S06.E01: The Challenger

[Madding crowd]

I didn’t see Kate do anything but miss her husband and his over the top ways , nothing wrong with that. She did appreciate the massage but missed Toby. To me she whines the least of the Pearsons. I liked how they showed the kids reacting to the Challenger explosion, but they seemed to change Randall from a kid who had a lot of anxiety to a kid who was completely selfless and only cared about others. The Rebecca stuff was sad.

[js9548]

As someone asked up thread:  what is Beth's new job?

What show was Maddison and new boyfriend watching when Kevin came in? 

How many episodes are expected in this final year of the series?  18 which is a normal year or less since it started so much later. Is NBC trying to stretch it out until June? 

[Ohiopirate02]

10 hours ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

100%. And Randall being Randall makes it all about himself somehow. It's "I need to be doing more to help" and never anything like, these people are being failed or these people need to be able to get more help. Maybe that's nit-picky but I really think it's about his own ego a lot of the time rather than empathy for others.. Of course, if he actually does something to help, that's better than not. I'm not looking forward to the inevitable long suffering Beth having to to tell Randall to stop focusing on his own savior complex and worry about his own life and family but that's the show.

 

This did not bother me because Randall actually already has a job where he can help.  He is a city councilman and can work on enacting policies in Philadelphia to help drug addicts.  He can work on changing Philly's laws about possession, help develop safe spaces for addicts to use, work on getting grant money for things like rehab and sober living, etc.  Addicts are being failed by the system and Randall is now part of that system.  He is the one who needs to be doing something to help.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, Shermie said:

The Manny seems like such a stupid show, I can’t believe it was a hit once, much less worthy of a reboot. 

Two and a Half Men, a show I watched once and was immediately like “NOPE,”was on for twelve seasons (I had to look it up), and that show was dumb and didn’t have anyone as hot as Kevin is on it. I can buy that a show with a hot, often shirtless Kevin was a hit.

3 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

Kevin should be thrilled to have the Manny reboot. He doesn't have to play the piece of meat this time, and he's a snob if he thinks he's too good for tv. 

I can understand wanting to branch out from the role he’s known for - or rather, to continue to branch out from that role because he’d started to do that with theater and movies. Actors are just like anybody who gets tired of their job (I’m someone who is looking to change fields this year so I’m biased). Grey’s Anatomy has been on forever and when people leave it they’re usually like “I wanted to do something else.” 

Kevin’s making a choice every parent I know has made: taking a job they don’t really want for the good of the family, especially when the kids are little. He’s doing it but I think it’s fine to acknowledge that it’s not his first choice.

[Jax7917]

My biggest fear is getting alzheimers since my grandparents on both sides had it. I know it is a very real-life thing but I don't want to watch it. Jack dying by fire is one thing but watching someone with this slow decline is torture. No disease is fun to watch but this particular one is horrible to watch.

Do the writers ever read reviews about the show? If so, why do they keep writing Randall like this? He is so annoying. This show talks about privilege a lot but bailing this guy out of jail is showing his rich privilege as well as his councilman privilege. Sure, because you feel better about yourself for helping someone, in the mean time you're letting someone else get robbed or possibly worse. I like the anxiety part of his stories but I hate the savior part. It's every damn episode.

Only Kate would complain that Toby surprised her with a massage and a day away from the kids. I'd be jumping for joy and kissing my husband through facetime.

[MissLucas]

I'm glad the show finally remembered that Kate and Kevin have a special bond. Little Kevin broke my heart with his denial. And that last scene where little Kate just hands him a pillow (mirroring the earlier scene with her bringing an extra pillow to the guest room) was this show at its best.

Not worried about Kevin's career since we saw that award and the great house, but I do hope he turns down the Manny because that'll add just one more miserable plot line to an already impressive collection. I'm glad he moved out because that arrangement was clearly not working and he realized it before it got worse. Still not a fan of Sophie but that phone call can't be ignored *sigh*

How can Kate ever hook up with that smug jerk after overhearing how he handles a break-up? And her just standing there and listen to that conversation was some bad writing - nobody does that. It was obviously done for dramatic effect but it just left me baffled.

Randall as Holden Caulfield made me laugh. Just shows how deluded even young Rebecca was. Holden himself would have thought the idea phony. And yes, I wish someone would finally call out Randall for his saviour complex but the writers seem to worship at his altar too. I wasn't feeling Beth either in this episode. 

Rebecca's storyline was depressing but kudos to the show for not sugar coating what's happening. Still I hope we get a bit of a break in the form a road trip with uncle Nicky - that should be fun.

Edited January 6, 2022 by MissLucas

[Empress1]

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Now that the disease has taken over, she seems happier.

My friend went through this with her FIL and she said the same thing. The less lucid he was, the happier he was because he didn’t know what he didn’t know. It was incredibly hard on the rest of them though, obviously, and it went on for so long.

[Maximona]

11 hours ago, Jax7917 said:

I can’t tell what angle they’re pushing with the Kevin / Madison storyline

The actress who plays Madison is the real-life Mrs. Dan Fogelman, so I'm pretty sure that is the angle they're pushing.  😀

Boring actress.  I don't care about her or the twins, though I did like the adult Kate/Kevin interaction toward the end of the show.

I also thought the dementia storyline was handled exceptionally well.  I can date the beginning of my aunt's dance with dementia to a moment when she forgot the word "rollercoaster."  She remembered it after two days at 3 in the morning—I know this because she called me up as soon as she remembered it.

[LoveLeigh]

It really seriously is time for this show to have a final season. I am sort of over how they communicate with each other, it is like they are all being watched by therapists. 

[FnkyChkn34]

10 hours ago, brokenwing29 said:

I couldn't tell if the writers corrected their mistake in the pilot of having Kevin say he was in third grade during the Challenger explosion. The Big Three are six months younger than I am (assuming they were born in August 1980) and I was in kindergarten, not quite six when it happened and have no memory of it outside the Punky Brewster episode that addressed the tragedy. The individual desks the kids were in made me think they were going with the original timeline...sorry, things like that drive me crazy.

 

10 hours ago, ams1001 said:

They were born in 1980 (I am five years older than them). The little ones certainly didn't look like third graders to me. We had individual desks in kindergarten (though our classrooms also had a lot of open space for group activities and free play; there were two kindergarten rooms in my school separated by a big open area in the middle) so that didn't make me think they were older.

 

10 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Those kids looked like 5-year-olds, but that did not look like any kindergarten classrooms I have seen.

The Pearson kids are supposedly 6 months older than me, and I went to kindergarten in Pittsburgh - the portrayal of their classroom was accurate.  In my school, however, I'm going to guess that there weren't enough TVs back then for each classroom to have one.  I bet the students went to the gym or cafeteria to watch in groups.  My kindergarten classroom had individual desks and not much other room; I think there was a little corner with a rug for play time and cubbies in the back for our coats.  We often pushed the desks into groups of 4 or 6 to make little tables, but they were separate.  There were only 2 kindergarten classes in my elementary school, so at least two of the three would have to have been in the same class.  If the teachers or administrators were paying attention, then they would have been faced with the question of which one is separated from the other two?  The easiest solution was to keep them all in the same class for equal treatment; that part made perfect sense to me actually.  I also agree that the actors who played those kids definitely did not look like third graders (probably a little bit older than 6 though, but playing 6 year olds). 

As for the rest of the episode - I was underwhelmed.  Kate and Randall are annoying, but I do wish for a happy ending for Kevin.  I think he's been given the short end of the stick for his entire life.  Yes, I understand he's hot, rich, and famous, but no one takes him seriously and in most flashbacks, it's obvious that Rebecca and Jack always focused more on Kate and Randall.

[kili]

Quote

Edited to add: Never heard of show being rebooted after only 5 years!

"How I Met Your Mother" ended in 2014 and is being rebooted this year ("How I Met Your Father"). "Gossip Girl" was rebooted last year after first ending in 2012. Reboots are apparently popular these days (but usually older shows for nostalgia). Kevin returned to the show in the second season, so it is probably only 4 years since it was cancelled. 

Kevin shouldn't take the job not because it is a stupid show and a step backwards in his career, but because he has to work with a toxic personality that despises him. The writer/creator awful, demeaning treatment of Kevin caused the first blow-up and he purposefully tricked Kevin into returning for another kick at him (changing the script once he arrived to humiliate him). The guy clearly continues to hate him. Kevin better get some script approval power in the deal or the guy is going to continue to use him as a puppet he can publicly humiliate. 

Quote

What is her new job again? 

Working at a traditional dance studio. Beth was reluctant to take the job because of how traditional studios treat their dancers, but Rebecca encouraged her to take the job and make a difference.

Quote

I really thought Randall was going to bring home the dog.

I was hoping he would.  Poor doggo. 

[Ohiopirate02]

17 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

 

 

The Pearson kids are supposedly 6 months older than me, and I went to kindergarten in Pittsburgh - the portrayal of their classroom was accurate.  In my school, however, I'm going to guess that there weren't enough TVs back then for each classroom to have one.  I bet the students went to the gym or cafeteria to watch in groups.  My kindergarten classroom had individual desks and not much other room; I think there was a little corner with a rug for play time and cubbies in the back for our coats.  We often pushed the desks into groups of 4 or 6 to make little tables, but they were separate.  There were only 2 kindergarten classes in my elementary school, so at least two of the three would have to have been in the same class.  If the teachers or administrators were paying attention, then they would have been faced with the question of which one is separated from the other two?  The easiest solution was to keep them all in the same class for equal treatment; that part made perfect sense to me actually.  I also agree that the actors who played those kids definitely did not look like third graders (probably a little bit older than 6 though, but playing 6 year olds). 

 

I'm 3 weeks older than the Big 3, and that did look like my kindergarten classroom.  We had desks set in rows with enough space for us to lay down for naptime.  The child actors do look like the 5 year olds that the Big 3 would have been in January 1986. 

I have 3 memories from kindergarten that have lived with me these last thirtysomething years and two of them happened in the same week.  We had a snow day that fateful Tuesday and I was at home with my dad and older brother.  My dad had been in Florida and watched a shuttle launch live, and thought this was something cool for my older brother and I to see live.  I still remember him calling us into the family room with a bit of excitement for us to watch.   Later that week on Friday, we had a random earthquake.  I will always remember having to evacuate my basement classroom and trudge through the snow to the bus depot (the only building on property deemed safe in the moment).  I froze my ass of that day waiting around as the adults scrambled to figure out what had happened and what they needed to do with us kids.  

I don't remember my parents having a conversation with us about what we had just witnessed.  Rebecca and Jack wanting to talk about it with the kids felt and actually doing it felt off for 1986.  I feel like this event was the starting point for parents and educators to develop ways to talk to kids about witnessing traumatic events on live TV.  

[3 is enough]

Rebecca's story is going to be difficult to watch.  Having just lost my mother to dementia in October, it hits a little too close to home.  

I am curious about the timeline.  I am assuming Rebecca is supposed to be 70-71 in the present day.  How far ahead are the flash forwards?  10-15 years?  That's a long road.  We started noticing changes in my mother after she turned 80 and she died a month after her 85th birthday.

Every journey with dementia is different.  My mother's short term memory was shot to hell but she still remembered the past for the most part.  Near the end she asked me if I had seen my father lately.  He has been gone for 15 years, so that was a bit of a shock.  But the most disturbing thing was the change in personality.  She was fine with us ( and knew us up till the end), but became mean and verbally abusive to her caregivers.  This was NOT her at all.  

It is going to be interesting to see how they navigate Rebecca's journey.  

Where was Annie? I only saw Deja and Tess.  

Edited January 5, 2022 by 3 is enough

[Marley]

This is random and stupid but it bugged me how their Mac n cheese looked when Rebecca and Jack were talking to the big 3 about the challlenger. It looked like noodles swimming in milk lol.

If Randall wanted ho help the guy sure but bailing him out like that was stupid and I’m sure it’s going to come up again.

Reading here there’s going to be lots of Deja and Malik coming up. I’ll be wearing out my FF button lol.

[MamaBird]

I have no interest in the Deja-and-Malik storyline, and I'm disappointed that they're going to be wasting (IMHO) time on it.  However, I'm eager to see Nicky's reunion with Sally.  

I knew it wouldn't happen, but I was kind of faintly hoping they'd do a major twist and have Randall choose the Beth door.  It would be an unexpected delight for Beth and for the audience as well.  Maybe they're happily walking into a restaurant down the street from the courthouse, and as the door closes behind them we see the home invader in a line of handcuffed prisoners boarding the bus that will take them back to jail after their arraignments.  *sigh*  Knew it wouldn't happen.

[ams1001]

11 hours ago, nilyank said:

I was more confused why all the Big Three were all in the same classroom. Schools really won't place siblings in the same class especially if there is more than one class for each grade.

I went to middle school with a set of identical twins (I didn't know them, but I knew of them). We went to different high schools but their younger sister went to my high school and I got to be friends with her, and ended up dating one of her brothers during the summer after my senior year. He told me that once when his brother was home sick he went to one of his teachers to pick up a makeup assignment and the teacher was so confused. (Granted, my middle school was a lot bigger than my elementary school and there was a lot more mixing of students, so it was much more likely they wouldn't share classes.)

10 hours ago, bros402 said:

oh no they could do a This Is Us-New Amsterdam crossover, have Deja go on that, then when New Amsterdam ends, spin off

I gave up on NA about two episodes into the season. I missed an episode and couldn't be bothered to watch it on demand. I read the boards for a bit longer but have given that up by now, too.

1 hour ago, Jax7917 said:

Do the writers ever read reviews about the show? If so, why do they keep writing Randall like this? He is so annoying. This show talks about privilege a lot but bailing this guy out of jail is showing his rich privilege as well as his councilman privilege. Sure, because you feel better about yourself for helping someone, in the mean time you're letting someone else get robbed or possibly worse. 

Who else wants to see it come back to bite him when he runs for reelection? "He's soft on crime! He bailed out a violent druggie criminal who disappeared instead of facing justice!"

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

There were only 2 kindergarten classes in my elementary school, so at least two of the three would have to have been in the same class. 

My school had two K classrooms, but it was only half-day so there were four actual classes (the other grades had three each, so the K classes were also a little smaller). But I could see parents not wanting to deal with the logistics of having to get two off to school in the morning, then home in the afternoon while getting the third off for an afternoon session just to keep them in separate classes.

4 minutes ago, MamaBird said:

I have no interest in the Deja-and-Malik storyline, and I'm disappointed that they're going to be wasting (IMHO) time on it.  

Hoping this visit leads to them breaking up (as is the most realistic scenario at their age) so we don't have to see it anymore.

[Ohiopirate02]

6 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

My school had two K classrooms, but it was only half-day so there were four actual classes (the other grades had three each, so the K classes were also a little smaller). But I could see parents not wanting to deal with the logistics of having to get two off to school in the morning, then home in the afternoon while getting the third off for an afternoon session just to keep them in separate classes.

 

I forgot about that.  When I was in kindergarten, I went all day Tuesday and Thursday and then Friday afternoons.  All-day kindergarten wasn't a thing in 1986.  No school system in their right mind would force the Pearsons to have their kids in an opposite schedule.  

[gonzosgirrl]

Did I dream the opening sequence of Kevin with two hot women fawning over him? If not, where is the jealousy over Madison coming from? And if so, wow, I may need help. :O

Count me in as not getting the Kate/a-hole British guy thing. How does one watch him treat that ex-girlfriend that way and think, hmmm, yeah, gotta get me some of that. I know we saw Toby alive and well in the flash forward. I hope he is with someone who deserves him. I like Kate, but she never seems to appreciate what she has once she gets it.

Please, not another season of St. Randall. Let it end with me liking him again as I did at first.

Little Jack is adorable. The five year old little Big 3 are so well cast and also adorable. Little Kevin crawling into bed with Little Kate was the best moment of the episode for me.

[Jayohgee]

38 minutes ago, Marley said:

This is random and stupid but it bugged me how their Mac n cheese looked when Rebecca and Jack were talking to the big 3 about the challlenger. It looked like noodles swimming in milk lol.

Franco American used to make a canned macaroni and cheese with bucatini noodles; it looked exactly like that.

[Haleth]

5 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

 

Did I dream the opening sequence of Kevin with two hot women fawning over him? If not, where is the jealousy over Madison coming from? And if so, wow, I may need help. :O

 

That was a flashback from 5 years ago to show how far he’s come. From fondling two women to juggling two babies. They each had a 5 yr flashback. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

That was first grade (or a strange K?) for the Big 3?  I was in 1st when Kennedy was assassinated and only remember everyone (adults) crying.  A 5 or 6yo is not going to understand a tragedy.  They are more likely to be frightened by adults' reactions than to have any feelings about the event themselves.

But you hadn't been anticipating all week watching Kennedy with your class, and then watched him get shot on live tv. It's very different. Plus, their teacher obviously built up the astronaut/teacher/mother who was going into outer space. I bet more of the class knew her name than they did the President's.

[gonzosgirrl]

17 minutes ago, Jayohgee said:

Franco American used to make a canned macaroni and cheese with bucatini noodles; it looked exactly like that.

My older brothers convinced me that this was a can of brains. I've never been completely convinced otherwise. :) ETA: they also told me raisins were dead flies with the wings pulled off - I still don't eat them today (for reals).

15 minutes ago, Haleth said:

That was a flashback from 5 years ago to show how far he’s come. From fondling two women to juggling two babies. They each had a 5 yr flashback. 

Ah, okay - I was distracted and totally missed that. Thanks!

Edited January 5, 2022 by gonzosgirrl

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Ah, okay - I was distracted and totally missed that. Thanks!

They all had flashbacks to the first episode. Jack in the Terrible Towel and very-pregnant Rebecca with the birthday cupcake, Kate and her birthday sheet cake with the "don't eat this" post-it on the box, Kevin and his hot girls, and Randall and his coworkers with the office birthday cake.

[FnkyChkn34]

38 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

My school had two K classrooms, but it was only half-day so there were four actual classes (the other grades had three each, so the K classes were also a little smaller). But I could see parents not wanting to deal with the logistics of having to get two off to school in the morning, then home in the afternoon while getting the third off for an afternoon session just to keep them in separate classes.

Now that you mention, you're absolutely right - we would have had 4 as well.  But I agree with your point, I don't think the school district would have done that to parents.  It still makes sense to me to keep them together, especially for their first school experience.  (Preschool existed back then, but not everyone went to it like they do now.)  

[ams1001]

17 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

(Preschool existed back then, but not everyone went to it like they do now.)  

Yeah, I went through two preschool programs, one at a local church when I was 3 and the other through the high school when I was 4 (a class which I later took when I was a junior so I got to help teach the preschool!), but both were only a few hours a few days a week. I was born on the cutoff date so if I'd been born a day later I'd have had another year of preschool. 

I feel like with triplets, if you only have two classes, it might make more sense to have them all in the same class instead of one being separated, especially in their first year of school.

[circumvent]

13 hours ago, Shermie said:

The Manny seems like such a stupid show, I can’t believe it was a hit once, much less worthy of a reboot. 

I hate sitcoms and thought that Friends was ridiculous. Could never get into it, tried several times. Always thought it was very smart PR that made the show so successful. I am not sure if it ever was, but Hollywood (not the place, but the industry) today is not about talent at all. 

[Pallas]

With the re-boot of The Manny, Kevin may be able to bite the bullet and still dodge it: the show may not get picked up. Not even with interest from the network and after making a new pilot. Ken Olin -- current This Is Us EP, former star of thirtysomething, and recent "the dad" in the pilot for thirtysomething(else) -- would know something about that.

[MissLucas]

Spent some time (over)thinking why Randall's plot bugged me so much. When the guy kept asking the same questions over and over again I thought it would remind Randall of Rebecca since the dude clearly had cognitive issues.  And then the backstory would reveal how a not diagnosed/treated mental disease had destroyed the guy's life. But of course it had to be addiction because that 'could have been William or Laurel' but never Rebecca, the mother who just exists for guilt-tripping!

Edited January 5, 2022 by MissLucas

[Ohmo]

15 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Kevin never really loved her.

I disagree.  I think he does love Madison but he now realizes that he's going to have to work to win Madison.  He and Sophie were young love.  They just kind of were.  As an adult, Kevin's always been able to "turn on" Kevin Pearson and impress people. Now he's realizing that's not going to work in this situation.

[txhorns79]

9 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I disagree.  I think he does love Madison but he now realizes that he's going to have to work to win Madison. 

I could be wrong, but my impression was that Kevin loved the idea of being a family.   I thought the only reason he wanted to marry Madison was because she was the mother of his kids, not because he loved her. 

[CarpeFelis]

14 hours ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

I remember the Challenger explosion when I was in school. It didn't effect me that much so maybe I'm cold-hearted or maybe I was just a kid and didn't really get the whole picture but I do remember my teacher crying and being effected by that at least.

I was in my 20s when Challenger exploded and honestly it didn’t affect me that much either. It was a tragedy, absolutely. But one of my friends took it so personally you’d have thought everyone on board was a close friend or relative. I really didn’t get that and still don’t, even though I was a kid who stayed up late to watch the moon landing in 1969.

Been hate-watching this show for a while now, and the only reason I’m still watching is because I want to know how we get to where Kate marries “Philip Mean Jerk”. Having to listen to that godawful REO Speedwagon song just made me hate the show even more, as well as confirming that Jack had execrable taste in music. Next Beatles, my ass.

So… just exactly how oblivious is Randall, anyway? Why on earth did he not realize the guy wouldn’t show up? He couldn’t even remember from one minute to the next that he’d already asked about his dog, FFS! So how was he going to remember to show up? What, just because Super Savior asked him to?!

The best part of this episode was when Rebecca told Nicky off for giving her a headache.

[Ohmo]

1 minute ago, txhorns79 said:

I could be wrong, but my impression was that Kevin loved the idea of being a family. 

I think both are true.  He told Kate that he wanted what they had as kids, but he's also noticeably bothered by the attention that Madison's receiving from Book Club Guy.  If it were just Kevin wanting the idea of a family, he would have likely continued to live in Madison's garage, but that isn't what's bothering him.

[TV Diva Queen]

7 minutes ago, CarpeFelis said:

I was in my 20s when Challenger exploded and honestly it didn’t affect me that much either. It was a tragedy, absolutely. But one of my friends took it so personally you’d have thought everyone on board was a close friend or relative. I really didn’t get that and still don’t, even though I was a kid who stayed up late to watch the moon landing in 1969.

Been hate-watching this show for a while now, and the only reason I’m still watching is because I want to know how we get to where Kate marries “Philip Mean Jerk”. Having to listen to that godawful REO Speedwagon song just made me hate the show even more, as well as confirming that Jack had execrable taste in music. Next Beatles, my ass.

So… just exactly how oblivious is Randall, anyway? Why on earth did he not realize the guy wouldn’t show up? He couldn’t even remember from one minute to the next that he’d already asked about his dog, FFS! So how was he going to remember to show up? What, just because Super Savior asked him to?!

The best part of this episode was when Rebecca told Nicky off for giving her a headache.

Me too.  I was about 21ish - and went on first date that night.  Watching last night made me think that I didn't react enough.  But at 21....who really cares about anything else other than themselves  (speaking for me and me alone) 

[Janie430]

3 hours ago, kili said:

 

Kevin shouldn't take the job not because it is a stupid show and a step backwards in his career, but because he has to work with a toxic personality that despises him. The writer/creator awful, demeaning treatment of Kevin caused the first blow-up and he purposefully tricked Kevin into returning for another kick at him (changing the script once he arrived to humiliate him). The guy clearly continues to hate him. Kevin better get some script approval power in the deal or the guy is going to continue to use him as a puppet he can publicly humiliate. 

 

I agree.  As this is wish fulfillment in some ways, I wish Kevin had said to the guy "You mean the day when you finally wrote something that allowed me to act, brought in a high profile actor to play opposite me, and then decided I didn't deserve to have at least one good thing for my reel?  Yeah I remember that day too!"

[Chewy101]

5 hours ago, Empress1 said:

8 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

Kevin should be thrilled to have the Manny reboot. He doesn't have to play the piece of meat this time, and he's a snob if he thinks he's too good for tv. 

I can understand wanting to branch out from the role he’s known for - or rather, to continue to branch out from that role because he’d started to do that with theater and movies. Actors are just like anybody who gets tired of their job (I’m someone who is looking to change fields this year so I’m biased). Grey’s Anatomy has been on forever and when people leave it they’re usually like “I wanted to do something else.”

But he is only being asked to play the dad. He would not be the Manny any more. And actors need to swallow their pride and take what they can get because 1% make it outside of the one good break they got. I cannot recall a single actor who quit Grey's Anatomy going on to bigger and better things. They all just tripped over their own ego and fell of a professional cliff somewhere.

[CarpeFelis]

36 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I think both are true.  He told Kate that he wanted what they had as kids, but he's also noticeably bothered by the attention that Madison's receiving from Book Club Guy.  If it were just Kevin wanting the idea of a family, he would have likely continued to live in Madison's garage, but that isn't what's bothering him.

I think Kevin took a hit to his ego when he started to feel ignored and displaced by Book Club Guy (not that I can blame him). First they continue talking about book club stuff and forget Kevin is even there. Later they watch an episode of some reality show that he thought he and Madison would watch together. It made it pretty obvious that Kevin’s place in her life is not as secure as he thought it was. It’s also becoming apparent that she has more in common with Book Club Guy than with Kevin.

3 minutes ago, Chewy101 said:

But he is only being asked to play the dad. He would not be the Manny any more. And actors need to swallow their pride and take what they can get because 1% make it outside of the one good break they got. I cannot recall a single actor who quit Grey's Anatomy going on to bigger and better things. They all just tripped over their own ego and fell of a professional cliff somewhere.

Sandra Oh and Killing Eve come to mind…

Edited January 5, 2022 by CarpeFelis

[MissLucas]

2 minutes ago, Chewy101 said:

I cannot recall a single actor who quit Grey's Anatomy going on to bigger and better things. They all just tripped over their own ego and fell of a professional cliff somewhere.

Sandra Oh, she won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA among other things after leaving Grey's. But your point stands. Kevin is in that tricky stage of an actor trying to make the leap from tv to the big screen. Bit ironic considering that nowadays plenty of movie actors return to tv work.

[Chewy101]

This entire thread is so comforting. We all appear to be in some kind of torture setting where we can't look away from the train wreck. There will be a collective exhale of relief when this nightmare show ends. It took our souls hostage and we can't seem to tell it to just "GET OFF OUR LAWN!" already. 

[Ohmo]

8 minutes ago, CarpeFelis said:

I think Kevin took hit to his ego when he started to feel ignored and displaced by Book Club Guy (not that I can blame him). First they continue talking about book club stuff and forget Kevin is even there. Later they watch an episode of some reality show that he thought he and Madison would watch together. It made it pretty obvious that Kevin’s place in her life is not as secure as he thought it was. It’s also becoming apparent that she has more in common with Book Club Guy than with Kevin.

I don't disagree with that, but I also don't think that excludes the fact that he loves Madison.  It's not an "either/or " scenario in my mind.  Kevin wants what Jack and Rebecca had in terms of family structure, Madison does seem to have more n common with Book Club Guy, AND YET Kevin is also realizing that he loves Madison and will have to work to win her over.  All of these things can be true at once.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Ohmo

[Chewy101]

2 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

Sandra Oh, she won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA among other things after leaving Grey's. But your point stands. Kevin is in that tricky stage of an actor trying to make the leap from tv to the big screen. Bit ironic considering that nowadays plenty of movie actors return to tv work.

Well, Sandra Oh is just magical. She is like George Clooney being the only success story when actors finally decided they were too good for ER. But again, the odds are insane and Kevin should just suck it up and be there for his family. He made that prison, just like Jack did. Now you have to follow it through. 

[tennisgurl]

7 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I cannot believe Miguel has been sitting there for years with a story to tell, and Dejah is getting yet another episode.  I have not enjoyed this storyline at all.  And why even give Randall three daughters when they only really care about two?

Poor Annie, the only people that forget about her more then the show are her parents. Maybe if she broke some glass or threw a fit about a bridesmaid dress, she would finally get noticed?

[Empress1]

15 minutes ago, Chewy101 said:

But he is only being asked to play the dad. He would not be the Manny any more. And actors need to swallow their pride and take what they can get because 1% make it outside of the one good break they got. I cannot recall a single actor who quit Grey's Anatomy going on to bigger and better things. They all just tripped over their own ego and fell of a professional cliff somewhere.

Or they cashed out and relaxed (TV series are grueling), or they redefined for themselves what they wanted their next career step to look like. Jesse Williams is starring on Broadway this spring; he also has tech investments and activism work and I assume he can do all that without much financial worry because he did a successful and now syndicated (which means residuals) show for ages. And Sandra Oh has had a great career post-Grey’s - two starring vehicles, one of which I think is universally lauded (Killing Eve).

Kevin wouldn’t be the Manny but the association is there - that’s why he’s being asked in the first place. He’s not being asked to be any old sitcom dad. He’d be the Manny on The Manny reboot, ha ha, how meta!

Edited January 5, 2022 by Empress1

[gonzosgirrl]

True confessions: I get annoyed with the sanctifying of Randall, and I sincerely couldn't care less about any of the offspring (except baby Jack), but on the whole, I still love this show. And I love Jack. And I loved REO Speedwagon back in the day. :)

I should add though, I'm glad they are ending it - I wish more shows would quit while I still love them.

[Chewy101]

4 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Or they cashed out and relaxed (TV series are grueling), or they redefined for themselves what they wanted their next career step to look like. Jesse Williams is starting on Broadway this spring; he also has tech investments and activism work and I assume he can do all that without much financial worry because he did a successful and now syndicated (which means residuals) show for ages. And Sandra Oh has had a great career post-Grey’s - two starring vehicles, one of which I think is universally lauded (Killing Eve).

Kevin wouldn’t be the Manny but the association is there - that’s why he’s being asked in the first place. He’s not being asked to be any old sitcom dad. He’d be the Manny on The Manny reboot, ha ha, how meta!

I remember watching an interview from Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), where she said she begged her husband to not do a tv drama as his next career venture because of the grueling hours and schedule. But welcome to working class families all over the world accepting that those are the hours to keep your kids fed.

Three actors come to mind who believed they should be paid forever for that one week they worked: Jerry Seinfeld, Brad Garret and David Schwimmer. The concept of residuals, so odd to me. Because I worked in a factory for a WHOLE week years ago.... Why am I not still getting paid for my contribution? SMH. 

[Mrs Shibbles]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I forgot about that.  When I was in kindergarten, I went all day Tuesday and Thursday and then Friday afternoons.  All-day kindergarten wasn't a thing in 1986.  No school system in their right mind would force the Pearsons to have their kids in an opposite schedule.  

I’m five years  older than the Pearsons . I have a fraternal twin sister.  We lived in the Cleveland Ohio area when we were  in half day kindergarten.  The school wanted to split us up, but my mom wanted us to go at the same time.  

We were in the 5th grade in Tampa Florida when the Challenger explosion happened.   It definitely was a big deal for us.  We were in the same class there because the classes were organized by skill level.  

[txhorns79]

2 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

I assume he can do all that without much financial worry because he did a successful and now syndicated (which means residuals) show for ages.

I'd be curious what Kevin would be entitled to given he broke his contract by quitting the show in the manner he did.  Though I think This is Us has always been a little all over the place in terms of Kevin's stardom and money.  Sometimes it plays like he's such a big celebrity that magazines follow his every move.  Other times, he seems to live pretty anonymously. 

[MsJamieDornan]

4 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

Sometimes it plays like he's such a big celebrity that magazines follow his every move.  Other times, he seems to live pretty anonymously.

In a garage.

[Empress1]

28 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I'd be curious what Kevin would be entitled to given he broke his contract by quitting the show in the manner he did.  Though I think This is Us has always been a little all over the place in terms of Kevin's stardom and money.  Sometimes it plays like he's such a big celebrity that magazines follow his every move.  Other times, he seems to live pretty anonymously. 

I agree, I feel like how rich he is is unclear. He spends money fairly freely - the trailer for Nicky, he was talking about buying a family compound, and he told Kate that if she ever needed anything for her kids (and I assume the same would go for Randall’s kids - he seems to really love his nieces and nephew) to come to him. The paparazzi were following him at one point. But he also putters around pretty anonymously sometimes, as you say.

When he was having his drunken meltdown he said he’d made “millions,”but there’s a difference between $2M and $20M, you know?

[PRgal]

It's interesting some of you referenced individual desks in kindergarten.  We didn't get that until Grade 1 (I'm a year older than the Big 3).  We sat on the floor in kindergarten and had lots of play spaces (sand tables, play kitchen, blocks, etc...) and tables for arts and crafts.  Kindergarten (both years - we start school the year we turn 4) was half day back then and I was in a morning class (so I could still have a nap rather than sleep until 10 in the morning).

Beth on Randall writing to her in cursive.  I can see the girls think "cursive?  I'm not even sure I can read that!" (I know younger MILLENNIALS who tell me they can't read cursive).

[Scarlett45]

5 hours ago, Maximona said:

The actress who plays Madison is the real-life Mrs. Dan Fogelman, so I'm pretty sure that is the angle they're pushing.  😀

Boring actress.  I don't care about her or the twins, though I did like the adult Kate/Kevin interaction toward the end of the show.

I also thought the dementia storyline was handled exceptionally well.  I can date the beginning of my aunt's dance with dementia to a moment when she forgot the word "rollercoaster."  She remembered it after two days at 3 in the morning—I know this because she called me up as soon as she remembered it.

My Great Aunt E (who died this October) forgot what "french toast" was in 2015, she was very embarrassed and asked me quietly to explain. I knew then it was only going to get worse.

This is horrid decease to witness, but I do think Mandy Moore has the acting chops to give it the portrayal full of of dignity and nuance. Her work as "elderly Rebecca" is something I wouldnt have expected from her 10yrs ago, although I was impressed with her work in Saved.

7 minutes ago, PRgal said:

It's interesting some of you referenced individual desks in kindergarten.  We didn't get that until Grade 1 (I'm a year older than the Big 3).  We sat on the floor in kindergarten and had lots of play spaces (sand tables, play kitchen, blocks, etc...) and tables for arts and crafts.  Kindergarten (both years - we start school the year we turn 4) was half day back then and I was in a morning class (so I could still have a nap rather than sleep until 10 in the morning).

Beth on Randall writing to her in cursive.  I can see the girls think "cursive?  I'm not even sure I can read that!" (I know younger MILLENNIALS who tell me they can't read cursive).

In the USA many children get individual desks in kindergarten, or the desks are arranged in groups of 4-6.  I am 5yrs younger than the Big Three and I had that in Chicago.

 

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Poor Annie, the only people that forget about her more then the show are her parents. Maybe if she broke some glass or threw a fit about a bridesmaid dress, she would finally get noticed?

The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Is she going to be the "Kevin" of Randall's three girls?