S06.E18: Us

[Jeddah]

2 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

He was??  I totally missed that.  

They were bringing Annie home from the hospital and he was pressuring Beth to have one more so they could have a boy. I can’t imagine him doing that if he was happy he had just had another girl.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Jeddah

[debraran]

This was a synopsis of it and that's when they alluded to Randall adopting a boy but the boy they showed was in the future and we never saw that cutey again.

https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2563358/how-this-is-us-is-already-building-the-next-generation-of-pearsons-with-unexpected-reveal

Edited June 3, 2022 by debraran

[mostlylurking]

On 5/28/2022 at 6:54 AM, Beezella said:

I wasn't feeling this episode much until almost the very end when Rebecca and Jack are lying face to face and she says to him, "I'm scared." And then he helps her cross over into death. I was destroyed.

The part that got to me was when she said “I don’t want to leave them”.  That’s when the tears came. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 6/2/2022 at 12:14 PM, mansonlamps said:

I do think she was a little presumptious in naming the child William though,  since she never even met him.  I'll assume she discussed it with Tess and Annie and that they are on board.  One of them better get pregnant soon though so they can snag the sainted "Randall" name!

On 6/2/2022 at 2:52 PM, PRgal said:

I also don't think it's "right" for Deja to use William.  She never met him. 

I disagree.  In Jewish families, people often name their own children after grandparents they never met.  And cousins can have the same exact ancestral name, or be given a different middle name to differentiate.  Naming after the deceased ancestor is a sign of respect, not misappropriation.

This is different from those articles you read where someone (foolishly) publicizes the unique name they plan to use when they have a child and are then scooped by a sister who has a baby first.  No one owns a family name.

Edited June 10, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[debraran]

6 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I disagree.  In Jewish families, people often name their own children after grandparents they never met.  And cousins can have the same exact ancestral name, or be given a different middle name to differentiate.  Naming after the deceased ancestor is a sign of respect, nor misappropriation.

This is different from those articles you read where someone (foolishly) publicizes the unique name they plan to use when they have a child and are then scooped by a sister who has a baby first.  No one owns a family name.

I never got the "can't use it" like someone stole a name.  In my Italian family, believe me, cousins will have the same name, lol. Those "Anthony's, Francis" etc are just given nicknames or not. As you said whether it's a dead or alive grandparent, they are named in memory.  I know 2 sisters might not want the same name if kids are close but today I see much more of not caring. 

[chitowngirl]

I’m thinking of the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where introductions are made…and everyone is named “Nick”.

[Notabug]

11 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I disagree.  In Jewish families, people often name their own children after grandparents they never met.  And cousins can have the same exact ancestral name, or be given a different middle name to differentiate.  Naming after the deceased ancestor is a sign of respect, nor misappropriation.

This is different from those articles you read where someone (foolishly) publicizes the unique name they plan to use when they have a child and are then scooped by a sister who has a baby first.  No one owns a family name.

In Jewish culture, babies are only named in honor of deceased people, it is considered unlucky to name a child after a living person.  The thought was that, when the angel of death came for the older person, they might take the younger namesake by mistake.  Nowadays, it is simply the tradition.  At least, that's what I was told by a Jewish friend, anyone who knows better, feel free to correct me.

As for Deja, she is entitled to name her child after anyone she wants including the adoptive grandfather she never met, IMO.  Even Randall's other kids only knew William for a matter of months, and using his name for Deja's child doesn't preclude anyone from using it again for another kid.  My dad's family is filled with multiple people with the same names, his parents had 7 kids and named every single one after a living friend or relative.  The kids either ended up with nicknames (4 of them) or ended up using their middle names (my dad and 1 brother).  Then the next generation was born and, amongst the boys anyway, there were plenty of juniors.  Happens all the time in families and they figure it out.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Notabug

[mansonlamps]

I stand my my opinion.   Also pretty sure the Pearsons are not Jewish

[meep.meep]

It's a super common name.  Who knows why they (Deja and Malik) chose it?  Maybe they wanted to give their child a very common name after going through life with their slightly less common names?

We  named both my kids after relatives on my husband's side who I never met.  Including one named after his dead mother.  Seemed like a nice way to honor his memories of her.

[PRgal]

4 hours ago, Notabug said:

In Jewish culture, babies are only named in honor of deceased people, it is considered unlucky to name a child after a living person.  The thought was that, when the angel of death came for the older person, they might take the younger namesake by mistake.  Nowadays, it is simply the tradition.  At least, that's what I was told by a Jewish friend, anyone who knows better, feel free to correct me.

As for Deja, she is entitled to name her child after anyone she wants including the adoptive grandfather she never met, IMO.  Even Randall's other kids only knew William for a matter of months, and using his name for Deja's child doesn't preclude anyone from using it again for another kid.  My dad's family is filled with multiple people with the same names, his parents had 7 kids and named every single one after a living friend or relative.  The kids either ended up with nicknames (4 of them) or ended up using their middle names (my dad and 1 brother).  Then the next generation was born and, amongst the boys anyway, there were plenty of juniors.  Happens all the time in families and they figure it out.

I get that - my son's name is Biblical and is both his late paternal great-grandfather's name and a great-uncle (I think)'s name on my side.  But I don't know why, but I felt it was a bit inappropriate for Deja.  Maybe it's because was adopted as a teen.  I probably wouldn't feel that way had she been adopted as a much younger child.  

[Aloeonatable]

Only my oldest daughter was given a family name as her first name. Actually her middle name is also a family name. My other two have family names as their middle names. 

[Empress1]

On 6/3/2022 at 9:52 AM, chitowngirl said:

I’m thinking of the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where introductions are made…and everyone is named “Nick”.

Or the wedding in Goodfellas where all the men are Peter or Paul and the women are Marie.

[ProudMary]

I do admit that when Deja first said she was going to name Randall's grandson William, I was taken aback momentarily; but when I thought about it I imagined that Deja talked to Tess and Annie about her plan. There's no guarantee that any of them would sire another boy, so it made perfect sense for the three of them to agree to name the first, and perhaps only son, after William, even though Deja never met him.

[CountryGirl]

I'm sure everyone has longed since moved on but I didn't get to watch until just recently. Some of that vacation, some because I just didn't want to say goodbye to this family and this show just yet.

It wasn't until halfway through that I started to really "get" the finale and felt that it brought the show full-circle, even tying in Kevin's painting without needing to show it.

The beautiful simplicity of everyday, ordinary life, reminding us that life will always go on. It cannot be stopped, no matter that we might want it to stop in the worst of our moments or freeze it in the best. That it is often the little things that are far more memorable and the shaving scene between Jack, Randall, and Kevin (one of the best of the series IMO) echoing that. Taking the time to remember the little moments, not just the big.

The thought that even though loved ones will pass on and leave us, they are never truly "gone." They live on in our hearts. As long as the last memory of them exists, so too, will they.

Like William living on through their memories but also Deja and Malik naming their son after him. Even though they never met, there is still that common bond of Randall between them. Randall's adoption inspiring their fostering and adoption of Deja in the first place. 

Like the final time of seeing the Big 3 do the "Big 3" speech. That just tore at me.

Sadly, I'm not all that close with the siblings I have left on this earth anymore (their choice), which makes me mourn for what I don't have with them and miss my late sibling (who was my everything before I met MH) so much. I think the Big 3 was also thinking ahead to the day when one of them would no longer be there. Savor those moments, never take them for granted.

Spending time with your loved ones, your family - whatever family looks like to you. In the end, time is what matters and the only thing I have ever wanted from my mom is time, which I got and still have, thankfully. My siblings are going to learn a hard lesson someday when she's gone and are left with "if onlys" or "what ifs" because they put petty disagreements over their relationship with her.

Knowing that I will face losing my mom. The certainty of that loss being sooner than later. As much as she can frustrate me at times, especially with her insisting on continuing to live several hours away when she needs to be closer to me with her health issues and age, the thought of losing her someday is terrifying to me.

On a less emotional note, I love that they included the original Big 3 kids and that they shot some of the finale scenes all the way back in S1. 

I thought it was a fitting end, to show them living life, like the swing scenes (oh, I thought I was done crying) with Jack, Rebecca and the Big 3, Randall and Beth with toddlers Tess and Annie, Toby and Kate with young Jack, Kevin with the twins, and grown up Jack Damon with Lucy and Hope.

Recalling Kevin's painting speech: "I think maybe that’s the point of the whole thing. There’s no dying. There’s no you, or me, or them…it’s just us. And this sloppy, wild, colorful, magical thing that has no beginning and has no end…that right here. I think it’s us."

I will miss this show and sharing thoughts with all of you, including the very spirited debates.

[Scarlett45]

6 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

I thought it was a fitting end, to show them living life, like the swing scenes (oh, I thought I was done crying) with Jack, Rebecca and the Big 3, Randall and Beth with toddlers Tess and Annie, Toby and Kate with young Jack, Kevin with the twins, and grown up Jack Damon with Lucy and Hope.

I agree. 

[salvame]

I was underwhelmed by the series finalebut that may be in part due to all the hype leading up to it. I delayed watching it because I was away, and I didn't want it to end. Now that Jack and Rebecca were both gone, I think I would rather have seen a flash forward with the next generation, like a transfer of being the kingpins to the big three with scenes of the children marrying or having their own children, etc. Miguel's story and the Train were much more focused and intense IMO. I will, however,  miss this family that was such a part of my life for 6 yrs.

[cameron]

Thought that the actresses that they picked to portray Tess and Annie were too old looking.  They looked older than Deja who is suppose to be only 27 at Rebecca's death.

[CdrJanny]

On 6/3/2022 at 5:25 AM, debraran said:

I never got the "can't use it" like someone stole a name.  In my Italian family, believe me, cousins will have the same name, lol. Those "Anthony's, Francis" etc are just given nicknames or not. As you said whether it's a dead or alive grandparent, they are named in memory.  I know 2 sisters might not want the same name if kids are close but today I see much more of not caring. 

I have a sister Patty and a cousin Patty, Patty Ann and Patty Lou.  It wasn't a problem in our family.

[CdrJanny]

On 6/5/2022 at 11:03 PM, ProudMary said:

I do admit that when Deja first said she was going to name Randall's grandson William, I was taken aback momentarily; but when I thought about it I imagined that Deja talked to Tess and Annie about her plan. There's no guarantee that any of them would sire another boy, so it made perfect sense for the three of them to agree to name the first, and perhaps only son, after William, even though Deja never met him.

But then no child is EVER named after Randall.  Oh, the horror of it all!

[LoveLeigh]

OK weeks later here are my thoughts. After many long running series end, I tend to get melancholy: the characters had almost become part of my life over years and it was hard to say goodbye. 

Much to my own surprise, the final episode of this series evoked no emotional response from me which was quite different from most of all the other episodes that came before. I felt nothing. 

That indicates for me that the final episode of THIS IS US sucked. The episode ended and I flipped the channel and felt just disappointment. In TV, final episodes have huge meaning. This final episode was boring and cliché. 

I do not miss the show and I do not miss these people. Dan F. blew it. He created a backlash or a weird backfire. Everything previously that seemed so remarkable now angered me. Even the way these fools interacted with each other annoyed me in retrospect. 

And Rebecca in the dry down seems like Kate's enabler in many ways. Ask Dr. Now. Kevin is an immature baby and Randall tends to get obnoxious. And his kids are spoiled. 

This show and Game of Thrones and Seinfeld and even Lost had the same audience reactions to endings. Who is talking about Game of Thrones anymore which was considered at one time the best show ever? Final episodes are what we remember, not the hundreds of eps that went before. 

Good riddance to this crock called This Is Us..

Edited June 24, 2022 by LoveLeigh

[bros402]

4 hours ago, LoveLeigh said:

OK weeks later here are my thoughts. After many long running series end, I tend to get melancholy: the characters had almost become part of my life over years and it was hard to say goodbye. 

Much to my own surprise, the final episode of this series evoked no emotional response from me which was quite different from most of all the other episodes that came before. I felt nothing. 

That indicates for me that the final episode of THIS IS US sucked. The episode ended and I flipped the channel and felt just disappointment. In TV, final episodes have huge meaning. This final episode was boring and cliché. 

I do not miss the show and I do not miss these people. Dan F. blew it. He created a backlash or a weird backfire. Everything previously that seemed so remarkable now angered me. Even the way these fools interacted with each other annoyed me in retrospect. 

And Rebecca in the dry down seems like Kate's enabler in many ways. Ask Dr. Now. Kevin is an immature baby and Randall tends to get obnoxious. And his kids are spoiled. 

This show and Game of Thrones and Seinfeld and even Lost had the same audience reactions to endings. Who is talking about Game of Thrones anymore which was considered at one time the best show ever? Final episodes are what we remember, not the hundreds of eps that went before. 

Good riddance to this crock called This Is Us..

I think GoT, Seinfeld, and Lost had different reactions to their endings. I would mention them in the same breath as Six Feet Under (probably the best finale of all time imo), Sopranos, and Dexter for memorable endings. All for different reasons, of course. This Is Us just blew it - Fogelman should've just had NBC do a two hour series finale and put The Train and Us back to back, then it would have been much better. Putting a week between the two was probably the worst decision possible. 

[LoveLeigh]

51 minutes ago, bros402 said:

I think GoT, Seinfeld, and Lost had different reactions to their endings. I would mention them in the same breath as Six Feet Under (probably the best finale of all time imo), Sopranos, and Dexter for memorable endings. All for different reasons, of course. This Is Us just blew it - Fogelman should've just had NBC do a two hour series finale and put The Train and Us back to back, then it would have been much better. Putting a week between the two was probably the worst decision possible. 

I agree but I think THE TRAIN should have been the final episode. That was a beautiful episode and the series should have ended there. The other real final episode (Us) should have gone before that. 

I loved the final episode of Homeland. It made no lists but it had a wonderful twist at the end. Also, The Affair ended well. 

[bros402]

22 hours ago, LoveLeigh said:

I agree but I think THE TRAIN should have been the final episode. That was a beautiful episode and the series should have ended there. The other real final episode (Us) should have gone before that. 

I loved the final episode of Homeland. It made no lists but it had a wonderful twist at the end. Also, The Affair ended well. 

imo if they had done it as a two parter, tossed stuff around (maybe showing the end of The Train at the end of the episode) it would've worked better than what we got

[millennium]

Goodbye and good riddance to this 1% fairy tale.   Every Pearson progeny is famous and/or wealthy -- one of them is even running for President.    Then of course their children become famous and successful (Jack Damon).   Money is no object for any of them.   Even Rebecca has the best Alzheimer's experience money can buy.

What a complete crock of shit.

A final question:  why don't the Pearsons appear to have any friends (other than Madison)?   Kevin should have people falling over themselves to be his friend but he has nobody.   Randall, who spent years complaining that he had no one in his childhood who looked like him, apparently has not even ONE black friend.   Jack and Rebecca have no friends other than Miguel -- and we all know why he's there.   Rebecca has no girlfriends, no neighbor friends, nobody.

This finale was pretty lame.   It might have been greatly improved had Kevin or Randall faked their death and assumed a new identity as a lumberjack.

[bros402]

19 hours ago, millennium said:

Goodbye and good riddance to this 1% fairy tale.   Every Pearson progeny is famous and/or wealthy -- one of them is even running for President.    Then of course their children become famous and successful (Jack Damon).   Money is no object for any of them.   Even Rebecca has the best Alzheimer's experience money can buy.

What a complete crock of shit.

A final question:  why don't the Pearsons appear to have any friends (other than Madison)?   Kevin should have people falling over themselves to be his friend but he has nobody.   Randall, who spent years complaining that he had no one in his childhood who looked like him, apparently has not even ONE black friend.   Jack and Rebecca have no friends other than Miguel -- and we all know why he's there.   Rebecca has no girlfriends, no neighbor friends, nobody.

This finale was pretty lame.   It might have been greatly improved had Kevin or Randall faked their death and assumed a new identity as a lumberjack.

hahahahahaha I was waiting for your reaction

Only Baby Jack becomes famous and successful (which tbh makes it feel like inspiration porn). It seems like Hailey might get a decent job at an art gallery (??? I think?? She had some kind of job when we met Jack 2) - but I guess Kevin's kids don't matter. In a cut line from the script, Kevin says he thinks little Nicky is a sociopath, so I choose to believe that that is not a jokey line and that he actually becomes the next Zodiac and terrorizes all who refuse to adopt the Pearson Way Of Life.

Personally, I don't see it as odd that they don't have any friends - my dad just has one friend he has known since college, my mom has no friends (She has a former co-worker she keeps in touch with - but not like anyone she meets up with or calls regularly).

Edited July 1, 2022 by bros402

[Ohiopirate02]

11 hours ago, bros402 said:

Only Baby Jack becomes famous and successful (which tbh makes it feel like inspiration porn). It seems like Hailey might get a decent job at an art gallery (??? I think?? She had some kind of job when we met Jack 2) - but I guess Kevin's kids don't matter. In a cut line from the script, Kevin says he thinks little Nicky is a sociopath, so I choose to believe that that is not a jokey line and that he actually becomes the next Zodiac and terrorizes all who refuse to adopt the Pearson Way Of Life.
 

Nicky and Frannie were regulated to the same purgatory as dear Annie Pearson.  Or, they noped out of everything a Pearson entails and are living the good life somewhere away from their needy relatives.

[SunnyBeBe]

I still haven’t watched this episode!  Lol.  I know…..just never got around to it.  I plan to watch it over this weekend.  There seems to be a mixed bag of reactions.  

[SummerDreams]

On 5/25/2022 at 8:30 AM, Triviatrish2 said:

Okay..I was just waiting for someone else to post their disappointment with tonights episode.  I found myself FF'ing throughout.  In all of TV LAND, there have only been 2 final episodes that are worthy.  Number 1. Six Feet Under...Number 2. A Place to Call Home (an Australian series).  They went there, showing what became of the cast, way into the future, and beyond.  Did Kevin even have any dialogue, tonight?  Randall, well...,  and why even bother with all of the episodes of Kate and Toby's breakup, and their eventual marriages, just to have a "love fest" tonight. They wasted at least 3 weeks with them, and poor Miguel, got one week.  What are Tess and Ann doing in the future? It would have been nice to know, that.  As for the last scene with Jack and Rebecca, having lost my husband, I did like the banter.  But, then again, maybe because of what happened in Texas today, I really wasn't in a receptive mood, tonight.

By the way I wanted to thank you for suggesting the Australian "A place to call home", I've started watching and I'm loving it. Do you happen to know other similar drama shows? 🤗

[millennium]

8 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Nicky and Frannie were regulated to the same purgatory as dear Annie Pearson.

Maybe Annie manages the apartment building Randall bought and forgot about.

Strange coincidence, only one day after I mention the bartender from the Shining:

Joe Turkel, Bartender in the ‘The Shining’, Dies at 94

[bros402]

12 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Nicky and Frannie were regulated to the same purgatory as dear Annie Pearson.  Or, they noped out of everything a Pearson entails and are living the good life somewhere away from their needy relatives.

Annie became President of Mars by her father Randall Pearson, President of Earth as compensation for being ignored as a child. Nicky got Deimos and Frannie got Phobos.

But Jack Pearson (OG) had his face carved into the moon and became the Man In The Moon

[mansonlamps]

On 6/30/2022 at 3:17 AM, millennium said:

Goodbye and good riddance to this 1% fairy tale.   Every Pearson progeny is famous and/or wealthy -- one of them is even running for President.    Then of course their children become famous and successful (Jack Damon).   Money is no object for any of them.   Even Rebecca has the best Alzheimer's experience money can buy.

What a complete crock of shit.

A final question:  why don't the Pearsons appear to have any friends (other than Madison)?   Kevin should have people falling over themselves to be his friend but he has nobody.   Randall, who spent years complaining that he had no one in his childhood who looked like him, apparently has not even ONE black friend.   Jack and Rebecca have no friends other than Miguel -- and we all know why he's there.   Rebecca has no girlfriends, no neighbor friends, nobody.

This finale was pretty lame.   It might have been greatly improved had Kevin or Randall faked their death and assumed a new identity as a lumberjack.

I agree, why can't it just be about a normal family instead of making them all superstars?  I know a lot of fans love that type of thing though. 

[bros402]

10 hours ago, mansonlamps said:

I agree, why can't it just be about a normal family instead of making them all superstars?  I know a lot of fans love that type of thing though. 

IMO it should've just stayed with Kevin being the rich/powerful/famous one, then the rest of the family being "normal"

and had Randall lose in Philly, then run for borough council in Alpine and lose and/or get sucked into the Norcross machine in order to advance any further in NJ politics. At least if he had had a reasonable progression like borough council > county government > state legislature, sure. But philly city council to senator to running for president? yeah no

Imagine if they had had Randall have an addiction of some kind, maybe a gambling addition, so they lost their money and had to move into the apartment building in philly?

[andidante]

I really wish they had ended the show with "The Train" episode and not this one. It just felt like a better ending to me.