Finally, we get to see what makes Toby tick. This week on This Is Us is all about Toby and his tumultuous childhood. When we open, it’s the late 1980s, and Toby’s just a kid who has to listen to his parents fight. It’s clear that his mother is depressed and stressed, and Toby uses humor as a coping mechanism. He can make her laugh! Plus, he does one hell of a Rodney Dangerfield impression. In the present day, he and Kate have discovered that one of her eggs was viable to be fertilized, and now they must ply the waiting game again. Something about having a kid is bringing forward old trauma for Toby, who starts to lose it.
We learn that Toby’s been skipping his doctor’s appointments and therapy sessions, and that his struggles with untreated depression are what ruined his first marriage. It was so bad after the divorce that he moved back in with his mother and didn’t get out of bed for months. His recovery actually had only just begun right before he met Kate at their overeating group. Somewhere along the way, he spiraled out of control. That’s why, when Kate tells him that she’s pregnant(!!), he has a complete emotional breakdown. Luckily, he has his rock, Kate, to help him beat this. She’s already on the phone with his doctor getting emergency care.
Elsewhere, Randall is moving forward with running for city council…and it’s not going well. Basically, he gets run out of town. Kevin and Zoe head to Baltimore to meet with one of Jack’s buddies from Vietnam. And Rebecca falls in love with Miguel. Back in the day, Miguel fueled his not-so subtle crush on Rebecca by buying her a piano and fixing her fridge. It’s all so sweet! The kids aren’t exactly his biggest fans, but damn if he’s trying. He’s a good enough bro that he even lets Kevin crash for the night after he gets obliterated at prom.
This Is Us airs Mondays at 9:00pm on NBC.