S01.E17: What Now?

[Cardie]

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

the one who tells my teen interested in acting that regional theatre allows you to be an actor as well as hold a regular job

Yes, it was in community theatre where I had an outlet for my showbiz dreams (behind the scenes; I was never going to be an actor.) And I taught film and media studies, so not that removed from the dream.

[memememe76]

I believe Randall was wanting to move to Charleston, SC, right? 

[Guest]

That sounds right.  I had it in my mind as Charleston or Charlottesville.  I think he might've said 'in ten years', too?  Still, 46 is a super early retirement.  And would they even be empty nesters, or just barely?  I guess he's supposed to be making millions a year, maybe.  I would be concerned about getting those kids fully educated before doing anything rash but he must have all that life minutiae pre-handled.  

I get tired of affluent people on TV being 'money is no object' level affluent.  I think it's handy for writers but pretty rare.  Many affluent people get there by being frugal and conservative with money.  

[Tara Ariano]

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

This Is Us Remembers William As He Lived

And brings us ever closer to the truth of Jack's death.

[MsChicklet]

I'm thinking Randall is probably the kind for whom retirement would mean setting up some kind of consulting business or something he could do on his own terms. If Beth goes back to her career, they could downsize for a move south and still live quite comfortably, especially if he has a buyout coming from this job he just quit.

[jhlipton]

16 hours ago, Cardie said:

I'm probably betraying my own biases toward practicality and making sure one has financial security. If I had been a dream follower, I would have tried to get a job in the entertainment industry, which I love following but am temperamentally unsuited for. I am lucky that a professor's life was perfect for me but I can't say it was my dream. I don't have kids but I would have encouraged them to play it safe too. Being raised by parents who lived through the Depression has that effect.

After a year grinding away at a dull computer programming job, I thought about being an artist professionally.  I decided I would rather have computers as a profession and art as a hobby than art as a profession and computers as a hobby!

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, MsChicklet said:

I'm thinking Randall is probably the kind for whom retirement would mean setting up some kind of consulting business or something he could do on his own terms. If Beth goes back to her career, they could downsize for a move south and still live quite comfortably, especially if he has a buyout coming from this job he just quit.

If they live in Alpine NJ, their house costs literally millions. Median home price there is like $3.5M. If they've been there for a while and sold, they could buy a place down south in cash. And he could always sell his $140K car. (I still think it's nuts to spend that much on a car, but hey.)

My dad is retired (in his 60s) and has a consulting business. Sometimes he works in his PJs at home and he definitely doesn't work as many hours as he did before retirement, but he enjoys it. I could see Randall taking some time totally off and then doing something with more flexibility like that.

[Portia]

On 3/7/2017 at 9:05 PM, mtlchick said:

I was hoping it was for the Arrested Development movie, he would be perfect for a slightly older Steve Holt! 

  Hide contents

 

[raises both fists] Steve Holt!

[Pallas]

On 3/12/2017 at 2:52 PM, chocolatine said:

The thing that bothers me about the pears is the inconsistency. In the pilot Randall's coworkers/subordinates brought him a cake and sang happy birthday. I believe the cake was even personalized. But now, for a much more solemn occasion, they send a much less thoughtful gift, because the show wants to justify Randall quitting. Lazy writing, IMO.

Randall's company may have been ambivalent about his new-found father, and how what this implied about Randall's backstory changed what they thought they knew of him. I speak as an adoptee. His colleagues may have forgotten or never known that Randall was adopted, until his white brother -- the Manny, no less -- turned up at the office, soon followed by the soft-spoken, self-possessed man who "gave him up." They may not know how they feel about being written in as witnesses to this intimate landmark in Randall's life, one that few or none had experienced or ever thought about experiencing -- until Randall did, right in front of them. 

This twist made Randall a bit "other" to his colleagues, and it did nothing for them. First William's presence altered Randall's obsessive focus on his work, then his illness precipitated Randall's breakdown. Randall's colleagues may even be ambivalent on his behalf, as well as their own. What right did William have to come into our Randall's life, only to up and die on him and upend everything? How should we commemorate the mystery man who took our rainmaker to Tennessee, and didn't bring him back?  

Poor Randall's company -- you're a TMI culture in a "This Is Us" world.   

[Guest]

So they tried to kill him with pears?  

[TomServo]

On 3/8/2017 at 0:33 PM, Good Queen Jane said:

I agree. I think they are going for the ultimate fake out, with Kate telling Toby that she was responsible for Jack's death just before they show Jack in the flashback tell teen-aged Kate he was taking her advice and going to make things right with Rebecca. I base this on the fact that Randall talked about Jack teaching all of the kids how to drive. If the kids had driver's licenses, they would have driven themselves to the party. I don't think they've turned sixteen at this time yet.

Yeah, based on:
- Kids didn't drive selves to party (although it appears they may still have only had one car and that could explain it)
- Jack taught kids how to drive
- Jack "loved to tell the story" about the first time Randall got behind the wheel

I concluded that Jack died sometime after the Big Three had obtained driver's licenses, which would have made them at least sixteen plus whatever amount of time would need to have passed for Jack's love of that story to have made an impression on people.  However, because there has been a lot of foreshadowing involving cars and drinking, my random speculation is that they may be headed for something like Jack died in an accident on the way to rescue Kate from some sort of scrape she'd gotten herself into OR Jack died in a car accident where Kate was the one driving.

[qtpye]

On 3/14/2017 at 9:00 PM, Pallas said:

Randall's company may have been ambivalent about his new-found father, and how what this implied about Randall's backstory changed what they thought they knew of him. I speak as an adoptee. His colleagues may have forgotten or never known that Randall was adopted, until his white brother -- the Manny, no less -- turned up at the office, soon followed by the soft-spoken, self-possessed man who "gave him up." They may not know how they feel about being written in as witnesses to this intimate landmark in Randall's life, one that few or none had experienced or ever thought about experiencing -- until Randall did, right in front of them. 

This twist made Randall a bit "other" to his colleagues, and it did nothing for them. First William's presence altered Randall's obsessive focus on his work, then his illness precipitated Randall's breakdown. Randall's colleagues may even be ambivalent on his behalf, as well as their own. What right did William have to come into our Randall's life, only to up and die on him and upend everything? How should we commemorate the mystery man who took our rainmaker to Tennessee, and didn't bring him back?  

Poor Randall's company -- you're a TMI culture in a "This Is Us" world.   

 

On 3/14/2017 at 9:11 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

So they tried to kill him with pears?  

This is so hilarious.  I can imagine Randall's bosses plotting on how to get rid of him and make it look like an accident.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 3/8/2017 at 0:53 PM, OtterMommy said:

I just finished watching and wanted to post my thoughts before reading the previous 4 pages because, well, you know...

Anyway, I did find this to be one of the more satisfying episodes of the season.  I will admit that this may be, in tiny part, because I spent 3 freakin' hours in a complete mess of a funeral last weekend, and seeing an actual functional celebration of a life (even if it was unrealistically pulled off by two little girls) to be a nice change.

I have read almost every comment, and I'm pretty sure you're the only one that mentioned the two girls unrealistically pulling off this event; each segment of that fun-eral took me completely out of the story.  They bought all the food and decorations, and arranged it attractively? Came up with the Blue Hawaiian drink (or whatever it was) in the special mugs with umbrellas and straws?  Bought "old man" hats for everyone?  Called Aunt Kate and gave her the specific balloon assignment? I guess we can handwave that Beth helped, but it was really an unbelieveable part of the story.  (And why on earth would Beth, Randall, or William have discussed William's favorite pot in front of the girls to begin with?)

On 3/11/2017 at 4:33 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Dan Folgelman said specifically that he dies when they're 16 or 17, which could take us up to summer 1998.

And we're back to my usual complaint - please, showrunners, show respect for your viewers and their time by telling the story you want to tell within the show.  Don't make us seek out supplemental content to solve your twists and mysteries.

Edited March 26, 2017 by MaryPatShelby
Because it's supplemental *content*, not contact.

[Clanstarling]

24 minutes ago, MaryPatShelby said:

And we're back to my usual complaint - please, showrunners, show respect for your viewers and their time by telling the story you want to tell within the show.  Don't make us seek out supplemental contact to solve your twists and mysteries.

Amen. Foreshadowing is for the episodes (and they foreshadowed the timing of Jack's death when Kevin was talking to that widow). It's like reading a book. I don't want to read commentary at the end of each chapter, about the author plans to do with the arcs of the characters in other chapters, or give hints about what's going to unfold. The writing should stand on its own.

Which is why the only thing I read about shows I'm watching are the recaps/reviews. I don't even watch previews at the end of the shows.

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, MaryPatShelby said:

And we're back to my usual complaint - please, showrunners, show respect for your viewers and their time by telling the story you want to tell within the show.  Don't make us seek out supplemental contact to solve your twists and mysteries.

Word.

One of my biggest complaints about any show is when I have to concoct my own dialogue or narration to understand what is going on.  When I first had to do this for TIU (when Kevin went to Sloane's for dinner and her sister was there, but didn't her sister just have a baby?) it was such a small thing that I brushed it off.  But then it kept happening...

One of my other biggest complaints about shows is the idea of "cannon."  With a few exceptions (the Marvel shows being the ones that come to mind, and Marvel is really unique in that), I truly believe that everything that happens in the show should *happen in the show.*  No viewer should be expected to do their own research.  We should never have to assume that things happen because either that's the only way to fill in the gaps from A to B or because someone associated with the show said it to TVLine.  We should not be expected to read TVLine or EW or whatever so that we can understand the shows we watch.  

The way I see it, Dan Fogelman has about 40-45 minutes once a week, 18 times a season, to tell his story.  If he can't do it in that amount of time, then he needs to rethink his story or rethink his episode order.

Quote

I have read almost every comment, and I'm pretty sure you're the only one that mentioned the two girls unrealistically pulling off this event; each segment of that fun-eral took me completely out of the story.  They bought all the food and decorations, and arranged it attractively? Came up with the Blue Hawaiian drink (or whatever it was) in the special mugs with umbrellas and straws?  Bought "old man" hats for everyone?  Called Aunt Kate and gave her the specific balloon assignment? I guess we can handwave that Beth helped, but it was really an unbelieveable part of the story.  (And why on earth would Beth, Randall, or William have discussed William's favorite pot in front of the girls to begin with?)

Oh yeah, I rolled my eyes at the fun-eral, although it was also a pretty small suspension of disbelief for me within the context of the whole show.  I'm a girl scout leader and I know exactly how things turn out when girls Tess and Annie's age plan things.  And it is not like....that.  I guess it is because I do like T&A (more than once ,they've been my favorite characters in an episode) that I was willing to let it go.  

That being said, I would have had a much easier time believing Kate's meltdown if she were in charge of an entire party instead of 50 balloons. And, yes, Kate realistically could have been the one planning the fun-eral.  Randall probably was not in the best frame of mind for it, we knew that Beth's plans were...different. Kevin had his opening-again-and, well, he's Kevin.  But Kate's job is to be an assistant and to make things happen for other people.  She also seemed to be in the flashbacks, the one kid who had to be the calm in the storm of the big three.  Randall could be falling apart, Kevin could be having sex, but Kate was always there, doing nothing more shocking than wearing too much eyeliner.

[OtterMommy]

47 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I like it when they clarify things in the media, though.  Sometimes they think something was clear within the show but some viewers didn't get it.  Why not clarify it?  It helps solve the debates that occur here and elsewhere.  Like some people thought the teen actors might've been portraying the triplets over age 21, which I think would've been kind of ridiculous.  

 

Taking this to the Unpopular Opinions thread (I'm not sure if that is the right place for it, but it might be the best option...)

[Katy M]

49 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I like it when they clarify things in the media, though.  Sometimes they think something was clear within the show but some viewers didn't get it.  Why not clarify it?  It helps solve the debates that occur here and elsewhere.  Like some people thought the teen actors might've been portraying the triplets over age 21, which I think would've been kind of ridiculous.  

Plus it encourages fans to read the interviews and watch the after-show and all, if they're dying for more info.  It gives TV an interactive nature it didn't used to have.  You can choose your anvil weight.  Heh.  I'd rather that than even more anvils included in the show itself.  

Clarifying an age, or something that the writers thought should have been clear, and they meant it to be clear, in the first place is one thing. But, we really ought to be able to understand the entire show, just by watching the show.

[Katy M]

40 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

But is there really anything in this show that is not understood enough to interfere with the stories?  Even if you missed that it was the teen actors in that funeral scene (which I think you'd have to have not been watching, in which case you probably don't care about the 'when'), it doesn't change the story or make anything confusing.  I think in shows like Lost or whodunits where you're analyzing tiny details, it's important to clarify when a detail is misunderstood.   But this show is done in such broad strokes, there aren't a lot of details that are crucial to not miss, are there?  

I don't think there is really.  I've never watched any of the aftershows, or pay attention to anything the actors say, and I know what is going on just fine.  The funeral scene was quick and maybe a little blurred due to artistic reasons or whatever, but I never thought the kids were supposed to be in their 20s.  18 tops.  But, I also think that since we haven't been told exactly when he died, it's OK to speculate either way.  Speculation is half the fun.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 3/28/2017 at 1:41 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

But is there really anything in this show that is not understood enough to interfere with the stories?  Even if you missed that it was the teen actors in that funeral scene (which I think you'd have to have not been watching, in which case you probably don't care about the 'when'), it doesn't change the story or make anything confusing.  I think in shows like Lost or whodunits where you're analyzing tiny details, it's important to clarify when a detail is misunderstood.   But this show is done in such broad strokes, there aren't a lot of details that are crucial to not miss, are there?  

I wish I had saved the episode with the funeral scene to rewatch. What I noticed and what I recollect is that the silhouette of Kate was much closer to her size now than her size (that we've seen) at age 16, and her hairstyle appeared to be adult Kate's, not teen Kate.  So I come here, and everyone is saying the kids were 15 or 16, and that's not what I saw at all.  So yeah, I think not being clear interfered with my understanding of the story.

[chocolatine]

30 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

 

Love this pic!

[Kohola3]

The casting director really did a great job with these three.  They really look like relatives.

[qtpye]

That picture is adorable.

[Toothbrush]

*Just caught this episode - binge watching*

They got me twice this ep - the mailman*, and Beth's postcard; just teary-eyed, not the ugly cry of "Memphis". BTW, Beth's dress needs to be a part of my wardrobe now! And Sloane's. 

I hope Kevin does not turn down a chance to work with Ron Howard. Sophie should be aware that an actor's life can be itinerant, although since Kevin cheated on her while he was away on location I can understand. I have a feeling he will come to the noble conclusion that love trumps stardom, and realize that deep down inside he never did want to be a superstar anyway. Off-Broadway plays that mean something are his destiny! He is St. Jack Pearson's son, after all. </cynicism off> My money is that he takes the Opie Cunningham job, Sophie can't deal with another separation, and Kevin departs NYC for LA, only to have Sophie follow him to LA weeks later. Bonus drama points if Kevin has already moved on from the "love of his life", &/or Kate, unaware that he & Sophie had gotten back together in NY, opens the door when Sophie shows up on Kevin's doorstep.  Although for maximum rom-comness, Sophie needs to show up at Kevin's door and recite her 3 sentences. Verbal punctuation optional. After Katie Couric in "Memphis", I wondered if the call was a dream too at first. 

Glad Randall & Rebecca made up. It was a nice scene, and I'm glad that Randall had enough time with William to know he loved him & was loved by him. I can't even imagine how much keeping that secret tore Rebecca apart with guilt & fear for all those years. However, Mandy Moore has way more chemistry with the younger sets of actors than with the adult ones. Or it may be the unconvincing aging make-up and the fact that I am never unaware that she is younger than SKB, Chrissy, & Justin. Sorry Mandy but you're not that good of an actress to make me forget. 

Kevin thinking that Randall was pranking him when Ron Howard called was cute, and typical. Glad that he & Randall are in a good enough place that he would expect that kind of joking. All of the sibling interactions in this epi worked for me. Of course Toby had to make an inappropriate penis joke. And Toby's padding looked really obvious to me in the scene with him & Kate in their hotel room (the scene when she told him Jack's death was her fault - poor Kate!; not the ordering balloons scene) Speaking of jokes, I thought Sophie bringing a crutch to the play was adorable. The M&M "pills" were cute & the Blue Hawaiian misunderstanding was hilarious. I think Annie & Tess are sweet & adorable, but I'm glad it was made clear that though the ideas for the fun-eral were mostly theirs', they had adult help in executing them. They were getting thisclose to being too precocious. 

I thought that the mailman* & Jesse's stories were going to factor into Randall's "toast", so I was surprised when he handed the (pink karaoke!) microphone to Beth. Then of course the meaning became clear when he quit his job. I know I do not live in magical "This Is Us" land, but if Dr Toothbrush quit a mid-high 6 figure, possibly low 7 figure income job, and we had not agreed to it, I would not be amused. But I agree that it was the right decision, and was all, "you go Randall!" during the scene, however unrealistic.

*If I may also share a personal story. In 2009 Dr Toothbrush & I bought a house 1.5 blocks away from his grandparents. We always loved the neighborhood but 20 years ago when we bought our first house, there was no way we could have afforded to buy here. Anyway, Grandma Toothbrush died in 2011, and 2 years later Grandpa Toothbrush moved into an assisted living facility. A few months later, the maillady rang our bell with a registered letter for Grandpa. I was surprised that she knew we lived here (same last name but it is a very common one), & she said that Grandma told her all about us moving here, and how she was so happy that her great-grandchildren were only a block away. She told me that she missed talking to Grandma & Grandpa. So while William was written as eye-rollingly too good to be true, as others have noted, we often times make a positive impact on others without realizing it. And probably why I teared up at the scene with the mailman. 

Edited April 2, 2017 by Toothbrush

[debraran]

On 3/14/2017 at 9:11 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

So they tried to kill him with pears?  

that line got me...that went from the cruelty and backstabbing of his kind of work to a new level..did he forget or just not care? That's how it is sometimes in his field though, my niece left a big job at a top DC company because of the long hours, no life and "it's never enough" attitude of most. A pay cut and new job made her feel alive for the first time in years and no more headaches or anxiety issues. I hope Randall finds a good niche for him and his family. Being frugal, I'm sure he's invested well.

[biakbiak]

On 4/2/2017 at 4:41 AM, debraran said:

that line got me...that went from the cruelty and backstabbing of his kind of work to a new level..did he forget or just not care? That's how it is sometimes in his field though, my niece left a big job at a top DC company because of the long hours, no life and "it's never enough" attitude of most. A pay cut and new job made her feel alive for the first time in years and no more headaches or anxiety issues. I hope Randall finds a good niche for him and his family. Being frugal, I'm sure he's invested well.

I imagine he did not have a clue what was sent.

[debraran]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I imagine he did not have a clue what was sent.

I'm glad he told him though, apathy is never a good thing at work either but it's all producing usually, not empathy.

I loved an interview with him when he told of how his dad died when he was 10 and he wasn't taken to the hospital because he was considered too young. The scene with his TV father and him holding his face in his hands, was emotional for him because he saw his own father also. Very moving scene.

[Kelly]

On 3/8/2017 at 8:02 AM, mojoween said:

Beth's dress at the "fun"-eral was gorgeous and I don't know why it's not in my closet.

 

On 4/1/2017 at 11:13 PM, Toothbrush said:

BTW, Beth's dress needs to be a part of my wardrobe now!

I'm late to the party...just finished binge watching the last few episodes and reading the different threads.  :)

In terms of the dress, you guys may have already figured out that Beth's dress was a DVF dress (Penelope Colorblock Wrap Silk Jersey Maxi Dress).  You may be able to find it still...on clearance.  It was available not that long ago at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman (limited sizes/clearance).  The DVF website (or stores) may still have it available.  Or use ShopStyle to create an alert.  :)

[Empress1]

Kevin and Randall live in and near NYC as adults. Randall worked in NYC & lives in Alpine (there was a piece of mail in the "fun-eral" episode that showed his address); Kevin moved to NYC. The sibs were raised in Pittsburgh, where I believe the mom still lives. Kate lives in LA.

[biakbiak]

On Thursday, August 03, 2017 at 0:37 PM, Empress1 said:

The sibs were raised in Pittsburgh, where I believe the mom still lives.

If so they are really bad at geography because it's been shown more that they live close enough to Randall that they can just swing by when it's 6ish hours.

[Katy M]

On ‎8‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 11:50 PM, biakbiak said:

If so they are really bad at geography because it's been shown more that they live close enough to Randall that they can just swing by when it's 6ish hours.

I only remember them "swinging by" once.  And they said they were going to a play in the city that night.  Every other visit has seemed planned.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I only remember them "swinging by" once.  And they said they were going to a play in the city that night.  Every other visit has seemed planned.

Kate was staying with them when she and Rebecca went to the see the doctor about her options, they then went by Rebecca and Miguel's  (he was in the front yard)  house and still made it to Randall's by dinner. Kate also came over to babysit the girls at one point and Randall swung by the house to tell Rebecca that he didn't want to talk to her after he found out about her not telling about William. So more than just once. None seemed to be a  6 and a half hour drive much less 13 hours round trip.

They haven't mentioned where Rebecca and Miguel's live but it doesn't seem to be Pittsburgh.

[Katy M]

9 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Randall swung by the house to tell Rebecca that he didn't want to talk to her after he found out about her not telling about William.

Didn't they come from the cabin when they did that?

[Guest]

On 8/9/2017 at 9:57 PM, biakbiak said:

Kate was staying with them when she and Rebecca went to the see the doctor about her options, they then went by Rebecca and Miguel's  (he was in the front yard)  house and still made it to Randall's by dinner. Kate also came over to babysit the girls at one point and Randall swung by the house to tell Rebecca that he didn't want to talk to her after he found out about her not telling about William. So more than just once. None seemed to be a  6 and a half hour drive much less 13 hours round trip.

They haven't mentioned where Rebecca and Miguel's live but it doesn't seem to be Pittsburgh.

Also, Kevin swung by the day of his play in NYC to talk to his mom about his nerves.  

[LisaM]

Quote

Like some others who've posted, I had random people (a gardener in one case) come up and tell me what a hell of a guy my Dad was, and what he meant to them. My take is that whoever wrote this is sharing that experience of finding out your family member actually had other people who cared for him/her. It's kind of cool, actually, to get a different perspective. Plus, I thought the actor who played the mailman acted the shit out of that brief scene. Made me tear up to see him tearing up.

When my dad died suddenly and I was calling people to let them know, I was struck by the reaction from some of the "acquaintances" in his life. I expected his family and close friends to be distraught but was blown away by the level of distress coming from people like his barber, his seamstress, the receptionist at the doctor's office and the hostess at a restaurant. It was truly a testament to the fact that my dad was nice to everyone and treated everyone with respect. 

I cried ugly tears at least 5 times during this episode. It resonated deeply with me - manipulative or not. Randall having the opportunity to spend meaningful time with William and to say goodbye was priceless; I only wish I had had the opportunity.