What I’m Watching: This Is Us

This Is Us: Season 4, Episode 13 “A Hell of a Week: Part Three” (B+)

These three-parters which explore the similar experiences of the big three are always enlightening, and the continued focus on the insecurities of children that carried over into adulthood was very informative. When we first met Marc, he seemed nice enough, but it seemed unlikely that things would end well for Kate to go down the path that she did. Feeling shown up by her impressive knowledge at the record store and trying to limit her candy bar consumption were warning signs of problematic behavior, but that wasn’t sufficient preparation for his freak-out in the car that found him both driving very dangerously and leaving Kate on the side of the road. Much more worrisome was the fact that, after crying on the phone to her mom, Kate hung up and seemed to accept Marc showing up with a blanket as an apology. Rebecca coming with Kevin and Randall to get her means she’ll be safe but may also inform her fractured relationship with her mother later in life. It was sweet that Rebecca showed up to go to the retreat with Kate and go swimming with her, which then turned into her opening up about her memory problems. It’s deeply troubling that Kate felt like she could call Gregory to share her excitement about what she was experiencing rather than Toby, but hopefully the time he’ll spend with Jack on his own will help send them in the right direction to repair their relationship. We also know that Kate and Kevin soon won’t be talking to Randall, but it’s still not clear why that is.