THIS IS US: Six Things We Need To Talk About From “Katie Girls”

From symbolism to flashbacks, just like Miguel’s comments in the group text chain, NBC’s THIS IS US was SO on point in its latest episode. As per usual, we could spend all day talking about how well written and how well acted this show is, but here are our main takeaways from the episode that we NEED to discuss!

Randall, Kate and the great debate

The end of the previous episode didn’t exactly end on the happiest note with Randall pretty hurt about hearing Kate’s comment that she was the family’s last hope of Jack living on beyond The Big Three. This latest episode didn’t waste any time addressing the tension between the two siblings with them hashing it out during Kevin’s movie premiere. (Ah guys, tonight isn’t about you!) Now I was all Team Randall last week but Kate presented some pretty good points and I think I’m Switzerland now. Thankfully the tension between the two is resolved when Randall makes ‘the most Dad move ever’ flying cross country (after a pep talk from Beth of course) to be there for Kate when she wakes from her IVF surgery. It really is something Jack would do, hey? Side note, can we also talk about the exchange between Randall and Toby as they shared about their mental health. What a great scene!

Beth takes a hit

Also a Jack move, taking action and helping others, which is what Randall intends to do when he decides to run for councilman. Too bad the timing isn’t the greatest with Beth losing her job after 12 years. We’re so used to seeing Beth as this fierce and confident woman so I’m interested to see how this affects her. As terrible as it is to see Beth take a hit, it did bring two lovely moments in this ep – one the revelation that she, Toby and Miguel have their own text chain, mostly filled with gifs (and which I’m sure will be going off once Beth shares the news that Randall is running for council) and a flashback to her and William having a heart-to-heart after Randall had his breakdown in season one. This show is so good at connecting moments from the past!

Like father, like son?

Speaking of connecting with the past, poor Kevin is feeling pretty bad when he comes to the realisation while doing press for his new movie that he doesn’t know much about his dad’s time in Vietnam. It was something that Jack didn’t like to talk about and seeing as we’ve seen how Kevin doesn’t like to talk about his feelings a lot of the time, he is very much his father’s son more than he thinks. Coupled with guilt and some childhood memories, Kevin ends up reaching out to some men that he believed served with his father in a quest to get answers.

Three Kates and a dad

This episode cemented all of The Big Three in the present now having shared moments with Jack when Kate and her two younger selves share ice cream with him while present Kate is under anaesthesia. This show I tell you, all the feels! How great was it to see the three versions of Kate together too and also how maternal present Kate was towards her younger selves. I really hope that the IVF works out!

Mystery man revealed!

Rebecca’s mysterious suitor was addressed this week – turns out he’s her high school sweetheart, Alan, returning to town after a couple of years abroad. I was slightly relieved that mystery man Alan (played by Hunter Parrish) wasn’t as big of an obstacle as we thought. And then all that talk of having that feeling? The magic of love ain’t dead, folks! Side note, I also appreciated the fact that Alan’s mom encouraged Rebecca to stay true to her feeling rather than try and push her to be with her son. That’s true parenting and looking out for your child’s best interests right there!

The symbolism!

While on the subject of Jack and Rebecca and how they’re basically #couplegoals, I also loved the symbolism of the simple act of washing dishes during the episode – we see Rebecca’s mom do it at the start of the episode because that was what was expected of her, Jack doing them in the flashback which if you think about it, would have been a rare feat during the ’70s, to Rebecca helping him and showing them as equals. Oh, this show!

THIS IS US airs Tuesday 10/9/c on NBC.

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