THIS IS US: “Memphis”, Music, Love & Loss

We knew it was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. Melissa and Ange discuss this week’s inevitable and heartbreaking episode of This Is Us.

Melissa: We lost William this week. There were tears, of course. Randall cradling William’s face at the end, like Jack did for Randall when he was scared and anxious, that broke me.

Ange: What an episode and boy were there tears! I was thisclose to losing it at the start when the officer’s are at William’s home and telling his mother that his father has been killed but thankfully they remained at bay. But then William’s speech on his deathbed – there went the waterworks! They went up a notch when we had that parallel of Randall holding William’s face like Jack had done so many times for him, And by the time we saw Randall driving and the ducks appeared? I was pretty much ugly crying and reminding myself to breathe!

Melissa: Oh Lord. The ducks. *weeps* I don’t have much more to say about this episode. Seeing William’s life was enjoyable. A father-son road trip was a lovely way to end their brief relationship. I worry about Randall, having lost two fathers now. I also worry because Randall’s biological grandmother died of cancer and his biological father died of cancer.

Ange: This episode was definitely one of the best – I’m tempted to say the best but all this crying is affecting my clarity at the moment. I really enjoyed learning more of William’s backstory and getting more of a context on how/why William turned to drugs before Randall was born. The jamming sessions (featuring both past William and present William) were such a joy to watch. I also think Jermel Nakia, the actor who plays young William is fantastic. I mean Sterling K. Brown and Ron Cephas Jones are phenomenal but considering that we haven’t seen much of young William and he hasn’t had hard-hitting scenes like these two, to have me captivated really is something. I too worry about how Randall is going to cope after losing another father and gosh I did even think about the family history with cancer – show, please don’t go down that road. I don’t think I could withstand it!

Melissa: I’m glad you gave Jermel Nakia a shout out; he really did do a stellar job playing young William. Ron Cephas Jones set the bar high and Nakia delivered. Let’s talk about Beth who was amazing, as usual. And her appearance was too brief, as usual. Now that William is gone, I hope the show gives us more time with Beth and Randall. The doctor’s quip, at the beginning of the episode, about them being adorable, and Randall’s “I know” tell me that the writers know we want more of them!

Ange: We never get enough Beth but this week it was a sacrifice I was okay with for the sake of this episode. I absolutely hope we get to see more of Beth and Randall together, especially with her supporting him in the aftermath of William’s death. Their banter at the doctor’s was such a delight to watch. The way they are in sync with each other – #couplegoals right there. I also loved when they were on the phone when they were at William’s cousin’s bar and she was amused by how he was drunk. Speaking of which, “So you get a cousin, you get a cousin, EVERYBODY GETS A COUSIN!” haha.

Melissa: Drunk Randall is hilarious! I wonder if meeting his cousins will play into future storylines? For now, let’s grieve William’s death and celebrate that he and Randall were able to spend a few months together before the end.

This Is Us rips our hearts out airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.