S01.E18: Moonshadow

[HeyThere83]

25 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Aside from the Miguel thing because that still feels off. And I do adore Jack, I just feel like Rebecca gets so much hate for everything she does. Maybe it's a sexiest thing as it's bugging me so much for some reason.

Personally, I think a lot of times....there is this belief that if a man doesn't treat you like crap, then you need to be thankful, grateful, lucky, never complain, be content with what you have, etc. If Jack wants to be a superhero fine...but that doesn't mean Rebecca is going to want to follow suit.

[truebluesmoky]

Jack literally stood his blind date up and Rebecca is getting crap for ending hers early?

[luna1122]

Oh,  Jack was an asshole for standing his date up too.

[Pallas]

44 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

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.

I think Jack does take Rebecca's contribution seriously -- perhaps too seriously; he sees motherhood as Rebecca's sole identity as well as her vocation. It's her sacrifice that he doesn't see as on a par with his own. And it isn't on a par; it's entirely different. Jack's sacrifice is enacted daily and it's rest, a business of his own, more time with the children, a little time alone with Rebecca, any time for recreation. Rebecca's sacrifice is compounded daily and it's freedom, work out in the world, more time free of answering to others, a little time alone with Jack, any time to pursue a passion. It's the anxiety she still feels as a reluctant mother, seemingly trapped back into her own mother's role. Trapped by living up to love. 

[Trooper York]

Rebecca running out on the blind date to sing kind of told us what she was about. 

She was just reverting to form. 

The parallel with her running out on the family to sing sort of hit you on the head with an anvil.

She had three teenagers who were going to college in a year or two at most. All at the same time. Her idea to contribute is to go fulfill herself by singing in dive bars while the piano player sticks his hand up her dress like they were a ventriloquist act.

Good luck with that toots.

Oh and Jack blowing off his date. Hey he was planning a heist. That takes precedence. At least he didn't decide to go back to robbing bars now that his kids are grown. Just sayn'

Edited March 15, 2017 by Trooper York

[shoregirl]

15 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

 

And while Rebecca has made mistakes, she clearly loves her husband and her children.  She's done the best she can.  She doesn't deserve to be vilified for that.

I agree. At least her mistakes aren't illegal. The drinking and driving was awful. I was hoping Jack would get pulled over and arrested with all those opened beer cans in his car. To me this was one of worst things on the show all season. Its criminal and he could have very well killed someone .

Edited March 15, 2017 by shoregirl

[breezy424]

I haven't looked at all the posts so maybe I'm repeating.  I just don't like the episodes that zoom in on one or two characters.  It just gets kind of boring for me.  And the poker scene?  Yawn. 

Jack and Rebecca are both right and wrong. 

The twists were so predictable (who had a date with who and Jack not dying).  And as the finale....it was extremely disappointing.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, betweenthebanter said:

Randall wanting to adopt is a storyline I though they might do one day, but I'm surprised that it is already going to happen next season. I wonder if this is going to cause conflict between Randall and Beth. We don't know how their working situation is going to be in the future and she wanted to go back to work full time.

Maybe Randall will stay home with the baby.

[WhosThatGirl]

1 minute ago, truebluesmoky said:

Jack literally stood his blind date up and Rebecca is getting crap for ending hers early?

We'all everything Rebecca does is evil! Don't you know? 

And I agree with others that it is the show that makes Jack a saint, he gets the big nice speeches of grand love and Rebecca got to say "maybe you should leave" moment. This whole speech he made at the end of the episode was nice and lovely but it probably negates the fact that he said awful things to rebecca the night before.

Also Rebecca's parents weren't picture perfect either. Her father as she said in the football episode, pretty much ignored her and her sister and her mother as we know was very passive aggressive towards her constantly. And maybe Jack does have a problem but I too agree with Rebecca it's a very easy excuse for him to say something like maybe he has a problem (now, after years of nky drinking). 

[voiceover]

ThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGodThankGod

I simply could not have borne Jack's death this day, this month, this season.

[luna1122]

1 minute ago, Trooper York said:

Rebecca running out on the blind date to sing kind of told us what she was about. 

She was just reverting to form. 

The parallel with her running out on the family to sing sort of hit you on the head with an anvil.

She had three teenagers who were going to college in a year or two at most. All at the same time. Her idea to contribute is to go fulfill herself by singing in dive bars while the piano player sticks his hand up her dress like they were a ventriloquist act.

Good luck with that toots.

Yikes.

My objection to Rebecca running out on her date is that it was all so cheesy. That's pretty much always my objection to this show. Jack not even bothering to show up for his blind date because he was suddenly presented with a more tempting offer, and save him from a life of crime, or whatever...also cheesy. Asshole moves on both their parts, but you know, it's all for true love, or something.

Rebecca is not running out on her family just because she wants to take a couple weeks to go do the thing she loves. NOT go do the piano player, who she immediately shut down. Jack's out getting drunk at a bar (where he's also hit on by the office chick) but somehow Rebecca is a mercenary delusional slut? oh, okay.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I thought that Jack's father might take his money when we first saw it as "rent" and then I briefly feared he might take his poker winnings.

I was wondering how Jack could fund a date after losing all his money.

There was no way that their blind dates could be with each other. Jack was set up with the granddaughter of Mrs. Peterson's friend. Rebecca was set up by her own friend, not her grandmother.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Pallas said:

I think Jack does take Rebecca's contribution seriously -- perhaps too seriously; he sees motherhood as Rebecca's sole identity as well as her vocation. It's her sacrifice that he doesn't see as on a par with his own. And it isn't on a par; it's entirely different. Jack's sacrifice is enacted daily and it's rest, a business of his own, more time with the children, a little time alone with Rebecca, any time for recreation. Rebecca's sacrifice is compounded daily and it's freedom, work out in the world, more time free of answering to others, a little time alone with Jack, any time to pursue a passion. It's the anxiety she still feels as a reluctant mother, seemingly trapped back into her own mother's role. Trapped by living up to love. 

This is so true.

8 minutes ago, breezy424 said:

I haven't looked at all the posts so maybe I'm repeating.  I just don't like the episodes that zoom in on one or two characters.  It just gets kind of boring for me.  And the poker scene?  Yawn. 

 

Yep!

And I don't have a problem with Rebecca singing. It's her insistence that she has zero life except singing. Develop a hobby that isn't going to be just a two week tour. And also, if you've been consistently singing three nights a week, drop the "I'm such a boring martyr of a mom that I'm only up this late if I'm watching ER!"

[Pallas]

6 minutes ago, luna1122 said:

Oh,  Jack was an asshole for standing his date up too.

He had a bar to knock over! Rebecca was just bored to tears by a man who didn't see her.

[sarthaz]

I adore this show, but all of the bait-and-switch stuff is really annoying.  The pilot was very clever, and there have been a few nice moments of surprise, like Kevin picking his ex-wife, but the last two episodes have been a whole lot of "Look how clever we are.  Didja see what we did there?  Didja?"  Enough already.  I often think of this show in terms of Six Feet Under, in the way it handles a diverse familial cast and raw emotional issues, and this nonsense reminds me of when the latter series started trying to make every opening death a shocking bait-and-switch.  Cut it out.  This show is great, and they can still sneak in a nice little preconception-based surprise, but the way they framed this whole arc with Jack's drunk driving was obnoxious.

[pennben]

Quote

Is it too late to kill off Rebecca instead of Jack?

I'm fine with the order, but for the fact that his early death has set up Jack as a Saint for not only his children, but also the writers of the show. Bleh.

Edited March 15, 2017 by pennben

[buttersister]

Clean-shaven Milo. That is all.

Except for Randall wanting to adopt a baby.

[memememe76]

We have seen Jack twice show an interest in starting a business. It appears that those dreams are sidelined in some manner both times. Jack sees Rebecca get back to her dream, and there may be some resentment there. If Rebecca got a call from Ron Howard in the middle of the night, would Jack feel any better because she would probably earn a good amount of money?

I also liked how Rebecca snuck in those comments about Jack deciding to adopt Randall and buying the house. And the quickness of Jack's sobriety 7 years ago. 

I was wondering if Rebecca's blind date is someone who Randall knows through work, a real big shot nowadays.

I loved Kate's smile when she announced she wants to sing. She knows people in the industry. She can do jingles. I want her to succeed so much. Maybe she can find Ben, who is a hotshot.

[Gemma Violet]

Add me to the list of those who were disappointed.  Everything I'm thinking has already been said.  I kept waiting for something huge to happen, it being the big cliffhanger and all.  

And yeah, Kate is becoming boring to me and Singing Kate sounds even more boring.

I'm so glad Kevin didn't turn down Ron Howard.  

I'm not even looking forward to Randall becoming a dad again.  

[DayGlorious]

SO GLAD this one's over.

@Trooper York has said so much of what I wanted to say about Rebecca. Her woe-is-me martyr routine is OLD, not to mention delusional. What exactly did she give up for Jack and the kids again? A "career" singing at open-mic nights where no one gets paid and crummy yinzer bars where the crowd DGAF, and future Stepford wife friends who cast pity on her for being in her early 20s and unmarried. Wow, what a sacrifice. Of course, singing in Ben's crappy band is the ONLY way she could find some meaning in her life. (And I don't buy for a second that she didn't know how Ben...I mean, Boner felt. Not only did she know, but she liked the attention.) Volunteering, going back to school, *gasp* getting a job -- nope, no one EVER did that in the 1990s. As for having no life, that is the sum total of being rude, obnoxious, condescending, and/or cruel to almost every single person who crosses her path, including her husband and the biological father of her adopted son (who she hunted down, not once but twice, for the express purpose of treating him like crap). Everything about Rebecca screams "high school mean girl who never really grew up." It's fitting that even Kevin, who puts up plenty of behavioral parallels as evidence that he inherited her awfulness*, does not appear terribly close to her. 

* I'm thinking specifically of Rebecca's preggo liquor-store scene vs. Kevin's diner-booth scene and her persistence in finding William vs. his in reconnecting with Sophie. 

Edited March 15, 2017 by DayGlorious

[cali1981]

I like this show as much as anyone but have been annoyed at the increasing time devoted to the Jack/Rebecca back story at the expense of the current characters.  I'm not sure what the writers were thinking about when the entire season finale was almost exclusively about J/R with only a few minutes about the siblings and even that was part a flashback.  Hopefully, next season, Jack's death will be covered early so that the show can focus on the living.

[3 is enough]

Well, shit.  I am not looking forward to Jack's death, but how long are they going to string us along? Seriously, they risk alienating a lot of viewers if they drag this out much longer.  I usually check here before I watch but tonight I chose to remain unspoiled.  Guess it wouldn't have made a difference.

I do think the bright light was foreshadowing the fact that Rebecca will never see Jack alive again.  But now I have to wait 6 months to find out if I am right.

Not the best finale, that's for sure.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Trooper York said:

What was lame was that Rebecca wouldn't admit that Jack was right all along about the piano man's motives. 

She told him Ben tried to kiss her as soon as he asked what happened, she was then rightfully disgusted that the man who she had been with for 20 plus years didn't trust her enough to know she would rebut the advances of a dude making a pass at her.

[Pallas]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Maybe the writers of the show have mother issues?  (As do I, so this is not meant to be flippant.)  And that's why the scales seem to weigh so heavily in favour to Jack over Rebecca?

Our culture has a mother issue. A "bad father" is usually judged as such because he is a bad man, in the world as well as in the home. A "bad mother" is often judged for the sins of the father or the failures and frustrations of her children; a "bad mother" is seen as worse than a bad man. As a culture, beyond sentiment, we suspect mothers for giving more than they take, and fear their wrath; we resent mothers for protecting us, or allowing us to come to harm, and are repelled by their anxiety; we hate mothers for our own feelings about mothers.

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Maybe Randall will stay home with the baby.

That would actually be interesting, and something that really hasn't been done too often, Mr. Mom notwithstanding. I sure as hell hope Beth reminds Randall that she's not interested in being a full-time stay at home mother to a baby all over again.

[Dowel Jones]

Quote

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

That's correct, but there might be a reason.  Danielle Bauman, who "wrote" the rejection letter, is the script supervisor for This Is Us.  I just had to check that name when I saw it.  Call me obsessive.  Anyway, it's possible they didn't want to show her signature in case someone out there took a screen shot and used the signature for no good ends.  Or, it could be that she, as the head of A&R at Electra, dictated the letter and the assistant mailed it without a signature.

Chrissy Metz sings with her band, so I assume she does have a good voice.

The way that Rebecca was holding the necklace at the last scene gives me thought that Jack's death happened shortly after their fight.

As soon as Jack won the big pot, I was thinking "bait game, bait game."  They let him win one with the idea that he would stay in and try to do it again, while the big dogs gradually cleaned him out.  Leaving after one hand upset their apple cart and they weren't going to let that happen.  I wonder how long his buddy tried to keep the bartender on the phone before he realized there was no joy coming his way. 

[bros402]

Jeez, that episode was boring. Might've been good as like a penultimate episode or something... but they had like 2 minutes, max, of the present day stuff.

[dwarmed]

22 hours ago, Ryan Chamberlain said:

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.

Actually, Twin Peaks failed because they DIDN’T reveal the biggest mystery at the end of season 1 or the beginning of season 2. They waited until well into season 2 to show who killed Laura Palmer and people were sick of it and dropped off. That said, I don’t think people watch This Is Us for mysteries to be solved.

I don’t get how Jack is such a saint. Jack is very good at giving speeches, but the speeches don’t mean jack when his actions are not at all supportive. When it comes to something his wife wants to do for herself, not something he wants to do (like having a house and kids), he fails miserably. If she gets fulfillment out of singing locally a few nights a week or going on a short tour, I don’t think that’s unreasonable of her to ask and it’s totally out of line for him to shit all over it. She wasn’t asking to move to LA to get a recording contract. Then, he shows up at her gig, drunk, jealous and violent (before he even knew what Ben did). On top of that, he suggests Rebecca would cheat on him if she had the chance, when we have never had any indication that he has reason to believe that. I am not at all impressed by him as a husband. He’s only supportive if Rebecca is following HIS goals and dreams and HIS idea of what she should be. When the shoe was on the other foot and Jack wanted to risk the family’s future by starting his own business, she was supportive. She didn’t tell him he was ridiculous.

As far as Jack being a better person than Rebecca? The drunk driver who risks killing other people on the road will never be the better person, no matter how many nice speeches he makes. The only thing that counts are actions.

[talktoomuch]

1 hour ago, dwarmed said:

I don’t think people watch This Is Us for mysteries to be solved.

Or wouldn't have if the show runners didn't deliberately set up and tease the Is Jack Dead/How Did Jack Die cliffhanger all season.

3 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I do think the bright light was foreshadowing the fact that Rebecca will never see Jack alive again.  But now I have to wait 6 months to find out if I am right.

That scene was so unsubtle it was more like a fore-total eclipse than a foreshadow.

[Luckylyn]

I don't understand why Jack acts like it's so confusing and horrible that Rebecca wants to sing a few evenings a week and go on just a two week tour.    He want's her to be content only being devoted to him and the kids with no thought for what she might want for herself.    The children are older and as a result Rebecca is left with more time on her hands.  So it makes sense that now's the time for her to revisit the dream of singing that she put aside.   What exactly does Jack want Rebecca to do with her time now that the kids are needing her hands on less and less?

Jack can be funny, romantic, devoted, and charming.  He is also a steamroller of a person.  He very much gets his way and Rebecca tends to give in to what he wants (having kids when she wasn't sure she was ready, down payment on an apartment Rebecca had warned him they may not be able to afford, taking a loan and putting the down payment on their house and then informing Rebecca after the fact, adopting Randall immediately after losing a child) .  I can understand Rebecca's mixed feelings about her life as a stay at home mom when she wasn't even sure if she wanted to be a mother in the first place.  Now that the kids are getting older and in a couple of years gone to college, Rebecca is trying to figure out what to do with herself, and Jack refuses to see her needs.   He acts like it's a betrayal for her to want something that doesn't go along with his plan for their lives.  I think it's a betrayal to Rebecca that Jack is so resistant into supporting her dream when she supported his dream of having children, living in the house he choose, and staying home with the kids.  She's been living Jack's dream for a long time and now when she wants him to take a turn supporting her he can't handle it.

I do think there's an element of "How dare you pursue your dreams when I gave up mine to provide financially for this family?" in Jack's anger over the situation. 

Edited March 15, 2017 by Luckylyn

[msrbley]

Sorry if this has been mentioned but Jack lied to Rebecca. His blind date was at 7:30.  The register opened at 8:30.  He told Rebecca he stood up his blind date when he heard her sing.  

Randall's recent mental breakdown is going to be a hurdle to adopting but his father dying and his unemployment are not a problem. 

[CofCinci]

53 minutes ago, msrbley said:

Sorry if this has been mentioned but Jack lied to Rebecca. His blind date was at 7:30.  The register opened at 8:30.  He told Rebecca he stood up his blind date when he heard her sing.  

His blind date was with Lady Law because there's no way the robbery would have been successful. 

[Katy M]

15 hours ago, msrbley said:

Randall's recent mental breakdown is going to be a hurdle to adopting but his father dying and his unemployment are not a problem. 

That would depend on how much money they have saved up. He said he wanted to adopt a baby, not an older child.  Adopting an infant is expensive.  Considering the fact that a few weeks ago he was freaked about how he would be able to retire when and where he wanted if Beth were pregnant, they may want to go the older child route.

I don't think I really liked this episode.  First of all, I like it better when they intermix present time and the flashbacks.  Second of all, we already know Jack dies and they are milking it too much.  Unless something really surprising happens there's no need for all the suspense on the matter.  I, for one, don't really care all that much how or when he dies.  And, then the end, where the kids' choices get ranked as good (Kate deciding she wants to be a singer), bad (Kevin trying out for that movie role) and amazing (Randall wanting to adopt a child) seem not quite right to me.  We've seen that Kate is extremely self-conscious up in front of other people.  I am, too.  I would never choose a career in which I would have to be up in front of people.  And Randall should not be making yet another major life-changing decision right now.  There's only so much change a person can handle at once. Especially a person who has a history of breaking down when overloaded.  I can't yet decide if Kevin's decision is a bad one or a good one.  I'm kind of leaning towards bad, but I'm not sure why.  It's because I'm assuming Sophie is more important to him than his career, but then I remember that the reason that this is a bad idea is because he cheated on her before, so how important can she possibly be to him if the big worry is that he will do that again?

[DeepPoet117]

Randall and Beth are going to adopt a boy and name him Jack William (or William Jack) aren't they? As far as there being hurdles to the adoption, they just have to show that they can financially support themselves, which it appears that they can, especially if Beth is working, and his psychiatrist will probably need to provide a note saying that he's fit to adopt. That's one storyline I am looking forward to in the next season. It could bring in more flashbacks of the baby's birth family and why the birth parents decided to place for adoption.

Jack and Rebecca's story this episode was underwhelming, mainly because they hyped up his death so much. I do agree with the poster who said Jack walking out that door was the last time Rebecca saw him alive. Maybe Kate calls him and asks him to come pick them up from the sleepover or something? Would Jack have had a cell phone or car phone in 1996 or whenever that was?

I'm really glad Kevin decided to go meet with Ron Howard. I think career wise, it's a much smarter move than staying in NY and trying to get work as a theatre actor. I really don't care about Kate and Toby and Kate's potential singing career that seems really random.

[sadiegirl1999]

Quote

I would be okay with a so-so episode and a break from crying, except that this was the season finale.  We know that they can bring it, and I wish they had ended the season with a much more emotional and compelling episode than this one.

I agree.

They really sort of shot themselves in the foot by overselling it.

Yes we are all hooked and yes we're coming back in the fall to watch it.

But instead of getting "ZOMG I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL FALL", they're getting a lot of "well, I guess we'll see what happens in the fall".

[Haleth]

I was so ready to learn how Jack died.  On the way to Rebecca's show?  Nope.  On the way home from Rebecca's show.  Nope.  After their fight?  Nope.  On the way to Miguel's?  TBD  The continual dangling of Jack's death in our faces was distracting from the rest of the show.  As well acted and heart tugging as the fight scene was I still came away feeling cheated.  It was heavily suggested we'd get answers last night.  (I don't read spoilers.)  Not only didn't I cry, I was sort of pissed off.  Perhaps that's my own fault for expecting something that didn't happen, but when they show a funeral scene during the promo, I expect to see a funeral.

And not enough Randall and Beth.

I will miss the show until fall and look forward to its return.

[captain1]

I guess from reading these comments that my opinion will be unpopular, but I don't care that we didn't learn how and when Jack dies in last night's episode.  I love all these complex characters and love to see all the interactions between them, past and present.  I will watch this show until it ends, I'm sure.  I'm invested in these characters and their lives.

[Katy M]

2 minutes ago, captain1 said:

I guess from reading these comments that my opinion will be unpopular, but I don't care that we didn't learn how and when Jack dies in last night's episode.  I love all these complex characters and love to see all the interactions between them, past and present.  I will watch this show until it ends, I'm sure.  I'm invested in these characters and their lives.

The only reason I care that they didn't show how Jack died was because they're milking it.  We already know he died somewhere in the kids' late teens.  Let's just get it over with and move on with other issues.

Actually, one thing I would like to know is if Kate actually told Toby the story, or if "it was my fault," comprised the whole conversation.

[DayGlorious]

Said this once in UO, but have felt it even more in the last few episodes...I don't care how Jack dies. The dogged insistence on dragging the audience along week after week, trying to make his death into a "who shot JR" or "who killed Laura Palmer" moment at the expense of better character development and continuity, is off-putting. It makes every hat trick and twist feel forced and schmaltzy. And the drop-off in plot quality after the Memphis episode tells me that the gimmicks are really all this show has going for it. 

Edited March 15, 2017 by DayGlorious

[JudyObscure]

9 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

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?

But, but, the people who are creating and writing this show are in show business and they think we all must  find it as fascinating as they do.  After all The Arts and the people in The Arts are the most important people in the world and they alone cross borders with their work and teach us all how to think and live.  I learned this by watching the Academy Awards.

So Rebecca, you would have Celine Dion's career if only people didn't keep standing in your way.  Your friends were right.  I remember my son getting the, "Only one baseball player in 10,000 makes it to the major leagues," speech from his grandfather when he was 18. I don't know why people think they get to have other people support them while they do whatever they want so long as they frame it as, "Following my dream." 

Jack has been the most romantic, devoted, loving husband and father on earth for 15 years.  One night he gets drunk, punches a loser who made a pass at his wife, and Rebecca says she doesn't want to talk about it -- he's getting kicked out.  Has she just been waiting for an excuse all these years?  And can someone tell me why, no matter who it is who wants the separation, it's always the man who has to leave the home? Jack built, paid for and kept up the repairs on that house for 15 years and now it's 100%  Rebecca's house.  If they must be apart for awhile, she can get in the car and rejoin the "tour," while Jack stays home with the kids.  The kids wouldn't even have to know the marriage was rocky.

I've been watching this show all season for Kate's story.  Some people have complained that it's all about her weight, but I was interested in that story.  Chrissy Metz said she promised to lose weight for the show and I wanted to see that happen.  We saw her give up on her weight loss group, binge because Toby ate cake in front of her, discuss surgery with a doctor, and get a little anger out at camp.  Those were all short snippets and if she's learning things from these experiences it isn't clear what exactly.  I'm not really interested in her relationship with her vulgar fiancé or her career that seems to be all about aggressive phone skills.  I wanted the weight loss story and didn't get it so I don't think I'll be back next season.

[ShadowFacts]

Re the fight:  I think both were releasing pent-up frustrations in a realistic way (we've all probably lived some version of this), and both got in some low blows.  The one that stands out most to me was Jack saying Rebecca singing covers in bars made her a joke.  I liked that the next morning she told him not to apologize, they both meant the things they said.  But then it got unrealistic to me, with Jack's grand speech.  I just did not buy that.  At that point, he did not need to be on the way out the door to Miguel's.  He should not have been orating about how the kids will be fine with him gone.  That was just melodrama and I did not like it.

Other false notes were how Jack went from good guy trying to do right, to would-be robber, despite his expository speech.  People don't just do that.  Also, Mrs. whomever's remark about how he wasn't messed up in the head like other Vietnam vets, bugged me as too on the nose. 

A small thing I did like was that Rebecca was singing "Moonshadow" before they met, and its probable relation to her necklace. 

[MyAimIsTrue]

After the emotional power punch of the previous two episodes I found the finale lacking in both substance and interest.  Oh well, can't win 'em all.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

Jack has been the most romantic, devoted, loving husband and father on earth for 15 years.  One night he gets drunk, punches a loser who made a pass at his wife, and Rebecca says she doesn't want to talk about it -- he's getting kicked out.  Has she just been waiting for an excuse all these years?  And can someone tell me why, no matter who it is who wants the separation, it's always the man who has to leave the home? Jack built, paid for and kept up the repairs on that house for 15 years and now it's 100%  Rebecca's house.  If they must be apart for awhile, she can get in the car and rejoin the "tour," while Jack stays home with the kids.  The kids wouldn't even have to know the marriage was rocky.

I think it was more about the ugly things said during the fight, not the fact that he did that the one night.  She belittled him as a person and he struck back in kind by making fun of her singing dreams.  However, he had been supportive of her singing 3 nights a week, so it rang hollow to hear her talk about how she had a boring life and did nothing. I think overall, it just is irritating that she acts like her life has no fulfillment because her dream didn't come true - Jack has sacrificed his dreams to and his actually had a chance of being successful.  He found fulfillment in the hours he wasn't working - being with Rebecca and the kids. So for her to say she had no life when he felt they had made a nice life probably really hurt and that's why he lashed out against her singing.

[PRgal]

10 hours ago, MelGoLightly said:

I've concluded they are in spring 1996, making the kids 16 going on 17. This is based on a number of factors, but specifically the registration sticker on Jack's wagon expires in 96 at the beginning of this episode. I'll be over in the minutiae thread if you need me...

Actually, that would make them 15, going on 16.  They were born in 1980.

[Good Queen Jane]

I wonder if a lot of the Rebecca hate out there comes from the fact that we know she married Miguel. Would feelings be the same if present day Rebecca was the noble widow, keeping the flame alive for Jack?

I like Rebecca. But that being said, when Jack winked at her at the end, I screamed: "Don't let him walk out, you idiot!'

[sarthaz]

I would love the irony of Randall staying home to raise the kids after never watching his brother's show about a man raising kids.  Maybe Ron Howard's movie role is for a guy who interprets weather patterns to sell commodity futures!

[llewis823]

I was disappointed only because the show was hyped so much as the finale and that "something" was going to happen. I do not care that it was not the details of Jack's death, and I really did think the beer cans in the car and Kate's guilt were red herrings and that would not be the way/time he died. The "something" I was waiting for was something out of left field - anything out of left field. But nothing drastic unless you count Jack & Rebecca separating as the cliffhanger.

That being said, I thought the episode itself - had it been one other than the season finale - was very well done. I thought the argument/fight was very realistic. I could see both sides. 

Kate singing? Her character is just too all over the place. 

Randall wanting to adopt a baby? As another poster said - just too many major life changes to be doing that. It would be like people who get bunnies for their kids for Easter and then the newness wears off and they have to try to find them a home. Not that Randall would ever change his mind about an adopted child and halt the adoption, but I meant he initial hype to adopt is like the bunny comparison.

Kevin - glad he is going to the meeting with Ron Howard. Sophie seemed supportive. I am glad he did not give up that opportunity because of her. If it's meant to be, they'll work it out no matter where he is or what either of them do for a living.

and last but not least - did you notice how greasy Sophie's hair looked in her goodbye to Kevin before he got in the limo? What is it about these characters and the greasy, dirty-looking hair? Jack is a good looking guy but every single thing I've ever seen him in (Gilmore Girls included) he wears his hair so it looks stringy, greasy and just "icky". Now Sophie too. Bet Mandy Moore's hair will never look like that...just sayin'.

[sarthaz]

4 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

I wonder if a lot of the Rebecca hate out there comes from the fact that we know she married Miguel. Would feelings be the same if present day Rebecca was the noble widow, keeping the flame alive for Jack?

I like Rebecca. But that being said, when Jack winked at her at the end, I screamed: "Don't let him walk out, you idiot!'

I'm sure that's part of it.  I also think Mandy Moore is being totally outclassed by Milo, and that's making it difficult.  He's bringing so many layers to every scene, and she often just brings a shrillness to Rebecca.  It makes her a little difficult to like, because I'm not feeling her depth.  So often I just get cold resentment from her.

[tribeca]

9 hours ago, truebluesmoky said:

Jack literally stood his blind date up and Rebecca is getting crap for ending hers early?

I was half joking in my statement.   I am not on team Jack or team Rebecca.  I would date Evan though  

Their fight was real and difficult to watch. Both jack and Rebecca said hurtful things.  Once they said them even if an apology is made you can never take those words back. 

[vendredi3]

So many wrong moves tonight.

When you win big at a poker table, you don't immediately walk away. You keep playing, betting as little as possible and folding often, to retain your winnings.

When you want to make a move on your married ex-whatever-she-was, you don't do it before the show when she's jittery. You wait until after the show when you're both basking in the glow of a great performance.