S05.E04: Honestly

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

11/17/2020 (09:00PM - 10:01PM) (Tuesday) : Malik shadows Randall at work. Kevin struggles to connect with his new movie director. Jack and Rebecca struggle to sleep train their babies.

 

[gonzosgirrl]

This is my favourite episode in a while. The flashbacks were relevant and well done, and I actually felt for all three Pearson kids without wanting to smack anyone. Points to all who predicted the Kate pregnancy.

When 18 year old Kate was leaning up against the sink looking at the test, I would have bet money it was a younger Chrissy Metz. Wow, that is some casting. And I love Jack Pearson and I'm not sorry.

[Scarlett45]

Malik, I generally love you, but Randall doesn’t need the “I have a child” speech from you- please stop. 
 

More half naked Sterling K Brown on my screen PLEASE🥰🙌🏽.

I liked the scene of Randall helping Kevin memorize his football plays, and the fact that Kevin still uses the techniques in his acting. 
 

Again more half naked Sterling. 

1 minute ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Points to all who predicted the Kate pregnancy.

Yes I totally forgot. Kudos to everyone to predicted that. 

[anna0852]

I think it's a huge leap forward for Randall that he's not flipping out about the video. Or the fact that it went viral.

 

[ams1001]

Just now, anna0852 said:

I think it's a huge leap forward for Randall that he's not flipping out about the video. Or the fact that it went viral.

Some of the memes were pretty good...

[Spartan Girl]

Kate got knocked up by her horrible teen boyfriend?! Shit. I’m assuming she lost/terminated the pregnancy or is there yet another longlost Pearson?

Cant believe they went there with the Randall video mishap. Lol at Beth’s “I don’t know what that is but that is not dancing.”

No new episodes til January?! GODAMMIT!!!!

[Quickbeam]

Finally some Kevin depth. I really enjoyed it. And as tired as people are of Jack and Rebecca, Mandy and Milo make it work.

[BuckeyeLou]

Good episode, Jack & Rebecca playing "good cop/bad cop"... Kate's un-expected pregnancy, Randall helping Kevin,...Randall's un-dressing video going Viral(that made me LOL), Beth teasing Randall about it, Malik's heart-felt speech to Randall about his Life Goals.  Lots of good moments...Kate and Kevin showing a lot of self-reflection here.

[Bulldog]

As a general rule, I would think Kate would be the last person you would ever ask if she has wondered what something tastes like. 

For once, I was not annoyed by Randall.  I loved his interactions with Deja.  Have we heard her call him "Dad" before?  I also liked her look of "at least I'm not biologically related to this guy" during his Gandall Gearson speech.  He really should thank Malik.  His reelection should be sealed now. 

Did we know Miguel has kids?  Why have we never seen the Pearson's step siblings?   

Edited November 18, 2020 by Bulldog

[CSunshine76]

The box Kate pulled out of her drawer was for an ovulation test, not a pregnancy test.  Surely this was just a really bad editing job and she wasn’t trying to get pregnant?  Kudos to all the posters who called a pregnancy/abortion storyline.  But it really should have come up with her fertility struggles, not now.

So uninterested in the Randall’s birth mom story. Enough already with dead folks who are not actually dead. 

Edited November 18, 2020 by CSunshine76

[nixgirl28]

I've missed the Randall we saw tonight!  

Ellie is pinging my radar. Other than giving her input on the name, which I felt she should've kept to herself, I feel like she won't go through with it or something. 

[anna0852]

Oh yeah, Miguel's kids have been seen. I think it was last season. Or maybe the one before. They were super rude to Rebecca.

[Spartan Girl]

Just now, Bulldog said:

 

Did we know Miguel has kids?  Why have we never seen the Pearson's step siblings?   

We saw them when Miguel and Rebecca had Thanksgiving with them two season ago. And they suck.

[LoveLeigh]

January 5th? Somehow in spite of how much I love this show or maybe because I love this show so much all I came away with is that I have to wait how many weeks for another new episode? 

I love Milo Ventimigila. Or is it Jack Pearson?

And once again, for the third time, an episode ends with the same cliffhanger about Lauren. 

[Bulldog]

1 minute ago, anna0852 said:

Oh yeah, Miguel's kids have been seen. I think it was last season. Or maybe the one before. They were super rude to Rebecca.

 

1 minute ago, Spartan Girl said:

We saw them when Miguel and Rebecca had Thanksgiving with them two season ago. And they suck.

Thanks.  I have no recollection of that at all.  

[Blakeston]

They're really going to need to give me some insight into why Ellie chose Kate and Toby. "She liked the way they couldn't help arguing after being around her for 5 minutes" is not cutting it.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

Just now, ams1001 said:

Some of the memes were pretty good...

They were hilarious. I really liked "my toddler when I'm in a Zoom meeting for work."

Dammit, Malik. You had ONE JOB! He really has some cajones to ask for an internship after that. Jeez, where do people get that kind of moxy? Randall is smart though, Malik will really try hard to prove himself now. And I knew something "good" would happen after the video went viral so of course whathisname saw it.

I really liked adult Kevin using the rainbow flash cards.

I'm not looking forward to a traumatized by an abortion tropey story BUT the previews showed us that her asshole boyfriend weasels his way back in so I'll hold off on my judgements for now.

So we get only 3/4 episodes and then we've got to wait until January for a new episode? Ugh.

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Spartan Girl said:

Kate got knocked up by her horrible teen boyfriend?! Shit. I’m assuming she lost/terminated the pregnancy or is there yet another longlost Pearson?

Unless she managed to give birth without telling anyone and then pulled a William and left the baby at the fire station...

I'm guessing Ellie's story about considering an abortion is leading in that direction. Which means I'm probably wrong. Maybe.

I also thought at first the name Chloe was a hint that they don't end up adopting Ellie's baby (since we know their daughter's name will be Hailey), but then she told the story about her husband's lab partner and of course Kate will not want that name anymore.

 

[tennisgurl]

Kudos to everyone who called Kate getting pregnant by her creepy boyfriend last season. I thought this was a really good episode, the flashbacks tied into the main story pretty well, and everyone was likable and reacting to things like normal people might. 

Loved seeing young Kevin and Randall bonding, and its so sweet that Kevin still uses the system he taught him as kids. There was a high five!

Beth might have been offended as a dancer to call Randall's skype dance "dancing" but I sure wasn't complaining! 

January 5th? Come on now, its only been four episodes!

Edited November 18, 2020 by tennisgurl

[bettername2come]

2 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Wow, that is some casting.

I think the only complaint I've had about casting is that I'm pretty sure Kid Kate is taller than Teen Kate. 

I did not call the pregnancy. And I immediately assumed this ep that she had an abortion, because of her conversation with the baby's mother, and that would make sense with her insistence on getting pregnant with Baby Jack, but now I'm wondering if she didn't tell anyone that she did have a baby and gave it up for adoption because in a family that has adopted, they wouldn't think that was the right choice for her because she would have support or they'd be upset that she gave away a child that had "a piece of Dad" as she called it in season 3. And it'd be totally in this show's wheelhouse to have a secret Pearson out there.

I can't wait for the viral video to pick up that the stripping city councilman is the brother of movie star Kevin Pearson. 

That Foster guy seems like a jerk. Genuinely don't know what to think of the "atta boy" basket. I did like Kevin making a connection to the material when he asked Kate "Honestly?" and didn't realize until this thread opened that it was the name of the episode. 

 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

As soon as Randall made a point of mentioning his father's name in the livestream, I knew that someone related to Laurel would recognize the name.

I have no doubt that Malik is a great dad and works very hard, but he could have ironed a shirt and made his lunch at night, after the baby went to sleep.  (He could probably have made some of her food for the next day, too.)  No need to get up extra early in the morning.

Edited November 19, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I have no doubt that Malik is a great dad and works very hard, but he could have ironed a shirt and made his lunch at night, after the baby went to sleep.  (He could probably have made some of her food for the next day, too.)  No need to get up extra early in the morning.

I know babies go through a lot of clothes, but does he really need to do her laundry every morning, too?

[gonzosgirrl]

Does anyone have a problem imagining that this girl grew up to be adult Kate? Amazing casting.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

23 hours ago, bettername2come said:

I'm wondering if she didn't tell anyone that she did have a baby and gave it up for adoption

I don't think she could have hidden a pregnancy and delivery.  She wasn't particularly heavy after Jack died.

 

Edited November 19, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse

[mtlchick]

As soon as Randall said the stuff about livestream said my sister said "he's going to miss a cue, isn't he?"  

I did notice that Randall was busy folding up his button down shirt as he was getting naked.  

 

Wait, we have to wait until JANUARY?! Got dang it, we don't even get the return of Pilgrim Rick? BOO, SHOW! BOOOOOO. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to push to air 2 episodes before the election if this was going to be the case.  

[bettername2come]

10 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

Did we know Miguel has kids?  Why have we never seen the Pearson's step siblings?   

His kids really are trainwrecks. They were complete jerks to him and Rebecca in the Thanksgiving ep in season 3. And then he got to the Pearson Thanksgiving and Annie excitedly yelled "Grandpa!" and ran to hug him and he got the love he deserved. 

[Fostersmom]

9 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

They're really going to need to give me some insight into why Ellie chose Kate and Toby. "She liked the way they couldn't help arguing after being around her for 5 minutes" is not cutting it.

They are easy marks? 

So I'm assuming the Asian guy is actually Randall's dad and not William, so now both his parents are alive? 

[tennisgurl]

13 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

We saw them when Miguel and Rebecca had Thanksgiving with them two season ago. And they suck.

Miguel's demon spawn are so awful that they make the Pearson siblings, with all of their issues and neurosis, look like the damn Brady Bunch. 

[PepSinger]

While I know it’s annoying that there’s only 4 episodes and that it won’t be back until January, according to Dan Fogelman, it took A LOT just to get these four episodes to air.

”Can I give a little love to our unsung post department?  We finished (mixing, timing, etc) tonight's episode LAST NIGHT.  That has happened every ep this season.  In  midst of a pandemic. It was the only way to get 4 on this soon. Our Editors are badass. Whole team is. #ThisisUs” — on his Twitter 

[Scarlett45]

18 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

Did we know Miguel has kids?  Why have we never seen the Pearson's step siblings?   

We do. And we did- two seasons ago (or was it last season?) Miguel and Rebecca had thanksgiving dinner with one of Miguel’s kids/their family. 

[Empress1]

16 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

Oh yeah, Miguel's kids have been seen. I think it was last season. Or maybe the one before. They were super rude to Rebecca.

A Thanksgiving episode. They were real assholes - they basically called Rebecca the other woman even though Miguel was divorced when he and Rebecca got together.

Randall going viral reminded me of an anchor who appeared pantsless on TV this year and he was basically like “my bad, I didn’t have any pants on” and that was kind of it. I think Randall going shirtless (with a body-ody-ody like that!) can be easily laughed off. I did laugh when Beth made fun of him and he was all “too soon!” And she wants to know when he’s ready because she has lots of material.

I suspect Kate had an abortion, and the birth mother’s mention of an abortion is what triggered her.

I think Kevin’s coach was played by the actor who played Nick Stokes on CSI. 

[ams1001]

I almost forgot Annie channeling Little Women. "My hair's a fright!" 😂

[bettername2come]

3 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I don't think she could have hidden a pregnancy and delivery.  She wasn't particularly heavy when Jack was alive.

Although, do we know know when she moved to LA? I know Kevin is in NYC and with Randall and Rebecca in Pittsburgh, I could see her having the baby far away. In the episode on Tess's birth she and Kevin are both in LA, right, which means she didn't move there after he got famous and could afford to pay her to be his assistant, right?

[RedDelicious]

Ughhhhhhh the return of Carc.

[Empress1]

4 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I almost forgot Annie channeling Little Women. "My hair's a fright!" 😂

Annie girl, I feel you. I haven’t been to a salon since COVID. I’ve trimmed my own hair (I just did a few days ago) but I can’t wait to have a pro put their hands on it.

[ByaNose]

I know we are in the middle of a pandemic but we have to wait until January for a new episode?!? I would have hoped they would have gotten through December somewhere. I know they don’t do 24 episodes but what usually is the This Is Us episode count? I hope the 2nd half of the season will get us through to May. Thankfully Virgin River is dropping next week. It ain’t This Is Us but what is?! No matter what they throw at us I still love this show. I was happy to have a fast turnaround (somewhat) of the Asian man and the Randall vortex. See everyone in January. 

[gonzosgirrl]

27 minutes ago, CSunshine76 said:

The box Kate pulled out of her drawer was for an ovulation test, not a pregnancy test.  Surely this was just a really bad editing job and she wasn’t trying to get pregnant?  Kudos to all the posters who called a pregnancy/abortion storyline.  But it really should have come up with her fertility struggles, not now.

So uninterested in the Randall’s birth mom story. Enough already with dead folks who are not actually dead. 

I totally missed this, but you're absolutely right. Surely that was a screw up from the props dept.? 

 

[RedDelicious]

I’m not in for the social justice themes of race and abortion because the way they’re doing it feels too forced and it’s all we’ve heard about for the last however many months. I tried to stick it out after the first episode but I just don’t really like the show anymore. I’d like to know Laurel’s story and that is it. 

[mtlchick]

11 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Randall going viral reminded me of an anchor who appeared pantsless on TV this year and he was basically like “my bad, I didn’t have any pants on” and that was kind of it.

That was Will Reeve, son of Superman (Christopher Reeve.)  

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, ByaNose said:

I know we are in the middle of a pandemic but we have to wait until January for a new episode?!? I would have hoped they would have gotten through December somewhere. I know they don’t do 24 episodes but what usually is the This Is Us episode count? I hope the 2nd half of the season will get us through to May. Thankfully Virgin River is dropping next week. It ain’t This Is Us but what is?! No matter what they throw at us I still love this show. I was happy to have a fast turnaround (somewhat) of the Asian man and the Randall vortex. See everyone in January. 

So far there have been 18 episodes per season.

[bybrandy]

That has to be a prop mistake, right?  And not Kate calling the ex to try to get pregnant to win him back.  Right?   RIGHT!?!?!?   But even if that is the story she clearly aborts or places that baby up for adoption.  I mean I'd think abortion because how would she hide it from the family with how co-dependtent the were but on the other hand how much would they love to introduce us to long lost Kate kid?   Ugh.   

But prop mistake, right?!?!?  But that would be a big mistake.

[willco]

This is the one show that my sister and I both watch, at least this season since Survivor got cancelled, and when I talked to her before the show I told her it was the last episode until next year-- she was about as mad as some of you all are ! But they probably didn't want to run a new show next week being Thanksgiving week and it seems like a lot of shows don't like to burn new shows in December anymore either. Oh well.

 

That director came off as kind of a jerk-- if you want an actor to read a line a certain way, maybe TELL them that ! Maybe he just wanted Kevin to come up with his own take on it, but the way he said nothing, I just don't get that. Kate and Randall have been more tolerable this season, but  I still like Kevin the best. At least he ( sometimes ) has a sense of humor about his faults. Sometimes Randall does ( I was shocked at how well he took tonight's mishap !) but Kate always seems so sour. 

[bybrandy]

36 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

Finally some Kevin depth. I really enjoyed it. And as tired as people are of Jack and Rebecca, Mandy and Milo make it work.

This one worked for me in a way that some of them haven't this season because it told me more about the kids and Rebecca than it did about Jack.

I mean I get that somebody would recognize the name William Hill and I get that Randall explicitly said his birth father so that narrowed it down further.  But William Hill is only sligtly less generic than John Smith and if somebody mentioned William HIll on a viral video I would think, "hey, that guy has the same name of the ex of a woman I once knew.... rather than, "Oh, I bet this is Laurel's kid."

Randall didn't annoy me even a little this episode. and it felt in character and the memes were on point.

That said this show severely overestimates how curious I am about Laurel.  I'm far more interested in Kate's  pregancy and what happens with creep arse baby daddy.   

 

6 minutes ago, willco said:

if you want an actor to read a line a certain way, maybe TELL them that !

Yes, I don't mind the idea that Kevin is holding something back from his acting and either he is honest with himself and becomes a better actor or not.. I mean I'm fine with that story.  Totally fine.  But the idea that he's the problem with the director tells him to read the same line over and over without giving him any idea about what note he's supposed to be hitting?  Kev isn't the problem in that scene.

[tennisgurl]

This was a really good episode, and since we have to wait a bit for a new episode, I am glad that we are taking this break on a good note. There was a lot of good continuations of various stories going on, like you can tell that what Randall said to Kate about how they never talk about his race has really resonated with her and she has been thinking about it, the adoption story, and the rift between Kevin and Randall. While they didnt have any scenes together, we got to see how Randall is still on Kevin's mind, saw them having some good times as kids, and that even when he is still mad at him, he is still holding onto the things they did together. I wonder if some of Rebecca wanting to cut her kids slack and not push them comes from her overly critical mother who judged everything she did? 

I am still worried about this adoption thing, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and for her to decide to keep the baby because...thats just how these stories normally go. We know that Kate and Toby do have a daughter eventually, but is it this one? I am curious about how this story will go, it could go the way of "thoughtful exploration of a complex issue" or "needlessly melodrama that exists to add yet another issue for this show to tackle" so we will have to wait and see. 

I get why they tied Kevin and the tough director into the story of him learning not to quit when the going gets tough, and I do hope he sticks it out, but the director seems like a pretentious ass who is hiding his ego trip under the umbrella of "art". Just telling someone to say something again and again doesent make them any better, unless your deliberately trying to make them angry or frustrated, and trying to get a better performance out of an actor doesent mean that you can be a jerk for no reason when they are trying to do the job you hired them for. I think this guy has had a few too many Stanley Kubrick biographies. 

Come on Malik you had one job! The girls reactions were hilarious, especially Beth being so offended as a dance instructor at whatever movements Randall was making. Randall actually handled things really well, he just kind of laughed the thing off without freaking out, and him telling Malik that he understood messing up but that he needed to improve was very appropriate. I get that being a single teen dad is tough, but he really does need to figure out how to make this internship and his family work if he wants to keep working with Randall. Of course, I will never be unhappy watching Randall losing shirts, so way to go Malik! Your the real hero!

I guess we will have to our own Pilgrim Ricks this year. Who has the hat ready? 

[KaveDweller]

14 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

I mean I get that somebody would recognize the name William Hill and I get that Randall explicitly said his birth father so that narrowed it down further.  But William Hill is only sligtly less generic than John Smith and if somebody mentioned William HIll on a viral video I would think, "hey, that guy has the same name of the ex of a woman I once knew.... rather than, "Oh, I bet this is Laurel's kid."

In most cases I would agree, but if Laurel told him she had a baby with William Hill and he disappeared with the kid, you may be more interested when you hear the name. At least enough to Google the council

I don't buy that Randall would just stand up and start undressing knowing Malik was right outside the door. I don't buy him undressing at the office at all. It would be one thing if he was doing the live steam at home.

I liked the Kevin storyline, and I am curious where they are going with it. The director was being an ass, but I like storylines where Kevin has success at something, which could be where this is going.

[Guest]

Why on earth was Kate using an ovulation test? The props dept couldn’t be that sloppy?

I don’t know what was better- Randall’s “dancing” or his ladies reacting to it. Both?

[bybrandy]

6 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

In most cases I would agree, but if Laurel told him she had a baby with William Hill and he disappeared with the kid, you may be more interested when you hear the name. At least enough to Google the council

I don't buy that Randall would just stand up and start undressing knowing Malik was right outside the door. I don't buy him undressing at the office at all. It would be one thing if he was doing the live steam at home.

I liked the Kevin storyline, and I am curious where they are going with it. The director was being an ass, but I like storylines where Kevin has success at something, which could be where this is going.

He was going jogging he wouldn't go jogging in his suit.  I'm not sure about the little dance in the office but if he is going running from the office he's changing in the office.   

 

2 minutes ago, deaja said:

Why on earth was Kate using an ovulation test? The props dept couldn’t be that sloppy?

I don’t know what was better- Randall’s “dancing” or his ladies reacting to it. Both?

Call the boy tell him she's pregnant when she knows she's ovulating and get him to sleep with her so she beocmes pregnant and he has to stay with her/  It is a SUPER bad plan.  But Kate isn't in a place where she's making good decisions.  

Still, I hope it was a prop issue.

[LexieLily]

24 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

I mean I get that somebody would recognize the name William Hill and I get that Randall explicitly said his birth father so that narrowed it down further.  But William Hill is only sligtly less generic than John Smith and if somebody mentioned William HIll on a viral video I would think, "hey, that guy has the same name of the ex of a woman I once knew.... rather than, "Oh, I bet this is Laurel's kid."

Why was Vietnamese Grandpa watching the link in the first place? I know it was for the stories to connect and Jae-won did tell Randall that the video clip was going viral and making the rounds on news broadcasts, but if he just saw the viral clip I would think it would have just had the last line of Randall saying "Thank you, Philadelphia, and [whatever the rest was]" and then the strip show. He would have had to go back to watch the original link to hear the lines about William Hill, his birth father. 

[Empress1]

3 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

I don't buy that Randall would just stand up and start undressing knowing Malik was right outside the door. I don't buy him undressing at the office at all. It would be one thing if he was doing the live steam at home.

I’ve changed in my office (well, before COVID). Same situation as Randall, actually - I would sometimes go running in the area where my employer was. Sometimes I would change before going to a boutique fitness class. Sometimes boutique fitness studios don’t have locker rooms, just regular bathrooms, and it’s easier to show up in workout clothes rather than change there, so I would change in my office before going to the class. 

I’ve also known people who kept terrible long hours so they kept spare clothes in their offices because they barely went home.

[KaveDweller]

Just now, bybrandy said:

He was going jogging he wouldn't go jogging in his suit.  I'm not sure about the little dance in the office but if he is going running from the office he's changing in the office.   

 

Ah, I guess I missed that explanation. Still don't buy that he wouldn't check the camera and that the live steam ended.