S01.E16: Memphis

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Next week is William's wake. That's gonna get to me too.

Also, they are gonna tackle Jack's drinking issue some more.

Still think that Jack will die in the season finale.

[SuzieQ]

4 minutes ago, CofCinci said:

This episode clearly demonstrates that Sterling K. Brown is a completely different acting class than his two television siblings.

I've loved SKB since Army Wives!  He's in a class by himself after this episode.  

[Amethyst]

I knew William wasn't returning when he said goodbye to the girls, but I didn't know I would be bawling as much as I did.  That was a beautiful send-off, and those performances by SKB and Ron Cephas Jones were just extraordinary.  

The only flaw in the episode was that we learned nothing about Randall's mother.  She seemed like a sweet girl that William met on the bus, but not the love of his life that I was expecting.  Still, getting more background on William's mother (and his late father) was really moving.  It seems like William got into drugs because he was depressed about his mother's death.

Hi, Paperboi!  Seriously, I love seeing Brian Tyree Henry in so many things.  He's really talented, especially if that was actually him singing!  Although whenever he said 'cuz', I kept looking for Donald Glover, lol.  

Randall meeting his family was everything.  So adorably clueless, and even Beth couldn't stop smiling when she heard him yelling "Cousins!!"  So cute.  I hope we see his newfound family again.  And Dr. Lee is right.  Randall and Beth are adorable, and I'm glad they know it.

This was a heartbreaking episode, even if we all saw it coming.  William was such a kind and gentle soul, and I'll miss him.  

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Sterling is the best actor out of the three.

There's no doubt about it.

Even though I loved Justin Hartley on Y&R. He's just okay on here. And, I think CM needs to grow in her acting skills. Kate annoys me to a point as well.

[CofCinci]

Can you use bereavement leave/FMLA for taking time off to process the death of a television character?

How the hell will we endure Jack's eventual death?!

[Ryan Chamberlain]

And, I am so gonna miss Ron Cephas Jones. Miss him so much.

[DayGlorious]

This episode hit hard for personal reasons (someone close to me was recently diagnosed with cancer, and the prognosis is bad). I didn't even make it as far as the tissue box. My sweater sleeves are drenched.

[stonehaven]

So much has been said.....I think what I loved about this arc is that Randall grew as a result of William..from that first defiant meeting..the kind that every abandoned kid fantasizes about....and then realizing it doesn't feel how you think it does...and the whole relationship made both of them grow.

I didn't cry but had my mouth open a lot....laughs..tears.....I think the last show I adored this much was Person of Interest..and that had Sterling Brown in it too!

I lost it when William thanked Jack at the tree.....

I can't believe the finale is next month....What am I going to do 'till September?

[Portia]

Weirdo here. This ep was very uneven for me, mainly because I've found William fairly unlikable all along. (And it sure didn't help anything when he threw the maps out the window. Heehee, his littering is so wacky and outrageous!) That being said, I thought the ending was lovely and cried buckets. I'm not made of stone, after all. 

[Ryan Chamberlain]

1 minute ago, stonehaven said:

So much has been said.....I think what I loved about this arc is that Randall grew as a result of William..from that first defiant meeting..the kind that every abandoned kid fantasizes about....and then realizing it doesn't feel how you think it does...and the whole relationship made both of them grow.

I didn't cry but had my mouth open a lot....laughs..tears.....I think the last show I adored this much was Person of Interest..and that had Sterling Brown in it too!

I lost it when William thanked Jack at the tree.....

I can't believe the finale is next month....What am I going to do 'till September?

I miss the days of season finale's being in May. Seriously. Six freaking months....and if they leave us with a cliffhanger. I may go crazy.

[elle]

31 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

I always forget to credit Jermel Nakia who plays the younger William. He always captures William's sensitivity, vulnerability, and flaws perfectly. I will miss him as much as I will Ron Cephas Jones.

Thank you! I knew someone here would know who was the actor. I thought for a second that it was RCJ somehow.

Wow, this soundtrack, just great!

Edited February 22, 2017 by elle

[sadiegirl1999]

I really REALLY thought Randall was going to sing "You are my Sunshine" to William.

Thank God he didn't b/c I was already a hot mess crying anyway.

[MelGoLightly]

25 minutes ago, J0nas3 said:

Okay it got me. Took 16 episodes, but they got me. I actually hadn't cried until tonight, which is weird when you consider I cried the first time I heard Hamilton all the way through.

Same. Same. Same. I even started to wonder if I was partially dead and cold inside with all the crying going on while I was just busy analyzing their lives. 

This episode broke me down. The tears first came when William paid his respects to Jack but I recovered for memphis. When I saw Randall talking to the air in the motel and not getting a response, I actually said out loud "oh no, oh no, oh no..." 

And for the last 15 minutes, I ugly cried hard. HARD. 

Those damn ducks. It's like I'd fought a long hard battle and was on the ground in full submission and the enemy finished me off with a swift slash of the throat. Complete and total mess. 

SKB is immensely talented and RCJ did an amazing job as well. The actor who plays young/20s William does an amazing job of portraying Old William's characteristics and movements as a younger, more innocent and swift version. That takes serious talent to achieve that nuance. Just magical, all of these three performances. 

But! It was also somehow a really amazingly fun episode even though so heart wrenching at the same time. The performance scenes (both in the 70s and present) were really enjoyable. So much depth in one 45 minute episode. 

Show, I am yours forever and ever. Damn it. 

[pixiestix]

I knew William was going to die this episode. Prepared myself. I haven't cried since the first episode...until tonight. So much. By the end I was sobbing out loud. So many great moments in tonight's episode! I love drunk Randall btw.

[Lady Calypso]

I also figured out that William was going to die in this episode when he was saying goodbye to the girls, so I was preparing myself for it. That being said, I still teared up at the end. It just reminded me about my aunt's quick descent when she had cancer. She was diagnosed with stage one cervical, it changed to terminal a few months later and then once she went into hospice, she was gone barely a week later, all before a full year was up. So I can imagine Randall's confusion about it being too fast and that William should have had a few more months. It's scary to learn that a loved one doesn't have as long as you initially thought. But having to say goodbye that day to them? I can't imagine. That's rough and heartbreaking.

Ok, I was distracted by the lack of Jesse mentions, but I'll let it slide because the episode was still beautifully done. I think everyone else has pointed out a lot of my feelings.

I will say that this show has done right by choosing to just focus on William and Randall. Some shows aren't able to cut out main characters to focus on one story, so I appreciate that this show has now done it twice (the first being the Jack/Rebecca flashback episode). I actually wished that the episode was an extra hour longer. I wanted to see more of the road trip!

Well, RIP William. We hardly knew ye. But sixteen episodes proved that there can be good in people, and not everyone needs a bad side to them, just maybe a slightly darker side. Another show I was watching tonight had a character talk about a different subject matter, but the message resonates well: "It's not just about the what, it's about the why." This is just a very rough paraphrase, but being able to know about why a person does what they do is so much more important than just the endgame to what they do. That is such an important message to take away, especially when it comes to William. And that's why I was able to forget my issues with him being portrayed too saintly and just appreciate what we were given from him, which was pure goodness. That makes him human for me, and this was a perfect farewell episode to him. 

[milner]

Does this mean no more William in future episodes?

[ChromaKelly]

40 minutes ago, J0nas3 said:

Okay it got me. Took 16 episodes, but they got me. I actually hadn't cried until tonight, which is weird when you consider I cried the first time I heard Hamilton all the way through.

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story. I can get through the whole thing sometimes until "I can't wait to see you again, it's only a matter of time..."

So, this episode was a little like that. I knew it was coming. I knew he was going to die at the end. I actually didn't cry until the episode was over. Crying for Randall and William's lost time, Randall finally getting to meet his biological cousin. Finally being told he looks like someone. For William getting to spend the end of his time with his son.
My son is adopted (also transracial, we're white, he's black) and we've tried to contact his birth mother. She never responds. I hope he gets to meet his other family sometime.

[MelGoLightly]

6 minutes ago, milner said:

Does this mean no more William in future episodes?

I'm not going to rule anything out with this show since they are willing to go back to any time in anyone's life. When they went way back to William in the womb, I felt like it was a sign that anything goes on anyone's timeline. 

Edited February 22, 2017 by MelGoLightly

[SimoneS]

2 minutes ago, ChromaKelly said:

Randall finally getting to meet his biological cousin. Finally being told he looks like someone. 

Yes, that was one of moments I forgot to mention. Randall's pure joy that he finally looks like someone. It was like that boy who kept count of every black man he encountered hit the lottery.

[Mya Stone]

I just emerged from my solitary crying jag in my bedroom to have this exchange: 

Mr. Stone: Mya, what's wrong? 

Me: (unintelligible)...and ducks...(hiccup)

Mr. Stone: The old man died, didn't he? 

Me: (runs back into our bedroom to cry more)

[luna1122]

Well, I'm made of stone, I guess, or i'm a stone cold bitch, cuz no tears were shed. This show has never yet made me cry, and it still didn't. And here's why: I knew, the second that Randall told the story about jack calming him down by placing his hands on either side of his face and telling him to just breathe, that that would be the end of the episode, that Randall would do that as William died. I bet my honey, who came in halfway thru, that that would be what happened. It just always removes me, when a film or tv show telegraphs so hugely and widely and sledgehammer-ly, and it makes me a little resentful. It's a sad story, trust us to get it without the sledgehammer effect. And the ducks were really just overkill. And I love ducks! 

All that said, the acting was superb. I'll miss William. I wish Jesse had been mentioned. Sterling brown is a superior performer; he does tragedy and comedy and tragicomedy better than anyone. I don't quite find Randall and Beth as adorable as the therapist does, or as they do. I liked William 'meeting' jack, that was nice. 

But no tears. And I cried earlier today over a video of a pit bull finally getting a forever home. I'm really not dead inside. This show just leaves me a little cold when it tries so hard to wring tears from me. 

Edited February 22, 2017 by luna1122

[picklesprite]

36 minutes ago, Ryan Chamberlain said:

And, I am so gonna miss Ron Cephas Jones. Miss him so much.

So much! Gosh, this was a beautiful work of tv art from the writing to the acting to the directing to the filming to the music to the costumes to the settings to the everything including the ducks.

[WhosThatGirl]

Well. I'm never going to stop crying. Thanks This Is Us!

[ohjoy]

1 hour ago, J0nas3 said:

Okay it got me. Took 16 episodes, but they got me. I actually hadn't cried until tonight, which is weird when you consider I cried the first time I heard Hamilton all the way through.

Yup. Finally broke me too. I love the show, but I hadn't cried once until tonight.

25 minutes ago, MelGoLightly said:

Those damn ducks. It's like I'd fought a long hard battle and was on the ground in full submission and the enemy finished me off with a swift slash of the throat. Complete and total mess. 

This also was me. I had actually paused my recording, so I collect myself and stop the tears from burning my eyes as they came out (I'm not made of stone, I swear), hit play again -- and then those stupid ducks happened.

This was an excellent episode.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

1 minute ago, picklesprite said:

So much! Gosh, this was a beautiful work of tv art from the writing to the acting to the directing to the filming to the music to the costumes to the settings to the everything including the ducks.

Agreed. It was a beautiful episode.

[balmz]

very sad episode, so long william, one complaint i had was when the banana and the chicken being offered to william , it felt like a bad stereotype thrown in, regardless of that flaw good episode

[Amethyst]

13 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Ok, I was distracted by the lack of Jesse mentions, but I'll let it slide because the episode was still beautifully done. I think everyone else has pointed out a lot of my feelings.

Wow, that's a really good point.  I had forgotten all about Jesse.  Kinda sucks that he wasn't around for William's final days.

[SimoneS]

1 hour ago, mtlchick said:

Sterling is making me tear up in his Facebook live video (which just ended.)  He's crying along with the rest of us! https://www.facebook.com/sterlingkb1/videos/1162183470565264/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

Thanks for sharing this. I try to stay from actors in real life so as not to be disappointed, but SKB was a joy to watch in that video. He loves the show and is so grateful that his career is blowing up. I smiled when he was tearing up, even after watching the episode five times. Those of us who teared up have that in common with him.

1 hour ago, CofCinci said:

This episode clearly demonstrates that Sterling K. Brown is a completely different acting class than his two television siblings.

After watching Sterling K. as Chris Darden in the People vs. OJ Simpson, I decided that I would watch whatever he did next. When I read he was going to be in this new show "This Is Us" I knew had to watch. I hoped that he wouldn't just be in a supporting role, but boy has Fogelman surpassed my expectations, featuring SKB as one of the leads. I am so excited that he has gotten roles in the Black Panther as well as the new Predator movie.

Edited February 22, 2017 by SimoneS

[Mldh598]

Okay, this one really got me. Went from giggling at drunk Randall ("You get a cousin and you get a cousin...sorry, I was raised by white people") to an ugly cry 45 seconds later. I don't know how the writers do it - such a range of emotions in one episode. #emotionallyexhausted

[Dreamboat Annie]

Quote

I knew William was going to die just from that opening sequence.

I knew it when we were told of an episode called "Memphis" and it was about a road trip where Randall learns about his biological father's past.  Knowing from everything they've told us he was too sick to make a return trip (yet the focus at first was on Randall's ability to make the trip), I thought, being deep into Feb sweeps, it would be monumental and we would be saying goodbye to William.  That said, William with his granddaughters that last time and the lighting in the room just sealed it.

Randall saying something like "let me take you home", William struggling to take his oxygen mask off, said "I have something for you".  I really thought they would go cliché and William would say "I am home".  But that didn't need to be said...he was home.

[DebbieM4]

This show has never made me cry.   Tonight........buckets.  That was so amazingly well done.  

[Mldh598]

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

The reaction of the couple to Randall handing them the brick from their fire place.

 

That was hilarious.

[Lovecat]

1 hour ago, AuxArx said:

One question:  where was the tree with Jack's ashes?  They'd already passed a billboard for the Peabody in Memphis, so they took him down south?

Yeah, that gave me pause, too.  I would assume Jack's favorite park would be in Pittsburgh, which is a hell of a detour if Randall and William were closing in on Memphis when they saw the Peabody billboard.  I suppose it's possible that we just haven't learned yet that the family moved east before Jack died, which would make a detour to his resting place more logistically possible if they started in Jersey...but doesn't explain the Peabody billboard. They wouldn't advertise that far away from Memphis. Confusing.

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

I am clutching a roll of toilet paper.  Haven't sobbed like that in a really long time.  Outstanding performances from everyone.

I used my shirt.

[J0nas3]

1 minute ago, Lovecat said:

Yeah, that gave me pause, too.  I would assume Jack's favorite park would be in Pittsburgh, which is a hell of a detour if Randall and William were closing in on Memphis when they saw the Peabody billboard.  I suppose it's possible that we just haven't learned yet that the family moved east before Jack died, which would make a detour to his resting place more logistically possible if they started in Jersey...but doesn't explain the Peabody billboard. They wouldn't advertise that far away from Memphis. Confusing.

It was Pittsburgh. When William asked to go there Randall said that it was a day and a half out of their way, but William prevailed. They didn't get to Memphis until after that.

[Tiger]

i'm only about halfway thru, but damn, Beth was fucking amazing in that opening scene.  And then packed 'a whole produce department, with instructions' for Randall & William's roadtrip.  

[elle]

1 hour ago, mtlchick said:

Sterling is making me tear up in his Facebook live video (which just ended.)  He's crying along with the rest of us! https://www.facebook.com/sterlingkb1/videos/1162183470565264/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

He was also tweeting, this one made me laugh (a much needed one!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sterling K BrownVerified account‏@sterlingkb1  2h2 hours ago

I actually do like making the bed! #ThisIsUs

[movingtargetgal]

Kleenex, toilet paper rolls, shirt sleeves, blanket throws, bed spreads and even the damn curtains that are within reach of the couch were not safe tonight.  

[Dreamboat Annie]

Quote

Well, I'm made of stone, I guess, or i'm a stone cold bitch, cuz no tears were shed. This show has never yet made me cry, and it still didn't. And here's why: I knew, the second that Randall told the story about jack calming him down by placing his hands on either side of his face and telling him to just breathe, that that would be the end of the episode, that Randall would do that as William died. I bet my honey, who came in halfway thru, that that would be what happened. It just always removes me, when a film or tv show telegraphs so hugely and widely and sledgehammer-ly, and it makes me a little resentful. It's a sad story, trust us to get it without the sledgehammer effect. And the ducks were really just overkill. And I love ducks! 

All that said, the acting was superb. I'll miss William. I wish Jesse had been mentioned. Sterling brown is a superior performer; he does tragedy and comedy and tragicomedy better than anyone. I don't quite find Randall and Beth as adorable as the therapist does, or as they do. I liked William 'meeting' jack, that was nice. 

But no tears. And I cried earlier today over a video of a pit bull finally getting a forever home. I'm really not dead inside. This show just leaves me a little cold when it tries so hard to wring tears from me.

That's okay.  You're fine.  This show is definitely and purposefully manipulative that way. 

Something tells me we won't have to miss William - this show thrives on flashbacks for its storytelling and he's a part of the story.  At the very least I think we will see William and Jesse say goodbye.  And I'm hopeful William and Beth too because that was not a satisfying conclusion to the relationship they had.

[BusyOctober]

So.... I ran out of tissues. Had to change my pajamas because there were tears and snot all over the sleeves.  Almost choked on a feather because I was holding a pillow over my ugly crying face so I wouldn't wake up my husband.  Gave up trying to hide the crying and had full blown body wracking sobs for the last 20 minutes of this show.  Then I calmed myself down, dried myself off and logged in here to see what you all thought of this wonderful amazing show and the cast.  Now I need to find another PJ top because after reading everyone's posts, I'm crying again.  Thank God I work from home and I won't have to explain my puffy eyes and red nose to anyone in the morning. Damn. This show has been great all along, but this is one of those monumental TV episodes that will stick with me for a very very long time.

[ByaNose]

Very sad episode and I even shed a tear. I'm guessing each sibling will get a standalone episode (they gotta have a week off, right) but I can't imagine any of them being as good as this. The casting, the writing, the mother, the wife, the cousin, the music & the ending. So incredibly sad and they knew what they were dong. They were using us. LOL!!!

and, of course, it's trending:

55 minutes ago

#ThisIsUs

#SDLive

#AgentsofSHIELD

#BeingMaryJane

#ChicagoFire

Sean Kingston

Jonathan Toews

Refugees Welcome

Favorite Girl

Carey Price

Edited February 22, 2017 by ByaNose

[Katherine]

Great episode! I'll miss William. My only complaint is that I'd been hoping to see a little more interaction/closure between present day Rebecca and William. I loved the scene of William talking to Jack.

[Dreamboat Annie]

Quote

Weirdo here. This ep was very uneven for me, mainly because I've found William fairly unlikable all along. (And it sure didn't help anything when he threw the maps out the window. Heehee, his littering is so wacky and outrageous!) That being said, I thought the ending was lovely and cried buckets. I'm not made of stone, after all. 

You're not a weirdo.  I loved William and his wisdom to all with whom he crossed paths and I think that while his life was made better by Randall inviting him in, he enriched their lives in lasting ways going forward.  I cried buckets too.  But one of my biggest clues about this happening this episode was if it didn't, there would be no other choice but for Randall to take a leave of absence from work in order to take the full time position as head of The William's Wish Foundation.

Edited February 22, 2017 by Dreamboat Annie

[WhosThatGirl]

You guys I'm still not okay. That was the saddest episode. Listen, I spend a majority of my time with this show being all "kept it together whosthatgirl! It's a tv show" but tonight I could not.

The thing is, I'm surprised and sort of happy the show let William die. I loved  the character to pieces but I worried the show would let it go on too long and then pull a bait and switch and have him get miraculously better. Plently of shoes have done this. But I'm happy they had a idea and went with it. Something tells me we won't get William flashbacks. I don't think his last with Rebecca was finished.

Edited February 22, 2017 by WhosThatGirl

[SunDevil28]

I love that Randall's idea of being relaxed is giving William detailed instructions on what he expects of him in his role as the navigator.

[lizzyp]

I think this is one of 'TV's Most Affecting Death Scenes' for me.  Henry Blake on MASH, Mark Green on ER, Edith Bunker, Denny on Greys, William.  I am not going to be okay for several days.

[breezy424]

Sorry but I didn't cry. I did like Randall and William going back to William's roots.  What bothered me was the 'jump' from Willy being this great guy and song writer going from that to a drug addict.  Yeah, his mother died and his girlfriend went from this sweet caring person to drug addict because of a neighbor of William's mom?   I get that William's mom dying was a very big deal.  It just was a really big leap for me, for both characters.

I do love Randall but at the same time Beth can be really annoying.  I know.  That's unpopular too.  Don't get me wrong.  Her acting is fantastic but at the same time, it comes off a little too contrived.

I'll go back to my solitary corner.

On another note, I really liked William insisting on going to Jack's favorite spot.  And his thanking of him.

[memememe76]

Loved the episode. So much. In terms of flashbacks, I would like flashbacks of when William wrote one of his poems for Randall. It would cover a part of his life we don't really know about. They could spread those throughout the rest of the series. And Randall will now have a new family. Whenever he hangs out with them, a William flashback can occur. 

Having Jack take care of Randall during one of his episodes last week made tonight's scenes with the breathing less awkward and more flowing. It is really so beautiful. 

[Marley]

I love this show and I cried like a mf when William died but the rest really bored me. Too much William flashbacks. He's a good character but it just seems like they made him into a saint since the first time we saw him. 

I did love the scene where William went to see Jack. That was nice. 

I guess I'm a bit of a jerk lol but it just didn't get me till the end.

[chocolatine]

I still haven't cried, but I thought this was a beautiful ending for William. Just him and Randall, no distractions. It didn't make up for all the lost time, but I did feel it put both of them at peace somewhat.

I'm sure this is an UO, but I'm glad that William's story ended here. I feel that, while it was important for Randall to meet William in order to fill in the part of his identity that was missing, I never saw William as part of the "core" Pearson family, and too much focus on him annoyed me. And I certainly don't need *two* dragged-out death storylines on one show.

Awkward Randall is still made of win, second only to drunk awkward Randall. I mean, who else would do the robot dance at a jazz club? His enthusiasm about his new-found cousins was very sweet.

Finally, I was glad that Randall's bio mother (Laura, was it?) helped take care of William's dying mother and wasn't "just" a junkie.

Edited February 22, 2017 by chocolatine

[debbie311]

Sobbing.  Was not expecting this tonight.