S06.E18: Us

[dingochick]

They had mentioned in media that this ep would be a sort of epilogue, so I was okay with how it ended and served as a series finale. Because sometimes life is mundane, and it is the little moments we may regret missing or taking advantage of. Life is fragile, sad, and beautiful. And I like that in the end, the big three won’t drift. So much of the series has focused on spats and fights and issues that siblings (and parents have)…as someone who has lost both her parents, and has a brother, I totally get the fear of drifting apart. It rang true to me. 
 

Also, I wasn’t expecting anything huge or life altering. Life will go on for the Pearsons. 
 

I liked when Jack said Rebecca would be there…it made me feel better about my own losses. And I liked that we were spared a Randall eulogy, because omfg can we just not? I wasn’t super happy about the Jack and Randall ending, but I got me some William, so I can forgive it. 
 

As far as I’m concerned, as long as nothing ends like St Elsewhere did, it’s a win. :)

Lastly, anyone else feel like adult Deja sounds like regular Deja? 
 

[woodstock]

I liked it. 

The opening montage with the swings brought back so many memories.

Beth’s line about Randall driving from tree to tree and swimming in the ocean cracked me up.

Despite its flaws I loved this show. Thanks for showing us that people and families are loving, complicated, frustrating, messy, and comforting. Like my family.

Farewell Pearsons. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by woodstock
Formatting issues

[DoubleUTeeEff]

That was a quiet ending to the series but I guess they got me at the very end with the Big Three on the porch and everything after that.

I think my favorite Pearson speech was Nicky's to Kevin because while it was heartfelt and sentimental it was also funny and not purely sweet.

I liked seeing William and his grandfather speech.

Jack and Rebecca at the end on the train were nice. They started the episode with them lying in bed and then ended them the same way.

I'm not sure why they even had Kate and Toby divorce since Toby still acts like her husband.

Of course the fried oreo eaters are going to love Randall and he'll be President. The whole country will never stop hearing about Rebecca. Every bill he signs will be "for his mom."

[dingochick]

22 minutes ago, Armchair Critic said:

Is Randall going to run for President “for Mom”? Gag.

Right? Although honestly, there are worse reasons to run, snicker. 

[movingtargetgal]

There was just too much Randall for me.  I feel that Kevin and Kate were shortchanged. 

[Evie]

They just had to get a possible Randall Presidency in there and Kate talking about opening music schools, but otherwise, I liked the finale. I liked that it was just a nice, quiet episode. It fit my mood, I guess. I thought it was a fitting end to the show, which was always about the little moments between family.

I really liked Jack and Rebecca on the train. The final Big 3 chant was nice too.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Evie

[brokenwing29]

30 minutes ago, Jax7917 said:

There’s literally no point of the other two daughters being on the show . They had no impact on anything throughout any of the seasons and hardly any lines . 

I did like Annie's line on the other episode about it being okay to be quiet as long as you were still strong (or something like that), ,though I don't remember her character (when she was given any lines) being anything but a typical sassy little sister. There are a lot of replies to this thread I haven't read yet so I'm probably repeating, but I hope Deja got Annie and Tessa's okay about naming her baby William, in case they wanted to use it for any kids they might have in the future. Because, you know, they actually knew him and had a relationship with him.

It was a good episode, though not as good as some this season (like the Miguel-centered one). I think because parts were filmed years ago, it didn't seem as much like a finale during those scenes...just typical Big 3 flashback situations we've seen before.

[ams1001]

6 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

I teared up several times. I'm reaching that age where I will lose my parents sooner rather than later and I'm terrified.

Same here. Who am I going to call when I accidentally partially unplug my stove? (Yes, this happened on Sunday and my dad came over.)

2 minutes ago, movingtargetgal said:

There was just too much Randall for me.  I feel that Kevin and Kate were shortchanged. 

I wish it had been all three of them in the very last scene, not just Randall.

[Blackie]

4 minutes ago, movingtargetgal said:

There was just too much Randall for me.  I feel that Kevin and Kate were shortchanged. 

ya especially Kate.

I thought the pull up story was going to end up differently as to why the other kids were laughing.  Just me?

[ShortyMac]

8 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

That was my favorite part of the episode. I am extremely close with my grandparents, particularly on my mother's side. I'm the oldest grandchild (31), and their youngest grandchild is 5. I think often about how extremely fortunate I am to have had them in my life for so long, yet I feel such profound sadness when I know there's absolutely no way that can happen for the youngest (they would be 110). When William talked about the grandchild/grandparent relationship that starts with such an unfair time inequity, I felt that in my heart. That scene was the best writing this show has had. As a surprise to no one, that was written and filmed during the first season.

I'm the same age, and I feel very fortunate that my 90 year-old grandmother is still here, my dad's mom. My other grandparents passed in 2017 (88), 2020 (83), and December 2021 (83). I am so blessed to have so many experiences and memories with them, and carry on their lessons and traditions.

Loved seeing the original kid Big Three in the finale, and one last round of Worst Case Scenario with Beth and Randall.

[StaceyNotStacie]

This was somewhat underwhelming. It also felt rushed with too many commercials.  Many comedies get an hour long series finale. This one should have gotten an extra hour. 
 

My barely legal adult son had a birthday today and his younger brother isn’t too far behind. The shaving scene and Rebecca commenting that it was too soon for that got me. Today was not the day to remind me that kids grow up too damn fast. 
 

Jack and Rebecca in the afterlife was nice. I liked his comment about how they “did good”. I just wish he would have dropped a line like “there’s a young man waiting to meet you” or something like that. 

[tennisgurl]

I was really hoping to end this one sobbing my eyes out in emotional catharsis like last week, but that was really just...fine. It felt like just a regular episode, except that Rebecca was dead. We didn't even get one of those heartwarming/tearjerking montages set to a wistful 70s classic that always kill me. It had a lot of nice moments, Jack teaching Randall and Kevin to shave and their excitement over it was really cute, the first and last big three chants were great, and I really liked the episodes theme of how kids want to go forward in time while adults want to go back, that was all very nice. But it didn't feel like a finale, it just felt like another episode. Not bad, but not great, especially after last weeks emotional punch to the gut, which I thought was one of the shows best episodes ever. I guess that was the "real" finale and this was the come down, but it feels anticlimactic, like we were denied our last bit of catharsis. 

The highlight of the episode was Beth saying how Randall was going to spend all of his time going to random parents funerals, driving around to his various dead parents graves and swimming around with Miguel's grandmas ghost. Does Beth read the comments here? We laugh, but we all know that Randall would totally do exactly that if he could take a break from his amazing political career that's all happened offscreen. 

I am very amused that Toby got in one last moment supporting Kate while Philip was nowhere to be seen. Why exactly did they divorce again? Narratively speaking?

It feels so weird that this show is really over, for better or for worse the Pearsons really have felt like a part of my life for years now, and now they're gone. No more speeches, no more of Jack's ever changing facial hair, no more montages, no more long lost relatives, I am going to miss this show a lot. When it was bad, it was laughably bad, but when it was good, it was a fucking tear surgeon, knowing exactly where to cut for maximum feels. The low key finale has made me feel really weird, I wanted that big tearful catharsis, so now I'm just left feeling sad to see the show go. I really am going to miss this show, but like William said last episode, if your so sad saying goodbye to something, it must have been a really good thing. For all of its cheese, I really did love its themes of family, how they can be messy but still good, how you can affect people without realizing how much you affect them, for good or for bad, and that for all the mess and hurt that family can bring, its still worth it.

Edited May 25, 2022 by tennisgurl

[Enigma X]

The last five minutes with the big three sitting on the porch was all I needed from the episode. I am at peace with the ending. Also, I really liked Miguel but Jack and Rebecca have been the pairing for me. I liked they were back "together."

[stonehaven]

I loved that it was understated. It didn't need to be flashy or soapy. It was just about several generations and their journey. It was about all the people they brought with them on the journey and those lives impacted...It was about Pearsaon speeches. I really loved it.

The part that nearly got me was Randall's part about saying he was in abject terror of losing his mother in the last 10 years. My Mom is 79 years old and almost bedridden in a rehab center. This morning she told me she wanted to die or have help in dying...This afternoon she had a helluva lot more fight in her....So, Randall's terror is very real to me.

I will miss this show and glad it was on for six years. It wasn't all glorious but it was appointment TV for a good chunk of time. Plus, it got the stench of Milo's portrayal of "Chris" in "American Dreams" out of my brain...introduced me to Sterling Brown and Griffin Dunne...eye candy in Justin Hartley...and gave me a deeper appreciation for Mandy Moore. 

All in all, a great run.....this finale actually made me want to watch the whole series again....

[VanillaBear85]

That was underwhelming. I wanted more time spent on the present and some flash forward scenes. 

I laughed more than I expected though. Worst case scenario (RV & Randall going to Puerto Rico), Nicky's chat with Kevin, and the 3 sitting on the stairs. 

[KaveDweller]

I thought the final shot should have been of the big 3, and seeing them now compared to when they were little. Ending with the shot of Randall didn't seem right.

Other than that it was fine. Not much happened, but it was never really that type of show.

[ams1001]

7 minutes ago, stonehaven said:

I loved that it was understated.

I agree. I actually liked that it was a quiet episode. Maybe I'm just in a quiet mood.

26 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

So Phillip doesn’t exist in this episode thankfully. Again Toby and Kate have so much more chemistry than Kate and Phillip. And Jon Huertas was in the credits but Miguel got the shaft again. 

I think everyone was in the credits. I saw Blake Stadnik's (grown-up baby Jack) name in the opening and he wasn't in it, either. (I was wondering if we'd get a bunch of flash forwards and I'm glad we didn't.)

Edited May 25, 2022 by ams1001
editing error

[txhorns79]

20 minutes ago, movingtargetgal said:

There was just too much Randall for me.  I feel that Kevin and Kate were shortchanged. 

Yeah, at some point the episode became This is Randall, and honestly, that gets old.  Beth remains the best, though.

9 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Why exactly did they divorce again? Narratively speaking?

For the sake of a cliffhanger season finale flash forward.  Otherwise, I can't really think what Phillip added to the story.       

Quote

I saw Blake Stadnik's (grown-up baby Jack) name in the opening and he wasn't in it, either.

He was briefly in the episode when we saw him pushing his baby on the swings.

[Eureka]

2 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I agree. I actually liked that it was a quiet episode. Maybe I'm just in a quiet mood.

I guess they had everyone in the credits. I saw Blake Stadnik in the opening credits and he wasn't in the episode, either.

I think everyone was in the credits. I saw Blake Stadnik's (grown-up baby Jack) name in the opening and he wasn't in it, either. (I was wondering if we'd get a bunch of flash forwards and I'm glad we didn't.)

He was in the montage where everyone’s kids (in every time line) were on the swings at the park.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Eureka

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, txhorns79 said:

He was briefly in the episode when we saw him pushing his baby on the swings.

Oh...I must have looked away for a second...

[Blackie]

20 minutes ago, dingochick said:

They had mentioned in media that this ep would be a sort of epilogue, so I was okay with how it ended and served as a series finale.

Definitely an epilogue and I am OK with that. I was worried they were going to do some future thing with Kate's kid the famous singer, glad there was only one scene of the swing with him. I wish they never wasted episodes on going that far into the future. It seems like the last 2 epeisodes had hardly any adult Kate, i wonder why that was. Mandy Moore was great all around!!

4 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

29 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

So Phillip doesn’t exist in this episode thankfully. Again Toby and Kate have so much more chemistry than Kate and Phillip. And Jon Huertas was in the credits but Miguel got the shaft again. 

I think everyone was in the credits. I saw Blake Stadnik's (grown-up baby Jack) name in the opening and he wasn't in it, either. (I was wondering if we'd get a bunch of flash forwards and I'm glad we didn't.)

I thought I saw Phillip when they were playing pin the tail. Also one scene with grown up Jack pushing his own daughter on a swing,

[LoveLeigh]

16 minutes ago, StaceyNotStacie said:

 I just wish he would have dropped a line like “there’s a young man waiting to meet you” or something like that. 

Now that would have been great. 

[HighHopes]

Somewhere along the way This is Us turned into This is Randall (and Deja). complete with ending the series with Randall/Jack. It felt like Kate and Kevin were completely forgotten about - especially in the finale. We had numerous Beth lines but Sophie and Phillip barely appeared tonight. What even was the point in Kevin reuniting with Sophie?

The show should have limited the flashbacks tonight. I would have preferred three minutes dedicated to flashforwards to seeing Kevin, Kate, and Randall’s kids/grandkids. We saw Jack and Hailey in the future but did we see any other kids in that timeline? 

Edited May 25, 2022 by HighHopes

[Lovecat]

The whole Pin the Tail on the Donkey thing seemed a little dumb to me, I mean it was such a beloved family tradition because of the kids on the box?  Mm-kay.  And then it occurred to me that showing Kate to be so good at it was a way of demonstrating a natural aptitude for using her other senses to compensate for not being able to see, skills which we are later led to believe helped in raising a blind son and made her a superstar in her career.

[ams1001]

11 minutes ago, HighHopes said:

We saw Jack and Hailey in the future but did we see any other kids in that timeline?

Just Jack's baby being born.

2 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

The whole Pin the Tail on the Donkey thing seemed a little dumb to me, I mean it was such a beloved family tradition because of the kids on the box?  Mm-kay.  And then it occurred to me that showing Kate to be so good at it was a way of demonstrating a natural aptitude for using her other senses to compensate for not being able to see, skills which we are later led to believe helped in raising a blind son and made her a superstar in her career.

And Kate's gonna open a whole slew of music schools for the blind.

[Thumper]

I don’t remember his exact words, but I couldn’t believe Randall sitting with his 3 daughters and going on and on about not having anything to live for (something to that effect).  I’m looking at his daughters and saying “how about your kids??!!!”  Then the other two girls just leave so Deja is alone with him to explain to him that he DID have something to live for. 🙄🙄. Come on, Randall.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Thumper

[pennben]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

but it was Kate's comment about being afraid of drifting apart from her brothers that set me off. And that's more because sometimes I wonder what will happen when my parents are gone

Kevin’s answer was so weird to me…’we’lll drift off with you’….what? Isn’t the correct response we’ll pull you back to us??!!

[bybrandy]

28 minutes ago, HighHopes said:

Somewhere along the way This is Us turned into This is Randal (and Deja). complete with ending the series with Randal/Jack. It felt like Kate and Kevin were completely forgotten about - especially in the finale. We had numerous Beth lines but Sophie and Phillip barely appeared tonight. What even was the point in Kevin reuniting with Sophie?

The show should have limited the flashbacks tonight. I would have preferred three minutes dedicated to flashforwards to seeing Kevin, Kate, and Randal’s kids/grandkids. We saw Jack and Hailey in the future but did we see any other kids in that timeline? 

i hard agree about being super Meh about how marginalized Kate and Toby were in the end.  However, I could care less about Philip or Sophie so I didn't really need to see them.  I'm not sure why were subjected to them in the first place.   

[KaveDweller]

24 minutes ago, Thumper said:

I don’t remember his exact words, but I couldn’t believe Randall sitting with his 3 daughters and going on and on about not having anything to live for (something to that effect).  I’m looking at his daughters and saying “how about your kids??!!!”  Then the other two girls just leave so Deja is alone with him to explain to him that he DID have something to live for. 🙄🙄. Come on, Randall.

I couldn't believe all his talk about how great it was that Deja was having a boy. Like, if she was having a girl the baby would suddenly be less good news? Really? I get being excited at a boy after three daughters, but it was a bit over the top.

[Gemma Violet]

1 hour ago, movingtargetgal said:

There was just too much Randall for me.  I feel that Kevin and Kate were shortchanged. 

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I wish it had been all three of them in the very last scene, not just Randall.

53 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

I thought the final shot should have been of the big 3, and seeing them now compared to when they were little. Ending with the shot of Randall didn't seem right.

52 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

Yeah, at some point the episode became This is Randall

43 minutes ago, HighHopes said:

Somewhere along the way This is Us turned into This is Randal

Yes, yes, and yes.  There's a discussion on Facebook of this Randall-heavy episode and the speculation is that there will be a Randall spin-off.

I agree that there were way too many commercials.  It felt like 6 minutes of show followed by 4 minutes of commercials followed by another 6 minutes of show, and so on.

[tribeca]

It was nice to see Young Kevin being sweet to his mom.  His impression of Jack was also really cute.  So many of the flashbacks showed young Kevin feeling left out. Kevin’s son giving him a hug when he was sad made me tear up. 
    Young Kate was sweet this episode wanting to spent time with her family.  Her knowing where to go because her family is so loud and as long she could hear them she can  find her way made me tear up.  She won’t hear her parents anymore and will need to find her own way.  
   Randall always took tried to fix things and had anxiety when he couldn’t.  He needed to let that go now.  That’s how I interpreted Randell looking at Jack.  
  Really  thought deja was going to have a girl and name her Rebecca.  But it was cute when Randall was overjoyed with finally having a boy in the family. His dance was fun. 
    Absolutely loved the last big three and cried to much.  Made me want to call my mom.  

Edited May 25, 2022 by tribeca

[Jeddah]

Just now, KaveDweller said:

I couldn't believe all his talk about how great it was that Deja was having a boy. Like, if she was having a girl the baby would suddenly be less good news? Really? I get being excited at a boy after three daughters, but it was a bit over the top.

I don’t respect people like this in real life, and so it always made me hate Randall even more. He clearly likes Deja more than Tess or Annie, but he also liked Malik more than any of them. He complained about wanting a boy while literally bringing Annie home from the hospital. Having three daughters was never enough for him, but one of those daughters is doing her womanly duty of birthing a son, so I guess it worked out in the end for Randall.

[LoveLeigh]

As an episode it was OK... but Dan Fogelman: this was a final episode and most series want to knock it out of the park, not have a quiet end to the story. Lists of the best final episodes are all over the internet. This will never make any list. We didn't even need this. It is a throw away... 

Edited May 25, 2022 by LoveLeigh

[oceanblue]

I'm actually surprised that Malik hasn't changed his name to Randall Jr.   I enjoyed the episode.  I did not want a big finale.   This was about the small moments and that's mostly what a family is.   

[tomsmom]

That was underwhelming to say the least.
 

Guess I won’t need their “take off work because I cried so much” print out. (eyeroll)

[CdrJanny]

Well, that was underwhelming.😴

[txhorns79]

2 minutes ago, oceanblue said:

I'm actually surprised that Malik hasn't changed his name to Randall Jr

I was surprised Deja didn't ask to name her child "Randall."  The whole thing was just weird to me.  It felt like Deja viewed her pregnancy as something she was doing to make Randall happy, rather than something she necessarily wanted.     

[LexieLily]

Tess or Annie should have gotten the chance to name a potential son of theirs William, not Deja. 

[Blakeston]

1 hour ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

I'm not sure why they even had Kate and Toby divorce since Toby still acts like her husband.

I think a big theme of the show ended up being that love stories come in lots of different forms.

Some are conventional (like Rebecca and Jack, and Randall and Beth). Some times they start off as friendship and develop into romance gradually (Miguel and Rebecca). Sometimes the couples don't work out at first, but end up together (Kevin and Sophie, Deja and Malik). And sometimes, like Kate and Toby, they split up for good, but still play a loving role in each others' lives.

[PepSinger]

I'm in the camp that the liked the fact that this was a quiet episode. I didn't want something was loud and over the top. I haven't seen the pilot since it originally aired, but my main attraction to this show is that these are regular people living their lives with somewhat realistic jobs. To me, this show has always been about relatability, and that's what kept me watching for six seasons. The "lessons" in this episode are simple, but that's exactly what I want and expected.

That being said...

I am in agreement with those that thought there was too much focus on Randall for the series finale. Did we even see Nicky or Franny talking with Kevin? Or Hailey talking with Kate? How come they don't get any dialogue? I also thought the focus on Deja was over the top. I will never understand why this show focused so much on Deja and Randall's relationship and left Annie and Tess twisting in the wind. It's a weird narrative choice. I also didn't like that the final shot of the show was Randall. It should've been the big three.

Nonetheless, I will miss this show so, so much. I am glad that Mandy Moore finally had a role that highlighted her acting skills. I loved seeing Milo, Kevin, Sterling, and Susan on my screen weekly. I hope that I'll see them in the future on other projects.

Edited May 25, 2022 by PepSinger

[CSunshine76]

Extremely underwhelming Series Finale. Way too much Randall, as many of you have mentioned. The episode should have been The Big Three saying goodbye to Rebecca. Too many flashbacks…and too much Deja.  It’s very unusual to adopt a child that is older than your existing biological children (usually the adoptee is younger). I just never bought in to the Deja story.

And OF COURSE Randall is going to Iowa to see how he does in a Presidential caucus. Gross. So glad to be done with the sanctimonious Randall Pearson.

ETA:  Poor Miguel, he got screwed in the last two episodes!!

Edited May 25, 2022 by CSunshine76

[Artsda]

I loved the porch scene and big 3 chant, I think episode should have ended there with montage.

Sad to see the show go.

[Jeddah]

54 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Tess or Annie should have gotten the chance to name a potential son of theirs William, not Deja. 

Maybe Annie or Tess will honor their grandfather by having a son named Miguel.

[LexieLily]

2 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

Maybe Annie or Tess will honor their grandfather by having a son named Miguel.

I vote Annie. She was the first Little Pearson to run to him and call him Grandpa.

[Gemma Violet]

I agree the last scene should have been the big 3.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Gemma Violet

[TAG42481]

It was fine.  Nothing special.  Won't go down in history as one of the greatest finales of all time.  Didn't need to - it was a pretty good series.

Without a doubt, the best two exchanges were Uncle Nicky ragging on Kevin and Randall being ecstatic there was finally going to be another guy in the family.

[Spencer Hastings]

I’m glad the show had the foresight to preshoot the scenes with the OG Big Three kids. They were such a big sort of the show and it wouldn’t have felt right to end without seeing them. 
 

This show has packed such a big emotional punch for so many years, ending it in such a simple note feels weird but I see what they were going for. 

[pennben]

Blerg. Totally missed mark. I think you can have a ‘love story for the ages’ and it still produces kids who have great lives and it moves down from them to the next generation, even if not famous actors, educators or Presidents (nope!).  That is us!    But this show had to be annoying to the end, gimmick over story.  
 

[funnygirl]

Overall, a sweet ending. It was about the little moments. And I so appreciate tptb having the ending in mind and filming some bits so far in advance and knowing where and how it all would fit. It wasn't lazy storytelling, that's for sure.

However, I do wish there was more present-day Kevin and Kate, at least split that time evenly with Randall.  I guess after 6 seasons, I shouldn't be surprised that Randall gets most of the attention, but this is it for This Is Us. Even in the silent group moments, the camera would focus mostly on Randall. 

I liked the reveal that the hand squeeze (that I still think should've been with Kate who was running late!) was in response to Jack squeezing her hand before Rebecca let go. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by funnygirl

[movingtargetgal]

32 minutes ago, CSunshine76 said:

Too many flashbacks…and too much Deja.  It’s very unusual to adopt a child that is older than your existing biological children (usually the adoptee is younger). I just never bought in to the Deja story.

I have always thought this.  The young actress is wonderful but I hated the way her story eclipsed Annie and Tess's stories.