S02.E13: That'll Be the Day

[ChicksDigScars]

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My first time watching Grey’s Anatomy was the Super Bowl episode—the one with the bomb inside the Civil War reenactor. Even though I didn’t know any of the characters, I really enjoyed it. It inspired me and the hubby to go back and binge-watch the entire show.

Yup. And I also remember the Friends episode that came on after the Super Bowl (1996), whenever I see the episode in syndication. They loaded it with guest stars (Brooke Shields, Chris Isaak, Julia Roberts, Jean-Claude Van Damme). The post Super Bowl show is always supposed to be a heavy hitting, showcase episode, so I'm thoroughly prepared to be slapped upside the head, gutted, and spit out. 

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The conversation between Randall and Kevin about Jack being gone longer than they had him -- gah! That was a huge thing for me after my father's death (he died when I was 15). And then again when I turned 39 (my dad died when he was 38). And so on... I watched the end of the episode, but couldn't stomach watching the preview. For the most part, this show doesn't make me overly emotional, but Jack's death may be the one thing that does, only because of my experience of losing a parent at a young age. I feel like the writers have done a somewhat decent job with how the kids deal with it. It is hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it.

On the 6th, I will turn the age that my mother was when she died from cancer. I was thinking about it just last week. It just seems strange that she was MY AGE. So, yeah, we think about things like that when you lose a parent fairly young. 

Edited January 24, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[ShadowFacts]

10 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

Next Tuesday is the State of the Union Address, so had it aired at the normal time it would have been on the 6th of February.  We actually get to see it earlier.  Plus, there is a tradition of airing "special" episodes following the Superbowl.  It must work or the networks would abandon the practice.  

Can someone please tell me what the note from Charlotte said?  I was not quick enough to read it.

I will defend poor George.  Given that he was older in 1980, he probably grew up during the Depression.  Those folks kept and reused everything.  The crockpot may have had a wonky switch, but in his mind it was still perfectly usable.  He was just being nice to the young couple across the street.

I will not make any predictions- just watch as it unfolds.  This show loves red herrings too much- I think there will be one or two more before we learn how Jack died.

And George was right, it was perfectly usable, the Pearsons used it for a good 17 years.  The wonky switch worked until it didn't, could happen with any appliance. 

All I can remember from the Charlotte note is words to the effect of good luck with your recovery.  I'll give her points.  A lot of people previously posted about what a nasty thing it was for her not to send the necklace back as soon as she found it, but as others have said, she didn't have an address.  And was probably a little bitter, which isn't totally unwarranted.  Even Kevin thought he had something to make amends for, and he did. 

[AriAu]

Quote

I can totally see airing an episode post-Superbowl in order to gain more viewers, but man, airing this episode? The one that (presumably) will spoiler the thing that every episode to this point has been leading to? Kinda sucks for that new viewer who wants to catch up, lol.

I cant imagine that anyone will have this episode be the first they watch...but what do I know!

[wilnil]

Jack's steno pad being in his personal effects may make sense now that we see he used a page from it to write the note to Kevin. Those pads are just about the right size to tuck into a back pants pocket, so assume that's what he did after writing the note, then either he still had those pants on when he discovered the fire, or he simply put that pair back on when he got out of bed.

Also, while I'm not speculating about whether or not this will happen, if Rebecca has held on to that pad in the years since, someone might be able to reconstruct Jack's last note by going over the page that was underneath with light pencil.

[Sandman]

One other detail that I loved was where the Pearson Property Brothers are doing their slo-mo hero stride down the apartment corridor, Randall somewhat ostentatiously rolls his sleeve up past his bicep, and Kevin clearly notices out of the corner of his eye. Kevin slowed his eyeroll, you might say. I laughed out loud at that. Such a pure "these two are clearly siblings" moment.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Sandman

[gonzosgirrl]

40 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

Next Tuesday is the State of the Union Address, so had it aired at the normal time it would have been on the 6th of February.  We actually get to see it earlier.  Plus, there is a tradition of airing "special" episodes following the Superbowl.  It must work or the networks would abandon the practice.  

Can someone please tell me what the note from Charlotte said?  I was not quick enough to read it.

I will defend poor George.  Given that he was older in 1980, he probably grew up during the Depression.  Those folks kept and reused everything.  The crockpot may have had a wonky switch, but in his mind it was still perfectly usable.  He was just being nice to the young couple across the street.

I will not make any predictions- just watch as it unfolds.  This show loves red herrings too much- I think there will be one or two more before we learn how Jack died.

Dear Kevin, Got your letter. I found your pendant. Glad you're sober. - Charlotte

[Arcadiasw]

5 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

 

I know George meant well, or maybe he just over-valued his stuff,  but he makes me mad, as do all the people who put their old crock pots on e-bay this morning.  If your electrical appliance has a faulty switch or shoots sparks, don't give it to someone, or only use it when you're home, (how did that work for Jack?) throw it in the trash.  Why would you give a fire hazard to a soon-to-be busy young mother, George? It's all small appliances.  A few years ago it was a hot plate in Brooklyn that killed seven children.

If people are putting old crockpots on eBay after this episode, they are missing the point. 

George reminds me of people who don't want to be the one to get rid of their junk. You have to do it for them. 

It's ironic Jack can fix things but in 18 years never fixed the faulty knob on the crockpot. 

We'll have to wait and see but how many fire alarms are in the house? A house with stairs would have them on all floors and were the alarms on both floors in need of new batteries or was the one downstairs the only one out? 

Edited January 24, 2018 by Arcadiasw
Adding comment about batteries

[AuxArx]

I unplug everything possible when not in use--crock pot, tea maker, hair dryer, toaster...

Fire is a crazy thing...when my sister's house burned down years ago, most of the front rooms melted (the fire started outside near the front door), but farther back, especially if the doors were closed, things were only sooty and smoky.  She managed to save several pieces of furniture, books, some dishes, etc.  So maybe Kate's tape, since it was closed up in the cabinet, will survive.

[Dowel Jones]

And on the lighter side:

"We can't have sex in the office.  That would be unprofessional."

[mtlchick]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

I don't remember Kevin on crutches or with a cast

He was.  Which is why once we started getting more scenes with him in the cast, I started mentally preparing for the worst.  It takes what, 2 months at most to heal a broken bone if it was a clean break? 

[Pallas]

1 hour ago, ForeverPluto said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Kate went back in the house or even stayed in her room a little too long trying to retrieve that tape and Jack ended up dying trying to save Kate. 

Breaker problem/short in the crockpot/FIRE cuts off the electricity; the VCR won't eject the tape? Kate is delayed just that long, that her rescue becomes much much difficult..? Sounds good. But I think that would be played for drama, rather than seal Jack's fate. That has to involve the dog.

 

42 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

The one that (presumably) will spoiler the thing that every episode to this point has been leading to? Kinda sucks for that new viewer who wants to catch up, lol.

This is the episode that this show will be known for. More than the pilot, more than its last. The showrunners have set themselves the task -- on Super Bowl Sunday, when family gatherings are frequent and family nostalgia is high -- of portraying the death of a middle-aged father with three teen-aged children. Part of that task will be to tell a story that is terrible and, in the end, universal. Maybe even transcendent. I think we'll be shown that Jack's death is not painful for Jack himself, that he is at peace as he perceives another way of being. I also bet that we'll see everything to do with football for Jack and his family, including more of his backstory.  Perhaps even with a flashback to the Pearson forebear who unpacked his rugby ball the day he set foot in the U.S.

[ShadowFacts]

There were a lot of touching moments in this episode, but for some reason one that grabbed me was the red kitchen towel that started to spread the fire was apparently one in Rebecca's Christmas present that had jewelry hidden in it.  And I have had kitchen towels longer than 20 years, some I rotate in infrequently because I don't want to wreck them.

[gonzosgirrl]

24 minutes ago, Pallas said:

This is the episode that this show will be known for. More than the pilot, more than its last. The showrunners have set themselves the task -- on Super Bowl Sunday, when family gatherings are frequent and family nostalgia is high -- of portraying the death of a middle-aged father with three teen-aged children. Part of that task will be to tell a story that is terrible and, in the end, universal. Maybe even transcendent. I think we'll be shown that Jack's death is not painful for Jack himself, that he is at peace as he perceives another way of being. I also bet that we'll see everything to do with football for Jack and his family, including more of his backstory.  Perhaps even with a flashback to the Pearson forebear who unpacked his rugby ball the day he set foot in the U.S.

I completely agree with your assessment of the episode's potential as the pivotal one of the series. That just makes it odder still, that it's one they've pretty much guaranteed will be watched on PVR/demand, maybe even more than 'live', given the lateness of the hour and the uncertainty over what time it will air. I'm not saying it's unwise, from a business perspective, just that it's maybe a little bit unfair, both to day-one fans who've been waiting for this moment, and to potential new viewers who will experience the climax without the foreplay, so to speak. :)

[RedbirdNelly]

I'm sure I'm repeating because I've not had time to read all 5 pages, but:

* I truly enjoyed Property Brothers: This Is Us Edition. Beyond the shallow side, it was also nice to have a light moment. For a minute there I thought "maybe this will just be a light, happy episode"

* I'm so glad Kevin got the tags back--and I was tearing up already and lost it when he turned over his list and "Dad" was listed

* I had to remind myself as the flames went up "these are not real people" because it really upset me to see those memories and moments burn. . .

[InsertWordHere]

4 hours ago, Mrs. DuRona said:

Sorry, gotta be the Debbie Downer nitpicker here, but Betty Crocker has nothing to do with crock pots (aside from having slow cooker recipes).

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/12/what-is-a-crock-pot_n_6443398.html

Not being a downer at all. I just couldn’t think of a slow cooker name for Kate to use like Randall used the fan name, so I went with Betty as the other poster had used it. My slow cooker is Hamilton Beach so I guess she could name something Hamilton. 

[Mldh598]

13 hours ago, HighHopes said:

Maybe Jack doesn't run back in to get the dog, but to get Kate's audition/application tape? They made a point to show him putting it in the cabinet when he was cleaning up. The dog has to play into it somehow, but maybe it's not The Reason for his death? 

I'm glad you mentioned this - I find that I'm always watching for the little cues now because they seem to "mean" something later. I noticed that Jack putting her tape away "seemed" like a moment or something we need to remember. But, I can't imagine Kate wanting him to go back for that, and I'm not sure that would be in Jack's range of thoughts at the moment, so I'm stumped. LOL

[AriAu]

Quote

That just makes it odder still, that it's one they've pretty much guaranteed will be watched on PVR/demand, maybe even more than 'live', given the lateness of the hour and the uncertainty over what time it will air. I'm not saying it's unwise, from a business perspective, just that it's maybe a little bit unfair, both to day-one fans who've been waiting for this moment, and to potential new viewers who will experience the climax without the foreplay, so to speak. :)

Maybe they will run it again in the regular slot so that they can rip your heart out all over again.

[meep.meep]

14 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Also, something that stood out to me. When Randall and Kevin are talking in the apartment, Randall mentions something about Jack's list of people to make amends to. I don't think we've ever seen that scene happen, so perhaps it's a hint toward Jack surviving long enough to see his kids? 

 

When you are in a 12 step program, you have to apologize to everyone you hurt when you were using.  Jack had a list from AA, just as Kevin does now.  I'm sure the kids saw their father's list.

I just this morning threw away a 25 year old coffee grinder that broke.  My food processor is at least 40 years old.  Why get rid of something that works?

Jack didn't turn the crock pot off, he accidentally turned it to Low.

[seasquared]

14 hours ago, Lovecat said:

Not to mention that if you live in the winner’s market (::coughPhiladelphiacough:: ::waves little Eagles flag::), isn’t there a good chance of the show being pre-empted by local news coverage? That happened on Sunday when the Eagles won, and I missed the first 40 minutes of the premiere of The Resident.

I feel ya Lovecat, it's gonna be so tough for all of us Pats fans because there is NO WAY our local affiliates aren't going to break in to scheduled programming to broadcast the GOAT getting his 6th ring! ; )

[Sandman]

3 hours ago, ForeverPluto said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Kate went back in the house or even stayed in her room a little too long trying to retrieve that tape and Jack ended up dying trying to save Kate

Somebody (Jack, I think) was definitely shown placing the tape carefully in the new wall unit. Who knows, maybe Jack's construction mojo saves the tape, and it's retrieved from the wreckage?

I was pretty sure I saw the light on the crock pot go off. I thought he turned it off -- otherwise, why would George's specific warning that the switch was unreliable be necessary (from a dramatic point of view)? No backstory on the crock pot is needed if the user just failed to turn it off.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Sandman

[Katy M]

3 hours ago, ForeverPluto said:

I agree. I did notice last night that there was a lot of emphasis on that audition tape. It makes me wonder if it's the tape rather than the dog that someone went back in to get. I wouldn't be surprised if Kate went back in the house or even stayed in her room a little too long trying to retrieve that tape and Jack ended up dying trying to save Kate. 

If that's what happened, then his death really is her fault.  I'm not sure why she would be the only one blaming herself, as it seems the whole family would.

[Madtown]

You could give me 5 years to prepare for the next episode and I still wouldn't be....

 

Edited January 24, 2018 by Madtown

[Jax7917]

No doubt the fire happened , but something tells me he doesn't die directly in the fire . The way the producers/ actors have been talking about his death , they made it seem like you'll never guess what happened and that there's more to it 

[kissedbyarose]

Well, I for one am thankful for a new episode airing after the Superbowl. It’ll wash the taste of watching the Pats/Eagles out of my mouth. #GiantsFan :)

 

I am not a fan of this building storyline but the show definitely won me over with the Property Brothers : This Is Us Edition. Hot damn. Feel free to add as many scenes as you’d like show and I’ll wave away all my nitpicks and disbelief. I won’t even roll my eyes.

[bybrandy]

2 hours ago, AriAu said:

I cant imagine that anyone will have this episode be the first they watch...but what do I know!

I've seen first episodes of shows after the Superbowl.  But this also will get some people who tuned in a  couple of times and tuned out.   They are showing a big episode of a high rated property.  It is a solid post Super Bowl choice.

[Granny58]

15 hours ago, MJS said:

I’d totally watch the Manny knock down a wall.

for the full 60 minutes. 

[bybrandy]

4 minutes ago, kissedbyarose said:

Property Brothers : This Is Us Edition. Hot damn. Feel free to add as many scenes as you’d like show and I’ll wave away all my nitpicks and disbelief. I won’t even roll my eyes.

Seriously, this!  
 

I'd watch this show.  I would watch it hard.  And I will complain less about things that bother me in This is Us if we get to see some more scenes of Randall and Kevin fixing things.  That certainly brightened up my Tuesday afternoon.

[Granny58]

15 hours ago, MizStaken said:

Oh my. That was something. I can’t read well without my glasses, what did the note say that Jack taped to the wall. I don’t know how I’ll watch the next episode. 

If I remember correctly enough, it was a note to Kevin saying hope you had a good time, love you, we need an apology.  

[JudyObscure]

1 hour ago, ShadowFacts said:

And George was right, it was perfectly usable, the Pearsons used it for a good 17 years.  The wonky switch worked until it didn't, could happen with any appliance.

It's not a question of whether it was usable, but whether it was safe.  George knew the switch was wonky (specifically, it didn't always stay in off position but sprang back to low) therefore he knew it was unsafe.  It probably  took 17 years to start a fire because Rebecca always remembered to turn the switch firmly and hold it for a few seconds to make sure it was really off. I agree that any appliance can go bad.  My toaster shot sparks when my son was using it and I tossed it the next day.   Appliances that need such special attention really shouldn't be in use, because other family members might use it or we might be in a distracted state one day.  Whatever Rebecca had been cooking in it, it was not worth a life. 

I guess the George type Hoarders of the world make me angry because he wasn't taking something in good repair off his kitchen counter and giving it to the young couple who needed it more.  He had stored that faulty crock pot in the basement for years, but wasn't about to give it, or  any of that stuff, up, until his wife said he absolutely had to. Only then did he decide his possession was so valuable that he would rather see it go to the neighbors than be put in a land fill. 

[Jillybean]

5 hours ago, deaja said:

Ah, I must have missed that. When he pulled out the list, I thought he was going to mark "Charlotte" off (even though she completely took advantage of him, I can see her being on his list) and then I saw "Dad" and assumed he was marking him off.

Charlotte was indeed on the list, with a check mark. 

[Phoebe70]

An emotional episode, for sure.

But on a nit-picky note...I was pretty pissed that the old man would even give someone a faulty appliance.  Granted, he did tell Rebecca and Jack about it, but just throw it away!  I would never give or donate an electrical item that wasn't working properly.

Also, the old man in the apartment building that was constantly complaining....SHUT UP!  You've been living in a dilapidated apartment for years.  Randall and Beth are putting a ton of work into the place, stuff that the last landlord would never do...and this old guy is sitting in a nice hotel lobby complaining that he has to wait for a hotel room that is 100% paid for?  Pissed me off!

[Granny58]

15 hours ago, emjohnson03 said:

And to be fair, he DID turn it off but it was never meant to really be USED

Exactly.  Never use an appliance with an iffy switch.  

[TwoGrayTabbies]

3 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

. 

I guess the George type Hoarders of the world make me angry because he wasn't taking something in good repair off his kitchen counter and giving it to the young couple who needed it more.  He had stored that faulty crock pot in the basement for years, but wasn't about to give it, or  any of that stuff, up, until his wife said he absolutely had to. Only then did he decide his possession was so valuable that he would rather see it go to the neighbors than be put in a land fill. 

I also am not amused by the George type of hoarder.  I’ve been subjected to their efforts to foist their junk on other people because they have an aversion to throwing anything away.  And when the junk is a fire hazard ...   

Slow cookers aren’t even expensive!

[Katy M]

5 minutes ago, Phoebe70 said:

Also, the old man in the apartment building that was constantly complaining....SHUT UP!  You've been living in a dilapidated apartment for years.  Randall and Beth are putting a ton of work into the place, stuff that the last landlord would never do...and this old guy is sitting in a nice hotel lobby complaining that he has to wait for a hotel room that is 100% paid for?  Pissed me off!

Yes, he's been living in a dilapidated building for years and complaining about it for years. He's not going to be magically happy about it just because it's changed hands.  And William's son or not, he doesn't know Randall and Rebecca.  I'm sure the last guy and the guy before that and the guy before that were full of promises.  And, sure his hotel room is being paid for, but he already paid to sleep in his apartment that night.

[Granny58]

14 hours ago, ChromaKelly said:

Gonna nitpick the crockpot. The crockpot was still on when Jack was cleaning up the kitchen and he switches it off. So, Rebecca left the crockpot of chili on that whole time? No one scooped out the chili, put it away, and washed the crockpot out? 

it looked like she left everything out...for hours.  Then he covers the dip and puts it away?  Yuck.  However, if the crockpot has a mind of its own, she may have turned it off but it turned itself back on.  In fact, in the kitchen before Jack started cleaning I noticed the light was on and even mentioned it to my husband "she left it on this long???"  

[ChicksDigScars]

2 hours ago, Arcadiasw said:

If people are putting old crockpots on eBay after this episode, they are missing the point. 

George reminds me of people who don't want to be the one to get rid of their junk. You have to do it for them. 

It's ironic Jack can fix things but in 18 years never fixed the faulty knob on the crockpot. 

We'll have to wait and see but how many fire alarms are in the house? A house with stairs would have them on all floors and were the alarms on both floors in need of new batteries or was the one downstairs the only one out? 

When my grandmother died, there were seven toasters in the garage. They ran from 50's bright silver, to 70's avocado green, to 80's off white with blue geese. 

 

The year before she died, I asked, "Nana...why are you keeping those?" She shrugged and said, "Someone may be able to fix them and use them."  SHE couldn't, of course, but SOMEONE might be able to.  The thought of disposable appliances did not occur to someone of her (and George's) generation. Things were REPAIRED, not disposed/replaced every couple of years.

 

She also had two console TV's in the garage. The big heavy ones, surrounded by wood.  The kind that you called a TV repairman to fix.  Now? Toss that flat screen in the trash and get your ass over to Best Buy. 

 

George is totally believable in this. Give the Crock Pot to the young couple.  It works perfectly fine.  Tossing it would be a waste. The only think that bothered me is that Rebecca is pregnant in the scene. Didn't Jack and Rebecca live in an apartment, not their house, when the Big Three were born?  Or was I not watching closely enough, because it looked like they answered the door of the house. 

 

Not being a downer at all. I just couldn’t think of a slow cooker name for Kate to use like Randall used the fan name, so I went with Betty as the other poster had used it. My slow cooker is Hamilton Beach so I guess she could name something Hamilton.

 

My two (different sizes) are Hamilton Beach, but my two before these were Rival. 

Edited January 24, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[Newberry]

16 hours ago, Katy M said:

But, we know the dog survived, so that doesn't make sense to me.  If you go back in for the dog and that's what kills you, the dog should be dead, too.

I fear it will turn out that the dog got out of the house and hid, and therefore, Jack never found him.

[BuckeyeLou]

2 hours ago, Sandman said:

One other detail that I loved was where the Pearson Property Brothers are doing their slo-mo hero stride down the apartment corridor, Randall somewhat ostentatiously rolls his sleeve up past his bicep, and Kevin clearly notices out of the corner of his eye. Kevin slowed his eyeroll, you might say. I laughed out loud at that. Such a pure "these two are clearly siblings" moment.

That was a great Sibling moment!  I called it "Dueling Muscles" :)

[Rohirrim]

3 hours ago, Sandman said:

Oh, I think it's absolutely believable -- because people actually do exactly this. (I knew forgetting the batteries for the smoke detector would come back.)

ETA: Jack turns the crockpot off -- but after we see George's warning about the fussy switch, we cut back to the darkened kitchen, and the thing flicks on again.

Earlier in the day, Rebecca is fiddling with the dial and gets a bit exasperated because the crock pot was not functioning properly -- maybe trying to turn it down to a lower setting (this happened just before Sophie calls Kevin to inform him of her acceptance to NYU)?  I didn't catch this until I viewed the episode for the second time.   It was such a quick little thing, but clearly showed that something was very wrong with that pot.

[ShadowFacts]

33 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

33 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

It's not a question of whether it was usable, but whether it was safe.  George knew the switch was wonky (specifically, it didn't always stay in off position but sprang back to low) therefore he knew it was unsafe.  It probably  took 17 years to start a fire because Rebecca always remembered to turn the switch firmly and hold it for a few seconds to make sure it was really off. I agree that any appliance can go bad.  My toaster shot sparks when my son was using it and I tossed it the next day.   Appliances that need such special attention really shouldn't be in use, because other family members might use it or we might be in a distracted state one day.  Whatever Rebecca had been cooking in it, it was not worth a life. 

I guess the George type Hoarders of the world make me angry because he wasn't taking something in good repair off his kitchen counter and giving it to the young couple who needed it more.  He had stored that faulty crock pot in the basement for years, but wasn't about to give it, or  any of that stuff, up, until his wife said he absolutely had to. Only then did he decide his possession was so valuable that he would rather see it go to the neighbors than be put in a land fill. 

Good points all, but I'm still not going too rough on George.  He disclosed.  Jack and Rebecca were free to be polite and then get rid of it.  Or Jack could fix it.  They knowingly used a faulty product.  In the end they paid a steep price for that. 

Edited January 24, 2018 by ShadowFacts

[BuckeyeLou]

I agree with everyone that the Teen actors are wonderful(and look so much like their adult counter-part, esp. young Kate), and how emotional it would be for them to film the fire scenes and the "last" scenes with Jack, and I wonder if the Adult actors watched these scenes to see how their younger selves(the actors) acted in those scenes?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

Jack didn't turn the crock pot off, he accidentally turned it to Low.

Since there has been so much discussion about what Jack or the crockpot did or didn't do, I went back and rewatched. The crockpot is on while Jack is cleaning up the kitchen. You can see the light is on, even from across the room. At 2:16, he turns the crockpot off. There's a very clear four second shot of the plastic knob turned to off which is to the left (low is straight up). At 3:44, the light comes back on (and again there's a very clear shot that shows the knob is still turned to the off position).

[momma2seven]

23 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

only think that bothered me is that Rebecca is pregnant in the scene. Didn't Jack and Rebecca live in an apartment, not their house, when the Big Three were born?  Or was I not watching closely enough, because it looked like they answered the door of the house. 

 

They moved into the house while she was pregnant. Remember we had the episode where she had a kitchen break down in their tiny apartment when they thought they were only having one baby, so they decide to move to a slightly bigger one only to pay the deposit and find out they were having triplets. That's when Jack sold his car to a buddy and his soul to his father to get the money to buy the big house from his boss and surprise her with it.

[gonzosgirrl]

1 hour ago, Sandman said:

Somebody (Jack, I think) was definitely shown placing the tape carefully in the new wall unit. Who knows, maybe Jack's construction mojo saves the tape, and it's retrieved from the wreckage?

I was pretty sure I saw the light on the crock pot go off. I thought he turned it off -- otherwise, why would George's specific warning that the switch was unreliable be necessary (from a dramatic point of view)? No backstory on the crock pot is needed if the user just failed to turn it off.

He definitely turned it off. And when the light comes back on, it's still in the off position, and stays there as the spark/flame starts.

 

(ETA or, just watch the video as @ElectricBoogaloo posted while I was typing, lol)

 

Edited January 24, 2018 by gonzosgirrl

[ShadowFacts]

This was maybe the first episode where I felt like I was watching Jack as a real character and not just that I was looking at Milo playing superdad.  From the way he was disappointed but accepting of his kids wanting to be elsewhere on Super Bowl Sunday, to him padding around the kitchen cleaning up, to looking at the wall measurements and writing a note, I didn't notice him acting.  In a similar vein, this was the first time I was in adult Kevin's corner, and maybe it was the way Kevin wasn't being "the actor". 

[monakane]

17 hours ago, mariah23 said:

I knew Jack’s death would be the Super Bowl episode!

Also, if the Pats win, I’ll already be crushed.

I'm from Philly and an Eagles fan, so I know I won't be able to get through the night without crying because of the game and/or This Is Us.  It's going to be a roller coaster ride.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

 

I guess the George type Hoarders of the world make me angry because he wasn't taking something in good repair off his kitchen counter and giving it to the young couple who needed it more.  He had stored that faulty crock pot in the basement for years, but wasn't about to give it, or  any of that stuff, up, until his wife said he absolutely had to. Only then did he decide his possession was so valuable that he would rather see it go to the neighbors than be put in a land fill. 

When he gave it to them he said it was only two years old, he probably should have returned it the manufacturer when it went wonky.

Edited January 24, 2018 by biakbiak

[JudyObscure]

8 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

This was maybe the first episode where I felt like I was watching Jack as a real character and not just that I was looking at Milo playing superdad.  From the way he was disappointed but accepting of his kids wanting to be elsewhere on Super Bowl Sunday, to him padding around the kitchen cleaning up, to looking at the wall measurements and writing a note, I didn't notice him acting. 

Totally agree.  He was so natural and so sexy cleaning up that kitchen  -- I finally fell in love with him, just before the fire, darn it!

[NUguy514]

I'm a bit late, but who doesn't unplug a crockpot once it's done, and who leaves a damn dishtowel next to the not-unplugged crockpot???

[slasherboy]

17 hours ago, Katy M said:

But, we know the dog survived, so that doesn't make sense to me.  If you go back in for the dog and that's what kills you, the dog should be dead, too.

I know this has been addressed, but I'll address it again anyway.  

I feel sure the dog (do we know it's name?) ran outside and no one noticed.  That's really the only viable explanation.  

Half-nekkid Kevin and Randall doing macho stuff ..... older women setting up chairs to watch ..... yes, please, all day long.