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By the end of This Is Us‘ current and final season, The Big Three likely will lose their mom. And in this week’s episode, an amuse-bouche of the sadness to come, Pearson patriarch Jack loses his.
The hour takes place entirely in flashback, with Jack leaving Rebecca and the kids in Pennsylvania while he treks to Ohio to attend Marilyn Pearson’s funeral. All of that alone time kicks up lots of capital-F Feelings for Jack; relatedly, Milo Ventimiglia is pretty damn great throughout.
Read on for the highlights of “Don’t Let Me Keep You,” and make sure to check out our post-episode chat with Ventimiglia, too.
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE | As Jack looks through his closet for something appropriate to wear to his mother’s funeral, he muses about their weekly Sunday phone calls, which she always would end by saying, “Don’t let me keep you.” As is the way of these things, he can’t quite believe she’s gone. “It doesn’t seem real,” he tells Rebecca.
Marilyn had been living with her relative Debbie in Ohio, where Jack moved her after she left his father all those years ago. He’s going to make the trip alone; it’s a long drive, and there’s a snowstorm coming in. Rebecca protests, wanting to be there for him, but he gently shuts her down, saying the kids didn’t really know his mom at all.
When he arrives in Ohio, Debbie — his mom’s cousin, played by The Practice‘s Camryn Manheim — doesn’t exactly shower him with her condolences. “Look who finally showed up,” she says. “Only took you 13 years.”
As we learn during Jack’s stay at Debbie’s, she’s right: He never visited his mother after she left Pittsburgh. And, partially because she was afraid to be in Jack’s abusive dad’s physical radius, she only came to stay with him and Rebecca when the kiddos were about a year old. Jack is surprised to learn that, rather than the mess he expected, his mother had already seen to everything regarding her memorial service. The only major task left is for someone to write a eulogy, and Jack says he’ll do it.
MARILYN’S OTHER LIFE | Jack soon finds out that his mom had a boyfriend named Mike, who lived nearby, and they shared a cat named (and forgive my enthusiasm, but this is perfection) Cat Benetar! Mike has a fun moustache and is super into WWF, and he surprises Jack by knowing all about Rebecca and the kids. Marilyn was proud of her family, he tells Jack. “She looks happy,” Jack says, uneasily poring over the snapshots Mike hands him. “She was. We were,” Mike says, tearing up. He then tells Jack that Marilyn thought her older son was her hero, because “You were the one that got her out of that house.” This rankles Jack, who mutters that he knew nothing about her life and then leaves.
The next day, Jack joins Debbie, Mike and another of Marilyn’s friends for a round of her favorite drink — 7&7s — at the local bar. Everyone but Jack shares happy stories of the woman they loved; later, a slightly inebriated Jack goes back to Debbie’s and does the thing he’d said he didn’t want to do: He calls his father.
“Three days ago, Mom had an aneurysm and she died,” he says bluntly. His dad, clearly affected, asks when the funeral is. “I wasn’t inviting you,” Jack spits back. With the alcohol loosening his tongue, Jack unleashes on his pop. “My whole life I never really knew her. She had a real life out here, and I never saw it,” he says. “And now she’s dead, and I missed the whole thing because of you.” Jack then forbids Stanley from attending the funeral. “I’ll do what I damn well please,” his dad says, hanging up.
SURPRISE GUESTS | Jack is having a tough time writing the eulogy, and a phone call to Rebecca jogs some more of his memories. He recalls a wintry day when he broke his sled on a steep hill, then his mom helped him hide it from his dad and she made him tomato soup and hot dogs for lunch. He also remembers her telling him that he should bring the kids for the visit so they can go ice-skating on the pond near Debbie’s home.
Still, on the day of the service, it’s not clear what he’s actually prepared to say — and the idea of his dad showing up has Jack on edge. He’s just started speaking at the lectern when the door opens… but it’s Rebecca and the kids, who’ve surprised him. Jack then gives a brutally honest speech about his tough upbringing, and how he went on to create a better life for himself. So did Marilyn, he goes on, adding that she filled her life with new details “worth remembering.” He points out how Rebecca and the kids gave him a new sense of home, and he thanks everyone there for doing that for his mom. “OK Ma,” he says in closing, “don’t let me keep you.”
‘I DON’T HAVE A MOM’ | With the service and his speech behind him, and with his family nearby, Jack is visibly relieved. Mike plays WWF with the kids. Debbie embarrasses Jack by noting that his mom read the racy Clan of the Cave Bear three times. (I think it was issued to you if you were female in the 1980s.) They all take the kids skating on the pond, with The Big Three wearing skates their grandma bought them for a visit just like this. It’s sweet.
Back in Pennsylvania, Jack makes tomato soup and hot dogs for Kate, Randall and Kevin, flashes back to eating the same meal with his mom, and hastily exits the kitchen before his kids see him cry. Rebecca follows him. “I don’t have a mom anymore,” is all he can get out before he starts sobbing. She holds him for a moment before he inhales sharply a few times and wipes his eyes, and then pulls himself together as quickly as he’d come apart. They walk back into the kitchen and sit with the kids, who are oblivious.
Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!
I’ve been critical of the show lately, but credit where credit is due – this was an excellent episode. I wish it came sooner than the final season since there’s a lot of other stuff to get through and because I had a hard time remembering the timeline of Jack’s family events and where this fit in since it’s been a while. But it was great and Milo was fantastic. Jack’s eulogy was the best scene I thought.
Only complaint – no mention at all of Nicky? I know Jack had not seen him yet after Vietnam, but they knew he was alive right? Or did only Jack know and his mother thought he was dead? I get this was Jack’s hour, but more than a little strange Nicky wouldn’t be mentioned by someone.
Very glad we’re getting some post-Jack Miguel/Rebecca time next week!
It goes to show what a jerk Jack was. He told his dad that his mother died and blamed his dad for not being able to know his mother, when Jack was to blame for never visiting her until she died! Jack knew his brother was still alive yet didn’t bother to tell him their mom died… but told the father whom he hated? Was he really that hateful? I wish they would return Jack back to season 1 through 3 Jack and not this jerk he has become over the last 3 seasons.
Ann, I agree, this episode further emphasized what an awful person Jack was. That eulogy just made me cringe! He’s been no where in his mother’s live for almost 15 years, she’s found happiness from others, and he used her funeral to whine about his childhood? Ugh.
And where was his brother in those flashbacks eating soup and weenies? Why wasn’t he called about Marilyn? I really, really did not like anything about this episode, except the cousin, i sensed she was holding something back.
I thought the eulogy was beautiful. I don’t think it showed that he was a “jerk”. I think he was coming to terms with his past, a padt in which he couldn’t find closure. He loved his mother, and he was consumed with guilt because she had built a beautiful life that he knew nothing about. He was consumed with guilt because never got to know her grandkids. I thought it was a beautiful episode.
Spot on! :)
Totally agree, Nancy.
I agree with you Nancy. I think the message that is missed here is how much our parents affect our “growth”. Jack was hurting as the oldest son and how even though he helped his mom get out, like he said in the eulogy, they had parts that were still in that house that made it difficult. He was not a jerk.
As someone who married someone who came from an abusive household and he’s the oldest, he still carries a pain that as the oldest, he didn’t do more. I think Jack carried that as well. I think the episode was beautiful.
In the end – we (those who have lost a mother), felt that raw pain he finally released when realization settled – his mom is gone.
M. Cortese, I question why it took Jack ten+ years to get his mother out. Did he even try all those years? He was flat broke, had no home of his own, when he finally stepped up and did something.
I agree. Where was Nicky in the sledding and playing in the snow scenes? And during the eulogy, Jack said it was just the “two of them” (he and his mom) surviving that house together. What about Nicky? And apparently no thought to call Nicky to let him know his mother had died. I know they were estranged, but more estranged than Jack and his dad?
Didn’t Jack tell everyone Nicky was dead? That would be why no one called him….
Why wasn’t Nick included in this? Was great otherwise.
Did he even know where Nicky was at that point?
I was disappointed in Jack. He was a terrible son. He couldn’t be bothered and couldn’t make sure his kids knew their grandparents. Rebecca same.
Totally agree.
Dear Ann, adults who were raised through trauma and don’t get help are really at a loss and frequently stalled in no action. Give them some grace:)
Wow, this is spot on – “Frequently stalled in no action” . That’s exactly what I feel like I’ve done in terms of trying to balance my past memories of childhood with having a relationship with my parents as an adult. Thank you for sharing that.
Wow. You are just a ray of positivity! Thanks for sharing.
Sorry, but this episode was every bit as boring as I thought it was going to be.
Exactly. This was just a filler episode. A full hour that does absolutely nothing to progress the storyline and it doesn’t even tie loose ends that we were wondering about. If this story must be told, it could have been cut down to about 20 minutes and given us a B plot to this episode.
Unbelievable. A filler episode??? This was the best episode in all six seasons of “This Is Us.” For that matter, it may have been the best hour of series television of all time. Incredible writing, superb acting and directing.
Hats off to the creative team of “This Is Us.” I will rewatch this episode many, many times in the future.
And it really sets up the feelings that the “Big Three” will endure when each of them walks away from the table after Rebecca’s coming death and proclaims to their loved one, “I don’t have a Mom anymore.”
Tear ducts open up when Rebecca and kids show up… I agree it was a terrific episode and glad not to have adult Big 3.. The best part of this show has always been Jack and Rebecca time periods…
You’re exaggerating a little. The best episode is still William’s death because the show built up to that point and earned a jerker episode. Or maybe Jack’s death was a better episode. I can name plenty more better than this. In all cases, the sad moment was earned by building up a narrative over several seasons.
Jack’s mom was only in maybe 3 episodes and referenced in fewer. So, I agree to disagree there. It was a waste of an episode. Did you seriously watch the show for 6 years wondering what happened to Jack’s mom? I bet she wasn’t even on your radar. It’s obvious she died at some point in the past, so there was no need to have an entire episode devoted to it. It could have been a 30 minute episode intertwined with another narrative. This is why it is a filler episode. Next up, I guess we should spend an hour on Rebecca’s parents… they must be dead too, so we need to know how they died, right? Spend the precious few episodes in the final season to wrap up every minor character, I guess. Hopefully we get at least 5 episodes progressing the present and future storyline.
No ‘filler’ episodes on this show. Everything leads to something else. I guess you’ve forgotten that part.
This was not my favorite episode but I think Milo did a great job with what he was given to do. It reminded me of how my brother told me “now we are orphans” when our last parent died. Hard to hear!
My sister made the comment to me (about being orphans) when our dad passed and it took me back because I had not thought about it.
Exactly. The worst, most unnecessary, episode of the entire series. I couldn’t believe it would turn out to be a 1 hour flashback with no other story line. What has happened to the writers?
I agree. At this point , I’m just watching because it’s almost over and I want to see how it ends. I fast forwarded through much of this episode.
Maybe you should stop watching a show you hate so much. Read a book, have a conversation with a friend ( if you have any)
Do something beside criticize a show others enjoy watching.
Do yourself and us, a favor and stop watching a show you hate. Read a book, have a conversation with a friend ( if you have any) Do something besides criticize a show others enjoy.
Kevstar6942, who has indicated they hate this show? I’m not seeing those posts. Finding this episode just awful myself, I still am looking forward to the final episode to see just how this story ends.
Clan of the Cave Bear was a big deal, and was really good!
I get the “filler” comments, but you can’t deny this was a good episode. I think it wouldn’t feel like such a filler if we had seen it last season and not want to waste any minute of what’s left before the end with anything that even feels like a filler. It was nice for the mom to get some attention because we don’t know much about her, but I would have been more interested in seeing what event changed the dad from a normal father to a drunk jerk. There were episodes around when the boys were born that he seemed happy, then something happened. I always thought they would address that, but doesn’t look like they will.
Blaze, my takeaway from this episode was how shallow Jack’s relationships are with his family. His mother had a boyfriend, which he knew nothing about. She had a cat, had several friends, had read that novel at least three times, and he knew none of this. He managed to answer the phone at 6 o’clock every Sunday night for thirteen years and garnered nothing about the person on the other end those few minutes that it lasted. And this was his mother, the woman who served him weenies and soup and sat with him while he ate it, recalled it fondly, and he had no recollection it was his favorite, said it was Nicky’s.
I get what you’re saying but his mother didn’t disclose any of that information either. It takes two to build the relationship. If she didn’t tell him how was he supposed to know.
You ask, opening the door for her to tell you what she is reading, who she went on a date with.
Zzzzzzz. 43.5 minutes of filler.
Who cares filler. Few shows sell fillers, TIU sets a bar. I come here to read about it, decide if the whole episode is worth my time. I’m already crying and remembering Randall’s mom ep last season, another filler. So yes definitely, first ep this season too.
I love This is Us. I look forward to it weekly and watch each episode at least 3 times. I won’t watch this one even a second time. This was a stand-alone episode that did nothing to further the present-day timeline or inform the characters of the Big 3, as other past timelines have. It was simply a showcase for Milo, and not a good one at that. It’s clear this wasn’t even part of the original plan, or they would have filmed Jack’s boyhood scenes with the OG actor when he was younger. Not to mention that Nicky was missing from his childhood. Did Jack even care to let his brother know that their mother had died? This was just awful, the first time I’m saying that about this show. At least next week, we get to see Rebecca and Miguel’s first date.
“It was simply a showcase for Milo, and not a good one at that.”
Hahaha, he’ll probably get an Emmy nod for this performance, because it was very moving.
You’re too angry about who knows what to see that. 🤷♀️
You have the right to disagree with my assessment of the episode. Go right ahead. You did not have the right to assume anything about my life, emotions, or motivations. Act like an adult and keep those opinions to yourself.
I’ll say whatever what I want, Carol…JUST LIKE YOU DID. See how that works?
I related to this episode. I also have a weekly call with my mom on Sunday. I saw Pat Benetar in concert and was assigned Clan of the Cave Bear in high school. ( I never read the book. I never read ANY of the books in high school. Thank God for Cliff Notes!)
I too had weekly calls with my dad and we actually talked about stuff, we laughed, shared what was new since the last time we spoke, calls lasted a lot longer than three minutes. How sad their calls were, like Jack was talking to a stranger and forced to endure these calls every week.
But did you have a feline named Cat Benatar??
😺😻💗
Ok, so as awful as this episode was, what was with that exchange between Jack and his mom and her recalling that weenies and soup was Jack’s favorite as a child but Jack had no recollection of that at all, said it was Nicky who liked that, and Marilyn shot that right down? Nicky no where to be seen tonight, I’m curious where they are going with this scene.
Parental issues in the house tonight! No judgements, got my own but the visceral reactions of so many, in both positive/negative ways tell me the episode did its job. Totally watching it now!
This is my hard time favorite show day or night. It’s the only show that makes me laugh and crying worrying take pause and I get surprised never disappointed and I don’t know what I’m going to do when the season is over I miss your comes to an end. This episode tonight was one of my favorites I am a huge Milo/Jack fan and I love each and every accurate actress on this show but I really did enjoy watching Jack work his magic because without even trying he makes me fall in love with him over and over again every time I see him on the show. I’m telling you he’s acting ability is right up there with Robert de Niro Sylvester Stallone and Al Pacino! I’m telling you and that eulogy it really did touch my heart and of course Rebecca and the kids coming in at the end to support Jack tied everything with a neat little bell especially when he thanked everyone can I come to the funeral for giving his mother a new life because he knew he fell short himself. Love this show love the writers love the producer love everything about the show except that it will come to an end. The only thing that keeps me going is I’m old enough to know all good things must come to an end :-) bravo yet again ♥️
Hmmmmm…I’m sensing a theme with DeNiro, Stallone, Pacino, Ventimiglia. 🇮🇹 😋
This episode was necessary in the Pearson family history. My only complaint is that Nicky did not appear in the flashbacks with young Jack and the sled/soup scenes – huge hole by the writers.
Milo finally got the same chance to show his acting talent as the Big Three adult actors do on a more regular basis. I wish the episode had occurred in an earlier season – perhaps in tandem with the episode (I don’t recall what season) when Jack confronts his dad about the alcohol/spouse abuse. I have loved TIU since day one in 2016 but am disappointed in the unnerving gaps, especially last season when there were too many long breaks between episodes. The show loses momentum with breaks and with episodes that are inappropriately placed. Despite my criticisms we have all been so lucky to have this show in our lives. I dread the end!
Jack looked like he was about 6 so that would have meant Nicky was 2. It’s completely feasible that he wouldn’t have been out in the snow with just Jack. And he could have been napping. There was no real reason to have him appear.
It was a beautiful well written, well played show. Very touching by all.The writers outdid themselves.BeautifulThis show just can’t end.
I was very disappointed that Jack didn’t think to call Nicky. Marilyn was Nicky’s mom too and he deserved to know that she had passed away – certainly no less than his father did! Was it an oversight by the writers or was Jack really that cold? I love Jack but this was inexcusable to me!
This was the best episode by far in the 6 seasons. Milo Ventimiglia was excellent. I cried when he gave the eulogy.
This episode had me crying .I left an abusive marriage with nothing My oldest son turned against me it’s been 14 years .I never met the grands and my youngest was torn apart by this and was found dead .My younger son just wanted his brother and me and us together.THis episode brought it all back
why no Nikky?
And what made them think Jack’s dad would show up at the funeral when he supposedly didn’t know where she was? Couple of big loose ends there.
“And what made them think Jack’s dad would show up at the funeral when he supposedly didn’t know where she was?”
LOL! I didn’t even think of that.
Ladlib, right? Foolish of Jack to call Stanley and blame him for his own 13 years of choosing not to get to know Marilyn or visit her. But even more foolish to get all paranoid that Stanley would show up to a funeral he had no idea where was being held.
@Ladlib, I imagine after 13 years he knew where she was.
Everyone is ripping on Jack for being a horrible son, but Marilyn didn’t help the situation either. She seemed to pull away from him, whenever he asked how things were going, she wouldn’t give a lot of detail. And the one time she went to visit them, she couldn’t wait to leave. I get she didn’t want to run into her ex (did she actually ever divorce him?) but really, what were the odds of him randomly showing up at Jack and Rebecca’s house?
This was not a “filler” episode. This is part of the Pearson family story. Also, if one has lost one or both parents, this show particularly hits home. As for the complaints about Jack’s coldness, where’s Nicky, etc. there are reasons for the way this episode was produced. The emotional damage Jack’s father caused by his drinking and physical abuse ruined his family. Yet when Jack tells him Marilyn has died, he acts like he was some kind of jilted husband who is being denied going to her funeral. As if he is a victim! As for Jack, he felt forced to live his youth like the little boy with his finger in the cracking dam, trying to prevent catastrophe. He stands up to his father. He rescues his mother and moves her away. After Nicky is drafted, Jack even enlists in the Vietnam War so he could somehow rendezvous with Nicky in Southeast Asia. Jack somehow amazingly pulls it off, only for Nicky’s tragic and totally preventable boat accident to occur. The child not only died but so did Jack and Nicky’s relationship. Because how much more could Jack possibly take? Jack also lived in that same house, along with his mother and brother, and all three suffered psychological damage. Nicky became a hermit, Marilyn was too afraid to visit Jack, Rebecca, and her grandkids more than one time, and Jack, in order to have any kind of life, decided that he had to compartmentalize his parents and brother, putting his father in one box, his brother in another, and only speaking to his mother for a few minutes once a week. Nobody said that Jack wanted the calls to be short, it was his mother’s choice, and Jack complied. Who would have had an easier time traveling? Jack, Rebecca and three young children or one woman? We learn that Marilyn also compartmentalized her life. To Jack, she lives the rest of her life in fear of his father, but in Ohio, she has a boyfriend, friends, her cousin, her cat, a job and hobbies. She plans her own funeral. Can Jack appear cruel and uncaring at times? From the outside, perhaps he does. However, Jack deserves some understanding and even admiration for finding a way to build some kind of life. Nicky couldn’t. His father lived alone in an empty house just so he could drink all he wanted. His mother forged a new life, but sadly for Jack, he missed it. Maybe one day before he died, Jack came to realize that he was more like his mother than he could ever imagine, maybe not. But we now know how Jack took after Marilyn. Jack did what he felt he had to do to survive, and so did his mother. He assumed that his mother was still as weak in Ohio as she was in Pittsburgh. This episode showed Jack how wrong he had been about his mother. As Jack’s mother devoted her life to making a new one for herself, Jack devoted all of his energy towards his own family. Yet, Jack and Kevin still became alcoholics, and Kate an overeater. We don’t know if Jack’s grandfather or grandmother drank or ate to excess, perhaps we never will. However, this episode needed to be made. Be unhappy that this is the last season and every episode seems precious, and they are, but please, this one is just as special as any other one which deals with the Pearson family history.
Wow…..how eloquent. You put into words everything I was thinking after watching this episode. Bravo!
Thank you, Annie!
Very nicely put! This wasn’t my favorite episode because, as you say, we are down to a precious few, but it also shows the echoes from a dysfunctional family. They’re not going to suddenly be a loving and warm Mom and Son who share everything and get along beautifully. They’ve had major trauma. Every family is different and a whole lot of them don’t communicate that well or live in each other’s pockets or share important parts of their life, either because it’s painful or they don’t want to be a burden (can’t tell you how many times my grandmother said that to my mom) or they disagree on basic issues on how to live their lives and they don’t want to start an argument or they are just not the kind of people who reveal or even know how to tap into their feelings. That’s how families are. That’s what This Is Us is showing us–THIS family and how they relate and the twists and turns that their relationships took over the course of their lives.
I think people also need to understand that there may have been a lot of resentment on Jack’s part. In all fairness, the child shouldn’t be rescuing the parent. The mother should have taken the kids years ago; instead it fell to Jack to rescue his mother. That’s not a child’s place. He loved his mother, but I can’t help but think there might have been resentment over having to live that life as a child afraid of one parent while the other parent does absolutely nothing about it. It really should have been up to Marilyn to protect her sons; not Jack’s responsibility.
Thank you, Moi.
We do know that Jack’s paternal grandfather was a drinker. We saw him in the episode where Jack and his father were at the hospital waiting for Nicky to be born. I think it was the same episode where Nicky got drafted because it was about what day Nicky was born on. Anyway, Jack’s grandfather came to the hospital drinking.
Thank you for reminding me of that. I had forgotten it.
Wow, thank you Alan. So we’ll written and thought out.
I loved the episode. I did not have big issues with my parents, but still this episode hit me hard, I think especially after loosing mine. The final scene where Jack sobs and then pulls himself together for the kids was spot on.
But…did anyone else leave the episode more than a little concerned for the cat?
Yes, I worried over that cat. First, I thought maybe the cat would end up dying while sleeping with Jack because that cat was not young (if the flashbacks were any indication of the timeline). And I am disappointed that Jack didn’t take the cat home with him but maybe that’s a good thing knowing the house fire that happens. As protective as Debra seemed to be about Marilyn, why didn’t she take the cat? Hopefully once Jack was gone, Mike would take good care of the cat since it seemed he loved Marilyn a lot. With no one at that house, the cat would probably stop returning to it.
Laurel, that cat would be really, really old by 1998 when the house burns down. I found it interesting that the cat slept on Jack, he carried it over to Mike’s, but when Rebecca asked Jack once if it’s a hard no on cats, Jack tells her he’s allergic to them. Hmmm…..
You’re welcome, Randy. Thank you. As for “Cat Benetar,” I got the feeling that when Jack looked at Rebecca after the camera focused on the cat and they nodded at each other, the Pearsons ended up adopting the feline. I’d like to think so, at least.
I lost my mom 3 years ago and that final scene when Jack says “I don’t have a mom anymore” killed me. I sobbed like a baby because I know just how he feels.
I lost my dad in 2008 and remember saying, “I don’t have a dad anymore”. That scene made me lose it too.
I was disappointed in Jack. He was a terrible son. He couldn’t be bothered and couldn’t make sure his kids knew their grandparents. Rebecca same.
Marlin, I agree. Jack and Rebecca were together for more than 8 years before having kids. If Marilyn was almost 4 hours away in blizzard driving, she was just a couple hours away in normal conditions, an easy Saturday morning drive and home the same day or an overnight trip. How was that not possible for 13 years!? Clearly Marilyn wasn’t comfortable being back in the Pittsburgh area, the least they could do was bring those grandkids to her! That cabin they bought was 300 miles away, they managed to go there with no concerns of the distance. So is Marilyn really his mom? Debbie mentioned that Marilyn was her cousin, but not Jack’s cousin? Hmmm…… may explain why Jack knocked on Marilyn’s door with his sled and Nicky was no where in her home. Who knocks on their own door?
Hmmm, indeed. I too wondered why he knocked on his own door. . .
Yes, he made no attempt to learn how things turned out with his mother. No idea how they could talk every Sunday for 13 years but never say anything much at all. Jack hated his father, and pretended his brother was dead. Rebecca got real lucky because she got with a truly messed up guy who turned things around for his own family.
This would’ve been a great episode, if it were earlier in the series. But we only have 18 episodes to wrap up this show, and I feel like they’re just biding time until the series finale. To be fair, this was a really good episode. It was nice to see that Jack’s Mother had created a good life for herself. I love Mike, I love Cat Benatar. (ha!) She was happy. I just hated watching those scenes of her talking to Jack every Sunday that had absolutely no substance. That was hard to watch. But I did love when Jack and Rebecca took the kids ice skating at the local pond in his Mother’s honor. And that he made his kids hot dogs and tomato soup when they got home. A memory that he had long-forgotten, but that his Mother cherished. And that’s when he broke down. That was a beautiful moment. I have no idea why Nicky was never mentioned. That was a huge oversight. And I really thought that Jack’s Mother’s death would tie-in to Rebecca’s. But as a stand-alone episode, I thought it was well-done. If not, years late. Okay, who at This Is Us is so obsessed with the Deja and Malik relationship? They’ve showcased them three out of four episodes. I like them as much as anyone, but this is way too much. They have so many stories to wrap up. (Hello, Rebecca and Miguel! Origin story!) Please let’s just finally wrap this one up, so that we can move on. Personally, I think Deja and Malik got married. Like, what else could it be. It looks like we’re going to get more of the Rebecca/Miguel story next week. But if anyone deserves a stand-alone episode, it’s them. Also, what’s going on with Kevin and Cassidy? She can’t still be married, if she’s hanging out with Kevin at the cabin. Uh-oh.
Who doesn’t love us some Jack? BUT – this episode did nothing to advance the story line (which it needs to do quickly) and answered no questions. I cried and was glued to the TV, but really?
Of course it did advance the storyline. It sets up the sure-to-come moments when “The Big Three” have to say “I don’t have a Mom anymore” when Rebecca passes away. Jack Pearson was and is the focal point of this entire series. His life, his feelings, his actions and his thoughts dictate almost every move or feeling that his kids have expressed in the five-plus seasons of the show. Devoting a wonderful hour to Jack dealing with the loss of his mother tells us so much about Jack Pearson and, in turn, so much more about his children and their lives.
All the talk about how this episode was a filler and did not tell a story is pure nonsense. As I said earlier, this is by far the best episode to date of this fantastic series.
👏👏👏
I disagree. I think Rebecca is the core of this family and this story. She is there from beginning to end. I think the Big 3 idolize Jack because he’s not there. He becomes mythical to them. If he were still alive, it would be different (obviously). I want to see more of Rebecca, not Jack.
I have never liked the character Jack. His passive aggressive manipulation of Rebecca, ugh. He was always starting fights with her, even in public with their friends scurrying from the table as if on cue, ruined Valentines, ruined her return to singing. When we see him hiding out in his parents attic at nearly 30, doing piddly jobs for beer money and plotting an armed robbery of an elderly man, and later we saw him so disrespectful to Rebecca’s father, a father he had learned Rebecca idolized, I was done with him. And then seeing he played Rebecca on their first date, the grieving brother who just lost his brother in Vietnam. Now this despicable eulogy?
Kevstar6942,
Overreact much? Lol. Calm down. You are clear upset about something else in your life.
I never said I hated the show. I said it was a boring episode and it was TO ME.
Almost turned This Is Us off last night. I’m glad it’s ending because the last several years have been so boring. And last night topped it.
I agree. They’re catering to the crowd that just wants to “ugly cry” for an hour. That’s okay, but the show used to be fantastic for a much wider circle of people. And there’s nothing wrong with the rest of us expressing our disappointment that what was a truly great show has become a therapeutic cry fest.
You summed it up perfectly.
The ugly cry crowd throws stones at you on here if you criticize the show. Pretty crazy, defending it like it’s a living thing. (Pretty scary actually)
Sorry, if I think a whole show focusing on Jack is a drag. Mostly, because the character, Jack, is a self-absorbed dope. And the actor, Milo, well, I think his hair is better than his acting ability…see Rocky’s kid and the movie about the racing dog, or whatever it was.
Wow, lots of criticism on this one. If it bothers you that much, nobody is forcing you to continue watching.
Jack was not a jerk/bad son/etc. He grew up in a house of abuse and did the best he could with his life. At that point he had no idea where Nicky was so he couldn’t notify him of his mother’s death. It was 1986/87 – there was no Google. And Nicky would have been a baby/toddler in the past when Jack was sledding. There is no point in having him in the episode. I thought Milo was great and Jack’s last line gutted me.
It’s not just that Nicky wasn’t in the episode, Jack doesn’t seem to recall the past the same as Marilyn or Nicky, we have seen that multiple times now.
But that is completely normal. I see that in my own family with my aunts; you would never know they really were raised by the same people as each sees things completely differently.
Laurel, Jack was hyper critical of his mother, said the woman couldn’t cook at all. Nicky didn’t share his brother’s rude assessment of her. So are we to believe any of these flashbacks of their childhood ,coming from either of these two?
I’m not sure it really matters which of the flashbacks are true; what’s important is how that particular person interprets, processes and believes it. That’s what colors their behavior and thoughts. You can see it in the way the Big Three react to Rebecca. It’s only recently that Kate has been really nice to her mom. All three react differently even tho they were raised by the same woman and experienced many of the same things.