S04.E08: Sorry

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Rebecca visits Randall in Philadelphia. Beth is troubled by a request from Deja. Kevin has doubts about himself.

Promo:

Original air date: 11/12/19

[gonzosgirrl]

This might be the most I've ever liked Randall. Helping his mom get that first job was classic Jack. And I guess we're seeing the beginnings of Rebecca's dementia or Alzheimer's. 

Kevin, you are so messed up. Maybe a visit to your therapist is in order.

Cassidy: Not all of us have to talk sbout our dead dads all the time. I've never loved her more. And taking responsibility for your own actions is very sexy. Have we seen the last of her?

I am surprised to find myself liking Nicky. I'm glad to know that he's there and part of the family in the future. His speech to the judge was great. A lot of self-awareness in this episode.

It's hard to see Gregory/Tim O struggle through recovery knowing it's the real deal on screen, but at the same time it's also awesome. Love that dude. How long til Gregory tells Toby about the avocado?

Even Malik was enjoyable this week. Beth's '"Okay" me one more time' cracked me up.

My fav episode of the season.


 

Edited November 13, 2019 by gonzosgirrl

[Spartan Girl]

Oh God, Rebecca has dementia.

I so don't like where Kate and Toby are heading.

And Casidy is not Kevin's baby mama, so having them hookup was completely pointless. Thanks, show!

[ams1001]

Randall driving Rebecca to her interview, they're talking in a moving vehicle...and he's actually looking forward! At the road!! You don't see that very often on TV!!! (Aannnd...half hour later, driving home from their R&R day, they ruined it. LOOK AT THE ROAD!)

Way to Pearson mom in to a job, Randall. 

Beginnings of dementia for Rebecca?

I love Kate's neighbor more and more.

"Not all of us have to talk about our dead dads all the time." 😄

Oh, jesus, Kate, just act excited. It's not the end of the world if Toby thinks that's Jack's first bite of solid food. Babies don't work all their milestones around your gym schedule, Sorry. (<- See what I did there? 😛 )

Aw, Nicky really is a Pearson! (Is that the most words he's said at one time?)

Uh, Cassidy, maybe don't give him the divorce papers in front of your kid...?

I liked Kevin seeing Jack in Nicky. Tiny Kevin is adorable.

[PepSinger]

To be perfectly honest, I’d marry a guy just for the help to put a fitted sheet on the bed. *shrug*

Edited November 13, 2019 by PepSinger

[CleoCaesar]

The good: Baby Jack was cute, Toby was dorkily endearing, the flashbacks to the past were used effectively, and the burgeoning conflict between aging Rebecca and Randall has some dramatic potential.

But I'm really, really tired of Deja. I think the actress is talented and likeable, so it’s nothing against her. I’m just weary of all the contemporary kid storylines focusing on her and her problems and her birth mother and her relationship with Malik and her education and her dynamic with Randall and zzzzzzzzz––– sorry, I passed out from boredom just remembering all her storylines. She’s really not that interesting, I’m sorry. Her adoption arc was, to an extent, but the focus on her the past two seasons isn’t.

What’s a girl gotta do to get a real storyline with Tess and Annie? What's going on between them? How do they feel about being totally pushed aside and all their parents’ attention and fawning going to Deja?

Outsider-turned-favorite-kid Deja is what Randall was to the Pearsons as a kid. Judging by the messes that adult Kevin and adult Kate are, I fear for Tess and Annie's adult selves. We know Tess becomes a social worker, but we know nothing about Annie. So I'll just continue to assume she's in prison for burning down an orphanage.

[ShadowFacts]

As manipulative as it was having Kevin see Jack in Nicky, I have to say, I didn't hate it.  And as implausible as it was for teen Randall to get Rebecca a job, I loved R & R.   Thematically, taking care of people worked all the way through the episode including Cassidy and Gregory and Malik.  The writers are firing on all cylinders.  Oh, and my husband had to call my phone last week so I could find it, maybe I should be worried.

[Lady Calypso]

This was such a great episode. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.

Depressed Kevin hallucinating Jack on one of his bad days is the first time this season that I've cried at, along with Nicky's court speech.

Show, you're slipping if it's taken me eight episodes to cry.

[BuckeyeLou]

I had tears in my eyes when Kevin & Nicky watched Cassidy walk into the restaurant & hug her son, and she talked about having a community in the Marines, she realized she needed her community & family.  And Rebecca's situation made me cry too.  Loved how they book-ended the show with the bed-making scenes...Rebecca used to having Jack help her with everything, even bed-making & at the end she was struggling with the sheets.  Little Kevin was adorable.  And I liked how Kevin saw & heard his father in his Uncle.   "R&R Time"....that was so sweet.

[ams1001]

5 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

To be perfectly honest, I’d marry a guy just for the help to put a fitted sheet on the bed. *shrug*

Do one corner, then the opposite corner, instead of trying to do one side first. It's less likely to slip off. (You still have to keep going back and forth around the bed, though. No way around that.) 

3 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

Oh, and my husband had to call my phone last week so I could find it, maybe I should be worried.

I've been known to call my own phone from inside the house while looking out my window to see if I can see it light up inside my car.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I think Rebecca would have figured out that Randall intervened on her behalf when he told her he was going to teach her how to use the software program over the weekend.  (I guess they're going to break into the office?  I'm assuming they weren't referring to Word or Excel.)

Even if Jack had lived, it's not unreasonable that once all the kids were out of high school, Rebecca would have tried to get a job.  And with no office-related skills, it would be an entry-level one.  Otherwise, she would have been pretty bored waiting for Jack to come home (and Kate would have been at  college, presumably.)

[jacksgirl]

Ditto too much Deja. Getting to see the beginning of Kate's bf's controlling behaviors. He dissed the Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman romcom. Booooo! 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I wonder if Cassidy will ever tell her husband that she slept with Kevin while they were on a break  (assuming they get back together), or if it will remain a secret she keeps from him.  The latter is probably the wiser choice.

Edited November 13, 2019 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Scarlett45]

9 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

To be perfectly honest, I’d marry a guy just for the help to put a fitted sheet on the bed. *shrug*

I’ve honestly never thought of that. I’ve never found it hard to put a fitted sheet on a bed, BUT I’ve never had anyone to help me do it either so I might not know what I’m missing. I can see Rebecca missing Jack in those small little moments. 

[mtlchick]

I audibly said "Uh oh" at Deja asking Beth if her mom can come for Thanksgiving.  And then Kevin inviting Nicky.  Tack on Rebecca's memory issues (even though I can't find my phone half the time and I'm slightly older than Randall) and, turkey time at the table is going to be THE WORST this year. 

I'm guessing Kate not advising Toby about Jack eating solid food for the first time is going to be one of those little things that will blow up to being a BIG THING soon. 

One thing I do like about this show is the intertwined stories about the mundane chores like the fitted sheet.  At least it wasn't about FOLDING the fitting sheets, which is well known to be an ancient secret that only a few understand.  (I kid.  Sort of.) 

[MissT]

Ok.   I cried at the end when Nicky told Kevin he was a good kid.   I think everyone needs to hear that from someone at some point in your life It was a good episode.    

[gonzosgirrl]

I probably shouldn't have, but I laughed out loud at Kevin taunting that assclown in the bar. An object lesson in how to get yourself punched in the face. 

[Ohiopirate02]

1 minute ago, MissT said:

Ok.   I cried at the end when Nicky told Kevin he was a good kid.   I think everyone needs to hear that from someone at some point in your life It was a good episode.    

That part got me too.  Those were the words kid Kevin needed to hear from Jack but never did.  Nice call back to the pool episode this season, and then cutting it with toddler Kevin and Jack playing on the bed, and I was weeping. 

I was not happy to see  Rebecca struggling financially with the house and relying on Randall for support.   I hate that the show went this way even if all the signs were there.  

[gonzosgirrl]

I almost forgot the quick scene with teen Kate and the boyfriend. He moved a couple giant steps into creep territory. Run Kate, run.

[CSunshine76]

I get they used the bed making scenes to bring the past together with today. But. Who makes their house guests make the bed?  That drove me crazy...the guest room should have been prepared already!

[ShortyMac]

How Kevin kept seeing Jack in Nicky made me tear up. I can't imagine losing your dad that young. He must miss him terribly. My uncle passed away when I was 9; his kids, my cousins, were 17 (senior year) and 13. They must feel the same way.

1 minute ago, CleoCaesar said:

But I'm really, really tired of Deja. I think the actress is talented and likeable, so it’s nothing against her. I’m just weary of all the contemporary kid storylines focusing on her and her problems and her birth mother and her relationship with Malik and her education and her dynamic with Randall and zzzzzzzzz––– sorry, I passed out from boredom just remembering all her storylines. She’s really not that interesting, I’m sorry. Her adoption arc was, to an extent, but the focus on her the past two seasons isn’t.

What’s a girl gotta do to get a real storyline with Tess and Annie? What's going on between them? How do they feel about being totally pushed aside and all their parents’ attention and fawning going to Deja?

Outsider-turned-favorite-kid Deja is what Randall was to the Pearsons as a kid. Judging by the messes that adult Kevin and adult Kate are, I fear for Tess and Annie's adult selves. We know Tess becomes a social worker, but we know nothing about Annie. So I'll just continue to assume she's in prison for burning down an orphanage.

Agreed. I'm growing a bit weary of so much focus on her.

I understand that Shauna had Deja for most of her life, but, it feels like she will just reject Randall and Beth when she turns eighteen. It's understandable, and not surprising that she hasn't fully accepted them as her parents. It takes time to bond, and she was adopted as a teen (almost a year ago in show time; the papers were signed at the end of Season 3). It feels like they are placeholders until Deja can reconnect with Shauna.

I don't know if that makes sense at all.

[ams1001]

18 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I think Rebecca would have figured out that Randall intervened on her behalf when he told her he was going to teach her how to use the software program over the weekend.  (I guess they're going to break into the office?  I'm assuming they weren't referring to Word or Excel.)

Yeah, that was kinda weird. He asked if she was familiar with "our" software...how is she supposed to know "your" software when she doesn't work there? And isn't the whole point of an entry level job that the person doesn't actually know how to do it and needs training? "I don't have time to teach you" is a shitty way to manage (and what, he doesn't have any other employees to train newbies?)

4 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I almost forgot the quick scene with teen Kate and the boyfriend. He moved a couple giant steps into creep territory. Run Kate, run.

Yes, that "we're not 12-year-old girls" comment was definitely foreshadowing something not good.

[movingtargetgal]

30 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

To be perfectly honest, I’d marry a guy just for the help to put a fitted sheet on the bed. *shrug*

I'd marry a guy who could neatly fold a fitted sheet.

[Ohmo]

27 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I liked Kevin seeing Jack in Nicky.

I hated that.  I can't stand Nicky anyway, and at the beginning of the episode when Nicky was being critical of Kevin, it felt like the show was piling on Kevin.  To have Jack also pile on Kevin seemed unnecessary and a bit cruel to me.

The rest of the episode was fine, but it did feel like a clip show since we were bouncing all around into almost every storyline on the show.  The writers are probably doing that because next week is the fall finale, but the episode felt disjointed to me because we were only dipping into everything a little bit.

I like that we're getting into what's about to happen with Rebecca.

[ams1001]

7 minutes ago, movingtargetgal said:

I'd marry a guy who could neatly fold a fitted sheet.

My mother can do it. The flat and fitted sheets are completely indistinguishable in her linen closet. I'm 44 years old and I still haven't figured out how she does it. And yes, she has demonstrated many times.

2 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I hated that.  I can't stand Nicky anyway, and at the beginning of the episode when Nicky was being critical of Kevin, it felt like the show was piling on Kevin.  To have Jack also pile on Kevin seemed unnecessary and a bit cruel to me.

Yeah, but really it was Kevin piling on himself, which given his state of mind isn't surprising. 

[Conotocarious]

Welp, I’m out. I always said if this show introduced an Alzheimer/dementia storyline I was gone. This show is too unrelentingly depressing as it is. I just attended the funeral of my old best friend in elementary schooll last weekend. Breast cancer, she was 46. Two years ago I attended the funeral of my 7 year old niece, who died of an asthma attack. I don’t even know why I was watching a show like this in the first place, to be honest. And now I’m not.

[Ohmo]

8 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Yeah, but really it was Kevin piling on himself, which given his state of mind isn't surprising. 

I understand that it was Kevin piling on himself.  However, I hated that Jack was used to do it.  I also don't like the implicit message that Kevin's supposed to be a train wreck.  He's a recovering alcoholic, but he's in AA, and functional and stable enough to have a successful acting career.  I'm tired of Kevin constantly being relegated to the Island (or should I say Trailer) of Misfit Toys to hang out with Cassidy and Nicky.

[Kktjones]

5 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I'm tired of Kevin constantly being relegated to the Island (or should I say Trailer) of Misfit Toys to hang out with Cassidy and Nicky.

I agree with what you're saying - Kevin isn't nearly as messed up as he thinks he is. However, I've actually enjoyed the story with Cassidy and Nicky more than any of the other stories happening now, so I guess I don't mind that that's where he's been. I do hope that he's now able to forgive himself, accept help from others and move on in a healthier way. 

On an unrelated note - do we think that's the last we'll see of Cassidy? I ended up liking her character (and Nicky's) a lot more after this episode...

[buttersister]

We’ve known where Rebecca is heading, and that Nicky is around, so this is how we get there. I’m good with it because I watched after I knew Jack’s fate—that’s how Show works. We know the general outcome, enjoying the ride along the way.

Did Justin Hartley improve as an actor or did Adult Kevin get short shrift in earlier seasons? He seems sooo much better, the character deeper, etc.

Also, not for the first time, Griffen Dunne!

[txhorns79]

47 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Yeah, that was kinda weird. He asked if she was familiar with "our" software...how is she supposed to know "your" software when she doesn't work there? And isn't the whole point of an entry level job that the person doesn't actually know how to do it and needs training? "I don't have time to teach you" is a shitty way to manage (and what, he doesn't have any other employees to train newbies?)

I honestly thought he was just talking about the Microsoft suite of products, not that he meant the company used some special software.  Otherwise, you are right, it would be ridiculous to expect a new hire to already know how to use proprietary software.  

And Beth, it's actually okay to tell Deja that you'd love to have her biological mother for dinner, just on a day that is less crazy and emotionally weighted than Thanksgiving.  It's an easy compromise that will lessen the pressure on everyone by about a thousand.   

[Blackie]

If miss placing your phone is a sign of dementia, then I am done for!!!  But I have recently experienced a MIL with strange symptoms that seem like cognitive decline and her own children in denial about it, so ya, it is more then miss placing a phone

[Crs97]

I’ve thought I lost my phone while I was still holding it.  That said, I really don’t want to see Rebecca deal with dementia. I have a mother in law with it now, and it is just awful.  I don’t need a comparison.  I just want to see how Rebecca and Miguel ended up together, and now I fear we will never get to see Miguel happy.

[shouldbedancing]

So whyyyyyyy did Rebecca get so mad at the end? What did Randall say that was beneath him?

[Lsk02]

15 minutes ago, shouldbedancing said:

So whyyyyyyy did Rebecca get so mad at the end? What did Randall say that was beneath him?

“For you to say that you’re the mother and I’m the son after 20 years...” then she gave him a look and he stopped. He’s basically saying he’s been taking care of her for 20 years and she does not like that. You could see in the scenes when when they were younger, Rebecca continually fighting the urge to let him take care of her. It has been their dynamic since Jack died, and I’m guessing a big source of suppressed guilt for her, and possibly some resentment for Randall. Lots of complicated emotions. 
 

I did wonder if Randall was about to mention something about a previous condition when she cut him off about going to the doctor. He started to say “I’m just worried that the...” He may have just been concerned about her symptoms that day, but it seemed to come out of nowhere. 

Edited November 13, 2019 by Lsk02

[KaveDweller]

1 hour ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Even if Jack had lived, it's not unreasonable that once all the kids were out of high school, Rebecca would have tried to get a job.  And with no office-related skills, it would be an entry-level one.  Otherwise, she would have been pretty bored waiting for Jack to come home (and Kate would have been at  college, presumably.)

If Jack had lived he probably would have gone to that music school Kate applied to and given a sad speech to convince them to let her in. If she didn't get in on her own. So, yeah, she probably would have been at school.

But weren't Jack and Rebecca talking about finally having Jack start his own construction business the night he died? If he had lived, maybe they would have done that and Rebecca would have been working with him there?

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Yeah, that was kinda weird. He asked if she was familiar with "our" software...how is she supposed to know "your" software when she doesn't work there? And isn't the whole point of an entry level job that the person doesn't actually know how to do it and needs training? "I don't have time to teach you" is a shitty way to manage (and what, he doesn't have any other employees to train newbies?)

It was probably supposed to be some general software that gets used by whatever type of business it was. For some reason I thought it was a department store? But it was super weird the guy didn't tell Randall the name of the software so he knew what to teach. I kind of want to know how he explained to Rebecca that he needed to teach it to her, without explaining what he did.

2 minutes ago, Lsk02 said:

“For you to say that you’re the mother and I’m the son after 20 years...” then she gave him a look and he stopped. He’s basically saying he’s been taking care of her for 20 years and she does not like that. You could see in the scenes when when they were younger, Rebecca continually fighting the urge to let her take care of him. It has been their dynamic since Jack died, and I’m guessing a big source of suppressed guilt for her, and possibly some resentment for Randall. Lots of complicated emotions. 

That was my take too, but it doesn't seem to fit with everything we have seen about after Jack died.  In this episode we saw Randall help her get the job, but presumably once she gets it she actually works and takes care of herself. We know she bought the house herself (or with Miguel's help) while Randall was at school. And in the past three seasons Rebecca has certainly appeared capable of taking care of herself.

[Lsk02]

14 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

19 minutes ago, Lsk02 said:

That was my take too, but it doesn't seem to fit with everything we have seen about after Jack died.  In this episode we saw Randall help her get the job, but presumably once she gets it she actually works and takes care of herself. We know she bought the house herself (or with Miguel's help) while Randall was at school. And in the past three seasons Rebecca has certainly appeared capable of taking care of herself.

I have a vague memory of Randall yelling at Kevin and/or Kate about staying behind to take care of Rebecca after Jack died a season or 2 ago. I think there have been some hints of this along the way. 

[chocolatine]

I hated that Rebecca got a job for which she wasn't qualified just because a Pearson man talked the manager into hiring her. That's not how life works. The fact that Randall got a scholarship to CMU was completely irrelevant since he wasn't the one who had to learn the software, and I wish the manager had told him as much. And then Rebecca had the nerve to complain that it's an entry-level job! We've never seen her work or even mention a job before (apart from the singing gigs), so of course any job she would get at any age would be entry-level.

I love Kate and Toby's neighbor and want a spin-off show about him. I care about his stroke recovery much more than whether Toby gets to see Baby Jack eat his first solid food. Or the entire Deja/Malik storyline.

So if Rebecca is on her death bed 12-15 years from now (when Tess is an adult, and Kevin's not-yet-born son looks to be around 11 or 12 years old), and she's already having symptoms of dementia, it's going to be a very long and difficult road. Poor Miguel will bear the worst of it, but of course we'll only hear how it affects Randall, Kevin, and Kate.

I have a feeling this wasn't the end for Kevin and Cassidy. She's going to go through with her divorce, and Kevin will keep coming into town to visit Nicky, and they'll reconnect.

Edited November 13, 2019 by chocolatine

[tennisgurl]

Find you a man who can help you get those fitted sheets on your bed! 

Poor Kevin, his self esteem is so low, all of his self worth seems to be based around other people and what they think of him and how he is giving them something. I have actually liked the stuff with Nicky and Cassidy alright, especially with Nicky, but I really want him to learn to love himself just for himself. It will also be nice to see him interact with the family more often, have them tell him that he is a good kid? I mean, even beyond his usual issues, he seems to be having even worse issues with depression and is seeing things!

The speech Kicky gave was great, and it was nice seeing someone in this family actually put some effort into looking out for Kevin, even if it was following him being way too harsh with him and just kicking him again. 

Randall getting Rebecca a job with a Pearson speech is a classic Pearson move, Jack would be proud! Oh Rebecca, it looks like she is getting dementia, which is going to be so terribly hard to watch. It seems like she already has an idea that something is up (maybe she is taking pictures of everything so she can remember everything later?) but is in denial, hence getting all defensive when Randall brought it up. 

I like Deja most of the time, but I would love it if Annie could have a decent plot, even just for an episode. Tess doesent get much either, but at least she got the anxiety episode and the ongoing plot with her sexuality. Annie just gets nothing, theres no time for it with all of the Deja stories. She really is the Kevin of Randall's part of the family. 

I really want to watch a whole episode about Tim Os neighbor, he is a highlight of any episode, especially in the Kate/Toby story. I mean, if we can get a whole episode about the guy who gave Jack is cockpot of death, certainly he warrants an episode! Its hard to watch Tim O suffer though, even though its great to see him improving and back on my screen. 

Kate just seems like a person who hates being happy. Even with a nice house husband, and miracle baby, she still always seems annoyed and pissed. How dare Toby go and do his job to support his family, including a baby with special needs!!

Edited November 13, 2019 by tennisgurl

[memememe76]

Loved the episode. Such a wonderful episode for Kevin, Nicky and especially Cassidy. 
 

I fear Tess’ panic attack will intensify next week. Tess gets featured a lot in these fall finales.

Did Marc just diss Practical Magic? Oh no he didn’t. Kate is in danger.

Edited November 13, 2019 by memememe76

[3 is enough]

Nor going to lie, the dementia storyline is going to be very difficult for me to watch.
 

Two years ago my mother flew cross country by herself to spend Thanksgiving with us. Last year we had to move her to an assisted living facility, and this week we had to put her on a waiting list for a memory care facility.  The decline has been very fast, and very difficult to watch.  She is 83, so Rebecca’s story is going to be heartbreaking.

I just don’t understand Kate.  It was not her fault the her neighbor fed Jack. Surely she can  let Toby think he saw him take his first bite without guilt.  My daughter took her first steps while my husband was at work, and he was still thrilled when he walked in the door and she started walking towards him.  Babies do stuff on their own time. Not everything is an earth shattering dilemma, Kate.

I do wonder if they are setting us up for a Kate and the neighbour have an affair storyline.  Please, just no.

[sheetmoss]

Hmm - since they had sex, will Cassidy become pregnant w/Kevin's future son?

Edited November 13, 2019 by sheetmoss

[NUguy514]

Did I mis-hear, or did teenage Kate's gross boyfriend twice call Randall "Ranny"?  I mean..."Ranny"???

And then diss Sandy and Nic??

Randall would've been totally justified in decking that little fuckwad.

However, Randall's hideous Pearson-ing of the man who interviewed Rebecca was The WOOOOOOOORST: "My dad died, and it's been really hard for my mom, but she's so strong and stoic and would never try to gain sympathy points, but I would to help her.  I'm also so much smarter than you and everyone throughout history and until the end of time forever and have a full scholarship to Carnegie Mellon because of my unbelievable genius to prove it, and I'll teach her everything, and you will be the worst person who has ever lived if you don't hire her."  Ummmm...

Adult Randall wasn't thrilling me either.  It might actually be an issue with Sterling's performance, but while I knew Randall was supposed to be concerned about Rebecca, he just seemed to me to be pissed off that Rebecca's moments were infringing on his preplanned R&R schedule of events.  At the end of the episode when he confronted Rebecca, he did it in the most arrogant way possible and still seemed pissed instead of concerned.  Topped off with insinuating that Rebecca would've I guess literally died without his care, and I cheered Rebecca on when she closed the door in his face.  (And that guest room certainly should've been made up before she and Miguel arrived.  That was a dumb writer's contrivance.)

Shut UP, Kate's face!  Let Toby enjoy the moment of Jack eating the goddamn avocado.  Be fucking happy your husband is so happy and stop looking like someone killed your father again right in front of your face.  Also, while I do like bananas, everyone most certainly does not love them, so shut up some more.  Ugh, she sucks.

You know, this is the first time I liked Cassidy.  Her interactions with Kevin were genuine and mature, and I really appreciated how they wrapped (I think) her story up.

I also liked Nicky taking responsibility and admitting why smashing the window was retroactively a good thing.

Randall just loves being the hero and the savior, but he wants you to know he's the hero and loves the praise he receives for it.  If he doesn't get the praise he believes he deserves, he turns into a shitty little brat.  Kevin, on the other hand, just shows up to show up and be of service.  He doesn't need praise; he just wants to help however he can.  He does it very imperfectly, but he admits it (often too self-critically).  He has galactically more self-awareness and empathy than his two shithead siblings, and this episode reminded me very starkly why he is, by far, my favorite of the Big Three.

[pinkandsparkly13]

Couldn't we have seen more of teenage Kate and that boyfriend already? It's time to move that along. I'm more interested in seeing where that goes than some other stuff. I fast forwarded through most of Cassidy talking to Kevin. Don't care! Ha. I really don't care much about Deja and this boyfriend and her stuff. Yes let's see more of Tess and Annie. I was annoyed by Kate being upset while Toby fed Jack. It's not that serious. 

[bybrandy]

I realize the show has made us thing Rebecca is going to have dimentia and this episode Randall thinks Rebecca is starting down that path but seriously Rebecca lost her phone.  If I was diagnosed with dementia every time I lost my phone we'd never get anything else done in a day.  

[LoveLeigh]

2 hours ago, Lsk02 said:

I did wonder if Randall was about to mention something about a previous condition when she cut him off about going to the doctor. He started to say “I’m just worried that the...” He may have just been concerned about her symptoms that day, but it seemed to come out of nowhere. 

Randall looked at Rebecca real weird when she was showing him pics of baby Jack. I think the pics she was showing were of one of her own children and he realized she was losing her memory. 

8 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

I realize the show has made us thing Rebecca is going to have dimentia and this episode Randall thinks Rebecca is starting down that path but seriously Rebecca lost her phone.  If I was diagnosed with dementia every time I lost my phone we'd never get anything else done in a day.  

There were other signs that were subliminally shown to us. I commented on one above. 

[Spencer Hastings]

Rebecca’s story is going to be rough.  Dementia starts off as absent mindedness and then it spirals into an ugly, heartbreaking beast. 

When my grandmother got bad but could still speak, she always thought I was her sister.  As soon as I walked in the door she would call me Annie Mae and start talking about something that happened in the 1930s.  Everyone said it was because I had the same eyes and demeanor as her sister did when she was a little girl. I like to think that seeing her sister again was comforting and not confusing. 

We know that in future episodes, Nicky is sitting at Rebecca’s bedside.  In this episode Kevin kept seeing Jack through Nicky.  I wonder if this is some sort of juxtaposition or clue that Rebecca will start thinking Nicky as Jack and he spends her last days at her bedside as a source of comfort for her—for Jack to be there.  

Edited November 13, 2019 by Spencer Hastings

[LoveLeigh]

3 hours ago, Kktjones said:

On an unrelated note - do we think that's the last we'll see of Cassidy? I ended up liking her character (and Nicky's) a lot more after this episode...

Cassidy is OK but I don't think she is the right fit for Kevin and I hope after this season she is gone. 

[bros402]

I liked some parts of this episode, ddin't like other parts.

2 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I hated that Rebecca got a job for which she wasn't qualified just because a Pearson man talked the manager into hiring her. That's not how life works. The fact that Randall got a scholarship to CMU was completely irrelevant since he wasn't the one who had to learn the software, and I wish the manager had told him as much. And then Rebecca had the nerve to complain that it's an entry-level job! We've never seen her work or even mention a job before (apart from the singing gigs), so of course any job she would get at any age would be entry-level.

She said it was an entry level position - so I am guessing she applied for an entry level position - entry level means you don't need much experience

[Lily H]

So, did Kevin deliberately provoke that moron in the bar into beating him up because he felt so badly about hooking up with Cassidy, and felt some bizarre need to be punished for it? Because I just don't get what the big deal is about 2 adults having sex. He's single, she's separated, they weren't drunk, there was no coercion, so who cares? I really don't understand what the problem is.

[MissLucas]

11 hours ago, CSunshine76 said:

I get they used the bed making scenes to bring the past together with today. But. Who makes their house guests make the bed?  That drove me crazy...the guest room should have been prepared already!

Ditto! And while everybody seems to be focused on fitted sheets I winced when I saw how they handled the pillow covers. They need to be turned inside out (ideally before ironing but I know that's a whole new battlefield) so that you can simply slip them over the pillows by grabbing two corners instead of stuffing them inside like you're making sausages.

Anyhow, I love episodes that cover more than just one or two plots, so I was okay with how busy this was. Like others I dread the dementia plot but I think they did a good job. Rebecca did not just lose her phone, she also called Randall 'Congressman' and I saw the manic picture taking as a coping mechanism to make sure she would remember every detail. It was also not out of character for Randall to notice all those things since hyper-vigilance comes with anxiety disorder (not that it helped much during last season's marriage crisis plot).

Kevin sure knows how to self-destruct without even getting drunk. As Cassidy said he was lucky his opponent was a s**** fighter since getting his face smashed in could have career ending potential. Nicky was great in this episode and showing that he was a true Pearson when he started his Pearson-speech in court. They did great with Cassidy in this episode and I feel undecided whether I would like to see her again or not. The only part I did not like was Nicky turning into Jack to rage at Kevin - too much on the nose.

Kate and the great avocado drama was ridiculous at first sight - but I have to admit that it could be one of the tiny things that can blow up out of proportion when there's already strain in a relationship. That she worried about it seems a sign that she knows not everything is okay.

I like Charity Ross but as someone above mentioned her character is turning into Randall 2.0 taking over way too much story lines. More Tess and Annie please!

And I loved Beth rushing off to the pantry for 30 seconds LOL!

ETA: for someone who so far has been shown as not bothering about makeup at all Cassidy sure had a great concealer at hand.

Edited November 13, 2019 by MissLucas