Last week This is Us gave us a look in at the Pearsons’ Thanksgivings, six of them to be exact. We saw the Pearson clan, past and present, as they deal with their Thanksgivings. Randall dealt with Beth and Jae-won butting heads on his campaign while Kate and Toby had to help Tess through her first period. Meanwhile, in the past we see Miguel struggling to connect with his children on Thanksgiving. But, after a Jack-Pearson pep-talk, he promises to keep trying with them. Then, in the present we see Miguel reach his breaking point as his kids openly disrespect Rebecca. He chides them for their behavior then he and Rebecca go to the Pearson Thanksgiving, where he is embraced as ‘Grandpa.’
This week, back in Vietnam, Jack continues to fail to get through to Nicky as he runs out of time before Nicky’s CO returns. After finally getting Nicky to listen to him, Jack is feeling good about his brother recovering. However, after a nightmare wakes Nicky, he raids his med kit for drugs and Jack finds him high and refusing to turn away from drugs. Later that day, Jack panics when he can’t find Nicky before there is a large explosion on the water. A boat has exploded and Jack is distraught to realize his brother was the driver.
Back in present-day Vietnam, we caught up with Kevin as he finally reaches the village where his father served. He and Zoe meet a local historian who doesn’t remember Jack or the woman in the photo but he does sit down with them for a meal. During the meal, he talks about his father, a Viet Cong soldier who snuck into the village at night to visit he and his mother. Kevin is disappointed and mentions his uncle’s death in the village, something the historian denies. The episode then cuts to an older Nicky, alive and living in Bedford, PA.
That’s just the first revelation of the episode as Toby and Kate struggle with indecision over wanting to know their baby’s gender. The doctor also informs Kate that her job as an Adele-o-gram is worrisome due to the amount of sitting she has to do while driving. She excitedly interviews for a choir teacher job at a local high school. However, the fact that she is just a few credits is an issue for the school, causing her to not get the job. After Toby calms her down following the interview, he suggests she finishes college before the baby comes. He reassures her by ordering a gender reveal cake for their baby and they learn they are having a boy.
Meanwhile, Randall gears up for a debate with Councilman Brown. Beth, who stepped down from his campaign after last week’s debacle with Jae-won, reassures Randall as he goes on stage. The debate starts poorly as Brown continues to mock Randall, labeling him as an outsider with no real ties to Philly. However, Randall has had enough and calls Brown out for poorly managing his district. Randall then steps out from behind the podium and to speak with the crowd on their level. He’s fired up as he promises that he will take their complaints seriously, unlike Brown. He also promises that if the complaints aren’t handled in a timely manner he’ll handle them directly. Even though the crowd loves him, Jae-won believes Brown’s lead is too great to overcome, which Randall immediately dismisses. This worries Beth.
Back at home, Deja wants to see her birth mother and Tess decides to tell her parents her secret. They react positively to both, though they are caught off guard. Beth then voices her worries with Randall continuing his campaign, something he promised would make him quit. However, he dodges the question, telling her he wants to see this through. She is obviously upset a relegates him to sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of the future, the final scene gives us a look forward at the distant future. An older Randall and now adult Tess are on their way to visit an aging Rebecca. Tess, not Randall, calls Beth to make sure she is on her way as well. The show has been building up to this reveal since last season and it’s becoming more and more likely that they are setting up Rebecca’s death as a cap to the entire series. However, there’s still drama, both past and present, to settle first when the show returns in 2019.
This is Us airs Tuesdays on NBC.
