What I’m Watching: This Is Us

This Is Us: Season 1, Episode 15 “Jack Pearson’s Son” (B)

As usual, we’re covering the same material over and over, with a bit of extra information every time. I did enjoy some of the subtle new things we found out in this episode, like a young Kate accidentally blurting out that Kevin was having sex with Sophie in front of her parents, prompting some awkward parenting from Rebecca and Jack about him making smart decisions. I couldn’t have been happier than to find out that Duke’s family owns the place where Kate was, and that her chewing him out meant her immediate dismissal from the program. Her conversations with Toby that dug into deeper issues included a very funny joke about Aladdin and an understanding that they’re going to work on getting closer before they get married, confirming that Kate isn’t yet able to talk about her dad’s death, information that this show holds dear and wants to prolong revealing to its audience as long as possible. Miguel of all people gave Kevin a great motivational speech referencing Jack, and it was sweet that Kevin acknowledged that he doesn’t not like his stepfather. Even though there is a lot going on in his life and it would be fair for Randall to be stressed, it’s clear that it’s completely crippling him, leaving him staring blankly into space in front of him and unable to move. Kevin bailing on his opening seemed overly predictable, but finding out that he was rushing to the aid of the brother he hasn’t always gotten along with was a considerably more sentimental ending.