking and frightening one. You’re going home with a baby (or babies) that is your responsibility now, and who this baby goes onto become is all in your hands. It’s just a car ride on the surface, but in reality, it’s so much more than that. Throughout the episode, we see how each character is grappling with this new reality, especially Rebecca.

She gave birth to triplets, lost one of the babies, and then on a whim, adopted a baby. It’s a lot to take in for any new parent, and on the car ride home, the tension and stress is oozing off her face. And then there’s Jack who is beyond freaked out because he’s now responsible for three lives, and he wants to make sure he ends up nothing like his alcoholic father. Of course, it doesn’t help that on the way home they stop at a gas station and he takes a shot of whiskey and asks Rebecca to drive the rest of the way. But this fear is crippling for him, and it remains with him for quite some time. Of course, we know that Jack was never remotely anything like his father.

While Jack was afraid of becoming like his father, Kevin was scared of becoming someone other than his father. Jack set such a wonderful example for Kevin and set the bar so high that Kevin fears he will never live up to that standard. What was great about this back and forth comparison between the two characters is that at some point, Kevin dreams that he sees Jack holding his twin babies. Jack asks him to stop trying to be like him and just be himself, and it sort of opens up this whole new world for Kevin and his new life. He needed that reassurance that he too can be a great father, and doesn’t have to exhaust his energy trying to live up to Jack. This epiphany results in Kevin asking Madison to marry him, which completes all the things Kevin wanted for himself by the time he turned 40–yay!

Beth and Randall’s drive home with newborn Annie is an interesting one because Randall brings up wanting three children eventually. At first, it’s a silly joke because Beth literally just gave birth, but later it becomes a topic of serious conversation. While making a pit stop at Dairy Queen as promised, Beth implodes on Randall for pushing the idea on her already. But somewhere in Randall’s heart he has always wanted three children, and as we all know, his wish came true the moment they adopted Deja.

Madison seems to be the only one to take the whole new mom thing in stride whilst dealing with paparazzi following them home from the hospital. Not only does she get the guy to leave them alone, she lets Kevin sleep in the car after they get home, and puts the babies to sleep. This super mom is going to fit in perfectly with the Pearson family!

Toby and Kate take home their adopted baby girl, but things get a bit awkward with Ellie who decides she doesn’t want to be a part of an open adoption. The whole thing is too much for her and despite Kate and Toby’s efforts, she asks to be left alone for a while. This looks to change in the future, but for now, it looks like Ellie is out of the picture. Of course a wonderful day doesn’t come without its struggles. Not only does Ellie ask to be left alone, but Toby finds out he was laid off from his job. And as expected, Kate takes it in stride and says that it is a problem to work on tomorrow.

As for that flash-forward, we all know they are meeting to visit an old, and presumably dying Rebecca. We don’t know the state of Randall and Beth’s marriage, but in the final moments as old Randall and adult Deja stand outside the cabin, we see a car pull up but don’t see who is inside it.

Any thoughts on who might be in there?

Check out my TV blog to read reviews, recaps, and much more! Be sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and like my Facebook page! @watchwithreebs

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, follow us on Instagram, and also like us on Facebook.

Ariba Bhuvad