S05.E07: There

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Kevin embarks on a stressful road trip; Jack and young Kevin go to a football training camp.

Promo:

Original air date: 2/9/21

Edited February 10, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[debraran]

But we know football ends. I wish they would show other dynamics with the kids. We saw how he pushed him to finish and stay with football . I  want more present day, hopefully more coming with other characters.

 

[ams1001]

Anyone else just annoyed with all the "Kevin's gonna crash" fakeouts? We know he's alive and well ten years from now (or whenever it is in the future). Just stop it.

Hey, I called it! He stopped to help and dropped his wallet.

So I guess Kevin's and Kate's kids will be born on the same day...triplets! (Sorta.) (I was starting to wonder if they had forgotten about their latest adoption story.) At least we got some explanation for why Madison apparently has no family. That was sweet of Randall and Beth to call her.

[greekmom]

I feel so bad for Kevin. He has the great Jack Pearson on a pedestal and greater than life person.  It's a hard image to live up to.

Madison better not hold this one over his head. 

Why couldn't he have arranged someone to be with Madison (like a doula nurse or whatever) while he was away in case of emergency? Regardless if she was only 6 weeks away from her due date??

[Armchair Critic]

Dang it I thought I would get through this episode with dry eyes and then Randall got me when he offered to stay on the phone with Madison.

[Spartan Girl]

Going into labor during a pandemic is scary. Yay Randall calling Madison to offer support do she’s not alone!

I felt for Kevin going through all that only to lose his ID and not get on the plane but at the same time I’m glad he didn’t Pearson his way into getting the airline worker to let him on anyway. She might have gotten fired if she did.

Love Jack standing up to Tween Kevin’s coach. Also liked that his talk about his dad and how he wasn’t always terrible, in addition to owning up to his own flaws in parenting.

Edited February 10, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[bettername2come]

Oh my god, Kevin! Eyes on the road! Credit to director and agent for seeming at least to be not completely uncaring when they first talked to him,  but seriously, he's a first-time father with babies coming early, be more understanding! I realize there's extra context making Kevin even more nervous, but the regular context is enough. I hated the director when he told him to turn around. 

Nitpick - how many quiet two-lane roads are there in BC when you're a)trying to get the Vancouver airport and B) driving from Vancouver to the border? It seems like he was on weirdly quiet roads for pretty major destinations that I  would imagine had pretty heavy traffic.

Okay, the birth mother having induced labor leaves me even more confused about the timeline this season. How pregnant was she last time we saw her? Guess that's why Kate isn't there for her best friend's babies.

I really appreciate Miguel and Rebecca trying to book Kevin a flight. Just a tiny hint of desperation in having old people be flight detectives when he's used to having professional assistance, but they're wonderful, dependable people doing that so he can focus on getting there. Glad to get a nice bonding moment between Kevin and Rebecca. And always love Kevin being nice to Miguel. 

I'm so relieved that the wallet was a fakeout. I'd imagined Kevin stumbling away from his car accident lost and confused, so heroic Kevin was nice. And I like Josh Malina, so go save him! Good luck trying to fire Kevin now that he's a hero! I hope the story goes viral just to spite stupid director with stupid name. And then I worried he would have a freakout at the airport and come off like an entitled jerk with the "I'm Kevin Pearson" thing which would go viral instead.

"You're gonna be way better than me." Saving a stranger from a fire is a heroic move and even more selfless than saving your children from a fire, so good call, Jack. I love that Randall called to check on Madison and stayed on the phone with her. I half expected them to hop a flight to LA. But no way that would be faster than Kevin getting there. But good on Randall being supportive. You raised good boys, Jack. 

Milo Ventimiglia and Young Kevin do work well together.  

We're getting Big Three part 2. I did not see that coming.  

Edited February 10, 2021 by bettername2come

[BuckeyeLou]

Why cant Kevin hire a Private Jet?  He's rich & famous, or he has famous friends like Ron Howard who could help him out with a plane.  But, then there would be no Drama.  I loved the Teen Kevin scenes, that line "Our parents loom large in our minds"  really hit home for me.

[tennisgurl]

It’s been awhile since we saw kid Jack and his father, and this was a great time to show them, as their relationship has so affected the Pearson family even decades later. Jack so badly wants to be Super Awesome Dad out of fear of becoming like his own dad, and so desperately wants to give his kids the wonderful childhood he didn’t have, that he goes overboard at times and that’s led to his kids putting him on a pedestal and feeling like they can never measure up to Jack, the perfect dad. But even Jack is flawed, as he admitted here, and his dad wasn’t horrible all of the time, and parents always stick with you, for bad or for good. 

[mtlchick]

Well, Kevin doesn’t die. Which is obvious who saw the time jumps, so what we supposed to expect really? A scar on his leg from pulling the guy out that he would talk about years later? At least he wasn’t able to sweet talk his way onto the flight. But it makes me  wonder if he couldn’t call in a favour from a famous friend to get a chartered flight instead? 
 

sort of mentally tuned out of the rest. Young Jack and his pa isn’t interesting to me.

[CleoCaesar]

I just muted all the scenes with Jack, both young and old. IDGAF about Jack in any form.

Thank god the TSA agent stood firm in the face of a Pearson Monologue™. That's real strength.

Edited February 10, 2021 by CleoCaesar

[Bulldog]

Anyone else think the Malina character either owns, or at least has access to, a private jet; and that he'll let Kevin use it to thank him for his help?  

Edited February 10, 2021 by Bulldog

[PRgal]

8 minutes ago, BuckeyeLou said:

Why cant Kevin hire a Private Jet?  He's rich & famous, or he has famous friends like Ron Howard who could help him out with a plane.  But, then there would be no Drama.  I loved the Teen Kevin scenes, that line "Our parents loom large in our minds"  really hit home for me.

He’ll still need a passport to get across the border.  

[DoubleUTeeEff]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

So I guess Kevin's and Kate's kids will be born on the same day...triplets! (Sorta.)

Little Three!

2 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I felt for Kevin going through all that only to lose his ID and not get on the plane but at the same time I’m glad he didn’t Pearson his way into getting the airline worker to let him on anyway. She might have gotten fired if she did.

Are we sure that's not still going to happen? It didn't seem resolved to me. Maybe she will get someone else who can help him and not necessarily break any rules herself.

There were a couple funny lines this episode which was nice. I liked Kate telling Kevin to tell DeNiro she loved him in Meet the Fockers and Kevin saying he's not going to do that. Also, enjoyed Kevin telling Miguel if he were there he would kiss him on the lips and immediately regret it. Miguel is awesome for helping Kevin out like that and getting the plane tickets, BTW.

Kevin, if you are going to stop on the side of the road at night please put your hazards on. K, thanks.

I'm glad the speechifying was kept to a minimum. I was scared Jack was going to give a huge speech to the coach but he just said don't call my son stupid, I'll be watching. That was better than the usual Jack speech. Also Kevin's explanation to the TSA employee wasn't too over the top. A little bit but not too bad. I'm not so sure why he's worried about being there for the babies. They are in a hospital! The babies will be fine. It's Madison who needs more support now.

Randall was a true bro at the end there. He's great for thinking of Madison when she needs it most. Good for him.

I'm guessing Kevin will make it to the hospital on time. There's got to be some drama with Kate coming, I think. Maybe a last minute change of mind on the part of the birth mother and then changing her mind back again or something. There's no way it's going to just go smoothly!

 

[KaveDweller]

I get why the director was frustrated about Kevin leaving (filming costs a lot of money), but there must be insurance for that or something. And I sort of feel like DeNiro would be understanding about a guy leaving for the birth of his kids. That being said, the car accident guy is right that the kids won't remember the day they were born. Getting there is about being their for Madison more than the kids. I'm not saying being there for his fiancé isn't important, but acknowledge what is going on.

Maybe I am the only one, but I'm kind of curious why Madison is not close with her family.

Just now, PRgal said:

He’ll still need a passport to get across the border.  

He's at Seattle airport, he is already across the border. He must have crossed before he came upon the car accident.

[tennisgurl]

Going into labor six weeks early alone during a pandemic must be awful, Randall and Beth calling was a really great moment, I might have gotten a little emotional. I love liking Randall again, him swimming with those alligators and his ghost mom has done him a world of good! 

I knew that Kevin wouldn't die, obviously, but they did get me a few times with those close call crashes. Kudos to everyone who called it really being Kevin helping someone, it was great seeing Kevin get to be a hero, which I am sure will pay off later, because every random person in this universe is connected around the Pearsons. Jack would be proud. I just hope no one holds this against him, he just about literally killed himself to get to the birth, and only stopped to save a guys life. 

Nice seeing some of teen Kevin and Jack, Kevin is usually the kid who has the least one on one time with Jack and Rebecca (hence his issues) so it was nice to see them bonding, while Jack also acknowledges his flaws as a parent. And Jack telling Kevin's asshole coach where to shove it was pretty great too. 

Of course Kevin and Kate get their kids on the exact same day. Big Three 2.0!

[Bulldog]

5 minutes ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

There's got to be some drama with Kate coming, I think. Maybe a last minute change of mind on the part of the birth mother and then changing her mind back again or something. There's no way it's going to just go smoothly!

I'm guessing birth mother changes her mind, but there is a newborn black baby conveniently left at the hospital that Kate and Toby decide to adopt. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Bulldog

[txhorns79]

22 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I felt for Kevin going through all that only to lose his ID and not get on the plane but at the same time I’m glad he didn’t Pearson his way into getting the airline worker to let him on anyway. She might have gotten fired if she did.

It's This is Us.  The security lady will probably turn out to be Randall's birth mother's sister's college roommate who once lent Rebecca a pen to write a check to pay the home insurance for the house right before it burned down. 

I just rolled my eyes throughout Kevin's storyline.  It would be nice if he actually suffered real consequences for being extremely nasty to the director, who really did not deserve the vitriol.  What Kevin (and the show) seems to forget is that the world does not revolve around him.  The director offered a reasonable compromise (i.e. to finish Kevin's scene and get him out the next morning), and this was before Kevin even knew what was going on with Madison. Also, Madison, if you aren't close with any family members and you have no close friends except Kevin (someone you barely knew before you became pregnant with his child) and Kate, what in the world have you been doing in LA for the past five years? 

Quote

He’ll still need a passport to get across the border.  

 

I was confused by this.  I thought the airport was in Seattle, and I did not understand how Kevin crossed the border without an ID.

[bybrandy]

16 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

Anyone else think the Malina character either owns, or at least has access to, a private jet; and that he'll let Kevin use it to thank him for his help?  

I think Malina is in too immediately bad shape to be of help in the plane situation but I think he will help with the publicity of Kevin walking off the movie set.  Also, DiNero has like a million kids.  

 

6 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

what in the world have you been doing in LA for the past five years? 

Some of us are introverts.  Thanks.

9 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

I'm guessing birth mother changes her mind, but there is a newborn black baby conveniently left at the hospital that Kate and Toby decide to adopt. 

We've seen the sister she's neither black nor mixed race.

[bybrandy]

8 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

He’ll still need a passport to get across the border.  

Yeah, I'm going to assume he saved Malina after crossing the border.  He was 57 miles/minutes or whatever to the airport and so that feels right.  Seattle is a ways from the boarder with Canada/ way more than 57 minutes/miles.

 

[ams1001]

32 minutes ago, bettername2come said:

And I like Josh Malina, so go save him!

I did not even realize that was him! I guess that means the makeup department did a good job? (The character doesn't even have a name; IMDB just says "Car Crash Victim"). "Kevin Pearson Saves Man From Fiery Car Crash" will be all over the entertainment news tomorrow. I assume the police and fire department were dispatched to the scene of the accident; FedEx will probably show up the next day with his wallet.

4 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

Yeah, I'm going to assume he saved Malina after crossing the border.  He was 57 miles/minutes or whatever to the airport and so that feels right.  Seattle is a ways from the boarder with Canada/ way more than 57 minutes/miles.

Yeah, it was 57 minutes.

[pennben]

I hate that the folks behind this show don’t trust their story (nor the audience) enough to have the confidence to just tell the story.  Tonight’s was solid, but of course I have to be aggravated during the telling by misdirection. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by pennben

[ItCouldBeWorse]

41 minutes ago, bettername2come said:

I half expected them to hop a flight to LA. But no way that would be faster than Kevin getting there.

If Rebecca were in better shape, she should be there with Madison.  Although, during Covid, I think you may have to designate only one individual to be your support person, which may be why they didn't hire a doula, since Kevin was to be that person.

28 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Of course Kevin and Kate get their kids on the exact same day. Big Three 2.0!

Technically, Kate and Toby's baby should be born a day earlier than the twins.  Which could still happen.

By the way, will Randall now change the birthdate on his birth certificate?  Celebrate a day earlier?

Edited February 10, 2021 by ItCouldBeWorse

[memememe76]

Kevin’s phone said he was 57 minutes from SeaTac, so he would have been across the border by that point (I live in Vancouver). But I would have thought his passport would be in his bag or car. I get losing one’s wallet but you normally don’t carry your passport on your body. 
 

I cannot believe the movie could not accommodate Kevin, who is a major celebrity. I also think DeNiro would have totally understood. 
 

That Randall and Beth scene sent me sobbing. Can’t wait for next week! 

[txhorns79]

14 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

Some of us are introverts.  Thanks.

One can be introverted and still have more than one close friend.  I just view this as tv show contrivance, to up the stakes with regards to the birth. 

 

7 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I did not even realize that was him! I guess that means the makeup department did a good job? (The character doesn't even have a name; IMDB just says "Car Crash Victim").

Part of me half expected him to kill himself when Kevin started going on about his family during the car ride to the hospital. 

[phalange]

Honestly, good for Kevin for telling the director off. Kevin tells him that Madison’s in labor and the director wanted him to stay and film for six more hours? Lol no. 

I liked the scenes with Jack and teenage Kevin and that Jack opened up to Kevin about his own father. Also Jack warning the coach that he better not call his son stupid ever again.

Poor Madison, giving birth during a pandemic must suck enough as it is without having to do it all alone. It’s nice of Randall and Beth to stay on the phone with her. I wonder why she’s estranged from her family. 

I don’t know why I didn’t even consider until this episode the possibility of Kevin and Madison’s twins and Kate’s daughter being born on the same day. Big Three 2.0. 

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, txhorns79 said:

Part of me half expected him to kill himself when Kevin started going on about his family during the car ride to the hospital. 

Or at least pretend to be unconscious...

When Kevin said the thing about not wanting to miss the most important day of their life, I immediately said "they won't remember it." Then laughed when JM said the same thing. (I have a handful of relatively clear memories from about age 4, and I remember nothing before that.)

[Jax7917]

Why is everyone saying they’re glad the TSA agent didn’t budge and let him go without an ID? Last we saw , he gave a Pearson entitled speech and she had a look on her face of ,” okay maybe there’s something I can do to help .” But they didn’t show what happened next . 
 

It is so very obvious the producers/ writers are doing anything in their power to keep Milo on the show , but the story lines feel so repetitive to me . Jack is a hero , Jack stands up for his kids , Jack is a perfect dad who says he has flaws , Jack feels insecure and unworthy of Rebecca , Jack’s kids feel they can’t live up to his perfect human being status .  It’s ok if he isn’t on every episode . They don’t need to include him all the time . The Man’s dead , let him rest lol . 

[doodlebug]

10 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

Yeah, I'm going to assume he saved Malina after crossing the border.  He was 57 miles/minutes or whatever to the airport and so that feels right.  Seattle is a ways from the boarder with Canada/ way more than 57 minutes/miles.

 

Seattle is around an hour and a half to two hours from the border.  Since Kevin was less than an hour from the airport when he came across the crash, he must've already crossed into the US.  Of course, that means he had his passport with him most likely, and should've been able to use that at the airport.  Unless he had an Enhanced Driver's License (Real ID), but I'm not sure if California is issuing those yet and couldn't tell if the license in his wallet was enhanced.  He could also cross the border with a Nexus card; but those are usually owned by people who live near the border and cross back and forth a lot.

Clearly, I have spent far more time thinking about this than the writers did.

Also, Madison is only 3 cm dilated and is 6 weeks early.  She is not actually in active labor.  She might be in false labor.  Active labor is not until the woman is 6 cm dilated, it doesn't matter if she thinks the contractions are strong or not.  In real life, her doctor would've given her magnesium sulfate to slow down the contractions even further so she could receive steroids and antibiotics, both of which are beneficial to premature babies.  And, considering they supposedly read up and studied about childbirth, both Kevin and Madison should've known that there was no point in him leaving the set until she had been evaluated and had an idea what was actually happening.  In real life, Kevin would've realistically been able to finish that day's work and leave on a private jet and get to LA in plenty of time for the babies' birth which was at least 24 hours away in all probability/

[bybrandy]

3 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

One can be introverted and still have more than one close friend.  I just view this as tv show contrivance, to up the stakes with regards to the birth. 

 

I wasn't implying it wasn't possible to be an introvert and not have close friends.  I have close friends.  But people I'd call during labor in a pandemic in the middle of the night who were local? 

 

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, phalange said:

I don’t know why I didn’t even consider until this episode the possibility of Kevin and Madison’s twins and Kate’s daughter being born on the same day. Big Three 2.0. 

And the twins are the family's biological children and the singleton is adopted...

[Bulldog]

47 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

We've seen the sister she's neither black nor mixed race.

I forgot that we had seen the sister.  Do we know for certain that Kate & Toby only have two children? 

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Bulldog said:

I forgot that we had seen the sister.  Do we know for certain that Kate & Toby only have two children? 

Do we ever know anything for certain..?

[bybrandy]

13 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

I forgot that we had seen the sister.  Do we know for certain that Kate & Toby only have two children? 

While I think that was implied I don't think we know that, or anything else, for certain.  🙂

[bybrandy]

My sister and a good friend of mine (but not one I'd call during labor) have both lost their ID and flown.  Kevin has a tight connection so I could see how making it would be impossible but tomorrow didn't seem right either unless that has changed significantly in the last 24 months, or so.  Both my friend and my sister had similar situations.  They went into a room with the TSA.  The TSA asked them to answer questions about their identity.  They both got passes to fly.  Neither missed the flight they were scheduled to take (but I don't think either was skating as close as Kevin was to the time of the flight)

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Anyone else just annoyed with all the "Kevin's gonna crash" fakeouts? We know he's alive and well ten years from now (or whenever it is in the future). Just stop it.

I hated those fakeouts. They stressed me out even though I knew Kevin wasn't going to die - he still could have been in a bad accident and survived.

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I felt for Kevin going through all that only to lose his ID and not get on the plane but at the same time I’m glad he didn’t Pearson his way into getting the airline worker to let him on anyway. She might have gotten fired if she did.

We haven't seen the rest of that scene though. I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin walks into the hospital room first thing next episode and tell Madison that the TSA agent called her supervisor and they managed to get him on a flight.

1 hour ago, bettername2come said:

Nitpick - how many quiet two-lane roads are there in BC when you're a)trying to get the Vancouver airport and B) driving from Vancouver to the border? It seems like he was on weirdly quiet roads for pretty major destinations that I  would imagine had pretty heavy traffic.

There is a scenic two-lane stretch that starts north of Bellingham, *but* that's much further away from SeaTac than 57 minutes. SeaTac is south of Seattle, so even from downtown Seattle the drive is at least 20 minutes (without traffic). At 57 minutes Kevin would have been in a densely populate area already.

1 hour ago, bettername2come said:

Credit to director and agent for seeming at least to be not completely uncaring when they first talked to him,  but seriously, he's a first-time father with babies coming early, be more understanding!

That situation could have been managed so much better. A producer on the set should have immediately sprung into action and told Kevin a private jet would be waiting for him by the time he finished shooting his scene, then made all the arrangements while Kevin worked. Kevin spent some time driving around talking to Miguel and Rebecca about flights, then drove to Seattle (that's two hours without traffic and border delays), and obviously saving the car crash victim and getting him to the hospital must have added another hour or so, so he didn't save much time by walking off. Obviously he wasn't his most rational self, but one of the producers on the set should have told him they would handle everything so he wouldn't have to worry. 

39 minutes ago, Jaclyn88 said:

It is so very obvious the producers/ writers are doing anything in their power to keep Milo on the show , but the story lines feel so repetitive to me . Jack is a hero , Jack stands up for his kids , Jack is a perfect dad who says he has flaws , Jack feels insecure and unworthy of Rebecca , Jack’s kids feel they can’t live up to his perfect human being status .  It’s ok if he isn’t on every episode . They don’t need to include him all the time . The Man’s dead , let him rest lol . 

Jack thought it was a good idea to have Kevin eat medium-rare steak and greasy onion rings to "settle his stomach" after throwing up, so he's obviously *not* perfect!

I loved that Randall just wanted to support Madison "because she's family" without his usual savior complex. I need to see more scenes like that to remind me why I should like Randall.

[bybrandy]

13 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

That situation could have been managed so much better. A producer on the set should have immediately sprung into action and told Kevin a private jet would be waiting for him by the time he finished shooting his scene, then made all the arrangements while Kevin worked. Kevin spent some time driving around talking to Miguel and Rebecca about flights, then drove to Seattle (that's two hours without traffic and border delays), and obviously saving the car crash victim and getting him to the hospital must have added another hour or so, so he didn't save much time by walking off. Obviously he wasn't his most rational self, but one of the producers on the set should have told him they would handle everything so he wouldn't have to worry. 

Like seriously, I know this is a low budget production but somebody on that production company knows somebody who could get Kevin on a plane even if Kevin had to swipe his black card at the end of the transaction.

[memememe76]

While Kevin and the crew would say they are shooting in Vancouver, they could have easily been shooting in the surrounding suburbs like Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Langley, etc. There  is one highway to get to the border, but there are also smaller roads that can get you there. Depends on where you are coming from. If Kevin is driving on 176th Street towards the Truck Crossing because he is shooting in Cloverdale (you see a lot of Hallmark movies being shot there), let’s just say that Kevin should be paying more attention to the road. 

[chocolatine]

10 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

Like seriously, I know this is a low budget production but somebody on that production company knows somebody who could get Kevin on a plane even if Kevin had to swipe his black card at the end of the transaction.

Exactly. If they can get Robert DeNiro to act in their film, they can get a plane for Kevin on short notice.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 hours ago, memememe76 said:

But I would have thought his passport would be in his bag or car. I get losing one’s wallet but you normally don’t carry your passport on your body. 

 

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

Of course, that means he had his passport with him most likely, and should've been able to use that at the airport.  Unless he had an Enhanced Driver's License (Real ID), but I'm not sure if California is issuing those yet and couldn't tell if the license in his wallet was enhanced.  He could also cross the border with a Nexus card; but those are usually owned by people who live near the border and cross back and forth a lot.

I assume he had a passport card, which is good for traveling to Canada or Mexico, in his wallet.  No need to carry his full passport for travel between the US and Canada: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/card.html

 I don't think a Nexus card can be used for air travel, but a passport card can.

Edited February 10, 2021 by ItCouldBeWorse

[funnygirl]

I don't like Kevin with Madison. 

The Pearsons are starting to get on my nerves with their righteousness. Not Beth, though. Love Beth. 

[Aileen]

There’s got to be more with the car accident guy. You just don’t hire Joshua Malina for such a small bit.

[3 is enough]

Kevin would have needed his passport to cross the border, and it is too big to fit in his wallet.  Unless he left it in the jacket that he gave to the accident victim he could have used it to board the plane. Nexus cards are mainly for people who drive across the border a lot- there are special lanes and typically the wait is a lot shorter, at least during “ normal times”.  But getting a Nexus card is quite a process- you have to apply, be approved by both countries, have an in-person interview at a Nexus center which is located near the border.  After that you need a retina scan. My son has one and the whole process took 6 months.  No way Kevin would do that.

Also to drive from Vancouver to Seattle you take I-5 which is most definitely not a two lane road.

 Couldn’t they have just made him miss the plane?  He could have arrived at the gate as it was pulling away and still used the “I’m Kevin Pearson and my babies are being born” speech, but they would refuse to turn the plane around.  Just sloppy.  

This sloppiness just distracted me from the story. 
 

[bros402]

So.... Kevin lost his wallet, so where's his passport?

I am assuming car crash guy is gonna play in somehow - you don't hire a somewhat recognizable actor like that without having him play more than "car crash guy" - unless he (or a family member) reallly likes This Is Us and he wanted to be on it.

I like that the TSA lady didn't go "oh yes kevin pearson you're my favorite actor go on through! your speech has convinced me!"

 

One thing I am wondering:

Why did the football coach seem so scared by Jack going "don't call my sun stupid again"

The coach seemed rather sheepish - it's not like Jack is a mobster (Huh, I bet Milo could play a good mobster), he's a project manager at a construction company (I think?)

[MoonMountain]

Okay, if Kevin's twins are around Little Jack's age...in the flash forward with old Rebecca, we saw two very young kids that are presumably Kevin's. Is it possible one of Kevin's twins was a teen mom or dad, and those kids in the flash forward are Kevin's grandkids? Would that make sense on this show's timeline? I can't remember how far ahead that scene was supposed to be. 

[RachelKM]

The timeline for this episode was bonkers.  I should be used to this since somehow TV shows manage to be utterly clueless about California geography. Why would they represent the drive at the Canadian border accurately?  But still, if he was originally headed to the Vancouver airport, there is no way he could be less than 2 hours from SeaTac unless he had already been more than an hour south of Vancouver when he started... and in the US already. If he was more than an hour south of Vancouver, driving to Seattle would have almost certainly been the better plan to begin with since there are way more flights between Seattle and LA than Vancouver and LA irrespective of the border crossing.

Also, at least as recently as 18 months ago, the passport card couldn't be used for air travel.  It works for land crossings to Canada and Mexico.  But if that's still true and Kevin had planned to fly from Vancouver he would have had to have full passport.  It's sort of dumb that he didn't just say his passport was in his coat that he used on the crash victim. 

Okay, I'm gonna stop.  This hurts my head. 

13 hours ago, bybrandy said:

My sister and a good friend of mine (but not one I'd call during labor) have both lost their ID and flown.  Kevin has a tight connection so I could see how making it would be impossible but tomorrow didn't seem right either unless that has changed significantly in the last 24 months, or so.  Both my friend and my sister had similar situations.  They went into a room with the TSA.  The TSA asked them to answer questions about their identity.  They both got passes to fly.  Neither missed the flight they were scheduled to take (but I don't think either was skating as close as Kevin was to the time of the flight)

Yeah, this happened to a friend of mine as well.  I was thrown when the TSA lady said it would take a day.  My friend, like your sister and friend, had go to a TSA office and do some kind of verification and was also let on the plane.  So there is a process even if you don't Pearson Speechify your way through rules. 

12 hours ago, chocolatine said:

That situation could have been managed so much better. A producer on the set should have immediately sprung into action and told Kevin a private jet would be waiting for him by the time he finished shooting his scene, then made all the arrangements while Kevin worked. Kevin spent some time driving around talking to Miguel and Rebecca about flights, then drove to Seattle (that's two hours without traffic and border delays), and obviously saving the car crash victim and getting him to the hospital must have added another hour or so, so he didn't save much time by walking off. Obviously he wasn't his most rational self, but one of the producers on the set should have told him they would handle everything so he wouldn't have to worry. 

It could have been handled better on both sides, but yeah the director's initial plan was dumb.  They could definitely get him out of there sooner than in the morning and handle everything while they shot.  Granted, Kevin might have been a mess trying to focus.

Driving round without a plan was not a great strategy on Kevin's part. I give him some cred tough for being in a bit of panic with his twins being 6 weeks early.  That is legitimately scary.  And they just ad a preemie birth in the family with little Jack.

Whether the accident guy gets him a private jet or he simply gets on the SeaTac flight after TSA vetting, I expect Malina will be back when the good Samaritan story gets out and save's Kevin's career or some such nonsense.  

10 hours ago, MoonMountain said:

Okay, if Kevin's twins are around Little Jack's age...in the flash forward with old Rebecca, we saw two very young kids that are presumably Kevin's. Is it possible one of Kevin's twins was a teen mom or dad, and those kids in the flash forward are Kevin's grandkids? Would that make sense on this show's timeline? I can't remember how far ahead that scene was supposed to be. 

I'm confused too.  The twins looked like they could be anywhere from 10-12.  Which, with Alzheimer's is about right for Rebecca to be end stage.  I don't see how she could possibly survive 25+ years to allow one of Kevin's kids to have 10 year twins even as a teen parent.

I think we all remarked that Keven seemed more than a decade aged.  If it's 12 years forward, the Big Three would only be 52.   But this has been a conversation since the last season finale.  We already knew from the one year flash forward that Kevin's "fiancée" was pregnant as of the start of this season.

Edited February 10, 2021 by RachelKM

[crowsworks]

Madison met Kate in an eating disorder meeting as she had bulimia or something.  I thought they were going to do a fake out where Kevin gets there to find she had heart issues, Long term eating disorders can make births...esp twins...rougher.

[Ana88]

Wow this episode had me crying so much and kept tugging at my heart!! 

First I was a little underwhelmed with the Kevin and football storyline, but they did alright. Maybe I just miss pre-teen Kevin lol, he was such a sweetheart. I thought I would be super into the sport theme of it all, but turned out what really got to me was the parent theme and what Jack said about your parent always being inside you and their voices even long after they're gone. Nobody thinks about it but as someone who has lost a parent after a difficult relationship let me just say how much that made sense to me. Hearing those voices at whatever you're doing. It just really highlights the importance of being a parent like Jack. Make sure your voice is reasonable and good so that it will stick in your children. When Kevin said in the end how Jack felt about him it made me cry so hard. I know it may seem like a lot for him to "live up to" and he doesn't want to fail his dad but deep inside he must feel such peace knowing that's how his dad looked at him and our parents are the ones that know us the best so it must have been truth even if Kevin doesn't always believe it. 

Also the end.... Just fucking wow. That was so freaking heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. To hear Madison doesn't have anybody while being in this huge situation and the nurse trying to be so helping even though she must be way overworked. And then for freaking Randall to call like that.... And say the things he did... Fucking WOW! I love this show and how it shows us again and again how to freaking act with people. Even these small acts of kindness and how much they can mean for somebody else. To really listen and see what people need. No matter if its strangers or family members. Wow this just had me cry to no end! BEAUTIFUL! 

Also hahahaha the scene with Miguel and Rebecca trying to find tickets and Rebecca being so excited until realising she made a mistake. ELDERLY-MOM-CLASSIC haha that was SO endearing!! 

I was actually shocked it ended when it did.  I was really wanting to see the next day with football and Kevin to have it wrap up. Also seeing if the coach changed or not? That talk with Jack and the coach in the bathroom felt not finished, and how the coach left so fast. What does that mean? A person like that rarely changes. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Ana88

[debraran]

Since Madison is basically alone, I guess she couldn't do this "on her own" if she wanted too or suggested. It's hard on anyone single, but twins without family or anyone around? I wonder if they will explore why she's estranged but please no episode devoted to it!

I like many knew the accident would be the way it was, so kind of boring for me, lets see how many "near misses" will we have Kevin make, driving badly and not looking at the road before he sees someone else in a ditch. Really he drove terribly. I think most people would stop to help or try to call someone. He was kind and very thoughtful but he's not that different than many people. Kevin always would help people, he's narcissistic a bit but not cruel.  I assume since driver was someone with a name he will do something for Kevin but none of the writing is that realistic. Let consequences happen because they do sometimes.

I also noted how the coach was almost acting like he got caught after 20 years being "tough" and rude and the great Jack changed him. I enjoyed the flashback of him driving his dad's car home more. Very realistic I felt to many who have an alcoholic dad. I felt Jack was trying to correct his own behavior with Kevin which is fine, but if Kevin didn't get sick he'd never have seen it. We all have faults. I would have loved to hear what Rebecca was trying to tell Kevin about Jack. Not pop the bubble but remind him of his faults. You do you Kevin, be the best you.

Did they mention who's watching Jack Jr or did only Kate go to hospital?

Edited February 10, 2021 by debraran

[Bulldog]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

Did they mention who's watching Jack Jr or did only Kate go to hospital?

When Kate was on the phone with Kevin, she mentioned a sitter coming.