What I’m Watching: This Is Us

This Is Us: Season 3, Episode 10 “The Last Seven Weeks” (B+)

I’ll admit, there is something clever about having an episode with this title that actually serves to summarize the amount of time that this show has been off the air for its winter hiatus. I’m not usually fond of the structure of this show, starting from an endpoint and then working backwards to explain the big shocks, but doing it all in one episode is actually more appealing. It was affirming to see that, for once, everything is actually looking pretty good right now, even if there are some loose ends that need to be tied up as a result of the latest developments. Kevin telling Zoe that he’s supposed to be giving her space and seeing how the congressman she broke up with over e-mail reacted to seeing her again were the ultimate red herrings, leading to the heartwarming decision that Zoe was going to give this relationship a shot after all. The same was true of Randall and Beth, who appeared to be on the outs but ended up doing fine after the reverend convinced Randall to spend more time with his family, before essentially endorsing him in front of his entire church. His victory is going to be a challenge, but it should provide some interesting direction for his very driven character. Toby labeling his box of valuable Star Wars action figures with letters that could easily be mistaken for the word “donations” was his fault, but Kate showed just how committed to getting them back she was before they both got to enjoy the opportunity to make new memories with their family even if they can’t pass along lost elements of their childhood. The news that Jack knew that his brother was alive is puzzling, and I’m wondering how Rebecca is going to take that when she finds out.