S01.E03: Kyle

[Biggie B]

Quote

I thought Randall was living in Philly. 

When Miguel and Rebecca said they had to get going to the theatre, one of them said, "The tunnel will be crowded," which I assumed meant the Lincoln Tunnel - which would put Randall and his family in New Jersey. Also, I don't think that "Hamilton" has begun its national tour yet - if not, you can only see it in NYC. 

I hate Toby. Absolutely positively hate him. He's as subtle and gracious as a train wreck. I don't mind the idea at all of a love interest for Kate but NOT this person. He is a pushy, obnoxious, self-centered jerk. All of his "courting" seems to be solely for his benefit - to get Kate in bed. I am hoping very, very hard that Kate moves to the east coast and we never have to hear or see Toby again. I don't necessarily want her to be Kevin's assistant again - as he said, they both need to grow up - but I do want her to be closer to her brothers. I want to see her face to face with Randall and Beth, to see what their relationship is like.

It is indeed hard to envision Mandy Moore as a woman in her late 60's. The only thing that was spot on was the slight bit of trouble she had getting up from sitting, when she was at Randall's house. That was completely accurate!!! (spoken from experience, sadly) She didn't just pop up - she actually had to exert a bit of extra effort. But her walk was a bit too sprightly. Not that people in their 60's are all hobbled and arthritic, but there is a difference in the way of moving one's body. And again, she nailed it rising from sitting to standing, but not in the walking. The wig, as others have mentioned, didn't help; it definitely looked like it might slip off. Oh well, we just have to pretend. 

Various other nit-picks of mine have already been pointed out (Dr. Folksy being both and OB/GYN and a pediatrician; Rebecca going out and about for hours after having just had a c-section and nursing [gone over 4 hours, poor babies, unless they're also using bottles]), but I still liked the episode and the show over all. I don't take it terribly seriously - to me, it's a glossy soap opera. It's entertaining enough for me, so I'll stick with it.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Biggie B

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 10/11/2016 at 10:14 PM, Amethyst said:

I thought Rebecca finding William was a bit contrived (how is she going to explain the book of poetry?) but I was glad that there was more to the relationship between William and Randall's mother, and Randall getting his own name.  Speaking of which, Randall and Beth are so wonderful together.  More than them just loving each other, you can tell they know each other.  I hope it always stays that way.

Randall will surely figure out how he got his name after talking to his father more!  Then, won't Mandy and William's secret be revealed?

Edited: Since other posters have pointed out that Randall had Dudley Randall's poetry in his house, it makes me think that Rebecca came up with a lie to cover this all up way back when, to explain the origin of his name to him.

Quote

 

I wish they had given him another K name (Keith, Kenneth...there are plenty of them).  He was going to grow up feeling like an outsider in that family no matter what, and having the name of Randall just throws another log on the fire.

I personally really liked it!  The two Ks are related by blood, like twins, or they are considered twins right?  And the reality is that Randall just isn't.  It highlights his uniqueness.  Naming them all Ks almost seems to me like colour blindness or something.   I think it's better to celebrate and recognize differences than to pretend they don't exist.  Sorry if I'm being really clunky explaining myself.  Randall is part of the family but his own unique person too.  Plus it gives him a connection to his biological roots, his father.

I'm really really enjoying the show.  So glad I found it.  Episode 2 got me scared that I'd be anxious the whole time waiting for each episode's twist, but that whole issue was thrown out of the window Episode 3!

Edited October 13, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[chitowngirl]

19 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

What happened to Jack because in the present Rebecca shows up with another partner? 

We don't know yet. All we know is that new husband was a coworker of Jack's.

[buckboard]

1 hour ago, kris4n6 said:

William didn't live in Philly, he lived in Pittsburgh.  The bus he met Randall's mother on was going to Swissvale, a suburb of Pittsburgh.

Thank you!  I figured it was Pittsburgh from the black and gold infant blankets, but everyone has been saying Philadelphia.

If Randall is in New York/ New Jersey now, the family could have moved, just as his siblings are now in L.A.

Edited October 13, 2016 by buckboard

[Biggie B]

Quote

Randall will surely figure out how he got his name after talking to his father more!  Then, won't Mandy and William's secret be revealed?

I noticed that the book of Dudley Randall poetry that 80's William gave to 80's Rebecca is now in Randall's home. Rebecca must have given it to Randall at some point. I hope current William spots it, although he may not say anything about it to Randall. 

[Snarkology101]

20 hours ago, voiceover said:

Aw, Kevin!  A checkmark in the "Not a dick" column.

Aw, Beth!  I love ya, but you're too perfect.  They need to make you a Patriots fan.  Or something.

Bite your tongue!

[Neurochick]

11 hours ago, luna1122 said:

Toby supposedly means well, and Kate wound up liking that he got her to sing, but someone being that pushy with me would just make me shut down, and shut them down too. I don't hate him, but he really needs to back off and chill out. He'd drive me crazy.

Yes, but that is you.  I think Kate needs somebody that pushy; some people need it, or else they will shut down.  If someone lets me walk all over them, I'm going to.

I am really impressed with Mandy Moore.

Quote

I've convinced myself that Jack and Miguel were both New York police officers, Jack was killed in 911, Miguel went in to comfort Rebecca and ended up marrying her. I just get a policeman vibe from the bar scene with Jack/Miguel ("going into the city to see Hamilton" hints at New York) and I'm trying to figure out why Randall is kind of antagonistic towards Miguel.

Interesting theory, but I don't get that they're cops though.  And weren't Jack and Rebecca living in Pittsburgh in the beginning?  I think Randall and his family probably live either in New Jersey or Connecticut.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Neurochick

[random chance]

6 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

Yes, but that is you.  I think Kate needs somebody that pushy; some people need it, or else they will shut down.  If someone lets me walk all over them, I'm going to.

How is she learning anything if someone else is shoving her out of her comfort zone? You have to learn to step out of your comfort zone yourself. All this is accomplishes is making her dependent on him for a life - the same way she was dependent on Kevin.

[buckboard]

As far as that poetry book goes, A) Did Jack ask his wife where she got that book and why?  I can see that he would agree with his wife to change the baby's name, glad that it might snap her out of her depression about losing the triplet, but wouldn't he wonder how she happened to be fascinated with that particular name and book?

B) If Rebecca gave that book of Randall's poetry to her son and he kept it, wouldn't he have asked her what it was about that poet that lead her to name him after an obscure African American poet that few white people would have heard of?

[Neurochick]

19 minutes ago, random chance said:

How is she learning anything if someone else is shoving her out of her comfort zone? You have to learn to step out of your comfort zone yourself. All this is accomplishes is making her dependent on him for a life - the same way she was dependent on Kevin.

Because everybody isn't the same.  Not everybody steps out of their comfort zone by themselves; some people might need a little shove.  Just because you might not, doesn't mean someone else reacts to things the same way.  One model doesn't fit all people.

[random chance]

8 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

Because everybody isn't the same.  Not everybody steps out of their comfort zone by themselves; some people might need a little shove.  Just because you might not, doesn't mean someone else reacts to things the same way.  One model doesn't fit all people.

But they aren't real people, they're fictional characters - the story could go that way if the writers wanted it to. It would be nice to see someone save herself (so to speak), instead of being saved by some pushy guy who's mainly doing it to have sex with her.

[Neurochick]

1 minute ago, random chance said:

But they aren't real people, they're fictional characters - the story could go that way if the writers wanted it to. It would be nice to see someone save herself (so to speak), instead of being saved by some pushy guy who's mainly doing it to have sex with her

Well, they might not be real people, but they're created by real people, and like I said, not everybody does things the same way.  One model doesn't fit all, even for fake people.  

And how do we know she doesn't want to have sex with Toby?  

There's not one way that people are supposed to act.  There's not one way relationships are supposed to go, even with people who aren't real, there's not one way.  I also don't see Toby as saving Kate, because no one person can really save another; all Toby can do is open the door, but it's Kate's decision to walk out,  and Kate might still decide to walk out by herself.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Echoing people praising Mandy Moore.  She brought me to tears.  Very impressed.  

[Rae Spellman]

2 hours ago, buckboard said:

B) If Rebecca gave that book of Randall's poetry to her son and he kept it, wouldn't he have asked her what it was about that poet that lead her to name him after an obscure African American poet that few white people would have heard of?

You would think so. 

Having trouble editing the other part of my comment.

Apparently I misheard Rebecca when I thought she referred to William as African American. I don't remember ever hearing black people referred to as Afro-American in daily conversation. It's quite possible that I wasn't listening to "mainstream" people in the spaces where I lived, went to school, rode the bus, etc. 

Quote

Yes, Rebecca referred to William as "Afro-American", which was definitely in the mainstream by 1980 (1979?) though before it totally fell out of favor.

Edited October 13, 2016 by RaeSpellman

[Ms Blue Jay]

I thought she said Afro-American?

[Dejana]

14 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I thought she said Afro-American?

Yes, Rebecca referred to William as "Afro-American", which was definitely in the mainstream by 1980 (1979?) though before it totally fell out of favor.

[WhosThatGirl]

Someone spoke of  how this is compared to Parenthood, I think it has a more Brothers & Sisters vibe. I liked Parenthood at first and then it got really bad towards the end there. Brothers and sisters was okay in the first season but then things got all weird on that show and the final season was a total mess. But the vibe I get from this show is more Brothers & sisters and a dash of Party Of Five and Everwood (that show was so overlooked it was so great).

[twoods]

I am in absolute love with this show. I seem to get dehydrated from all the tears that are shed every episode, but I don't care. I love the characters and acting, love the flashbacks and how they relate to the present- all of it is amazing. 

It's going to be devastating when William dies. Poor Randall- loved the tears in his eyes when his dad was talking about his mom. Can't wait to see him and Kevin interact as well, and to see how their current relationship is.

Beth continues to be a great character, and I actually like Toby. He seems to care about Kate, and of course he wants to have sex with her since they've been dating for a while. People would be pissed if he's not interested because they would assume it's because of her weight- he can't win either way. I thought him getting Kate out of her comfort zone was perfect, and she was grateful for it. And can I say that her voice is amazing. Would love to hear her sing again.

[Sulis]

I liked that this episode was slightly less cheesy and manipulative than the pilot and am impressed by most of the acting, but I can't help agreeing with Indy (I think?) that I want to like the show more than I do. I'll stick with it for now though because I'm really liking Randall's family and I want to see where his and Kevin's relationship goes. 

Quote

I want to like Toby. Actually, that's not true. I just want to not dislike Toby. I haven't been able to do either. I was so close while he was watching her sing at the senior center. Then he lost me again by basically getting grumpy every time he thinks he's losing out on a chance to have sex. (Dude, you met her a week ago. She's known her brother her entire life. Even if you're right about her being too attached, give her more than a week to figure that out on her own.) Then of course her apology is no good unless it comes with the sex he's been trying to get for the last week. Just no.

I do have to agree with this. Toby is just too much of a creep.

[WhosThatGirl]

I'm hoping the show will have Kate get her singing talent from Rebecca. I hope some of the flashbacks will include Rebecca and little Kate singing together 

[romantic idiot]

8 hours ago, Neurochick said:

Well, they might not be real people, but they're created by real people, and like I said, not everybody does things the same way.  One model doesn't fit all, even for fake people.  

And how do we know she doesn't want to have sex with Toby?  

There's not one way that people are supposed to act.  There's not one way relationships are supposed to go, even with people who aren't real, there's not one way.  I also don't see Toby as saving Kate, because no one person can really save another; all Toby can do is open the door, but it's Kate's decision to walk out,  and Kate might still decide to walk out by herself.

I can't remember exactly but I think Kate indicated her interest in Toby pretty strongly in the pilot. Didn't she start things off by saying she couldn't fall for a fat person (indicating that there was a chance she would?).

[ChromaKelly]

20 hours ago, TWP said:

 

And the premise of Randall's adoption is distracting for me. No adoption agency would give Randall to a couple who just had twins. Too many childless couples are seeking infants. It's not up to the fire department or the hospital to decide where he goes. I wish they'd have come up with a different premise for Randall. And his family is downright awful to him. I'm glad he's developed family of his own.

Yes. I'm really trying to handwave that so I can watch the show, but it's hard to get past. I kind of wish they had Randall get adopted by the neighbors, and he was their best friend growing up and they were the Birthday Kids since they all have the same birthday. That way, the show could still explore transracial adoption, have him be connected to Kate and Kevin, but not have it be so weird that he's a little removed from their storyline. 

[NutMeg]

I'm loving this show. To start with and because it hasn't been said enough, I love that the show gives us two great couples who feel real and communicate well, in good times and in bad times, with Randall/Beth and flashback Jack/Rebecca.

I'm mostly fascinated by the flashback scenes, and glad I watch alone because it's nice to be able to cry freely when the emotions hit me (I know, I'm weird, it's weirdly cathartic), but I'm also liking all three kids, yes, even Kevin, who while self-centered seems to have a good core and to be there for his sister when she needs it (though if she doesn't say it clearly he might not see it). I'm convinced he's there for her all the way, he loves her as much as she loves him, they just got stuck in some old dynamics - he, the golden boy, her, the nurturer of her brother - and what's fascinating is that we know some of this dynamics will change, and I'm looking forward to the ride.

It's easy to love Randall, his family, etc., and I won't bother repeating what everyone had said much better. (Still, I love his awkward behaviour when he's telling less than the whole truth, as how EVERYONE, even the youngest daughter, sees through him.)

I'm still on the fence about Toby, and see both sides of this forum, because he does things that are good for Kate, but he also often goes too far, too quick, too intrusive. Super nice with a dose of tone deaf or super manipulating bastard? I guess it can go both ways and I see it as 50/50. Which I like, because I like being left guessing about TV characters.

The actress playing Kate is fantastic - I had never seen her before, but to me she steals the show. Which is quite impressive because the rest of the cast is absolutely top notch.     

[Biggie B]

I get that Toby wants to have sex with Kate but to me, it comes across as he wants to have sex with her because he just wants to have sex. With anyone. For any or no reason. And yes, Kate wants to have sex with him as well - after all, when he showed up at her house at the end, she apologized and held up a condom. So if they're both getting what they want...fine...but I still don't like Toby's personality at all. He takes all of the oxygen out of the room. Kate can barely get a word in edgewise. He overpowers her and I still hope he'll be out of the picture soon. If he serves the purpose of motivating Kate or helping her to see herself through a more confident lens, that's great -but she can do better than this dingleberry!

[Clanstarling]

50 minutes ago, NutMeg said:

glad I watch alone because it's nice to be able to cry freely when the emotions hit me (I know, I'm weird, it's weirdly cathartic),

I call it crying by proxy. It is very carthartic, I agree. This show doesn't really make me cry (though I love it), usually I have to get to know the characters better.

[PRgal]

On 2016-10-12 at 9:27 AM, kili said:

I've convinced myself that Jack and Miguel were both New York police officers, Jack was killed in 911, Miguel went in to comfort Rebecca and ended up marrying her. I just get a policeman vibe from the bar scene with Jack/Miguel ("going into the city to see Hamilton" hints at New York) and I'm trying to figure out why Randall is kind of antagonistic towards Miguel.

 

Wouldn't Jack have retired by then?  He was 36 in 1979, which made him 58 on 9/11.  Don't cops retire earlier?

[Biggie B]

Quote

I've convinced myself that Jack and Miguel were both New York police officers, Jack was killed in 911, Miguel went in to comfort Rebecca and ended up marrying her.

I thought it had been mentioned that Jack was involved with construction of some sort, at a managerial level? I could very well be wrong. In a past episode, when he and Miguel were shown at the bar, they looked very much like they worked office-type/desk jobs of some sort.

[ChromaKelly]

I'm still on the fence with this show. It really feels like it's trying too hard. Perhaps I'm too close to the subject material as a white mother of biological twins and an adopted black son (he's a few years younger than my twins though).
I like William, but the character is really too "drug user with the heart of gold". I don't think someone on drugs would be that with-it to clean the baby up, dress him, and leave him at the fire station, and then lurk at the hospital. However, I was not okay with Rebecca telling him he could not even check in periodically. I get that he was a drug user and she's trying to keep Randall safe. As an adoptive mother who's child's biological mother has not kept in touch with us, despite our efforts to reach out, I was hating that she would push that connection away. At the very least, keep tabs on his whereabouts and give Randall the information when he's 18. He is going to resent the hell out of her for keeping it from him.
I discussed earlier having to suspend my disbelief about the adoption in general. It's hard. I'm not keen on Dr. Folksy either. Why are the babies seeing an OBGYN? Really she would breastfeeding three infants, one with maybe drug exposure effects, and two premature babies? Yeah... Adoptive breastfeeding is still controversial in 2016. I was side-eyeing someone who had just had triplets via c-section wearing jeans too. Ouch!
Toby is coming off too entitled Nice Guy for me. He's giving me the creeps. Hoping Kevin is finally growing up. Kate does need a life outside of him.
Randall is still by far my favorite character. I could have probably done a show just about him.
As far as Randall finding information about his bio family, wouldn't there have been news stories about a woman who died giving birth being found, and the baby found at the fire station? OK, that's making me think that there would have been some effort to contact his birth mother's family, provided she could have been identified in some way. Would Randall had been able to find information about her and her family?
The preview for next week looks good and I'm very interested to see some of the realities of a TRA family in the 1980's.

[saber5055]

The comparison of this show to Thirtysomething and Brothers And Sisters is interesting as Ken Olin, this show's exec producer, starred as the hottie mc hottie Michael Steadman on Thirtysomething. You people would have to be way more than thirtysomething to have seen that show, on from 1987-1991. He also was on 30 eps of Bros & Sis, plus was exec producer on all 106 eps of that show. I see his name a lot in credits. I always had a crush on him ... Ken Olin ... dreamy!

[Aloeonatable]

Quote

I thought it had been mentioned that Jack was involved with construction of some sort, at a managerial level? I could very well be wrong. In a past episode, when he and Miguel were shown at the bar, they looked very much like they worked office-type/desk jobs of some sort.

This week's Entertainment Weekly article on the show mentions that Jack gets "consumed by a new corporate job." I too had heard previously that he was in construction, so maybe his job is as a project manager.

[Ms Blue Jay]

21 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Aww, I didn't know they were married.  Then again, I know SKB from Army Wives and nothing else.  Didn't see him in the OJ Simpson film.

The People vs OJ Simpson is a 10 episode miniseries and it is so worth the watch.  I fell in love with Sterling K. Brown on this show and I think a lot of other people did too.  I was pulling so hard for him to win the Emmy.  I can't believe he actually did.  The Emmys were fantastic this year.  A lot of rightful winners (in my opinion.)

[ShadowFacts]

1 hour ago, ChromaKelly said:

I like William, but the character is really too "drug user with the heart of gold". I don't think someone on drugs would be that with-it to clean the baby up, dress him, and leave him at the fire station, and then lurk at the hospital.

Of course for this series they are making him likeable so there's a poignancy to the whole thing before he dies, but in real life, contrary to media depictions, drug addicts aren't always completely non-functional.  My daughter works with mentally ill, sometimes also drug-addicted homeless people, and while yes, sometimes they actually die or get in very dire situations, they also have periods of quasi-normalcy.  I'm glad they did not make him too out of it, and humanized the love story and gradual decline.  I thought it showed sensitivity, but I'm one of those mushy saps at times.  I can see where others might think it was a sugar-coated depiction.

[ChromaKelly]

4 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

Of course for this series they are making him likeable so there's a poignancy to the whole thing before he dies, but in real life, contrary to media depictions, drug addicts aren't always completely non-functional.  My daughter works with mentally ill, sometimes also drug-addicted homeless people, and while yes, sometimes they actually die or get in very dire situations, they also have periods of quasi-normalcy.  I'm glad they did not make him too out of it, and humanized the love story and gradual decline.  I thought it showed sensitivity, but I'm one of those mushy saps at times.  I can see where others might think it was a sugar-coated depiction.

Probably the most realistic depiction of drug addiction and homelessness was Bubbles on The Wire. I sobbed when his sister finally let him upstairs.

[Jillybean]

16 hours ago, buckboard said:

Thank you!  I figured it was Pittsburgh from the black and gold infant blankets, but everyone has been saying Philadelphia.

I knew it was Pittsburgh because of the Terrible Towel Jack used to cover his manhood in the opening scene of the pilot.

[Enigma X]

I am not convinced that Jack is dead or has Alzheimer's. I will be upset if he simply walked out on his family though. I like Jack.

[romantic idiot]

More than I like Rebecca till now, for sure.

[Tiger]

Mandy's wig was somehow worse than the dead animals Bobby Carlyle and Ginny Goodwin wore on their heads on last week's Once.  

However, it wasnt nearly as bad as all things Toby and the saintification of William.   And Kevin pushing his sister to be with such an obvious douchecanoe made him hate him too.

Im totally down for Dr. Folksy Charm somehow also being the kids' Pediatrician, and also inexplicably alive in 2016 and in contact with the Family.

[PRgal]

43 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I am not convinced that Jack is dead or has Alzheimer's. I will be upset if he simply walked out on his family though. I like Jack.

I'm not either.  I'm not sure if Randall's attitude towards Miguel would be the way it was if Rebecca and Miguel had only married recently (assuming Jack had Alzheimer's).  I think they've been married for at least a couple of decades.  Early onset Alzheimer's isn't common before 50-something.  If Jack is dead, it must be from an accident or another illness (cancer?).

[izabella]

Where is this idea that Jack has Alzheimer's coming from?  Or that Rebecca would divorce him to marry Miguel just because Jack has Alzheimer's?   I would never have come up with that based on what we've been shown?  Did I miss something?

[taragel]

Jack is dead. It was established in the pilot. William looks at a picture in Randall's living room and asks about Jack and Rebecca, and Randall answers that Jack died a few years ago and Rebecca still lives in the house he grew up in. 

[Cardie]

I read that exchange was in the original pilot but cut before it was broadcast. It wasn't part of the episode I saw.

[Randomosity]

9 minutes ago, taragel said:

Jack is dead. It was established in the pilot. William looks at a picture in Randall's living room and asks about Jack and Rebecca, and Randall answers that Jack died a few years ago and Rebecca still lives in the house he grew up in. 

That line/exchange did not happen in the broadcast I saw. Just something about the dad being proud of him or something.

[taragel]

9 minutes ago, Randomosity said:

That line/exchange did not happen in the broadcast I saw. Just something about the dad being proud of him or something.

I thought it was in the version that aired near me but now I can't find a clip of it online--it was cut out of the pilot that's available on Youtube. Here's the exchange from the script at any rate. 

Quote

 

William picks up a picture.

WILLIAM

These people, they’re--

RANDALL

My parents. My adopted... my parents. My

father passed away few years back. My mom

still lives in the house I grew up in.

WILLIAM

You were with them your whole life?

RANDALL

From the start.

 

Maybe they changed their mind and decided to hold that info back in better reveal of a twist or to change it up. I could swear I heard him say those lines though in the version I saw. Weird. 

Edited October 13, 2016 by taragel

[Cardie]

They obviously see value in keeping Jack's status mysterious for a while. Whether they've changed their mind about his fate is still up in the air, I guess.

[Randomosity]

19 minutes ago, taragel said:

That's...odd. It was definitely in the version that aired near me. Here's the exchange from the script and it was in the version I saw:

 

At the end of this same scene when William goes to leave, he says "It was a kindness you’ve shown me, letting me see them. Your dad must have been very proud of you."

Just checked Xfinity OnDemand too, and, as I recalled, it went straight from "... my parents." to "You were with them your whole life?"

Are you in Canada by any chance? I think when I lived there, some slight tweaks existed from American versions sometimes.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Randomosity

[Spencer Hastings]

I wouldn't be surprised if they kept the Jack reveal until the season finale.  His fate is a big deal amongst the fan talk I've seen so I can see them holding that back to keep us tuning in.

[Biggie B]

I don't recall any dialogue in which Randall said that Jack had passed away. I do remember William looking at the picture and a brief exchange thereafter. Then again, I'm not the sharpest tool in the box and don't always watch TV shows with complete attention.

After the episode in which Rebecca and Miguel showed up together at Randall's home, it wasn't completely clear to me that they were married, although, as has been pointed out, Randall's daughters called them Grandma and Grandpa, so he must have been in their lives long enough and in a significant enough manner for them to call him Grandpa. I posted that since it wasn't completely clear if Miguel and Rebecca were married [HAVING NOT CONSIDERED THE IMPACT OF THE KIDS CALLING HIM GRANDPA, I will admit!], I wondered if perhaps Jack were still alive but not well...perhaps mentally incapacitated in some way. It was not in any way alluded to or mentioned in the show at all - this was just something I wondered out loud, based only on the possibility that Miguel and Rebecca might not married. Complete speculation.

It's definitely an excellent hook to keep viewers engaged - what happened to Jack, how did Miguel and Rebecca come together?

Edited October 13, 2016 by Biggie B

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

Im totally down for Dr. Folksy Charm somehow also being the kids' Pediatrician

He's the Addison Montgomery Shepherd of This Is Us.

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

If Jack is dead, it must be from an accident or another illness (cancer?).

It's not uncommon for a man in his mid- or late 60s to die of natural causes, especially if there are contributing lifestyle factors such as smoking, stress, and poor diet.

Spoiler

One of the descriptions for the upcoming episodes says that Jack is overwhelmed by his corporate job. Since it doesn't look like Rebecca works, Jack must have been under a lot of pressure to provide for a family of five.

Edited October 13, 2016 by chocolatine
using correct spoiler tags

[TWP]

On Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 8:06 AM, deaja said:

His bio dad was in Philly and we know it's about a 3 hour bus ride to get to Philly (where he goes to feed his cat).  I think the assumption was that Randall was in the NYC area.

In what way?  I think from what we've seen, we've seen an imperfect family but Kate and Kevin seemed to care about him when they called him from the party, his mom stopped in for a spontaneous visit (though I can see both sides of her keeping that secret from him for years), and other than when Kevin was 8, I don't see any evidence he was mistreated.

For starters, his mother thought of her own feelings rather than his in keeping him from his father. She should have asked if he wanted to meet him. The notion that the only way she could bond with him is if the bio father was out of the picture makes me feel she was emotionally unfit to adopt. And while the twins called and were nice to him, it was a very us versus him situation. They are close and he seems a bit excluded. That could be because of twin closeness, or an artifact of how hideous they were to him as a child. The family damaged him. It's obvious to me.

[taragel]

24 minutes ago, Randomosity said:

Just checked Xfinity OnDemand too, and, as I recalled, it went straight from "... my parents." to "You were with them your whole life?"

Are you in Canada by any chance? I think when I lived there, some slight tweaks existed from American versions sometimes.

I'm on the East Coast, right outside Providence (watching on FIOS). Weird, I must have remembered it from reading the script alone I guess but I could've sworn he actually said the part about his mom still in the house they grew up in out loud. Minds be tricky sometimes though.