S05.E03: Changes

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

Kevin and Madison navigate their engagement as Kate and Toby take a big step in their adoption journey. Jack and Rebecca brace for puberty.

 

[Neurochick]

Who was the woman in the photograph at the end? 

[Quickbeam]

Outlander shout out! We are the worst! 

[Eureka]

Just now, Neurochick said:

Who was the woman in the photograph at the end? 

Randall’s birth mom.

[Quickbeam]

Just now, Neurochick said:

Who was the woman in the photograph at the end? 

Absolutely no clue. TV is just too small, we need someone with a massive tv....

Edited November 11, 2020 by Quickbeam

[Scarlett45]

Just now, Quickbeam said:

Outlander shout out! We are the worst! 

We are!

Just now, Eureka said:

Randall’s birth mom.

yup that was Laurel- pregnant. 

[Jax7917]

It’s Randall’s birth mother in the pictures . 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Just now, Eureka said:

Randall’s birth mom.

I had a momentary fear that the grandfather/granddaughter had hooked her dead body when fishing.  That's what this show does to you.

[anna0852]

I have to say, I think Randall and Beth really overreacted to the video. And to be honest in their shoes I would have been far more upset at the teacher. And I'd be pretty proud of my daughter for refusing to take it. Admittedly telling  Your teacher "s**** y**" wasn't great but I don't think it was worth the 6 week punishment either.

[ams1001]

My mostly snarky thought process because I can't with the serious stuff tonight.

Um, I don't want anyone's foot in my food, thanks. (I'm sure it's an idiom I don't understand, but ew.)

Damn, I thought tween Kate was a different actress at first!

Mr. Belvedere! God, I feel old.

If I was that birth mom I'd be running in the other direction.

I'm not sure who is more annoying with the "babe" thing, Rebecca or Kate.

One serious though: I liked Kevin and Madison's conversation. 

Just now, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I had a momentary fear that the grandfather/granddaughter had hooked her dead body when fishing.  That's what this show does to you.

I was thinking we were in Vietnam and it was gonna be some kind of explosive or something.

[greekmom]

I have to say between the Good Doctor and This is Us. The Good Doctor is killing it.

Glad that Randall found a doctor he can work with. Sucks that the girl made out his possible first kiss all about colour/race. 

Something about the birth mom in Toby/Kate's story seems a little too perfect its going to hit them in the face somehow.

Kevin and Madison are wasting a great opportunity to get to know eachother properly since they are quarantined together.  

Tess could have still made a big stink about the way the teacher was touching her hair (who the heck does that!) and calling her friend by their proper pronoun without the dance video. 

[Spartan Girl]

Just now, Neurochick said:

Who was the woman in the photograph at the end? 

Randall’s mom. The plot thickens...

”I always wondered what it would be like to kiss someone like you!” UGHHHH. Poor Tween Randall. His story was real cute up til then.

I like Randall’s new therapist. It’s perfectly fine to go with someone you can relate to more, and this one knows his stuff.

Was totally on Tess’ side. That teacher should NOT be touching her hair. I am white and I would never do anything like that because hello, PERSONAL SPACE!

[tennisgurl]

2 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

Outlander shout out! We are the worst! 

Its true! Its all true! We really are!

This week we get another round of everyone's favorite This Is Us game: "So Who The Heck Are These People?" 

[callmebetty]

1 minute ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I had a momentary fear that the grandfather/granddaughter had hooked her dead body when fishing.  That's what this show does to you.

Me too!! 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

8 hours ago, anna0852 said:

I have to say, I think Randall and Beth really overreacted to the video. And to be honest in their shoes I would have been far more upset at the teacher. And I'd be pretty proud of my daughter for refusing to take it. Admittedly telling  Your teacher "s**** y**" wasn't great but I don't think it was worth the 6 week punishment either.

If you're going to take someone's phone away, you should actually take it.

Ah, Tess needs a computer to attend school and do homework.  You can use WhatsApp on a laptop.  She won't be completely cut off, it will just be more challenging to keep up with her friends.

Also, Tess really looked like Beth while sitting on her bed opposite Randall.

Edited November 11, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Jax7917]

The pregnant mother is gonna end up being a scammer who takes their money and gets their hopes up . Guarantee she’s not even pregnant and if she is , she has no intention of giving that baby up . 
 

so is that little girl Randall’s half sister ? I’m feeling a bit slow right now lol 

[mariah23]

Just now, Jaclyn88 said:

The pregnant mother is gonna end up being a scammer who takes their money and gets their hopes up . Guarantee she’s not even pregnant and if she is , she has no intention of giving that baby up . 
 

so is that little girl Randall’s half sister ? I’m feeling a bit slow right now lol 

Probably his niece.

[Scarlett45]

1 minute ago, Jaclyn88 said:

so is that little girl Randall’s half sister ? I’m feeling a bit slow right now lol 

No- that little girl was the older man’s granddaughter (she called him grandpa). So likely that man and Laurel were married/had a long term relationship.....but it’s looking like Laurel isn’t in than man’s life any more (either dead or gone) because the little girl doesn’t know her. I don’t think she’s related to Laurel at all. 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

I didn't realize it was a cardinal sin to not eat pancakes when someone has made them. I'm guessing someone in the writer's room made some pancakes and got rejected and is still feeling bitter.

Kate and Toby are a mess. They can't even keep a lid on the bickering for 15 minutes when they are trying to make a good impression on someone? I don't think it was a terrible fight or anything, it seemed like normal bickering between a couple but damn. Quintessential Pearson to make other people watch/listen to/get caught up in your drama. I don't know why I'm still surprised by it, lol.

Randall reeeeeaaaally wants approval from his therapist....eesh. Good thing he's in therapy.

Tess' video was so cringe but I understand the sentiment behind it. The swearing was the least offensive part of it, really. Not sure why Randall and Beth had a problem with that part of it. 6 weeks without a phone in 2020 though??? Makes me wonder how many kids have secret phones they keep from their parents.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 minute ago, Scarlett45 said:

No- that little girl was the older man’s granddaughter (she called him grandpa). So likely that man and Laurel were married/had a long term relationship.....but it’s looking like Laurel isn’t in than man’s life any more (either dead or gone) because the little girl doesn’t know her. I don’t think she’s related to Laurel at all. 

He and Laurel might have been together before she met William.  Possibly in college.

[Eureka]

6 minutes ago, greekmom said:

I have to say between the Good Doctor and This is Us. The Good Doctor is killing it.

Glad that Randall found a doctor he can work with. Sucks that the girl made out his possible first kiss all about colour/race. 

Something about the birth mom in Toby/Kate's story seems a little too perfect its going to hit them in the face somehow.

Kevin and Madison are wasting a great opportunity to get to know eachother properly since they are quarantined together.  

Tess could have still made a big stink about the way the teacher was touching her hair (who the heck does that!) and calling her friend by their proper pronoun without the dance video. 

We don’t know the age difference in Kate and Toby’s kids from the flashforward. I think this placement is going to fall through and there will be another one.

[Scarlett45]

5 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Kevin and Madison are wasting a great opportunity to get to know eachother properly since they are quarantined together.  

I think they have been getting to know each other (hence going from a one night stand to engagement during the quarantine), but it’s only been a couple of months. AND they’ve had the “pregnancy” as a distraction from other “life stuff”. It’s easy to only talk about the good stuff when you don’t know each other well and the pandemic is taking up so much mental energy. I am not surprised Madison hadn’t told Kevin about her ED. I am glad she’s doing what she needs to do to stay healthy though. 

1 minute ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

He and Laurel might have been together before she met William.  Possibly in college.

Yeah. Or after Randall was born. She was pregnant in the photo so I’m think it’s after. 

[Runningwild]

I’m on the principal’s side. Tess and her friend should not have made that video. The teacher was wrong to touch Tess’s hair. That’s a given. Tess asked her to stop and she did. Even if it does bother the other kids that the teacher is touching their hair, that is not for Tess to call her teacher out on a video on the internet. And don’t even get me started with “they.”
 

Kids need to be encouraged to be respectful. There are better ways of discussing your feelings than a video on the internet. It is forever. 
 

It’s R&B’s fault Tess is so disrespectful. Girl, you eat what is put in front of you and if you want cage free eggs, you can pay for them. 
 

Puberty Randall was a mega jerk. He was nasty to his brother, the doctor and his parents. Didn’t seem like he was bottling up much. 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Runningwild
I keep remembering things I want to say.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

9 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Sucks that the girl made out his possible first kiss all about colour/race. 

When she said "I wonder what it would be like to kiss someone like you" I thought what? A nerd? Then I was like ooooohhhhh.

[woodstock]

5 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

One serious though: I liked Kevin and Madison's conversation. 

I had completely forgotten about Madison's eating disorder. I can see how the pregnancy would be triggering for her. I also liked how she and Kevin admitted that they are scared that their past addictions/issues could impact their kids.

Although, I do think Tess' punishment is way harsh (I agree with her on the hair touching thing..JUST DON'T DO IT) I do agree with Beth that she and Randall have to be a united front when it comes to disciplining the kids.

Still don't know what to think about the Laurel story line...I'm guessing that's who was in the picture.

[LoveLeigh]

The actors who play the younger versions of the big three really have had huge growth spurts. 

[Empress1]

 

17 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Tess could have still made a big stink about the way the teacher was touching her hair (who the heck does that!) and calling her friend by their proper pronoun without the dance video. 

It’s happened to me many times - well, people try but I don’t allow them to do so. I’ve swatted away and ducked to avoid many a hand. At Tess’s age I wasn’t self-possessed enough to take a stand. (I was also straightening my hair at that age - I wear my natural curls now and have for over 10 years - but white people still tried to touch it without asking because they didn’t understand how it was straight.) I am 100% on her side in terms of her grievances - we are not animals, do not pet us, and misgendering her non-binary friend isn’t cool. But I agreed with Randall and Beth that that wasn’t the best way to make their point (though it was very Gen Z).

Was Randall’s therapist played by Keith Powell (Twofer from 30 Rock?)

They have to have the teenage big 3 going through puberty because they’re going through it IRL. The actor who plays Randall in particular is maturing - his voice has deepened and he’s really tall. Also the actress who plays young Kate has gotten taller and thinner. When my brother turned 13, my parents were like “Lord help us, we have two teenagers [I’m 4 years older]” so I laughed when all the parents were going through it.

I know the flash forward shows that Kate and Toby have a second child, but I don’t have a great feeling about this birth mother. Also, would someone from the agency be a part of that meeting? (Genuinely asking, as I have no personal experience with adoption. My friend and her ex adopted their son but the birth mother didn’t want to meet them in person, so everything was done through the agency contact.)

Edited November 11, 2020 by Empress1

[PepSinger]

2 minutes ago, Runningwild said:

And don’t even get me started with “they.”

I agree. It's beyond ridiculous that the teacher wouldn't use the child's pronouns. In addition, it's 2020. You'd think people would know by now not to touch our hair -- or anyone's hair.

Count me in with those who think Tess' punishment was too harsh. Three or four weeks? Okay. Six? WTH? She didn't use any swear words, and keeping her grounded that long isn't going to teach her anything. Also, as someone noted, Tess needs a computer/laptop to do her online schooling, so she'll still have access to the Internet. 

[Pop Tart]

This episode felt like it was four hours long. I kept looking at the time and only 5 minutes gone by. It was getting a little weird. Started thinking something was up with all the clocks in my house.

I’m okay with the stories for the three I guess, though Randall’s ‘woe is me’ feels so redundant. I think it’s the flashbacks that are making things grind to a halt. And they feel this year like re-writing of their history To suit the writer’s need to add new angst for the present day characters. I don’t feel like these are the same parents and kids even though it’s the same actors. 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

 

[Anonymous789]

I thought the woman pictured at the end was Kevin’s ex-girlfriend (Zoe) rather than Randall’s biological mother, but it was hard to get a good look. 
 

Also curious if the birth mom in the Kate / Toby storyline is a scammer...

[memememe76]

I suspect that Beth wanted 8 weeks and Randall cut it down to 7. I like seeing parents on tv punishing their kids, even when it may be overboard. You don’t see it enough. I also like that Randall supported Beth and he was made to appear the fascist evil parent. 
 

The scene between Young Randall and Kate’s friend was so well done. The actress did a very good job of uttering such awful words in such an innocent way. She truly did not realize how horribly she treated him. 

[tennisgurl]

The talk with Madison and Kevin at the end was really good, and if they are going to raise children together they really need to be more open with each other, and talk about things other than just chit chat and baby stuff. Especially considering the Pearson's have long refused to talk about their families history of addiction, even refusing to talk about it when Kevin was in rehab, so its really good that Kevin is keeping that in mind. Kevin and Madison are doing well now, but they both have had a lot of issues with mental health and addiction, between Madison's eating disorder and Kevin's addition issues, so its really understandable that they would be worried about passing some of that to their kids, because that really can be passed down through the generations, as we have seen with the Pearson's, who have had at least three generations of addicts, and I think that Jack's dad even said that his dad was a drinker. 

I have a really bad feeling about Toby and Kate adopting this baby. You know the rules of television, the birth mom almost always decides to keep the baby at the last minute, and Toby and Kate will get their hopes up and it will all get dashed. It is kind of hilarious that they cant even go literally two seconds without bickering, even when they are trying to look good for the perspective mom. 

Of course one of the first things Randall says to his new therapist is that he has a black wife. The therapist seems pretty good so far, so I bet he took note of that right away, as Randall's insecurity about being "black enough" being raised by a white family in a mostly white area is a long standing issue with him. I think that Beth and Randall were a bit harsh with Tess, although I do agree that Tess went about her problems at school the wrong way. Tess has every right to be upset that her teacher keeps touching her hair and misgendering her friend, and the school really needs to talk to their staff about about their crappy, unprofessional behavior towards their students, and she should have told her parents, but six weeks grounding with no phone seems a bit much. I mean, maybe I am just jaded to the antics of teens, but that video was pretty tame all things considered. It wouldn't even be flagged for content on most social media platforms. I hope we find out that Beth and Randall talk to the school though, if teachers are being so disrespectful towards their students someone really needs to have a talk about that. 

[Jax7917]

They really rewrote Madison’s character . In the beginning , she was annoying , up Kate’s ass 24/7 , bubbly and non stop talkative . Now she’s the complete opposite and it’s throwing me off because she feels like a different character . She and Kevin are eh to me . I was rooting for him and Sophie but who knows what will happen . This show loves its twists . 
 

I also feel like ALL of the Pearson’s are so self- centered . Every time someone else tells their life stories , the Pearson’s always turn it around and make it about themselves and makes it into a long monologue . They never seem to give a crap about the other persons life . 

[ams1001]

21 minutes ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

I didn't realize it was a cardinal sin to not eat pancakes when someone has made them.

But these are the Pearsons! Everything is very personal.

11 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

You'd think people would know by now not to touch our hair -- or anyone's hair.

I have boring fine, straight hair; it has never in my life occurred to me to touch someone's hair just because it's a different texture than mine.

[BuckeyeLou]

The teen-age Piersons have certainly grown & changed:  I did not even recognize Kate(McKenzie?) at 1st, and Randall's voice had deepened.  I liked the bonding moments between Kevin & Jack, but then we see it lead to 'issues" with adult Kevin.  Parents think they are doing the best for their kids but dont realize what impact they are having.    As for the woman in the picture, are we sure it was Laurel?  And I wonder if Jack had crossed paths with the Vietnamese man when he was serving in the war in Vietnam?  Would the time frame work?

[bybrandy]

Outlander isn't my jam (but yay all the Willow Rosenberg shout outs!!!!) but I love, love, love that Maddison is a big convention going fangirl.  I was shipping them already but now I am in hard core.  Team Mevin?  Maddisevin?    Yeah, portmanteau names are dumb.   Just saying I like Kevin and Maddison and I am, in general, an anti-shipper.

When Maddison first explained about her eating disorder I genuinely had a moment where I was like, "Oh, yeah, that's why we know her!"   It had been so long I had forgotten that's how she met Kate. 

Probably the right thing to do for Randall and Beth but I am teem Tess and Tess's NB friend on this one.   I'm not a parent, it's fine.   Respect pronouns and never touch anybody's hair... like EVER.. but especially not black people.  That's just... and respect pronouns.

Kate and Toby's birth mom is totally going to change her mind and leave them heartbroken but I don't think she's grifting them in any way at all.   I think she just genuinely liked their profile/vid and felt a connection.

I was never mad at Randall in this episode...  but what's up with the two journals?  Do we know something already about the other journal?

I'm okay with the Vietnamese grandfather knowing somethign about Randall's mom, I guess, but if he's also somehow connected to um.... what's Jack's brother's name????,,,,, I'm going to be sort of put out...

And I was sort of okay with this being Jack's brother being this kid's other grandfather until.... the moment we saw Randall's mom.   Quite frankly, I think I'd still prefer this to be a connection to Jack's brother... I just can't handle it being both, so....

 

[cardigirl]

I get that this show makes money for NBC but for cryin out loud, I was getting tired of 5 minutes of show and 8 minutes of commercials. I swear we only got 35 minutes of film tonight. 

Loved Toby and Kate entirely, loved Kevin and Madison's conversation at the end (wearing socks and shoes to the beach and loving Outlander, hee!)

I think the little Vietnamese girl is related to Randall. 

Good show tonight! 

[Racj82]

Those good for nothing teenagers out here turning down fresh pancakes?

Disrespectful.

Edited November 11, 2020 by Racj82

[bybrandy]

Tween Randall was all making fun of Tween Kevin for being small but Tween Randall is like literally the same size if not a bit shorter.   

[VanillaBear85]

Quote

 

I’m on the principal’s side. Tess and her friend should not have made that video. The teacher was wrong to touch Tess’s hair. That’s a given. Tess asked her to stop and she did. Even if it does bother the other kids that the teacher is touching their hair, that is not for Tess to call her teacher out on a video on the internet. And don’t even get me started with “they.”
 

Kids need to be encouraged to be respectful. There are better ways of discussing your feelings than a video on the internet. It is forever. 

 

Adults need to be encouraged to be respectful and not touch teenagers. Easily on the side of Tess and her friend. The video was not disrespectful in the slightest to me. A teacher should not pet a child. 

[bybrandy]

WTF is I put my foot in it?  I've never heard this phrase and with respect to food?  It is a bit off putting.   

[PRgal]

Just now, ams1001 said:

But these are the Pearsons! Everything is very personal.

I have boring fine, straight hair; it has never in my life occurred to me to touch someone's hair just because it's a different texture than mine.

Same.  But hair can be a sensitive issue.  I didn’t realize how weird it felt to comment on hair, period, until I became a mom.  My son is half Caucasian, half Asian and he was born with red hair. There’s still red in his hair, but it’s closer to brown now.  I found that comments about his hair colour, especially from other Asians, made me feel weird, as if they’re trying to say that my son doesn’t “look Asian” at all. 

[Enigma X]

As a teenager whose curls used to get touched by adults all the time, and even as an adult whose curls people try to touch, I am definitely team Tess.

[PepSinger]

LOL, maybe it's cause I'm Southern, but I've heard the idiom "I put my foot in it/You put your foot in this" about 500 times in my life. All it means is that something you cooked tastes REALLY good, and you put everything, even your "foot" into making it your best.

[Scarlett45]

1 minute ago, bybrandy said:

WTF is I put my foot in it?  I've never heard this phrase and with respect to food?  It is a bit off putting.   

It’s a common colloquialism in certain black social circles. It means “I put forth my best effort and this is especially delicious.” I knew exactly what Beth meant- she was very proud of her pancakes!

 

The second journal was a collection of poems William wrote for Randall. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

21 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Was Randall’s therapist played by Keith Powell (Twofer from 30 Rock?)

Yes!

[Scarlett45]

1 minute ago, PepSinger said:

LOL, maybe it's cause I'm Southern, but I've heard the idiom "I put my foot in it/You put your foot in this" about 500 times in my life. All it means is that something you cooked tastes REALLY good, and you put everything, even your "foot" into making it your best.

Yup!

[mtlchick]

I was thinking that was a LOT of effort put into a video in calling out a teacher. Of course the teacher shouldn’t touch her hair. If Tess had a problem with it, she should have gone to her parents because we KNOW Beth would have put the teacher in their place.

 

I wasn’t feeling the rest of the episode. 

[Empress1]

2 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

WTF is I put my foot in it?  I've never heard this phrase and with respect to food?  It is a bit off putting.   

It’s a Black colloquial expression. Basically means you cooked the hell out of the food in question. To have someone else tell you “You put your foot in these pancakes” is a high honor. Beth was saying she’d made really delicious pancakes, and Randall was agreeing.

[Runningwild]

2 minutes ago, VanillaBear85 said:

Adults need to be encouraged to be respectful and not touch teenagers. Easily on the side of Tess and her friend. The video was not disrespectful in the slightest to me. A teacher should not pet a child. 

Screw you. 

I’m not saying that to you. I’m merely repeating what they said in their video. I don’t know how that’s not disrespectful but everything is backwards these days. Kids rule the world and adults have to bend over backwards and go along with whatever whim pops into their minds. And then when the kids grow up, they end up in therapy.