Randall sits Kevin and Kate down for a very important video chat. He’s coming to New York to talk to Rebecca about a clinical trial that’s in St. Louis for 9 months. He wants Kevin and Kate’s help with getting Rebecca on board. He has Kate’s support but Kevin is on the fence. Eventually, he comes around.
The young Big Three head to New York with Jack and Rebecca. Jack has it all planned out with a schedule and everything. He messes up the trains and they end up in Queens. They’re lost and Rebecca steps in to help. She has experience with the trains and knows the city. Jack feels a little inadequate that he’s a grown man and has never been to New York City. Rebecca always talked about her trips with her family and Jack wants it to be like that. Rebecca notes that those trips weren’t perfect and she wants to be their trip. So they get pretzels off the street and head on their way.
The Pearson family gets to all the places on the kids’ list but it doesn’t look like they’re going to make it to the Met. Jack tells Rebecca to go on and he’ll take care of the kids. When Rebecca gets there, the Met is closed. Jack isn’t going to stand for this. He knows what he has to do. They take a carriage ride through Central Park and Rebecca loves it.
In the teen years, Rebecca is going to New York to see Kevin with Randall and Beth but Kate is staying behind alone. She promises she’s OK after the Mark drama. They go to see Kevin perform a monologue. Rebecca meets his acting teacher, Kirby (Dave Annable). At dinner, Kevin calls Kirby over to have dinner with the family. Kirby compliments Rebecca and suddenly Rebecca bolts. She says she wants to go to the Met. Kirby leaves the table, too. It’s awkward. Kirby sees Rebecca trying to hail a cab. She explains why she was uncomfortable. She wants to know whether or not it’ll ever not feel weird after losing Jack. Kirby didn’t lose someone but he’s been through a divorce. Rebecca knows she’s had a great love but wonders if just having the kids now is enough or if there’s more love for her. Rebecca asks Kirby to go with her to the Met.
Randall asks whether or not Kevin was trying to set Rebecca up with Kirby and Kevin doesn’t deny it. Randall is worried about Rebecca being alone. “Are you going to spend the rest of your life worried about mom?” Kevin asks Randall. Kirby and Rebecca talk as they walk through the park. Rebecca sees a carriage ride and brings it up. Kirby calls it lame. Rebecca immediately says she feels sick and bolts.
Randall makes it to New York and wants to talk to Rebecca now. Kevin doesn’t think it should happen today. She’s so excited about the premiere. Kevin wants to push it to tomorrow morning. At the premiere party, Kevin has to go talk to his co-star which leaves Randall and Rebecca together. Rebecca forgets a word and gets upset. He brings up the clinical trial right then. When Kevin finds out, he is pissed that Randall brought up the clinical trial. Randall accuses Kevin of “abandoning” them. Rebecca leaves to get some air. Randall says he was just trying to give her some hope. “I’ve been taking care of mom for 20 years,” he says. Kevin and Randall start to fight over it all. Kevin says his acting career is what’s paying for Rebecca to get the best medical care, the career that Randall has never taken seriously. When they’re done fighting, they walk outside and Rebecca isn’t there.
She texted them saying she’s at the Met. When they find her, she’s looking at the painting. “My life has been full of next times,” Rebecca says. “Things I always assumed I would get to eventually.” She now realizes she’s running out of time to do them. She wants to spend however many good years she has left with her family and trying new things. She’s not going to do the trial.
“This could have saved her life,” Randall tells Kevin when Rebecca steps away. Kevin says this is what Rebecca wants and they need to respect that. Randall asks Kevin if he ever thinks about what would have happened if Jack didn’t die. Randall thinks about it “every single day,” while Kevin says he hasn’t thought about it. “Now I had a chance to save mom and you blew it,” Randall says.