Throughout the first half of Season 2 of This Is Us, we saw hints of a lifelong distance between Kevin and Rebecca. Blame it on the fact that Rebecca seems to spout monologues about her adoration of Randall on a weekly basis, or consider how Kate idolizes her father to the point of watching football games with his ashes, but we could all tell that Kevin was a lone wolf in the family. In “Number One,” audiences saw teenage Kevin clash severely with his parents, but this week’s episode, “The Fifth Wheel,” dropped the bombshell that Kevin had felt like an extreme outsider for his entire life.
Following that shocking ending of “Number Three” (my heart is still recovering), the Pearsons in the present day made the trek to Kevin’s rehab center for a group therapy session. What began as a rather lighthearted visit quickly turned solemn when only Rebecca, Randall and Kate were invited to join Kevin and his therapist. Not only did this leave the awkward trio of Beth, Miguel and Toby to bond, the situation put the OG Pearsons in an isolated place without reminders of their current lives. You know how no matter how old you are, you always revert to being 12 years old when you’re at your childhood home? In this therapy session, the Big Three are mature versions of their younger selves, stuck in a room with their mother. They have no partners or children around. All that’s missing in this moment is Jack.
This Is Us managed to produce an episode where the intense family therapy was its highlight but not its only important scene. While I’ll never stop campaigning for Mandy Moore’s Emmy nomination, the cast as a whole played with my emotions like a fiddle. Once you’ve calmed down and thrown out your tissues from Tuesday night, remind yourself of these five particular moments that made my heart break.
1. Randall and Rebecca’s responses to the therapist’s suggestion of talking about Jack
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Ever since we learned about the extent of Kevin’s struggle with addiction, I’ve wondered how Rebecca would respond to it. She obviously went through emotional turmoil dealing with Jack’s alcoholism, and it didn’t occur to her that her son would have a similar experience. When Kevin’s therapist gently brought up discussing Jack and his imperfection, Rebecca’s face almost turned stony. Randall, who usually seems the most accepting about Jack’s death, also showed weakness, saying in a small voice, “Oh, God, do we have to?” The moment proved that no one fully recovered from the loss of Jack, even the family members who appear the most adjusted.
2. Miguel’s defense of Jack when Beth complained they can never live up to him
Admit it, you were a little skeptical about Miguel, Toby and Beth being left alone together while the Pearsons had their session. A weird part of me keeps thinking Miguel will turn into a character like Parks and Recreation’s Jerry, but then I remember I’m not watching a sitcom. But given the lack of depth we’ve seen from Miguel so far, it’s not surprising that I felt this way. The new Big Three’s bonding moment changed that when a slightly tipsy Beth spoke about the Pearson spouses never being able to break past the original family’s tight bond. When she talked about Jack being untouchable and the spouses’ inability to live up to him, Miguel stepped in, telling her, “Easy, now you’re in my no-fly zone.”
Later, he said of the triplets and Rebecca, “Those four lived through something… the loss of the best man anyone of us would ever know, That’s why they get to be on the inside.” You may be unsure of Miguel because, after all, he did marry his best friend’s wife, but he is still fiercely loyal to Jack. His brief moments in this episode also gave us insight into how he lived with the Pearsons for the past decade — in a way, he was always like the friend visiting them, with a polite wall of security between him and the others.
3. Kevin telling his family that he always felt like the fifth wheel
“Number One” introduced the concept of Kevin never feeling enough for his father, but this week, those feelings intensified with his admission that he always felt like his family’s outsider. Randall and Rebecca were always very protective of each other, while Kate and Jack had their own special bond. As a teenager, Kevin seemed to never need his family because he was busy with his girlfriend and football. In actuality, his big achievements in sports and acting were used to drown out his insecurities. Perhaps it was the need to feel more connected to his family, but the therapy talk shifted into Kevin suggesting that Kate is also an addict. Interestingly, Kate lashed out at the therapist rather than Kevin in response, emphasizing Beth’s point about the Pearsons’ bond being so complex.
4. Rebecca calling out the therapist for zoning in on Jack’s addiction…
Guys, Mandy Moore is just killing it this season. I thought she had reached her episode peak in the shot of Rebecca crying quietly as she rocked back and forth, but that was only the beginning. She was never totally onboard with the family therapy, so her reluctance added to her defensive nature. Rebecca refused to let the therapist emphasize the flaws of the kids’ childhoods, sharing that she never had a (perhaps needed) conversation with the Big Three about Jack’s addiction. Who can say if that was the right thing to do when their father passed before they even finished high school? Either way, Rebecca saying that Jack was so much more than an addict felt universal, telling viewers that their worst flaws don’t define them.
5. …and her revealing that Randall was “easier” than Kevin was.
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The conversation started with a shaky but solid Rebecca defending Jack’s legacy, but it quickly flew out of control. Kevin’s temper began to boil over, and as a result, Rebecca finally cracked, revealing that Kevin’s distance was greatly felt. We even found out that he moved away soon after Jack died, hinting that this was when he left for California. In his absence, Randall filled in as Rebecca’s comforter, which explained so much about the kids’ adult relationships with their mom. If a lump didn’t form in your throat when Rebecca blew up, we can’t be friends.
The show’s return was a perfect dose of humor and heartache, and next week may be similar. Thumbs up for baby steps toward showing us that Miguel is human!