Randall & Kevin
It’s our first official look at the Big Three as teenagers! Randall and Kevin are still sharing a room…and they’re NOT getting along. A big fight even leads Kevin to move rooms into the basement. Randall tries to make peace with his big brother, but Kevin isn’t having it. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch Kevin tell Randall to “get a life” and then kick him out of his room! Things come to a head when the guys’ schools are playing each other in football, and Randall takes his frustration out by brutally tackling Kevin and they fight on the field.
In the present day, though, Kevin is getting a little too comfortable living in his little brother’s home (sorry, Beth!), but it’s quickly revealed that there’s still some weirdness and competition between them. The guys get put into a pretty awkward situation when Rebecca and Miguel cancel on a family dinner and they’re forced to go out alone. Randall feels totally out of place at the loud restaurant Kevin chooses. There’s a majorly uncomfortable moment where Randall reveals he doesn’t know a series regular on Kevin’s show The Manny, and then Kevin finds out his brother never even saw an episode! It leads him to walk out of the dinner, leaving Kevin alone at the table.
The guys get into a fight in the middle of the street, and everything is brought to the table. Kevin complains that Rebecca always cared more about Randall because he was adopted, and Randall recalls how his brother treated him like “dirt.” It’s a war of words, and then things even get physical, as they tackle each other to the ground, just like during that football game so many years ago.
The fight ends when they get interrupted by a crowd of passerbys (hey, Seth Meyers!), and Kevin lets everyone know he’s okay and that Randall’s his brother. After a silent car ride home, Randall admits that Rebecca did favor him when they were growing up, and points out to Kevin that earlier in the night was the first time he EVER called Randall “my brother.” Awkward.
At the end of the episode, Beth grows so fed up with Kevin, she moves him down to the basement, just like old times. But instead of kicking his brother out like he did in the past, Kevin invites Randall to stay downstairs with him, and everything’s come full circle as they watch reruns of The Manny together.
Beth & William
With Kevin and Randall out for a boys’ night, Beth is left at home alone with her husband’s biological father. She lets William know that marijuana helped her father when he was sick with cancer, and she shocks him by revealing she has some hidden away in the house!
Once the girls are asleep, Beth and Randall indulge in weed brownies, and they get into deep conversation. He admits he’s sad to die because he’s been alone his whole life…until Randall and Beth took him in. He finally has people to wake up to every morning.
But the brownies are clearly taking a toll on William. When he and Beth both recite the same poem, she explains that she read it in a book of Randall’s, and, without thinking, William says, “Oh yeah, the one I gave Rebecca.” Of course, Randall and Beth have no idea about Rebecca and William’s meeting back in the day, so she’s beyond shocked and ANGRY. She doesn’t tell her husband yet, though, and instead leaves Rebecca a voicemail, hoping to talk about it — but we’ll have to wait until next week to see how that turns out.
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Kate
Despite working out, counting calories and eating healthier than ever, Kate is still struggling to lose weight, and she’s totally defeated to find out that Toby isn’t having any trouble. But she grows concerned when she shows up to his apartment and finds it strewn with pizza and junk food after he goes on a celebratory binge. He tells her that he doesn’t want to diet anymore, and she’s disappointed that they won’t be going on the journey together.
However, he makes good on his promise not to indulge in front of her, even turning down dessert while they’re out to dinner. Kate is willing to sacrifice, too, though, and lets him know she’ll just have to “handle it” as he stuffs his face with an ice cream sundae. Eventually, though, Kate loses her willpower, diving in on powdered donuts while at a gas station alone.
Jack & Rebecca
In the 90s, Rebecca and Jack are having some troubles. Rebecca wants Jack to go with her to Randall and Kevin’s football game, but he’s too busy with work. While working late at the office, Jack shares his worries over their problems with Miguel: He forgot to kiss Rebecca goodbye that morning for the first time in 18 years! Meanwhile, Rebecca’s trying to get back into singing after taking a ten year hiatus, and she even has a rehearsal with an old friend.
Luckily, Jack is able to make it to the football game, where Kevin and Randall are on opposite teams, but his and Rebecca’s struggles are seen once again — she’s noticeably frustrated when they get interrupted as she’s telling him about her rehearsal. At home that night, the two reveal just how out of sync they are, as she eats dinner alone and he goes to sleep. But, don’t worry, we still get to see the couple in better times, as the episode ends with flashbacks of them through happier times, and we’re left hoping they can get back to that place.
HollywoodLifers, what did you think of tonight’s episode of This Is Us?