S06.E01: The Challenger

[Trillian]

On 1/8/2022 at 8:43 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

My issue with Randall is that he must know that some criminals are unstable and can get focused on someone who confronts them and seek revenge.  Initially, he wanted to confront the man…..not a good idea. The guy could later come to confront you again, if he ever gets out.  Randall seems unaware that now days people will kill you for taking their parking space. You don’t confront just anybody. It’s not safe. 

I was pretty shocked that, city councillor or not, he was allowed to talk to him. Even worse if the court officer knew he was the alleged victim. The usual arrangement in the courthouses where I work is a separate entrance from the cells into the courtroom. If an in-custody accused does have to be led through the public halls, they are never allowed to talk to anyone - for safety, security and the preservation of testimony. I know it’s not a legal drama but a little plausibility wouldn’t hurt.  

The dog part was, on the other hand, very realistic. So many accused express concern for who will care for their pets while they are in custody.  It’s so very sad.  

Edited January 10, 2022 by Trillian

[Ohmo]

6 hours ago, ams1001 said:

All I learned is that he's an asshole who doesn't feel the need to be the least bit kind or empathetic when breaking up with someone.

I wondered "Why are they having this conversation where he works?" Of course, the show reason is so that Kate could hear the conversation. Again, clearing the deck for Kate and Philip. The whole storyline feels manipulative because we know what's happening.  The flash forward is showing us that.

I read a line from an interview where Fogelman said that the stories of these characters will have been told by the end of this season.  No, they won't. Toby and Kate have had their bumps to be sure, but it feels like we're going at 100 miles an hour to ship Toby off to San Francisco so we can cram Kate and Philip into this last season.  The show doesn't HAVE to end in five years. Fogelman WANTS it to end in five years. He could easily do Kate and Philip moving toward each other for a year. One of the reasons I'm on Team Toby is that it's obvious what Fogelman is doing. There's no subtlety, no nuance to it AT ALL. Toby's getting thrown under the bus for the sake of the speed of the episode calendar, and Kate's birthday surprise was nothing more than to start Kate and Phillip making "goo-goo" eyes at each other.  The whole thing is manipulation, not organic storytelling.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Ohmo

[BC4ME]

32 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I read a line from an interview where Fogelman said that the stories of these characters will have been told by the end of this season.  No, it won't. Toby and Kate have had their bumps to be sure, but it feels like we're going at 100 miles an hour to ship Toby off to San Francisco so we can cram Kate and Philip into this last season.  The show doesn't HAVE to end in five years. Fogelman WANTS it to end in five years. 

And so do I!

Look, I've watched this show past what I would normally, once I start getting really annoyed at the writing. I think it was a good show overall, and I've stuck with it because of that, but some of the story lines have become so frustrating to me that I just want to be over. I'm reading the same from many here. 

I'm more upset that we'll probably never get any real background on the Miguel and Rebecca story. The less time they spend on Kate, the happier I will be. And please don't spend any more time on Randall and Laurel. Randell has always been my favorite character but that storyline really changed my mind. 

Please show, try to exit without ruining anymore good memories. Please don't Game of Thrones this baby on the way out. 

Edited January 9, 2022 by BC4ME

[Ohmo]

13 minutes ago, BC4ME said:

I'm more upset that we'll probably never get any real background on the Miguel and Rebecca story.

I'm not a fan of Miguel and Rebecca, but I agree with your overall point. I think the show could continue if they focused on other storylines. Miguel/Rebecca for you. On my list would be slowing down both Kevin/Madison and Kate/Phillip. I'd also like to see how young Kevin and young Sophie ended up divorcing.  How did their marriage fall apart?

The Young Big 3 from this episode are all adorable, but that time period has been explored to death. I think the series could run for at least two more seasons if the Big 3 in college were as young as they went, and the show decided to focus on other threads (as suggested here).

Edited January 9, 2022 by Ohmo

[Blakeston]

5 hours ago, qtpye said:

I agree. That is why it is confusing that this is the person Kate ends up with. Is Kate the one who turns this asshole into a prince? Is Toby going to crash the wedding as one of his grand gestures to profess his love for Kate?

In the flashforwards to Rebecca's deathbed, the implication was that Toby wasn't married to Kate, because Toby expressed surprise that Rebecca would want him there at all.

My guess is that Toby and Kate will get back together, but it won't be until the end of the season, when they're that far into the future. 

I can't fathom that the writers would want us to be happy about Kate ending up with Philip, considering how he's been depicted. I think Toby and Kate are endgame, even though we've never actually seen them have a healthy relationship.

[debraran]

1 hour ago, Ohmo said:

I'm not a fan of Miguel and Rebecca, but I agree with your overall point. I think the show could continue if they focused on other storylines. Miguel/Rebecca for you. On my list would be slowing down both Kevin/Madison and Kate/Phillip. I'd also like to see how young Kevin and young Sophie ended up divorcing.  How did their marriage fall apart?

The Young Big 3 from this episode are all adorable, but that time period has been explored to death. I think the series could run for at least two more seasons if the Big 3 in college were as young as they went, and the show decided to focus on other threads (as suggested here).

From what I remember they did film their honeymoon etc. Covid and lack of showing episodes interfered with some of that. I hope they don't cut too much of it though. She was happy and it was an island I think Puerto Rico.

Kevin cheated on Sophie, I don't know why she gets a bad rap all the time, he was young and immature. It said on a TIU page before we saw Madison and Kevin "Kevin has had his fair share of women over the years thanks to his good looks and charisma. His budding football career in high school also helped that cause, but he was only enamored by Sophie. So much so that in arguably one of the sweetest moments on This Is Us, he threw her a themed birthday when they were just in middle school. The pair ultimately got married, but eventually divorced just before Kevin moved to LA to star in The Manny. While we knew that Number One cheated on his then-wife" He also drank a lot. And the more he refuses to face his own issues, the more stupid decisions he makes. In this situation, that's cheating on his wife despite the fact that he's madly in love with her. Since we know that he'll eventually have a kid in the future thanks to last season's flash-forward, hopefully Kevin has finally realized the error of his ways by then. That's the only time he'll truly be happy in his life, and potentially even get a third shot at a happy ever after with Sophie."

So, the whole thing with Kevin asking Sophie's dead mom for another chance with Sophie to earn her ring (she withheld because of immaturity) to me was because before they gave Alexandra freedom to do other things, was to have her end game. Who would of thought  a few roles here and there would end up with a starring role in Virgin River.?  I still hope she can do more, I feel she is very coy in saying things the way TIU likes it. We know the kids are probably just his twins but again, who knows.

I really don't know anything of course, but if those writers ever intended for Kevin to have numerous one night stands in 3 or 4 episodes, bed the producers wife once and have twins, I feel it's a horrible script and doesn't fit with the rest. It sounded like "what do we do now?" Well my wife is Kate's friend, let's try this. I know one writer said she was surprised at the initial hate toward Madison and even the planned photographer scene with Kevin was to redeem her in a way. She said from some social media posts, many still didn't like her. : /  Well, they will do what they will do. I think the camps are Sophie, Madison, have him alone and " I don't really care, please end this" lol  

Edited January 9, 2022 by debraran

[Crs97]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

Kevin cheated on Sophie, I don't know why she gets a bad rap all the time, he was young and immature.

I don’t hate Sophie; I hate Sophie and Kevin together.  They have tried twice to have a relationship and he has backed out both times, injuring her in the process both times.  Forcing them together as some sort of “third times the charm” or “one true love” is ridiculous IMO.
 

I am one of the few who likes Madison.  She seems good hearted, if a little OTT.  I frankly like their unconventional start and still think Kevin and she could build an interesting relationship.  There are so many ways for love to bloom.

[Ohmo]

26 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

I am one of the few who likes Madison.

I like Madison, too.  I don't hate Sophie either.  I just wanted to see more of the Sophie/Kevin story onscreen (which they could have done if they had used the younger actress  who played Sophie and the younger actor who played Kevin).

I think Caiitlin (Madison) gets a lot of grief due to who she's married to IRL. I don't really care that she's married to Fogelman. The character of Madison makes sense to me. Kevin married his childhood crush (Sophie).  It didn't work out.  Madison was Kate's friend first. This to me is like someone dating their college roommate's sibling, or something like that.  Happens all the time.  It doesn't seem that unusual to me. Kevin has always said he wanted kids, so it was never going to be Zoe.  I don't see Kevin with a glamorous LA A-lister. I just don't, and at this point, this late in the series, after not seeing Sophie at all in awhile, it makes no sense to me to go back to her now.  It's too disconnected, in my opinion. Congrats to Alexandra on her leading opportunity, but that's how life actually works. An opportunity might lead to a different choice, so let Alexandra's RL opportunity lead to storyline opportunity for Madison. The only other option would be Cassidy, who's as disconnected to the story at this point as Sophie is.

[bros402]

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I groaned at that one scene when he said it took an hour to drive with Deja to Philly. They practically lived in New York. I'm in Central Jersey and it takes an hour and a half to get to Philly, and at least that long to get to NY (and that's without a lot of traffic, which...doesn't really happen, at least not during the day).

I remember all of the talk we had about that in the minutiae topic when that happened - that topic is always fun (I am also in Central Jersey - near the shore)

[Boo Boo]

On 1/4/2022 at 11:36 PM, 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.

So I was ten then and while I do remember it happening, I don't have clear memories of how I felt about it. I'm sure I was upset at the time, but it's not like a vivid thing that I've carried with me or anything. 

Noooo! How about a spin-off of Deja in med school? (Because there aren't enough hospital shows out there.) This Is US Healthcare.

I was 12 when it happened and you'd think I'd be much more affected than the Big Three, but I wasn't.  I was sad by it, but I felt more like going into space is a potentially dangerous activity and it's not something that would happen within my own family.  So I side-eyed this being a huge storyline for TIU.

 

[Boo Boo]

On 1/5/2022 at 11:53 AM, 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

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.

I feel like they get Randall wrong though.

He goes from this kid:

 

Then we get this Randall.

Then teenage Randall

[kili]

Quote

My issue is that this is the only job he could find, and he is the primary breadwinner.  That trumps her part time brand new job as an aide.  It is ridiculous that she stayed put.  He is missing out on his children’s milestones because she refused to leave.  All my sympathy goes to him.

It's interesting that all three Pearson children have recently faced the "move for work" dilemma.

Randall decided that he needed to dedicate his life to politics in the town his Dad lived in. He unilaterally decided to do this, but promised to quit the campaign if it caused issues. When it caused issues, he reneged on his promise and belittled his wife's job (the only job she could get after months of trying).  Result? His wife decided to give up everything and move to follow his new job. Children were uprooted from the schools they had gone to for years. Family all seems happy (except for Tess, but her unhappiness is rooted apart from the move). No resentment between the couple.

Toby was let go from work in the middle of the pandemic on the day his daughter was born. He struggled for months to find a job and finally found one in another city as their savings were exhausted. Kate refused to move because she had a part-time job she loved even though that did not pay the bills. Kids are not yet in school, so uprooting them is not as big an issue. She would miss her brother support system and being there for her Mom if she moves. Result: Kate unhappy with Toby. Toby does not appear to resent Kate at this time.

Kevin has an existing job that requires him to travel a lot. The mother of his children asked him not to travel so much after the kids were born. He has agreed to take a job he hates with a boss who is toxic and loves humiliating Kevin. Results: Unknown.

Interestingly, the two who had the more doting parents expect their dreams to be the only ones that matter. 

 

 

[gonzosgirrl]

2 hours ago, Boo Boo said:

I feel like they get Randall wrong though.

He goes from this kid:

 

Then we get this Randall.

Then teenage Randall

If anything, I think it's the middle Randall that is most off.  I can totally see either Kindergarten Randall  or teenager Randall growing up to be adult Randall.

[Boo Boo]

13 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

If anything, I think it's the middle Randall that is most off.  I can totally see either Kindergarten Randall  or teenager Randall growing up to be adult Randall.

Yeah, it's middle Randall that's so off.

[Boo Boo]

On 1/5/2022 at 1:26 PM, 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.  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.

I think what's happening now is Madison is no longer the neurotic Madison that he knew when the character was neurotic.  Now that she has shown she's a different person by not marrying him, wanting and expecting more, he's got a new found respect for her.  Confidence is sexy.  Maybe this time he really is falling in love. 

 

[mostlylurking]

I think Kevin did/does love Madison and I wish they had gotten married. Love doesn’t need to be loud and dramatic, and often times when it is it fizzles and then the couple doesn’t know what to do with themselves anymore, they break up, and they look for the next over the top dramatic love. Repeat. Love can be steady and quiet and still be real and passionate. And in my opinion that’s the love that lasts. Rebecca and Miguel have that. Kevin and Madison could have had that. Maybe they still will. 

[debraran]

Re Kevin though,  he can’t settle for “0kay” The many episodes on that, Sophie’s mom telling him never settle, the grave scene etc. He needs to fully embrace marriage, not say this will be fine.  That’s what Justin will allude too in interviews.  It’s not what looks right but is right.  

Edited January 10, 2022 by debraran

[mostlylurking]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

 

Re Kevin though,  he can’t settle for “0kay” The many episodes on that, Sophie’s mom telling him never settle, the grave scene etc. He needs to fully embrace marriage, not say this will be fine.  That’s what Justin will allude too in interviews.  It’s not what looks right but is right.  

 

I think that too, but I don’t think he would be settling or just ok with Madison. I think they could have a deep love that isn’t just settling. Sometimes, these things take time to build, but it’s no less deep or passionate. In fact, I think it can be more so.

[debraran]

2 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

I think that too, but I don’t think he would be settling or just ok with Madison. I think they could have a deep love that isn’t just settling. Sometimes, these things take time to build, but it’s no less deep or passionate. In fact, I think it can be more so.

That's true, for sure, but not the way they were doing it. We are all different but being older, I have seen the unplanned pregnancy scenario SO often over the years. I almost wanted to scream. And of course, let it be twins, because having one baby wouldn't have been interesting enough or evoke fear and excitement the same way. How could "damaged " Madison with no real family take care of them? Her best and only friend was having her second through adoption and had a child with special needs  It was just somewhat contrived. I would have preferred they actually liked each other and maybe dated a bit. BUT they can still grow a natural affection for each other. She said she loved him but really didn't know Kevin either. He's good looking and nice but really know him? That test they were taking showed how little. I think taking a break is a good thing because if they do end up together, it was done on a more authentic path. It will be a roller coaster ride. ; )

This week seems mostly Deja and Nicky but I think that Deja might be part of an idea for a spinoff. Time will tell. Not a bad idea, but unless it had guest appearances from the regulars, might need some time to get the same audience. Nice idea since so little on regular TV is good but sometimes these things bomb too.

Next week is 4 Fathers, maybe Randall, Toby, Kevin and Malik?

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by debraran

[ams1001]

21 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

If anything, I think it's the middle Randall that is most off.  I can totally see either Kindergarten Randall  or teenager Randall growing up to be adult Randall.

Middle Randall's face is too round and his skin too light to have turned into adult Randall. I think teen/young adult Randall is the closest match.

(He is adorable, though.)

[CountryGirl]

If, after almost 2 years of being under a shared roof and raising twins together, Kevin and Madison still haven't fallen in love, I don't see it ever happening. 

[JayDub1987]

I'm late to the party, as I just got to watch this episode this morning. I don't have a ton to add, but I will say that I'm annoyed that we're going to have another season of Randall and his neurotic behavior that results in him trying to save everyone. 

[gonzosgirrl]

3 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

If, after almost 2 years of being under a shared roof and raising twins together, Kevin and Madison still haven't fallen in love, I don't see it ever happening. 

I think if the actress wasn't the wife of the producer, there's no way Madison would still be part of Kevin's life. The character always gave me a creepy vibe. I sincerely expected there to be a Fatal Attraction story line, or at the very least a disturbed-woman-scorned, at least before the babies. Now she is the Mary-Sue-est Sue to every Mary Sue.

Re Kevin living in the garage, wasn't it his house to begin with? Not that he should uproot her or the kids, I'm just thinking of the comments regarding Madison's financial status.

[Ohiopirate02]

6 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Re Kevin living in the garage, wasn't it his house to begin with? Not that he should uproot her or the kids, I'm just thinking of the comments regarding Madison's financial status.

It has always been Madison's house.  Kevin has not really had a place of his own in any season.  He may have had a home back in season one, but for the last few seasons he has bounced around never putting down roots.  He jumps from living with his current significant others to rentals to living with his siblings on both coasts.  

[tvfanatic13]

Was young Kate played by a different actor? 

If this season is going to be the Deja show, combined with the Nicky show, topped with Alzheimers, it is going to be impossible for me to watch. I like Nicky, but don't need to start an entire storyline with him in the last episodes fo the show. 

[ams1001]

27 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

Was young Kate played by a different actor? 

She did look different. That's the problem with flashing back to the same time period over multiple seasons. Unless you really plan ahead and shoot all the kid scenes for the whole series at once, you won't be able to use the same kids in season six as in season two. Especially when you're talking about 5 year olds.

[qtpye]

3 hours ago, JayDub1987 said:

I'm late to the party, as I just got to watch this episode this morning. I don't have a ton to add, but I will say that I'm annoyed that we're going to have another season of Randall and his neurotic behavior that results in him trying to save everyone. 

I hate that everyone praises him for it instead of calling out that much of his "good deeds" are driven by ego.

2 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I think if the actress wasn't the wife of the producer, there's no way Madison would still be part of Kevin's life. The character always gave me a creepy vibe. I sincerely expected there to be a Fatal Attraction story line, or at the very least a disturbed-woman-scorned, at least before the babies. Now she is the Mary-Sue-est Sue to every Mary Sue.

Re Kevin living in the garage, wasn't it his house to begin with? Not that he should uproot her or the kids, I'm just thinking of the comments regarding Madison's financial status.

Madison's friendship with Kate was always weird to me. Madison would gush over how Kate is the almost awesome and amazing woman in the world, while Kate would look at her with quiet disdain. It never felt real or that the writers had any idea how to portray true female friendships. 

[chabelisaywow]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

I think if the actress wasn't the wife of the producer, there's no way Madison would still be part of Kevin's life. The character always gave me a creepy vibe.

It's the acting. I have a feeling you will never see the actress again outside of an Dan whatever his name is shows. 

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

. Madison would gush over how Kate is the almost awesome and amazing woman in the world,

There are women IRL who are like this - have friends that they deem less attractive than they are - so they feel better about themselves.  I doubt TPTB wanted to the Madison character to be perceived this way. 

[qtpye]

35 minutes ago, chabelisaywow said:

It's the acting. I have a feeling you will never see the actress again outside of an Dan whatever his name is shows. 

There are women IRL who are like this - have friends that they deem less attractive than they are - so they feel better about themselves.  I doubt TPTB wanted to the Madison character to be perceived this way. 

That’s how it felt because Kate and Madison’s friendship was so ridiculously one sided. It felt like that Madison was desperate to be Kate’s friend because:

1. She had no friends in her life.

2. Kate’s weight would never make Madison feel bad about herself.

Remember, Madison joined a group for obesity instead of one for bulimia or anorexia because she needed to be the thinnest one in the room.

[Zonk]

Oh my god, Rebecca couldn't remember a word for a few hours. Clearly she dying, dying I say!

Guess I'm dying too because I couldn't remember the word "caboose" for the entire episode.

Looking it up, is caboose even the correct word when the last car is a passanger car? English is not my native language, but from what I can find caboose is a very specific last car. Usually at the end of a freight train. Maybe Rebecca is loosing her marbles, when she thinks the last car of a passanger train is called a caboose.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Zonk

[Dowel Jones]

You're correct about the caboose, and they don't even exist for the most part anymore.  She could have struck gold with 'club car.'

[bettername2come]

On 1/10/2022 at 11:26 AM, Boo Boo said:

Yeah, it's middle Randall that's so off.

Aw, but he's my favorite flashback Randall! I'm more concerned about how middle flashback Kate is taller than teenage flashback Kate. The Kevin transitions have been pretty solid, at least once they made sure flashback Kevins had brown eyes. 

I liked Randall here. In this one, his kindness didn't seem pretentious it felt like a real moment of empathy after his experiences with addiction. And yeah, it backfired, but not in a way that made me cackle at the screen.

[Zonk]

On 1/5/2022 at 7:47 AM, Racj82 said:

Taking the Manny job may seem like a great idea but there is zero guarantee the show will last. It's not like this is guaranteed to give him longevity. 

I mean in this universe the Manny is like Full House or Roseanne, right? That is basically 100% guaranteed to last. It will coast on nostalgia alone.

The only problem might be if they are trying to make it a full reboot. Audiences might not like that. If they are smart they are going for a continuation many years later, like Fuller House or Roseanne/The Connors. Kevin would have to play the Manny who now has kids of his own and a job as a high powered lawyer or something along those lines, so he has little time and needs to hire a manny himself. Then you could bring old characters back, like the kids from the first show, now all grown up and really milk that nostalgia.

[Racj82]

3 hours ago, Zonk said:

I mean in this universe the Manny is like Full House or Roseanne, right? That is basically 100% guaranteed to last. It will coast on nostalgia alone.

The only problem might be if they are trying to make it a full reboot. Audiences might not like that. If they are smart they are going for a continuation many years later, like Fuller House or Roseanne/The Connors. Kevin would have to play the Manny who now has kids of his own and a job as a high powered lawyer or something along those lines, so he has little time and needs to hire a manny himself. Then you could bring old characters back, like the kids from the first show, now all grown up and really milk that nostalgia.

It's not guaranteed at all. Nostalgia powered properties flop all time. It becoming less and less of a guarantee. I was also talking long term. It could get immediate attention then flame off. My point is that this is not guaranteed to keep him home. This will always be a problem as long as he's an actor. Only 10 percent of new shows on network TV last past a season. 

Fuller House got the Netflix bump. Roseanne loses viewers every season. 

[Zonk]

1 minute ago, Racj82 said:

Nostalgia powered properties flop all time.

Which ones would that be?

1 minute ago, Racj82 said:

It could get immediate attention then flame off.

Seems unlikely for a nostalgia driven property, if they don't screw with the formula too much. Roseanne survived the main character dying because the actress went on a racist twitter rant. That is some staying power.

3 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

Fuller House got the Netflix bump.

That hasn't been a thing in years, way before that show started.

3 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

Roseanne loses viewers every season. 

And yet it's still on (as The Conners) in its 5th season.

Who cares if it loses viewers. That's 5+ years of high paying, steady work.

[Racj82]

Just now, Zonk said:

Which ones would that be?

Seems unlikely for a nostalgia driven property, if they don't screw with the formula too much. Roseanne survived the main character dying because the actress went on a racist twitter rant. That is some staying power.

That hasn't been a thing in years, way before that show started.

And yet it's still on (as The Conners) in its 5th season.

Who cares if it loses viewers. That's 5+ years of high paying, steady work.

I'll say it one more time. All I'm saying is that this is not guaranteed. He's taking the job for stability. I know plenty of actors who that for those reasons. Then, it doesn't last long. It's a bigger issue with using nostalgia for movies to be sure. It's just not a safe bet now. Not the way it used to feel. Entertainment is obviously always a crapshoot. What he is doing now is a much better alternative in terms of being home. It could also flop. Netflix and Amazon Prime both just dropped tv series based on established IPs with built in fan bases and were both canceled in less than a month. People just didn't care.

The even bigger issue is whether or not he will feel fulfilled just doing sitcom drivel. I know he is happy to sacrifice but the job could make him miserable in the process.

[Blackie]

On 1/5/2022 at 5:16 AM, Chewy101 said:

So, the last thing you want to hear is guess what! It can take umpteen more YEARS! 

 

They should have made her have vascular dementia, just as sad but a faster decline. Usually within 3 years from diagnosis. Just went through it last year with my M-I-L . The decline was so fast (isolation caused by all the COVID restrictions certainly aggravated and expedited the situation), a lot of friends/family didn't really know anything was that wrong until the last 2 weeks.  She spent many hours just sitting quietly and I always wondered what was going on in her mind. This Rebecca story will be hard to watch but I am interested.

[Fig Newton]

For me, the first 2 seasons were the best. The focus was more on the flashbacks to the Big 3 when they were children and I found the storyline interesting and compelling. Additionally, the approach was unique and I had interest in the characters.

Each season thereafter, I would start to dread watching the show which sat on my DVR until I just pressed play. I guess I hate watched, not sure. But then the storylines with Deja and Uncle Nicky just made me lose any interest at all. These could have been background stories but were so front and center that it annoyed me.

The speeches are so bothersome. It's like Grey's Anatomy characters took over the Pearsons. I hated Greys for the speeches and am hating This is Us for the same.  It's just not realistic. At least in my world, I would never accept this alllllllllll the fucking time. 

Did I miss something (very likely as I watch while doing something more interesting), but did Kate and Toby break up? Was there just foreshadowing?

Madison needs to go. I have zero concern for her. Isn't she the one that had the eating disorder and possible personality disorder? Now, she is fine. Fine. Fine? Just let Kevin be happy and being with Madison seems like a chore to me.

Sad for such a great show to slowly decline into a boring, mundane and repetitive cycle.  Deja-bye. Nicky-bye.   There are lots of things to wrap up in the final season that might actually interest viewers. Writers should have focused on the family, wrap it up, show us the progression of characters and called it a day.............

 

[KittyQ]

On 1/5/2022 at 11:18 AM, CarpeFelis said:

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.

Sandra Oh and Killing Eve come to mind…

However, it was a few years before Killing Eve. She did other work, but I don't recall anything that high profile.

[lucindabelle]

Ha ha of course the writers got the time to San Francisco and LA correct because unlike New Jersey and Philadelphia and New York, the writers are actually living in LA.

 

When the challenger explosion happened I was in college. I do remember watching it live with some other kids. It was sad. But it did not give me nightmares or anything like that. For me, that would be the attack on Rome airport, that happened at the previous year, but then someone I knew was one of the people killed.

 

Good observation that making Randall I would be savior is a ret con. had not even thought about that but yes, before his nervous break down he was just a high flying Wall Street guy. In general the show is better about ret cons than many others but some of them are obvious and that is one of the other of course is that Nicky was originally meant to be dead. But I won’t complain because I love the character.

 I know it’s a longshot but I sort of wish that flash forward to Kate marrying British guy is a trick, like they’re in a play or something.

that said, he only told the woman that she was boring when she insisted on having a reason. And he even ended by saying nervously, “does that help you to move on?” And frankly it did, she was angry and said he was condescending and yes she will move on faster. I can’t be too hard on him because he was giving her his truth and he didn’t want to be cruel but she insisted on that truth. And the truth is, that he could see all of her good qualities, but they just were not charming him. Honestly, in his shoes I doubt I could be so frank, but I think it is the best way to be.

 

I also don’t forget Kate too much for standing there. She didn’t know what to do, and sometimes when that happens you’re just frozen in place.

 

I could go either way with Kevin falling in love with Madison or just feeling possessive. Either would work for me.

 

 

[maddie965]

One hour of my life that I will never get back.

[Kdawg82]

On 1/9/2022 at 3:08 PM, Ohmo said:

The whole thing is manipulation, not organic storytelling.

Your post 💯. That's all I'm saying. 

It is rushed. This feels like a knockoff of the show it once was. We've become invested in these characters only to be played for fools with these beyond the pale episodes- basically monologuing towards the audience why, where, when,  & how. These situations aren't plot twists or even clever. They're nonsense. 

[millennium]

An episode where nobody apologized to Randall.   I had to check that I was watching the right show.

[andidante]

Millenium, I am loving your recaps! 

[millennium]

On 1/11/2022 at 12:43 PM, gonzosgirrl said:

I think if the actress wasn't the wife of the producer, there's no way Madison would still be part of Kevin's life.

I wasn't aware of this until this very moment.

Suddenly the universe makes sense again (sort of).   Now tell me that Toby is the producer's brother.

1 hour ago, andidante said:

Millenium, I am loving your recaps! 

😊