S01.E18: Moonshadow

[AmandaPanda]

Quote

Jack heads to Cleveland to make things right with Rebecca on the night of her first big gig with the band. Randall, Kate and Kevin make big decisions about their futures.

Season finale!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Promo:

[Jillybean]

I am simultaneously looking forward to and dreading this episode.

Side note: why only 18 episodes? Is this considered a "full season order" these days? What happened to prime time seasons consisting of 22-26 episodes?

[Aloeonatable]

The creators actually wanted to have only 16, but the network wanted more. They compromised by having 18. A normal season is usually 22.

[CofCinci]

For those that called Vietnam.  You win.

Uneventful finale.  I didn't even reach for the tissue box.

Edited March 15, 2017 by CofCinci

[Armchair Critic]

I kept waiting for Jack to die...ACK! Sorry Rebecca but I'm more sympathetic to Jack. 

[mtlchick]

Well then.  As soon as they said "poker game" I KNEW it wasn't going to end well.  And any show that decides a poker game is the best way to show someone desperate to win money in a short amount of time, it loses points.  So BOOOO to you show!

 

Then the irony comes that the first time they laid eyes on each other is pretty much that sort of drove them to the brutal fight. When you're cringing throughout because how it reminds you of your parents fighting, then they did do a good job.

 

Then he says "I love you, our story is just beginning" and walks out the door.  Well that was bleak.

 

Interesting season.  Let's see how they will sustain these with a two year renewal. 

[SimoneS]

This show. They faked us out twice, first suggesting we would find out how Jack died in this episode and then with the blind date. Regardless, I have never been so glad to be wrong about Jack dying driving drunk.

The fight was so real and painful to witness. I cannot blame Rebecca for wanting a separation. The kids are not going to be happy coming home to discover their father has moved out.

You could tell that something bad was going to go down at that poker game.  I was holding my breath. I figured that they would set up Jack to win the first few games and then take it all from him. Jack walked away sooner than they thought he would. So hearing Rebecca sing is why Jack didn’t go through with the robbery.

I know that Randall has a lot of money, but he is unemployed so how are they going to adopt?

Edited March 15, 2017 by SimoneS

[CleoCaesar]

This is some seriously dragged-out shit. WTF, This Is Us.

[Dreamboat Annie]

Nope.  Nice try, but...nope.  I STILL LOVE JACK.

[CofCinci]

2 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

I know that Randall has a lot of money, but he is unemployed so how are they going to adopted?

Beth is still an attorney.

[Neurochick]

1 minute ago, CleoCaesar said:

This is some seriously dragged-out shit. WTF, This Is Us.

Ugh, I can't stand depressing cliffhangers.

[CofCinci]

1 minute ago, Dreamboat Annie said:

Nope.  Nice try, but...nope.  I STILL LOVE JACK.

Yep. Nice try -- but then Jack winked.  All bets off.  Still rooting for him.

[milner]

When they came out of the poker game I was yelling "Run"!!

[againstthewind]

Realistically, I know why they didn't tell us how Jack died. However, I'm pissed we didn't even get a crumble of a hint.

Still cried though, when Jack was lamenting how he was a good person that didn't get breaks, and then at the end when he told Rebecca that she was his big break. And yes, that fight was a great bit of writing. It was incredibly uncomfortable to watch.

Marry me, Milo.

Edited March 15, 2017 by againstthewind

[Artsda]

At the end, I was kind of "that was it?" This is Us? 

The fight was pretty realistic. Very well done.  I think I'm Team Jack on the whole thing. I think Rebecca took out her own anger on herself for Jack being right about the ulterior motives of her bandmate out on Jack. 

Randall wants to adopt like he was? I'm glad Kevin didn't say no to Ron Howard and went to LA. 

Can Kate even sing? 

I kept expecting Jack to die, so I'm glad he didn't. 

[J0nas3]

They tried to leaven the one cliffhanger with Randall's adoption wish. That feels a bit more positive.

[methodwriter85]

I want 46-year old Rebecca's skincare regimen. Like, NOW. Wow, did she look amazing in that 40's glam look.

Congrats to everyone who called them not actually killing off Jack.

Maybe Rebecca and Kate can become the Judds?

[J0nas3]

2 minutes ago, milner said:

When they came out of the poker game I was yelling "Run"!!

Jack was all, "Be cool." Then he walked all of five feet before getting excited.

[Crs97]

3 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Can Kate even sing? 

Toby got her the one-time singing gig at the nursing home.  I seem to recall she was pretty good.

[betha]

gonna stick up for Rebecca here. He endangered himself and the family by drinking (and covering it up for weeks), and started a bar fight, plus he said what she is doing isn't a career. On her side.

the Buffy poster threw me off. One thing about being (close to) the same age as the kids, the little anachronisms throw me off. Buffy didn't start until 1997. The kids were born in 1980 but I thought they were supposed to be 15 when Jack died ? 

(Maybe they never actually said that, just hinted?)

Edited March 15, 2017 by betha

[Thalia]

3 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Can Kate even sing? 

She sang a Cyndi Lauper song to great acclaim at a nursing home earlier in the season. 

[CofCinci]

Just now, betha said:

gonna stick up for Rebecca here. He endangered himself and the family by drinking (and covering it up for weeks), and started a bar fight, plus he said what she is doing isn't a career. On her side.

the Buffy poster threw me off. One thing about being (close to) the same age as the kids, the little anachronisms throw me off. Buffy didn't start until 1997. The kids were born in 1980 but I thought they were supposed to be 15 when Jack died ? 

It was the Buffy film poster and not a poster for the series.

[betha]

Just now, CofCinci said:

It was the Buffy film poster and not a poster for the series.

Aha thank you! That makes me feel better. 

[methodwriter85]

4 minutes ago, betha said:

gonna stick up for Rebecca here. He endangered himself and the family by drinking (and covering it up for weeks), and started a bar fight, plus he said what she is doing isn't a career. On her side.

the Buffy poster threw me off. One thing about being (close to) the same age as the kids, the little anachronisms throw me off. Buffy didn't start until 1997. The kids were born in 1980 but I thought they were supposed to be 15 when Jack died ? 

No, it's the movie Buffy, which came out in 1992 and co-starred T.V.'s hottest teen, Luke Perry. It's actually a really great reference, because the movie gained a cult following on VHS during the early/mid-90's.

Edited March 15, 2017 by methodwriter85

[Lady Calypso]

That...that was it? 

It was very underwhelming. The creators, cast, and crew promised that it would be heartwrenching. Besides the intense one shot fight, I felt about the same as I usually do during the episode--with no tears. I did think the fight was very well done. I saw both sides of the argument and am on both sides. Seriously, I'm giving a little love toward Rebecca because I think she's entirely warranted to feel like she's giving up a lot of her dreams for Jack, just like Jack feels like he's the sole provider that helps them all out. Jack may be right, but Rebecca is not wrong. He did put down her feelings by telling her that her singing is not a career, something she's heard her entire life, it seems. 

I mean, I called the blind date fakeout and knew that they wouldn't be meeting each other. I assumed Jack's blind date was going to be one of Rebecca's friends, probably Katherine, the one played by Sara Paxton (blonde chick). I knew that Jack wouldn't go through with stealing the money either. 

I swear if Kate feels guilty because she found a way to encourage her father to win back her mother or something....

So, Kate wants to sing now? Come on, show. I'm very much into the arts, but we have way too many singers, musicians and actors for TV characters. Why not come up with something different? We also just witnessed Rebecca's flashbacks to her living out her dream. I'm 0% interested in Kate becoming a singer. 

Randall wants to adopt. It makes sense, and I'm sure there'll be complications with Randall not having a job anymore and still dealing with the loss of William, but I get it. 

I kind of missed Kevin's dialogue in his scene, but I'm guessing he told Sophie that he was going to LA to audition for Ron Howard's film? Maybe? 

Yeah, very underwhelming finale. I guess I was wrong about them giving us one piece of information as to how Jack would die. Even a when would have been nice.

[Armchair Critic]

I hope this show hasn't peaked already....

[mtlchick]

Quote

Congrats to everyone who called them not actually killing off Jack.

It was "spoiled" a while ago by the producers and Mandy in interviews that you would not see Jack die this season.

[Thalia]

So we probably have another year, at least, to find out how Kate "killed" Jack.  A pistol at 20 paces?  In the library with a rope?  A stiletto in the rib cage? 

2 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I kind of missed Kevin's dialogue in his scene, but I'm guessing he told Sophie that he was going to LA to audition for Ron Howard's film? Maybe? 

Kevin told Sophie that he might not even get the job, and she said "don't be silly, I hope you do."  Kisses, I love yous, Sophie looking sad as Kevin rides off in Ron Howard's limousine.  

[Guest]

I'm glad they didn't have him die driving to/from Cleveland.  But now I'm really curious how it is Kate's fault.

Team Jack.  Sorry that your life isn't perfect, Rebecca. If you have no life or no fulfillment, take a pottery class. Join a book club. Do something to develop your life instead of feeling like you'll only ever be fulfilled by doing a career that so few are able to really make a living off of. 

[betha]

1 minute ago, deaja said:

Team Jack.  Sorry that your life isn't perfect, Rebecca. If you have no life or no fulfillment, take a pottery class. Join a book club. Do something to develop your life instead of feeling like you'll only ever be fulfilled by doing a career that so few are able to really make a living off of. 

Pretty sure that is exactly what she's trying to do! I think the tour was going to be fulfilling for her. 

[CaliCheeseSucks]

6 minutes ago, Thalia said:

So we probably have another year, at least, to find out how Kate "killed" Jack.  A pistol at 20 paces?  In the library with a rope?  A stiletto in the rib cage? 

 

Slipped on a banana peel that Kate dropped on the floor.

[methodwriter85]

1 minute ago, betha said:

Pretty sure that is exactly what she's trying to do! I think the tour was going to be fulfilling for her. 

It was until Hazel's dad planted a big one on her, though. I think it was doomed from the start because he was expecting something from Rebecca.

[Neurochick]

I found this episode a bit boring, but I loved the very last shot with Rebecca baithed in light.  Maybe that's Jack's light, because I think when he walks out of the house, that will probably be the last time Rebecca sees him.  

Jack and Rebecca had a serious fight the night before but when Jack left the next day, he wasn't mad and neither was Rebecca.  They left in a good place.

It was ironic that Jack yelled at Rebecca for wanting a singing career when the reason he met her was because of her singing career.

Edited March 15, 2017 by Neurochick

[Literata]

10 minutes ago, Armchair Critic said:

I hope this show hasn't peaked already....

The argument was uncomfortably realistic to watch. I cringed when Jack made fun of Rebecca's desire to sing. I know he was hurt, but that was pretty low.

The rest of the episode? Meh. 

Edited March 15, 2017 by Literata

[kat165]

Jack could very well walk out that door and head to a bar instead of Miguel's and then be killed in a drunk driving accident. I didn't really care that we didn't find out. I am not looking forward to the death scene. I barely survived William's. And missing last wk's ep I'm kind of glad I didn't see the memorial or funeral or whatever they had for him. I wish they'd never hinted that he died which just pisses me off. I like him so much more than Rebecca although I sympathize with her. Which: the kids are teenagers. Why not get a part time job?

I really do not like these eps where we only see for the most part only 2 of the characters or one group of the characters for the entire ep. And I really dislike Mandy Moore so any all ep past ep bugs.

[mtlchick]

Quote

Pretty sure that is exactly what she's trying to do! I think the tour was going to be fulfilling for her. 

I'm betting that next season is going to be exploring why Rebecca gave up on her dreams.  Jack was seen here at 28 and we "met" the couple when he was turning 36.  So they'll need to start fleshing out the 7 year gap as to when Rebecca said "Ok, I'm done" and Jack managed to find some sort of stable job. 

[SuzieQ]

So, on one hand, it was a very solid episode but as a season finale, it seemed a little weak!  This might be a small consolation prize but I'm thrilled that Jack didn't die in a drunk driving incident on the way to see Rebecca.  No matter how he dies, it will suck, but that just seems like it would have sucked worse.

Edited March 15, 2017 by SuzieQ

[Amethyst]

Am I slow, or did they not reveal how Jack actually died?  WTF?  They could have done a two-parter!

Honestly, feeling kind of let down by that finale.  Felt like a bunch of set-up that added up to very little.  It was nice seeing how Jack and Rebecca met and everything, but come on.  We already know he's going to die when the kids are young, so they need to quit dragging it out.  I figured that Jack had ripped off the bar, ran the skeevy poker dudes years later after Rebecca's recital, they recognized him, and killed him.  Yeah, I know it's far-fetched.  Ugh, I hate cliffhanger finales.

That argument was a great scene between Mandy and Milo.  Felt very real.  But I hope they work on the vernacular next season.  The constant "Really?  Seriously?" stuff from Mandy feels tonally out of place.

Figured Randall was thinking about a baby when he was looking at the pictures, but it didn't dawn on me that he wanted to adopt.  Can't blame Beth for looking skeptical.  She's just getting back to work after maternity leave, and for all we know, she's doesn't want any more kids.  Not to mention her husband being newly unemployed.

Hope Kevin gets the part and that ends the Great Romance that isn't.  That said, it's nice that Sophie supports him getting the role, assuming he does.

So Kate's assistant job is no more, which is really disappointing.  I think they could have done a lot with that and they just axed it.  It's definitely more interesting than her budding singing career.

Not a bad finale, but I was expecting more.  Definitely felt more manipulative than the others.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

So lackluster.

I was really expecting it to be extremely sad.

I did like a few things. How meeting Rebecca kept Jack from robbing that bar. How Randall wants to adopt. The end speech from Jack. The fight between Jack and Rebecca. Those were good things. But, I at least thought we'd get a hint as to how Jack passed away. Maybe we did though...Maybe that mob guy from the poker game found him and killed him because he turned back to gambling? Maybe he dies on the way to Miguel's...Who knows.

I feel like there was some kind of foreshadowing there at the end when he said "It's not over. Our love story is just beginning" and then Becky looked at the necklace and the light hit it. That maybe, just maybe Jack was on the road at that very minute and got in an accident.

Also. I'm pretty sure they left us hanging because they didn't want a "Twin Peaks effect" where the biggest mystery of the show was revealed at the end of season 1 and season 2 failed because of that.

 

I'm gonna tune in this fall. And, I hope others keep watching as well.

[Bringonthedrama]

6 minutes ago, Thalia said:

So we probably have another year, at least, to find out how Kate "killed" Jack. 

I will guess he's focused on something/going somewhere, she begs him to drop everything and either get something for her or come get her when she's feeling emotional in a moment of  teen crisis, and he dies en route, or on the way home. 

[elle]

Who was the actor playing Derek?

Was it my imagination or was the signature missing from the record label rejection form letter than Rebecca received? 

It was kind of nice to not have a gut wrenching episode, a break as it were.

[Diana Berry]

I usually don't mind spoilers and watch this show on demand.  But since the finale decided to stay up and watch it.  Now I'm asking myself why.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

I think this may become the new "Who Shot JR"

Remember how season finales had cliffhangers before the "Shonda Rhimes effect" took over.

[methodwriter85]

1 minute ago, elle said:

Who was the actor playing Derek?

Was it my imagination or was the signature missing from the record label rejection form letter than Rebecca received? 

It was kind of nice to not have a gut wrenching episode, a break as it were.

I honestly thought it was Miguel until Jack called him "D."

Adoption agencies are sure going to be lined up for a guy who no longer has a job and recently suffered a mental breakdown!

[WhosThatGirl]

That was anticlimactic. Look I knew going in we wouldn't get anything real regarding Jacks death but this episode was just.. eh for me. 

I did like the fight between Jack and Rebecca and true things were said. Obviously the anvil is that Jack said their love story is just beginning, the kids were teens when he died (the funeral scene we saw with Kate's brief flashback and I still stand by when Kevin said "15s tough" to the widower at the wake he went to) and so.. foreshadowing. 

I knew Rebecca's blind date wouldn't be Jack. I was thinking it might be Ben for a second and then I thought maybe it would be Miguel or Jacks blind date would be Miguel's wife. But whatever. 

I was bored. I'll still be here next fall though.

[Luckylyn]

Jack has good qualities but there are chauvinist tendencies with him sometimes.  Jack does not take Rebecca's contribution to the family as a stay at home mom seriously.  He fixates on his being the provider and what sacrifices he has made while belittling what Rebecca gave up to raise their children.   He spent their money in previous episodes and made unilateral decisions about where they would live. He goes overboard with jealousy and should trust Rebecca more. He doesn't seem to want to understand what singing means to Rebecca and how much she missed it.  He probably works late nights for his career and has times when he can't be there leaving Rebecca with the bulk of handling the kids but resents when Rebecca works.  He shouldn't begrudge Rebecca wanting to persue a career she dearly wants especially since the kids are older and don't need her to be as hands on.  He doesn't seem to comprehend at all that Rebecca is a person separate from him and the kids with her own needs and dreams.   He's a good partner when Rebecca follows what he wants but can't handle her wanting other things for herself.

 I do wonder if jealousy is a factor in Jack's resentment in Rebecca going after her dream.  He gave up the chance to start his own business for the sake if the family finances and is jealous of the idea that Rebecca might achieve her dream on a subconscious level.

[Autumn]

I think the writers are going to regret setting up Jack's death as some major mystery  It works in the short term but it is not a good long term plan.  They can either drag out the reveal until people get angry and frustrated enough to stop watching or they can reveal it and leave some people feeling like they lost the thing that was compelling about the show.

I think they both had good points in the fight but until Jack stops drinking she is right not to want him in the house.  I thought the acting was great this episode but I wasn't anywhere close to tears.

[elle]

2 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

I honestly thought it was Miguel until Jack called him "D."

Adoption agencies are sure going to be lined up for a guy who no longer has a job and recently suffered a mental breakdown!

Sorry, it is "Darryl".  CC just corrected to me.

I thought it was Miguel too until I saw them standing together.  Milo and Jon Huertas are closer to the same height.

[againstthewind]

1 minute ago, Luckylyn said:

Jack has good qualities but there are chauvinist tendencies with him sometimes.  Jack does not take Rebecca's contribution to the family as a stay at home mom seriously.  

I agree entirely, but wasn't that kind of the prevailing attitude at the time? Rebecca and Jack are/were 10 and 15 years older than my parents, respectively so I genuinely don't know.