What I’m Watching: This Is Us

This Is Us: Season 2, Episode 15 “The Car” (B+)

Every once in a while this show just doesn’t feature any scenes in the present and spends its entire hour in the past, which feels like an appropriate thing to do after the audience finally saw Jack die and now needs to appropriately grieve him. I think this was definitely the way to do it, showing him in crucial moments with all three of his children and with his wife that they took to heart and held onto when they had to mourn his untimely demise. Kevin learning how to tie a tie, Randall learning how to drive, and Kate getting a ride to Alanis Morissette while she was skipping school were all formative experiences, each emblematic of the closeness that the children enjoyed with their father. Kevin being upset at Randall for wearing Jack’s watch at the funeral was also fair since we already know that the sports star turned actor had a complicated relationship with his parents since he was the most difficult child. Jack negotiating for the Wagoneer once he saw that all the kids really wanted it was a sweet act of devotion, and I’m sure we’ll continue to see those as we get to know Jack more and more since this show won’t ever let him die due to its flashback nature. The most sentimental scene, however, was Dr. K’s return, in which he revealed to Rebecca that Jack would frequently stop by the hospital to ask for advice when the kids were growing up, showing that he wasn’t getting through fatherhood as easily as he made it seem.