THIS IS US: “The Big Day” Brings Stress, Grief, Love

This Is Us took us back to 1980 this week, giving us an entire episode set in the 24 (or so) hours before, during, and after the Big Three arrived. Join Ange and Melissa as they discuss this new perspective on “The Big Day”.

Ange: So usually I tear up during an ep but dear Lord I was bawling during this week’s ep, and now with the announcement that the show has been picked up for TWO more seasons, well I guess I better get used to it!

Melissa: Two more seasons of emotional catharsis. Better stock up on tissues!

This episode was all flashbacks, taking us back to the day the Big Three arrived. Thoughts on the timing of this episode?

Ange: So I know there are some people out there who thought it was weird that we were going back to the time frame of the pilot more than halfway into the season, but I think if anything, the fact that we are so deep into the season now made the episode have more of an impact. We’ve gotten to know the characters and become invested in their lives that I feel like I bawled my eyes out in this episode because of that. Had this episode aired after the pilot, I’m not sure I would have reacted the same way. Watching this ep and in particular hearing things the things Jack said at the golf club about wanting all the time in the world with his family and now knowing that he has passed and won’t get that – that knowledge pretty much kills me inside. I think it’s also interesting that the entire episode was set in the past over the course of a 24 hour or so period.

Melissa: I am 100% on board with this episode. I needed a break from the Big Three’s grown up drama, you know? I was also curious whether a full episode of Jack and Rebecca would hold up or if we’d be exhausted with them by the end of it. I’m happy to report that, at least for me, an hour with Jack and Rebecca was lovely. Are we ready to crown them Best TV Couple yet? (Randall and Beth are in the running, but I need to spend more time with Beth before handing them the crown.)

It turns out Jack’s 36th birthday didn’t start out so great. What surprised you about the day? What didn’t surprise you?

Ange: I can’t believe Rebecca forgot his birthday! I liked that they kind of turned what we saw in the pilot on its head with the whole muffin thing and gave it a whole other backstory that we wouldn’t have known or thought about. In the pilot I just assumed that Rebecca had baked a bunch of cupcakes for Jack’s birthday and this was just one of them, not that she had to be resourceful and it was really just a store bought (from a liquor store no less) banana muffin and she iced it using the inside of Twinkies. (Which by the way is totally genius!)

Melissa: I was pleasantly surprised that we got to see the sexy birthday cupcake scene from a new perspective. It was an endearing scene in the pilot, introducing us to Rebecca and Jack and their amazing relationship. Seeing it from the start, though, made it even better. I’m not surprised that Rebecca forgot Jack’s birthday. Pregnant with triplets in high summer, living in an unfinished house, yeah, I can see that his birthday slipped her mind. But Jack being Jack was understanding and gave her some space. He bought himself a birthday present – a video camera so he could record his wife and children, the loves of his life. And Rebecca realized what she’d done and set about making it better. These two. #RelationshipGoals

We saw a day in the life of Dr. K, without his wife. We also got a glimpse into the life of the fire fighter who brought Randall to the hospital. Does knowing more about these peripheral characters enrich the show, or were you wishing the time was spent on other storylines?

Ange: I love Dr K and get so excited every time I see Gerald McRaney so I don’t know if I’m biased if I say yes more of these characters, yes they add to the show. I found it super interesting that they gave the firefighter a back story and showed that he was more involved with Randall than we thought – he didn’t just bring him to the hospital, he contemplated keeping him himself to save his marriage. I wasn’t expecting that but I liked that the show decided to give us that. I think in a way, giving these peripheral characters more of a backstory and getting to get a glimpse into their lives, it in a sense captures the spirit of the show. It makes me think back to the episode with Kevin’s painting and his monologue – this is us, we are all people going through life and dealing what is thrown at us and in some way we are all connected together.

Melissa: They were beautifully woven into the story, weren’t they? I found the firefighter’s story to be unexpectedly interesting, too. And Dr. K’s story – well, we knew from the pilot that he was an amazing man, but knowing he was grieving for his wife while giving Jack words of wisdom to deal with the loss of one of the babies was…well, I’m tearing up again. I hope we see more of him, especially as a positive role model for Jack who so far just knows how not to behave as a husband and father. He’s doing pretty good so far, but it couldn’t hurt to have a mentor.

And Ange, I agree that this episode underscored how we’re all connected. The births of these babies, all four of them, ended up touching more lives than Rebecca and Jack could ever guess.

Favorite line/scene?

Ange: Favorite line – definitely Rebecca’s “Thanks again for the bathroom sex at Froggy’s, Jack!” – that just cracked me up. In terms of scenes, I’m always a big sucker for the emotional monologue scenes, which in this episode had me crying like a baby – Rebecca’s speech to the babies that Jack ends up filming (with no sound), Dr K’s life gives you lemon speech, his talk to his late wife at the grave and at the dining table. I’m getting the feels just thinking about all this again!

Melissa: Rebecca yelling that out the door made me laugh, along with her telling him that she loves him soooo much, but he better get out of her house right. now. The scenes that stood out to me were Jack telling Miguel and his golfing buddies that he doesn’t want to escape from from his family (how did Milo manage that without sounding self-righteous????), and Rebecca’s precious words to the babies.

MVP?

Ange: While Mandy Moore and Gerald McRaney had me bawling my eyes out this week, I’d also like to acknowledge the writers and Dan Fogelman for an incredibly well written episode and making us feel week after week. I now come to expect to shed a tear or two or in this week’s case more than that, but week after week I am impressed by how the show keeps lifting its game and continues to make us feel (and also continue to cement and elevate Jack Pearson as best father and husband ever).

Melissa: Shout out to the writers. Absolutely. Do you think they spend all day weeping in the writer’s room? For performances, this was Mandy Moore’s award submission episode. She is a constant revelation on this show. The entire cast, save maybe Sterling K. “Give Him All the Awards” Brown, are acting circles around anything they’ve done before, every single week. Is this lightning in a bottle?

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.