Happy Halloween! The Pearsons had one memorable Halloween in 1990. The spooky holiday was full of memorable moments and reveals. First and foremost, let’s talk about those costumes. Randall is Michael Jackson, Kevin is a bum, and Kate switches at the last minute because she wants to be Sandy from Grease. Jack fully supports Kate’s change of costume, even though Rebecca just finished Kate’s vet costume. Rebecca begs Jack to stop saying yes to anything Kate wants. He’s not readying Kate for the real world. If Kate doesn’t learn that no is an answer, then she’s going to be left heartbroken one day. Jack brings up a good point that Rebecca is equally overprotective of Randall. Jack and Rebecca dress up as Sonny and Cher before taking their kids out for trick or treating. Randall has it all planned out so they can get the most candy, but Kevin and Kate gang up against him. Kate decides to take Randall, while Jack takes Kevin and Kate.
Kate goes looking for Billy, her first real crush. Kevin tells Jack that there’s no way that Billy will say yes to holding Kate’s hand in the haunted house. Kevin and Jack fear that Kate’s going to get rejected. Billy does end up holding Kate’s hand, but Kevin gave Billy all his Halloween candy to make sure his sister’s heart didn’t get broken.
After trick or treating at one house, Randall comes back to Rebecca with some important questions. The family at the house told Randall about Kyle. Rebecca decides to tell Randall about his brother, after Randall believes he was just the second choice. “You’re not instead of anything,” Rebecca says. “You are the way it was always supposed to be.”
Randall Comes Through
It’s 2008 now. Randall and Beth are getting ready for the birth of their first child. This is all happening two months after Randall’s breakdown. Beth is worried about the pressure Randall is putting on himself, but she knows that he’ll come through.
Rebecca arrives to help Randall and Beth with their impending arrival. Beth expresses her worry about Randall to Rebecca, who urges Beth to keep her hopes up. Randall is stronger than he looks. Even though he’s trying to hide it, Randall is still feeling the impact from his breakdown. When he can’t get the baby’s ceiling fan to work, he goes to the hardware store at the last minute to get a new one. The sales associate admits he questioned everything as well when he was preparing for the arrival of his first little one. He tells Randall that babies will give him all the answers he’s been looking for.
Beth goes into labor while Randall is at the hardware store. The ambulance is on its way, but the baby’s not going to wait. Randall comes through when Beth needs him the most. He delivers their daughter in their living room like he was born to do it. After the birth of her first grandchild, Rebecca feels a little down. The happiest moments in her life after Jack will always be a little sad because he’s not there and never will be, at least not physically. This fact is heartbreaking, to say the least.
‘He’s Not Coming Back’
Meanwhile, Kate is working as a waitress in Pittsburgh. She’s in night school and taking things day by day. She has one returning customer that really likes her. When she meets up with him later, he wants to go someplace quieter. After sleeping together, Kate figures out he’s married.
While Kate is working as a waitress, Kevin is washing hair and whining about his lack of acting work. He’s so desperate for a job that he low-key tries to steal his friend’s job. Kevin puts a bad taste in one producer’s mouth, who vows never to work with Kevin.
Kate and Kevin rush to Randall and Beth’s side after the birth of their baby girl. They both realize they don’t have it all together yet. Kate’s sleeping with a married man, while Kevin hasn’t had an audition in a year. For Kate, she’s refusing to take the next step in her life because of her father’s death. “He’s gone, okay?” Kevin says to her. “And he’s not coming back. Even if you sit there in the exact same spot that you were when he left, he’s not coming back.” Wait, did Kevin just admit that Jack died in the house fire? Kate has been driving to the place where the Pearson house once stood and just looks at it from a distance. Kevin’s words could mean something entirely different, but he makes it seem like Kate could have watched her father die.
New Beginnings
Rebecca goes to see her granddaughter, mirroring the moment when she met Randall for the first time. “You think you’re at the beginning of your journey, but you also began a long time ago,” Rebecca tells baby Tess. “Do you know that? ‘Cause I was there and somebody else was there, too. Somebody really good. And we lost a baby, and we thought it was an ending, but it was also a beginning.” Jack may not be in the now with the rest of the family, but he’s still a part of their lives. He’s going to be a part of every single moment.
The Pearsons all seem to be ready for their next beginning. For Rebecca, her next beginning starts when she gets on Facebook. Miguel sends her a message and asks how she’s been these past 8 years. Rebecca responds to Miguel, setting in the motion the next phase of her life.
HollywoodLifers, what did you think of tonight’s This Is Us? Let us know!