S01.E12: The Big Day

[mtlchick]

12 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

Second, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a plan to explore a What If? scenario in the future and introducing us to Joe now, with the knowledge that he briefly wanted to adopt Randall, sets that up to be explored.

I've been thinking this over and I'm wondering if this a set up that we'll flashback to William wanting to find out where Randall ended up that day and will seek out Joe.

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

It says 6/27/81.  

 

58 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Now that's a disappointing error.  Worse than the Diet Coke error from last week.

It makes me wonder if it is an egregious error that got missed in continuity.  Or if they have an explanation for it. Obviously they don't have Randall's original birth certificate and as an adoptee they'd have an amended one.  My understanding is that on an amended BC you can choose the birthdate  you want if you don't know the adoptee's original dob.  I could understand if they gone the same day or even earlier than the twins, but a whole year later? Could it be the date the adoption was finalized?  Still seems odd to go that far away from his real DOB. 

[Guest]

The good:  I liked the meta stuff like referencing the twists in Empire, the complicated MTM mom in Ordinary People and Miguel telling Jack don't worry, there's plenty of time for you to be a martyr coming up.  And Rebecca going on and on about Jack being perfect, in two separate scenes.  Also good: no inappropriate quickies.   

The bleh:  TV trope of the monster pregnant woman, not one but two characters monologueing shmaltzily aloud to themselves, more sappy food traditions.  I wonder if all Jack's future birthdays now get a banana muffin topped with Twinkie cream.  And I wonder why those things don't melt my heart?  Do I not have one?  Ah, one marriage gets a reboot from pretending those years of suck never happened.  If only.  And Dr. K gets his life saved by the amazing perfection that is Jack.   

[elle]

3 hours ago, Indy said:

we early 80s and late 70s babies are part of the Oregon Trail generation - https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2015/04/oregon-trail-generation/. Not quite Gen X, not quite Millennials. We're the weird lunch meat in the generation sandwich. 

When did the Oregon Trail game get color?  Some of us older folks remember the primitive graphics and sepia/white tones of the text.

It says 6/27/81.  

The question about Randall's birth date, I think this could be a continuity error on the year, though it also could reflect the time it took to adopt him as was suggested.  The month/day would fit with William saying he had tried to take care of Randall but found it too much leading him to leave the baby at fire station.

Also, I loved this from the story recap  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  !

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

This Is Us Presents: A Tale Of Three Families

Can one Randall save them all?

[WInterfalls]

56 minutes ago, GodsBeloved said:

What if Miguel's family is dead? That would go a long way in making him sympathic. Worse yet what if say Jack was doing Miguel a favor and picked up his wife and kids and they got in an accident.

Woah! Slow down there Satan.  I hope not that would be just the most tragic twist of all. 

[Trillian]

8 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I don't know why Dr. K felt weird about still wearing his wedding band. Mr. EB's dad passed away almost twenty years ago and Mr. EB's mom still wears her ring. It doesn't mean she's stuck in the past or not moving forward or crying herself to sleep every night.

Miss Manners once had a touching bit of etiquette advice on the subject of a widow(er)'s continuing to wear the wedding band:  one wears the band as long as one feels connected to the marriage and removes it to signify that one is ready to entertain the prospect of a new romance.  What was touching about it was that she went on to say that there is no way to signify the perfectly normal desire to do both.  I could imagine a little of both of those factors in play in Dr K.. Taking off the ring would probably feel disloyal to his wife.  Especially since he's a handsome, charming, successful physician in an age demographic where women far outnumber the men - that ring is the only thing warding off attention from similarly-aged widows.

[Tikichick]

1 hour ago, Biggie B said:

Later, when the family watched the home movie on Father's Day, I felt very bad for all of them having to see pregnant Rebecca, knowing that one of those babies died. And how excluded Randall might have felt - he is not part of that video and Rebecca's words to the babies were not said to him. I found that really sad and a bit depressing, even though I completely understand the emotional significance of the home movie.

I thought the home movie had some uncomfortable challenges in it for all of them and found it an odd choice to watch.

[Pallas]

39 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

My understanding is that on an amended BC you can choose the birthdate  you want if you don't know the adoptee's original dob.  I could understand if they gone the same day or even earlier than the twins, but a whole year later? Could it be the date the adoption was finalized?

No, it has to be a continuity error. There is no amended birth certificate without an original, and both the original and the amended bear the same birthdate and registration number: all that changes is the names of the parents. If no original can be found to have been filed (which may have been true in newborn Randall's case), still. A newborn's relative age is obvious to anyone. With newborn Randall, that got narrowed down to a specific 24 hours at the hospital by people schooled to know the difference. And we saw that he and his siblings recognize and celebrate their birthdays on the same day.

[tennisgurl]

I have no idea why, but this episode was the biggest tear jerker so far to me. I am literally typing this while holding back tears. I swear, what has this show does to me? The grief Dr. K felt combined with how the advice he gave Jack allowed him to move on, combined with Rebecca's speech to her unborn babies, to her reaction to losing Kyle, and then, worst of all, the final flashbacks to Dr. Ks  speech about Jack being an old man giving advice to a younger man one day, knowing that Jack wont make it as long as Dr K, it just hit me right in the feels.

Mandy Moore just does a great job here, making Rebecca so human in all her flaws, but also how hard she tries to be the best person/mom out there. She was always my long shot favorite in her teen star days (I was an elementary school girl during the Pop Princess hayday), so its great to see her doing so well now. I cut her some slack for forgetting Jacks birthday. The poor woman is about to explode.

I am REALLY going to need some flashbacks to see how Rebecca and Miguel became a thing. Miguel and his buddies came off as typical "women! Am I right?" sitcoms assholes, paling in comparison to Jack. Even one of the assholes was like "he's going to make us all look bad". Granted, I warmed up a bit to Miguel in the Christmas episode, and he really hasn't done anything awful, its just that knowing he married his dead best friends wife colors all his interactions with jack and Rebecca for me. Maybe we will get some flashbacks in his point of view to see his side more and that will make me sympathize with him more.

I enjoyed the fireman story with his wife, especially considering his wife was quick to tell him that having a random doorstop baby was not going to fix them. I wonder if we will end up seeing them again in the present?

At first I was unset not to see any of the grown up Big Three or advance their stories, but damn it this still worked.

Edited January 18, 2017 by tennisgurl

[ShadowFacts]

34 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

The bleh:  TV trope of the monster pregnant woman, not one but two characters monologueing shmaltzily aloud to themselves, more sappy food traditions.  I wonder if all Jack's future birthdays now get a banana muffin topped with Twinkie cream.  And I wonder why those things don't melt my heart?  Do I not have one?  Ah, one marriage gets a reboot from pretending those years of suck never happened.  If only.  And Dr. K gets his life saved by the amazing perfection that is Jack.   

I could not get into the firefighter and his wife going from where they were in the kitchen in the beginning, to reliving the first date a few hours later.  That rang so false to me, that kind of disdain and hostility doesn't lead to hugs and laughs in one day.  Come on.  My heart also did not melt about the muffin.  She probably would have been on bed rest, and why say her feet were clown feet when her feet were not swollen when she walked around barefoot.  All of that stuff was overplayed.  I do think Mandy's acting was good, and I didn't have a problem with any of Dr. K's behavior, up until the rapid turnaround with getting rid of all of his wife's stuff (yeah, maybe he kept some select things we didn't see) and having dinner with the widow.  Just one of those things would have been enough.  I would like a tad more subtlety. 

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I enjoyed the fireman story with his wife, especially considering his wife was quick to tell him that having a random doorstop baby was not going to fix them.

Yes but pretending they just met might, conveniently!  ; )

I didn't love that the fireman was kind of perfect and paired with a wife who was written as kind of sour and negative.   It felt a little too much like flawed Rebecca and perfect Jack.  

[Lady Calypso]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

This makes me wonder who sits in the writers' room when they decide on these dates? Was there no one who told the props person that the triplets were born in August 1980?

I guess it was a genuine mistake. I know it can't be corrected now, so all I can hope for is that they make a note that August 31st, 1980 is the official birthday for at least Kevin and Kate. We don't actually know if Randall was born on August 31st. Even if we assume that the baby they used was supposed to be a newborn, we could easily find out that Randall is a few days or even a few weeks older. I would have thought William would have looked devastated if his wife had died earlier that morning and he was dropping off Randall at the firehouse. But maybe we just didn't get to see more of that day from William's perspective, so he could have been devastated. 

2 hours ago, GodsBeloved said:

What if Miguel's family is dead? That would go a long way in making him sympathic. Worse yet what if say Jack was doing Miguel a favor and picked up his wife and kids and they got in an accident.

That's an interesting thought that crossed my mind. That would be devastating and would make me feel for Miguel for once, that's for sure.

3 hours ago, BoogieBurns said:

Oh, I know this, it just never actually matched their personalities. Nothing about Randall is the youngest, so for me this episode revealed the "nature" of their birth order, regardless of the birth order they were "nurtured" into. The writers have always written Kevin as the typical middle child, and yet referred to him as the oldest. This episode shows why they fit in a different order than the Big Three chant. That's all guys. My suspicions were confirmed.

So true, how funny that they wrote it in such a way. I'm the youngest, and I was just the carefree sister while the other two fought. Never bothered mediating. Still haven't, and we are in our 30s.

I wonder if Jack or Rebecca would have even known if Randall was born earlier than Kevin and Kate. I mean, they couldn't have known when Randall was born unless a doctor could tell them exactly when, but it's possible they've just assumed that Randall is the youngest and that's how it has been. Either way, now we know that their birth order makes more sense with Randall as the eldest and Kate and the youngest. 

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I am REALLY going to need some flashbacks to see how Rebecca and Miguel became a thing. Miguel and his buddies came off as typical "women! Am I right?" sitcoms assholes, paling in comparison to Jack. Even one of the assholes was like "he's going to make us all look bad". Granted, I warmed up a bit to Miguel in the Christmas episode, and he really hasn't done anything awful, its just that knowing he married his dead best friends wife colors all his interactions with jack and Rebecca for me. Maybe we will get some flashbacks in his point of view to see his side more and that will make me sympathize with him more.

I'm in the same boat. Because we aren't being told or shown how Miguel and Rebecca together, and because we've seen Miguel's attitude in the flashbacks, plus with Kevin and Randall's lukewarm behaviour toward their stepfather, it's really hard to sympathize with him. We need to see more in order to understand why we should genuinely root for Miguel. As it is, I just feel weird about watching Rebecca and Miguel in the present day scenes. It feels wrong and I think it's because we don't know their history together, at least past Miguel being Jack's best friend. I'd like to sympathize with him more; at least with a character like Olivia, we know enough about her now where it's ok to say that she's The Worst. With Miguel, he's still a mystery, so it's hard to really like him when we see things that we don't understand yet. 

[Cardie]

1 hour ago, ShadowFacts said:

I would like a tad more subtlety. 

Not in this show's DNA.

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Another double standard is the Toby vs Jack standard.  Jack is firmly asked (ordered) to give Rebecca a day alone and he just ignores that. Toby goes over to Kate's on football night after she asked to be alone and it's all, "HATE!  NO BOUNDARIES!"

"Be attractive. Don't be unattractive."

Yeah, the June 1981 birthdate on Randall's card really did jump out to me during that episode. Hopefully, now that they firmly established a birthdate for them, they actually keep to it.

Anyway...it's totally a tradition that Jack gets a banana muffin with Twinkie cream on it, right? And Rebecca must always walk to the gas station to get it.

Edited January 18, 2017 by methodwriter85

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I know it can't be corrected now, so all I can hope for is that they make a note that August 31st, 1980 is the official birthday for at least Kevin and Kate.

I checked and it's Aug. 31, 1980 that says it's Jack's birthday on the calendar in this ep, which you probably knew but I was curious.  I thought Randall's email screen in the pilot must've had a date but no.

I would chalk it up to prop error.  That report card flashed on screen so fast I couldn't even see the grades, which was the point of showing it, I think.  

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

  I wonder if all Jack's future birthdays now get a banana muffin topped with Twinkie cream.  And I wonder why those things don't melt my heart?  Do I not have one? 

Of course they will...I remain unmelted with you.

1 hour ago, ShadowFacts said:

She probably would have been on bed rest, and why say her feet were clown feet when her feet were not swollen when she walked around barefoot.  All of that stuff was overplayed.

That was one bit I related to. My feet got bigger when I was pregnant - and not from being swollen. I went up a shoe size and never went back - much to my dismay at the fact I could no longer wear some of my pretty, pretty shoes. Someone once explained it as the ligaments or tendons softening up and stretching out - then not snapping back. But I'm not sure that's true. I just know what happened to me.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Clanstarling

[cardigirl]

17 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

Didn't Kevin say a few episodes back that Jack died when he was 15?  That would make him around 50 when he died, and Rebecca only 44 when she lost him.  

I don't think he gave an age, he just said that he threw away all of the models they had worked on together, because he was so angry about his father dying.

16 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Supermarket lady was in Rich Man Poor Man.

Continuity error - the cupcake was brown in one scene.

Rebecca frosted it with the filling from the twinkies and put sprinkles on it.

[ShadowFacts]

12 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

That was one bit I related to. My feet got bigger when I was pregnant - and not from being swollen. I went up a shoe size and never went back - much to my dismay at the fact I could no longer wear some of my pretty, pretty shoes. Someone once explained it as the ligaments or tendons softening up and stretching out - then not snapping back. But I'm not sure that's true. I just know what happened to me.

It happened to me, too, in addition to swelling from preeclampsia.  I really did have clown feet for awhile.  I think all of her miseries were very relatable, the thing I found overplayed was that she would walk to the liquor store at all in her condition. 

10 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

I don't think he gave an age, he just said that he threw away all of the models they had worked on together, because he was so angry about his father dying.

I seem to remember that the widow's son was 15 and Kevin said he was about that age when his father died, or maybe that was my interpretation. 

[Randomosity]

26 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Of course they will...I remain unmelted with you.

That was one bit I related to. My feet got bigger when I was pregnant - and not from being swollen. I went up a shoe size and never went back - much to my dismay at the fact I could no longer wear some of my pretty, pretty shoes. Someone once explained it as the ligaments or tendons softening up and stretching out - then not snapping back. But I'm not sure that's true. I just know what happened to me.

Yup, your body chemistry changes so that ligaments/tendons get stretchier to help let your pelvis can get a giant baby head out :)  Your feet end up bearing the brunt of the stretching simply because all your weight is on them so often.

[cardigirl]

9 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

It happened to me, too, in addition to swelling from preeclampsia.  I really did have clown feet for awhile.  I think all of her miseries were very relatable, the thing I found overplayed was that she would walk to the liquor store at all in her condition. 

I seem to remember that the widow's son was 15 and Kevin said he was about that age when his father died, or maybe that was my interpretation. 

There was a lot of discussion about that, but he definitely didn't give a specific time for when his father died.   

[drafan]

14 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

As for Ken Olin, as long as his wife or daughter don't show up, we should be okay.

...or himself. Give him time and he will worm his way in also.

I feel like KO likes to hit viewers over the head with a frying pan of schmaltz.  Toward the end of 30-something, when I think he was into the writing/directing end of things, he (or they) made one of the characters (Gary)  into an effing GHOST. The movie "Ghost" had just come out and was a hit, so they jumped (the shark) onto that bandwagon.

MM was just OK in this episode. I felt like the scene at the liquor store was more like a MadMen-era thing. Strange. She's kind of bland compared to the other characters.   And, not to nitpick, they looked like they were 8 lbs apiece....... wouldn't actual 6-week-early triplets be super-tiny and have to stay in the hospital a bit ?

Edited January 18, 2017 by drafan

[Calamity Jane]

Seems as if people really loved this one or really disliked it.  Put me in the "loved it" column.  So many feels!  Cleaning out deceased spouse's items - been there.  Wondering how a child will change your life - been there.  Being cranky pregnant - been there.  And I did not miss the present-day scenes at all, didn't even notice until nearly the end that we were all in the past.  Firefighter Joe was my least favorite part, but it didn't bother me.  

Are we going to get Jack and William both dying in the season finale?  Not ready to let go of either one.  

[UsernameFatigue]

19 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

It happened to me, too, in addition to swelling from preeclampsia.  I really did have clown feet for awhile.  I think all of her miseries were very relatable, the thing I found overplayed was that she would walk to the liquor store at all in her condition.

Not to mention she was walking along at a pretty good clip. She hardly looked  like she was carrying a single baby (other than the bump) let alone triplets. Some times this show is so good at detail, and other times ..... not so much.

Edited January 19, 2017 by UsernameFatigue

[possibilities]

17 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

There's so much violence and hatred and divided lines that I appreciate the cheesiness of it, but also the grounded feel of the show. It's really good in that way. Which is why 2017 has me taking on a new approach, which is to enjoy the love and joy.

This is basically where I'm at right now, too. I just need something to remind me that it's at least theoretically possible that humans can be like this, not... THAT.

I liked the episode. I enjoy the flashbacks as much as the present day stuff, and I don't care if the plot is moving ahead or filling in. Either way, it's the characters who interest me. Emotional reveals vs event reveals work well enough for me.

I do suspect that the firefighter taking such a big interest in the baby will help make the connection between William and Rebecca easier to make. One of them will seek out the other, making the third one easier to find.

I also think it's a little hint that our emotional truth may be different than actual truth. Randall felt unwanted, but he was wanted both by William and by the firefighter. Interpretation is not reality. This is something I think we often ignore in life, leading to a lot of problems. So I liked seeing the story being told from another angle.

It also explained why Dr K remembered the family so much, decades later.

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

That was one bit I related to. My feet got bigger when I was pregnant - and not from being swollen. I went up a shoe size and never went back - much to my dismay at the fact I could no longer wear some of my pretty, pretty shoes. Someone once explained it as the ligaments or tendons softening up and stretching out - then not snapping back. But I'm not sure that's true. I just know what happened to me.

It happened to me as well, as it did for most of my friends who have had children.  

I also call foul on Rebecca jaunting around six weeks before her due date with triplets.  I've known a few people who had twins (so, admittedly, small sample size) but none of them were able to walk that well for months before delivering.  As I watched Rebecca make her way down the street, I just kept wondering where her waddle was....

[SunnyBeBe]

 I love Dr. K the character and have no issue with him at all. Gerald is a great actor. 

I don't mind any of the stories or characters really.  I mean, they all interrelate in some way.  I find it amusing.....except for Rebecca.  Man, I have to take her in small doses. She does push my buttons. I don't find Mandy particularly appealing as an actress, but, most seem to like her.  I will say that I've never seen anyone speak to their husband the way she was talking to her husband for no other reason that her being pregnant with triplets in the opening scene.  I mean, hormones, discomfort, I know, but she's just plain mean, imo.  And the way she went off on the friend on the phone call.....I've just never heard any of my friends talk that way. Overly done, imo. She's like that when she's not pregnant too.  

I have wondered if Jack's death was sudden or not.  If not, he may have wanted his wife and Miquel together.  We have a family friend who's wife told her husband who she wanted him to marry after she died from cancer.  It was a woman she knew and cared for and she gave them her blessing before her death.  They did marry and remain married today. It was a good match.  Odd, I know. 

Edited January 19, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[sasha206]

Geez, every flashback, I think they are in the 70s, not 1980.  Is it me? 

I still look forward to each show but it is so schmaltzy.  Almost everything everyone says is either cute or neurotic.  And nearly every scene is some life changing moment.   Enough of Jack being the most perfect specimen of a character.  I'm sure they are probably setting us up for him to wind up being more layered and flawed, but he's just an unbelievable character at this point.  

Edited January 19, 2017 by sasha206

[ShadowFacts]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

I do suspect that the firefighter taking such a big interest in the baby will help make the connection between William and Rebecca easier to make. One of them will seek out the other, making the third one easier to find.

I thought it was the bus driver who put Rebecca on to William and where he lived, and it looked like she did it in one morning or afternoon.  Or do you mean something else? 

[CJBinATX]

It's too bad an all 1980 episode had some grocery store packaging flubs. And a lack of research into Pennsylvania liquor law.

[possibilities]

22 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

I thought it was the bus driver who put Rebecca on to William and where he lived, and it looked like she did it in one morning or afternoon.  Or do you mean something else? 

I forgot about the bus driver!

I suppose it could have helped Randall's PI to find William, though? Just that, because it had such a big effect on their life, anyone related to the adoption would remember it, so anyone could go to the fire station and be remembered, if the guy who found Randall is still there.

[Eeksquire]

I admit it: not so much the dialogue or the speaking out loud to the lost spouse, but just the shots of the house, where Dr. K is clearly living alone, amidst all his wife's things, hit me pretty hard.  It was like walking into my grandfather's house after my grandmother passed away.

Other than that, this episode really highlights how well the show runners have been doing integrating the present day and the flashback storylines - without mixing them, all the dramatic tension has fallen out of the show.  (Especially because, as pointed out above, we already knew what was going to happen at the end of this particular day - at least all of the things of any importance to the ongoing story.)

[sasha206]

20 hours ago, memememe76 said:

I am siding with Miguel. Taking your best friend to play golf for an afternoon where the wife wanted to be alone to set up the house.  I don't see the problem here. 

 

I'm with you on that.  Miguel is doing what any normal friend would do and there was absolutely nothing wrong in what his friends were saying.  I liken it to a woman complaining that her husband has been moody from [insert issue/malady] and her friends plying her with wine and chick flicks and bitching about men. It's Jack that is reacting so unlike a normal guy.   That's what frustrates me about this show.  A feel good show is good but so far it seems like the men are mostly saints, the women are complex and moody creatures.

[BoogieBurns]

47 minutes ago, CJBinATX said:

It's too bad an all 1980 episode had some grocery store packaging flubs. And a lack of research into Pennsylvania liquor law.

This reminds me of a DVD commentary from The Office. They were so tight on research on that show and it was also in Pennsylvania. They said after looking into it, they learned all cashiers at a liquor store had to wear a tie. I'm guessing this only applies to male cashiers, but we had one of them, didn't we? Its something about making booze feel more like a special occasion and less like an everyday thing. Was our This Is Us cashier wearing a tie?

[ShadowFacts]

3 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I forgot about the bus driver!

I suppose it could have helped Randall's PI to find William, though? Just that, because it had such a big effect on their life, anyone related to the adoption would remember it, so anyone could go to the fire station and be remembered, if the guy who found Randall is still there.

It might have helped the PI, but 36 years later I think whoever worked there would be retired, cops and firefighters tend to have early retirements.  Also, William was staying out of sight in the alley, wasn't he?  Maybe the investigator put together the known fact that Randall was left at the fire station, and found reports about the drug addict who was found dead after childbirth, found family of hers that gave him William's name.  But then I would have thought police at the time would have done the same.  I don't know, we'll probably get more on this.  And probably the firefighter will be interwoven again, too. 

[Arcadiasw]

While the fire fighter story was interesting, I'd rather see a flashback story of William and Randall's mother before she died. 

[Emily Thrace]

7 hours ago, GodsBeloved said:

What if Miguel's family is dead? That would go a long way in making him sympathic. Worse yet what if say Jack was doing Miguel a favor and picked up his wife and kids and they got in an accident.

That would certainly explain why we haven't seen his kids. It even explains why he is so attached to the Pearson kids. They might be the closest thing he has left to kids of his own. Although I think its more likely Miguel had a nasty divorce and the kids sided with their mother.   Plus it gives more opportunities for them to pop up and add to the drama later on.

[Dowel Jones]

2 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

I also call foul on Rebecca jaunting around six weeks before her due date with triplets.

Not to mention pushing up those stairs to the second floor of their house multiple times per day.

[love2lovebadtv]

22 hours ago, SimoneS said:

I have never understood the hate directed at Toby, same with Miguel. The characters are just there.

I don't hate Toby but I find his personality type to be annoying. I have a hard time connecting with people who make a joke out of everything. I still like him somewhat because I think he really cares for Kate and even called her on her nonsense when she stalked his ex. Miguel I havent liked since the first time we saw him. At first I thought he was being a helpful friend to Jack.  But then he commented on Rebecca's butt and I thought it was in such poor taste. And the way he was talking about his best friend's wife was just too much. Then I think in the same episode he was revealed to have married Rebecca. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. 

[HeyThere83]

The more I think about it the more confused I am that there was an entire episode dedicated to this. Unless the Dr. is going to become a series regular WHY waste one of only 18 episodes on this? It reminds me of being in school and needing a paper to be a certain length and struggling so filling up a page with a bunch of....stuff. As it is, the show already wastes soooooo much time on trying to be cute, but this took the cake. It seems like the kind of thing you do AT LEAST two seasons in. Like, when your core characters are already established and you want to do something different just because. 

[OtterMommy]

Just now, love2lovebadtv said:

I don't hate Toby but I find his personality type to be annoying. I have a hard time connecting with people who make a joke out of everything. I still like him somewhat because I think he really cares for Kate and even called her on her nonsense when she stalked his ex. Miguel I havent liked since the first time we saw him. At first I thought he was being a helpful friend to Jack.  But then he commented on Rebecca's butt and I thought it was in such poor taste. And the way he was talking about his best friend's wife was just too much. Then I think in the same episode he was revealed to have married Rebecca. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. 

I'm with you...I don't hate Toby, but I haven't enjoyed him for most of his tenure on this show.  I do think that he could be redeemed, for lack of a better word.  

As for Miguel, I think part of the issue (for me, at least) is the way the show revealed him to be Rebecca's current husband.  It almost seems like the show *wants* the audience to distrust him.

[GladysKravitz]

As the mother of multiples, I laughed when Rebecca was walking to the store. I was carrying twins, not triplets, and near the end my belly swayed so much as I walked that anything within arm's reach became a handrail. I couldn't take more than a few steps without grabbing onto something!

Birth order is a funny thing with multiples. My daughter was born one minute before my son and she's always referred to him as her "little brother." Recently I was looking at their birth certificates and noticed that it's he who's listed as older, by nearly 5 minutes, because my daughter didn't start breathing until they got her to the NICU. So now my son makes a big deal about being the "big brother." There have been dust-ups.

[Court]

While Rebecca was mean, I fully understand her. I really related to her. I am the worst pregnant woman in the world. I never enjoyed any of it. During my first pregnancy, I finally felt a little normal near my 3rd trimester. At that point, my mom told me she was glad I was finally being a little bit nicer because she was surprised my husband hadn't left me yet. I was that terrible to him and a hormonal mess. 

Do not ask me why he agreed to two more kids with me. 

 

I didn't think they wrote the firefighter as perfect. I thought his marriage was just two people who lost each other while dealing with infertility.

[Sake614]

Re Ordinary People coming out in September, the timing still fits. dr. K's wife died in July 1979 and when he was yelling at his son, he said she'd been gone for 14 months. And didn't he say in the Christmas episode that he's 85 or so? That means he was only 49 when his wife died, and there's no way he was that young. Unless I misheard or he didn't actually say his age?

I was (very pleasantly) shocked that Milo actually stripped! And however brief the shot of his butt, it was a FINE butt lol!

kevin never mentioned when his father died, just that it was 'a long time ago.' That was when he was talking to the widow after banging Olivia in the widow's bedroom.

i really liked this episode except for the fireman and his wife. And I'm not sure I believe Randall was a newborn when William left him. Thought it was interesting that Randall is older than Kate and kevin, even if just by a day or so.

Also, I cry foul at the liquor store supposedly not having anything besides liquor. It certainly wasn't a supermarket, but there were clearly some grocery items on the shelves directly behind Rebecca. that scene was just stupid.

[Guest]

I spent a couple years in PA in the 90s and all alcohol was sold in these little state run stores that sold only alcoholic beverages, iirc.  Rebecca would've known that.  But it wouldn't have worked for the story.  When she asked the guy what she could make for her husband I wanted him to say, "A margarita?"  

[WhosThatGirl]

I don't know if I liked this or not. It was kind of meh. I happen to adore Mandy Moore in this show and think it's so strange how once upon a time she was the least luckiest of the teen pop stars and was always kind of the last one. I also like that Rebecca isn't a perfect mom and she makes mistakes. I'm surprised she gets hated so much though on the situation with Randall/William and herself, as if it is and was a right or wrong situation. 

I still don't understand how the show is going to turn Miguel into someone I like. Anytime he's on this show I really dislike his face even more before. So far here is what he has done (I'm going to try and do it in a timeline of the show so if I get it wrong, forgive me)

1-no sure of the timeline but he is married to Shelly and they have kids. So somehow Shelly is no longer in the future with him since he's married to Rebecca now.

2- When Rebecca is pregnant and kicks Jack out, Miguel takes him golfing, despite the fact that neither of them likes golfing or golfs. And then refuses to let him leave when he states he wants to be with his wife and then tells him he's going to need a place to complain about his wife.

3- and then when Jack does complain later on down the line, Miguel makes comments about how great HIS FRIENDS WIFE is and doesn't let him complain.. 

4- he flirts with the receptionist.

5-he's now married to his friends wife since his friend has passed. So either his wife has passed too or something else went down. Also where are his kids?!?!!?

6- he made Kevin give away a piece of  The Pearsons thanksgiving tradition and when Kevin said no at first, he made a sad face. The hell?

Seriously when am I supposed to like this guy? I know that what we may get is Jack telling Miguel to take care of his family but I still hate the guy because that's a cop out and I think is viewers know that. At this point the show has done more to deter me on Miguel rather than endear. 

[OtterMommy]

1 minute ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Seriously when am I supposed to like this guy? I know that what we may get is Jack telling Miguel to take care of his family but I still hate the guy because that's a cop out and I think is viewers know that. At this point the show has done more to deter me on Miguel rather than endear. 

Honestly, I really think the show doesn't want us to like him.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1981?  The big 3 just keep getting closer and closer in age to me.  I looked up to them as much older.  I mean, Randall?  Am I supposed to be as together as Randall is by now?  Jesus, lol.  

[Happytobehere]

Dear Show:

Don't ever subject me to that m,ugh Miguel in a single episode ever again.

Sincerely,

A fan

 

P.S. My other more positive comments are still pending.

[ElectricCityy]

Boring filler episode. NGL, most times this show just makes me want to rewatch Parenthood. As far as family dramas go, I was more invested in those stories.

Edited January 19, 2017 by ElectricCityy