S02.E14: Super Bowl Sunday

[gonzosgirrl]

2 minutes ago, mariofish said:

Is Randall bipolar? 

Milky Way candy bars are packaged and called Mars Bars in Canada.

I just can't get with Kate love. She just seems self absorbed and wallowing in self pity. It just gets old.

I remember Mars Bars and Milky Way being different things. IIRC Milky Way didn't have the caramel layer. Or maybe that was a Three Musketeers?

I was disappointed that Kate seemed to just transfer her issues from Jack to Toby.

[RHJunkie]

I enjoyed the episode but I don't watch live TV so I avoid commercials any other agents that are used to hype up TV shows and their storylines. There were obviously elements to the storyline that isn't realistic but I think with most shows, it does require some suspension of realism in order to enjoy it so I was fine with the quirks of the episode in an effort to tell the story. 

In reference to the missing screens from the windows - for what it's worth, back in the 90s I would visit my aunt in the Queens, NY area and her home (and none of the neighbours homes) had screens on their windows either. 

Mandy Moore was fantastic with her acting in this episode. I did like that Jack's death was not caused by a stupid heroic decision to get the dog and then never coming out. I'm preferred the alternative of him passing away at the hospital and that no one was in the room when it happened. It does give quite a bit of context to the grief that each family member carries and how his death has shaped their personalities. I know  lot of criticism is giving to how saint like Jack is portrayed but I've always looked at the storyline as being told by the family, not by a third party. I see it as his faults being relatively minimal to the love he has for his family and how vulnerable he made himself to show each of them just how much he loved them. It seems understandable to me that having lost a loved one like that, especially so unexpected and early in life, you will remember them for all of their best qualities if you feel that they were genuinely a great person, regardless of whatever faults they may have had. 

Can I just say hats off to the casting department once again - the grown version of Tess was spot on! The moment Randall walked through the day it all made such perfect sense. They really nail it with finding resemblances in the cast to play different age groups of the characters. 

I don't follow spoilers or behind the scenes of the show so I have no idea what the plans are for Jack's character moving forward but for me it'll be interesting to see because up until now, he was a focal point in retelling a story that leads up to his death. Now that we've seen his death, I imagine a lot of the flashbacks will be focusing on how the family tries to overcome the loss. Not sure how many 'feel good' moment flashbacks they can put in each episode without taking away from the continuation of the story. 

[kilda]

34 minutes ago, Driad said:

An episode of M*A*S*H had a soldier gravely wounded on Christmas day, who had a photo of his children in his pocket. The doctors tried to keep him alive a few hours longer so he wouldn’t die on Christmas, for the sake of his kids.

I remember that one.  They couldn't keep him alive long enough so they fudged the time of death to be after midnight on 12/26 am.

[UsernameFatigue]

7 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I remember Mars Bars and Milky Way being different things. IIRC Milky Way didn't have the caramel layer. Or maybe that was a Three Musketeers?

I was disappointed that Kate seemed to just transfer her issues from Jack to Toby.

So googling I found that:
The Milky Way in the U.S. is known as the Mars bar everywhere else in the world.

There used to be an American Mars bar, but it is now called Snickers Almond Bar.

The Milky Way in the rest of the world is like an American 3 Musketeers bar. 

Why all this is so, I have no idea.........

[kilda]

16 minutes ago, mariofish said:

Is Randall bipolar? 

I actually think he is.  He fits the criteria for bipolar disorder type II pretty well.  I don't think the writers did that on purpose, but nonetheless he does.

[Empress1]

21 minutes ago, J-Man said:

But do we know WHY? It doesn't seem like they have that much of a relationship with Randall and his family.

Grandkids can be game-changers. Tess and Annie are Rebecca's only grandkids, so I can buy that she'd want to be closer to them so that she sees them more than holidays. I've seen retiring couples factor in grandkids when they're deciding if they will move after retirement.

9 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I remember Mars Bars and Milky Way being different things. IIRC Milky Way didn't have the caramel layer. Or maybe that was a Three Musketeers?

Milky Ways have caramel, Three Musketeers do not. Milky Ways are the superior candy bar for that reason. (Don't @ me about Snickers or anything with nuts - I have a life-threatening allergy!) 

[ShadowFacts]

I've read all the pages in this thread and don't think I've seen it mentioned, but shouldn't all four of the Pearsons been checked out at a hospital?  I think that the smoke inhalation concern should have been in play for all of them, not just Jack.  It wasn't fatal for the rest of them, but the EMTs didn't know how much damage any of them might have had. 

[reallyjustjen]

4 hours ago, Pallas said:

What a generous and beautiful post, reallyjustjen. From the context with your family and the connection with your husband in the twilight, to the very apt quotes. What you shared is part of this show for me now.

 

Thanks very much, Pallas.  It was so kind of you to say this!

[gonzosgirrl]

7 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

So googling I found that:
The Milky Way in the U.S. is known as the Mars bar everywhere else in the world.

There used to be an American Mars bar, but it is now called Snickers Almond Bar.

The Milky Way in the rest of the world is like an American 3 Musketeers bar. 

Why all this is so, I have no idea.........

Huh, how about that? Don't even get me started on Smarties. (In Canada what you call Smarties, we call Rockets (nasty little powder sugar candies) and Smarties are our version of M&Ms)

[3 is enough]

Quote

Tess, who was very vocal about not wanting a superbowl party is 9. 

Is that all?  Wow.  She looks to be 11 or 12 to me.

[TV Diva Queen]

3 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Huh, how about that? Don't even get me started on Smarties. (In Canada what you call Smarties, we call Rockets (nasty little powder sugar candies) and Smarties are our version of M&Ms)

I live about 4 blocks from the Mars factory in Chicago and when the wind is blowing west, I get to smell the sweet smells.  Its randomly placed in a residential area.  Probably the other way around though.  LOL.  My brother worked  there in college and used to bring home warm Milky Way, oh my goodness were they good.  I was around Christmas time when he did and the candies were Halloween wrapped, I was like why are you bringing me old candy, and laughed and said its next year's Halloween candy....ewwwww pretty much since then I stopped eating Mars candy.  totally off topic, but didn't want to do a post about me watching my dad code  and getting paddled for 30 minutes.  :'(

[movingtargetgal]

4 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I was happy that Randall gets to get older (he was 28 when Tess was born, so I'm guessing he's in his late 50s in that scene - I assumed it was 20 years ahead) and have his dinners with Tess.

I loved Tess's co-worker telling her that her father was there for dinner.  The way she said it made it clear that this was indeed a weekly "date" Tess had with her father.  How wonderful for them.  I know these are fictional characters but this really did warm my heart.

Quote

I wondered about was why did Jack take Rebecca's word for it that Kevin was not at home?  He actually could have come home.  And he was not where Rebecca thought he was anyway.  I think it would have been like Jack to go into the basement and look to be sure.

I bet Jack did check the basement.  It would not be like Jack to let it go, he would need to be sure.  He went back into the house for the dog but mostly he went back to make sure Kevin was not downstairs. Once he was sure of that he stopped to collect the scrap books and video tape.

Edited February 5, 2018 by movingtargetgal

[kili]

Quote

With Rebecca in the hallway and not noticing anything.... she would've heard over the speakers "Code [whatever] in [Jack's room]" - Don't know how she didn't hear that.

I was visiting somebody who  was in the hospital - pneumonia - and he didn't even notice the guy in the next bed was coding. It started out with crazy beeping and then a flood of medical personal. I figured out what was going on, but my relative was completely oblivious. I convinced him to leave the room to see the visiting area  and he was shocked to discover a few minutes later that his roommate had died (a nurse came over to ask us to stay in the visiting area to give the other patient's family time to grieve).  So, I can believe that people can miss a code blue happening right under their distracted and overwhelmed nose.

My friend's mother escaped from her burning apartment and then went back in to retrieve photographs. She got badly burnt. People do those things. People are not always rational and don't always understand the risks (see all those videos of people trying to beat trains at level crossings). I'm going to assume that Jack wrapped himself in a blanket (probably wet) to get down those stairs. In the process of getting that blanket, he probably noticed the necklace and grabbed it. Maybe that is what gave him the idea to save more than just the dog.

I was horrified that Randall and Rebecca did not get themselves out of the house. Why was it necessary to wait for Jack?  Lowering yourself off that roofline was very achievable by Randall and Rebecca (I know my brother used to sneak out of the house that way when he was a teenager).  Waiting for Jack not only put themselves at risk, it increased the risk to Jack and Kate who would have to wait longer to get out the window and off the roofline.  Heck, they could have run behind the house and put a ladder up to Kate's room just in case.  I guess this was another case of people not being rational.

Louis (the dog)  probably didn't get to sleep in Kate's room because he kept having "accidents". Kevin complained about it a few episodes ago. Accidents on the rug is one thing. Accidents on the bed are another.

Rebecca is wealthy today because she sued that hospital. Why wasn't Jack on a heart monitor if he'd suffered from severe smoke inhalation and his heart was going wild? They were about to let him go when he died. Shift the timeline 20 minutes by having him go directly to the hospital instead of dropping off the kids and he would have died just as they arrived back at Miguel's house.

Edited February 5, 2018 by kili

[DebbieM4]

11 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I noticed that, too, mainly because my own mother died on Super Bowl Sunday after a long illness.  While I occasionally think of her on SBS, it's the actual date we commemorate.

Also a medical professional here.  And, yes, even back in 'primitive' 1998; an attempt would've been made to find Rebecca and put her in a private room during the code which would've lasted the better part of an hour or so.  Amongst other things, she is next of kin and, if there were decisions to be made, she would be making them.  But, even back then, no doctor is going to tell someone their husband died in the lobby of the ER.  When relatively young, seemingly stable, patients code, the team would work on them well past the point of no return; so, while it's true he was probably gone from the start, he still would've gotten CPR, been intubated and such for at least 30-45 minutes and the unit secretary or other clerical personnel tasked with finding Rebecca as soon as it was obvious he was in bad shape.

Thanks for this.  Those were pretty much my thoughts too.  I don't look for absolute realism on this show - Suspending disbelief makes it much more enjoyable.  But the short amount of time was glaring to me, as well as Rebecca not being taken into a private room.  That certainly should have happened at some point.  The doctor breaking the news to her in such a public space is not anything I've ever seen.   I can understand her ignoring/not noticing the running, etc. going on.  After all, she was preoccupied, thought Jack was stable, and apparently had her back to the action most of the time.  That was a tad unrealistic to me, but I could let that go.  It was the way the rest of it played out that took me right out of the drama.

[Drumpf1737]

14 hours ago, Jeddah said:

Randall told Deja to work hard so she could have a big house and fancy car. He must be so disappointed that one of his daughters is in a low-paying profession like social work.

Jesus H. Christ it was a fucking metaphor. 

"He ain't giggling now" Beth above everyone.

Was that an hour? It went by so quickly. I didn't see the promos for this episode so when they showed Jack opening the bedroom door to flames, I burst into tears as my beloved Eagles won. 

I get Tess' angst a little. My brother went on several roadtrips after my father died to connect with extended family. I don't know why, but it upset me so much at the time. It felt like my sister and I weren't enough now that "Pops" was gone.

I can't understand why Jack wasn't on oxygen or a ventilator at the hospital. I don't remember medical tech from the 90s but I think we were aware of treatments for smoke inhalation.

The episode was anti-climatic for me as I didn't really need to see how Jack died. I probably could've gone another year not knowing as long as the show remained at top quality. I need to rewatch the candybar scene. Initially, I was angry at how unrealistic it seemed but thinking back to how sudden my father's death was and how I reacted, that candybar scene was on the money.

[UsernameFatigue]

17 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Huh, how about that? Don't even get me started on Smarties. (In Canada what you call Smarties, we call Rockets (nasty little powder sugar candies) and Smarties are our version of M&Ms)

I looked it up as I am Canadian as well and have often found when travelling in the states that I can't get chocolate bars that I like. I like that we have both Smarties and M&Ms, though personally I prefer M&Ms. 

22 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

Is that all?  Wow.  She looks to be 11 or 12 to me.

She does act older I think. According to google (assuming it is correct) Tess was born in Oct, 2008. 

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, luna1122 said:

Then again, apparently there are a lot of folks who wouldn't blink about letting a pet die in a fire, so maybe I'm oversensitive.

As this is your second (somewhat nasty) reference to my post in this thread, I will simply say that I would never risk my life to save a pet, especially if I were the father of three whose family depended on my being alive and earning money to support the household. That doesn't make someone heartless or evil, it's just a practicality.

[DebbieM4]

11 hours ago, debraran said:

Yes. and I don't think looking as bad as Jack did, they would send him home, you don't need it to be ER,  but that was odd. They check firefighters who have gear more than that. I feel he looked bad when he got up at home, so it just made it worse, but he knew he was dying, how he looked at Rebecca when she left, I knew the "I love you" wasn't coming, he wanted it to be funny, but why he knew it was fatal, I'm not sure.  

What broke my heart was little things, like the joke about saving the dog when you knew that sealed it,  but also the irritation that the doctor was letting him leave.

 

I'm sure I heard the doctor say they were going to run some tests.  They weren't discharging him at that point.  It surprised me when Rebecca told Miguel on the phone that they would be leaving soon.  Tests can take hours, so I didn't understand why she would say that.  The doctor also made a point of saying that Jack had inhaled a lot of soot.  He very well may have kept Jack overnight for observation even if the test results were fine.  Unless I missed something, it seemed that the doctor was not letting him leave.

[marceline]

19 minutes ago, Drumpf1737 said:

I can't understand why Jack wasn't on oxygen or a ventilator at the hospital. I don't remember medical tech from the 90s but I think we were aware of treatments for smoke inhalation.

I was in a fire in 1996. Oxygen was definitely part of the treatment. The ambulances were giving people oxygen in the parking lot.

[Ohmo]

58 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

No to belabour the point, but the kids are not "very young". Tess, who was very vocal about not wanting a superbowl party is 9. So since Randall always celebrates this day in honour of Jack, she has seen him do this before. And since the party had to be planned in advance, I am sure Tess voiced her displeasure at the idea in the planning stages.

The party was not for Tess.  It was for Randall.  Tess is indeed "very young" to understand the significance of this party.  She probably has seen Randall do this before, but I doubt she understands why it's significant.  Not just because of Jack, but because this was the night that her grandfather saved her father and frankly enabled her to exist.  Tess is not yet old enough to be told "Yes, the house was a raging inferno and your father almost died."  The full details of what happened will probably be revealed to Tess as she matures, but for now it's a party that her dad wants to have...just like the majority of us were likely expected to attend or participate in something that was more important to our parents than it was to us.  Beth was right to veer Randall back on course when he was getting off track about Mr. McGiggles, but I would have also liked Beth to take Tess aside and say, "Hey, this matters to your father.  I know you might think it's stupid or lame or whatever, but it matters to your dad, and I know you love him."  Tess and Annie have a very privileged upbringing courtesy of two parents who work hard and adore them.  It would not have hurt Tess to be inconvenienced a little.

[TV Diva Queen]

I"m dying at the responses about healthcare in the mid 90's.  its the 1990's NOT the 1890's.  the mid 90's were not that long ago, and while I'm not in healthcare I would bet my last dollar that they knew to use oxygen for smoke inhalation.   

[DebbieM4]

7 hours ago, topanga said:

Yes, but It’s more than the SB. She can’t take off Jack’s necklace. Miguel has said he’s fine with always being second to “the greatest man you ever met,” but that means whenever he makes love to his wife, he’s looking down—or up—at Jack. 

I like Randall’s summary of the Big Three: Kevin avoids, Kate wallows (I’m paraphrasing), and I celebrate. Randall’s celebration is reminiscent of Thanksgiving. A kind of hyper, almost manic commitment to a ritual. 

That really made me laugh!!  :-)

I needed to laugh today (not because of this show, just real-life stuff.)  So thank you.

[Empress1]

7 minutes ago, TV Diva Queen said:

I"m dying at the responses about healthcare in the mid 90's.  its the 1990's NOT the 1890's.  the mid 90's were not that long ago, and while I'm not in healthcare I would bet my last dollar that they knew to use oxygen for smoke inhalation.   

It makes me feel ANCIENT and I’m a couple years younger than the triplets!

[kili]

Quote

The party was not for Tess.  It was for Randall. 

Great. So, why doesn't Randall have a party for his friends instead of Tess's friends?

This seems like a new development because Tess and Annie didn't seem to expect to watch the show. Normally, at a Superbowl party it is adults and they watch the TV. Kids do whatever they like.

Does Randall have friends? Did he use to invite his workmates and this year, he can't do that so he invited Tess and Annie's friends?  The Pearsons seemed to watch the Superbowl as a family and not make it a kid's party.  Maybe it's Annie's birthday party and that is why she got Mr. McGiggle?

At 7, if my pet had just been killed by my mother (even accidently) I would not want to continue with a party.  Especially if it was my fault that the pet was roaming. I would have been a mess.

Randall seemed completely manic at the party.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, J-Man said:

But do we know WHY? It doesn't seem like they have that much of a relationship with Randall and his family.

In previous episodes it was shown that the girls regard Miguel as a grandfather.  I think there is a relationship.

[Trillian]

15 hours ago, Katherine said:

 I was surprised the family wasn't more concerned about Kevin. I know Rebecca knew he was staying at Sophie's, but if it were me, there would be this nagging fear that he had ended up coming home. I would have thought there would be more urgency to find him.

Rather adds a whole new dimension to “where’s Kevin?  Oh yeah, he’s dead”.

[SueB]

the key was when his heart rate stayed up.   I agree that medicine in the 1990s was not that far off from today.  I would think today they’d put him on an EKG if his heart rate remained elevated.  Now he’s relatively young and he was in pain from his wounds but in an ER I would think they’d EKG him to be sure.  I don’t know if that was true two decades ago.  I don’t know if there has been more ‘litigation avoidance’ conservatism in this area. 

I do know the swelling is more of an immediate worry and he didn’t have that. 

Edited February 5, 2018 by SueB

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, ClareWalks said:

As this is your second (somewhat nasty) reference to my post in this thread, I will simply say that I would never risk my life to save a pet, especially if I were the father of three whose family depended on my being alive and earning money to support the household. That doesn't make someone heartless or evil, it's just a practicality.

Not to mention that animals tend to  hide when they are scared.  OK, in this particular case, the dog was barking.  but, as much as I love my cat, I know I would never be able to find her in a fire.  

 

47 minutes ago, kili said:

This seems like a new development because Tess and Annie didn't seem to expect to watch the show. Normally, at a Superbowl party it is adults and they watch the TV. Kids do whatever they like.

I hadn't really thought about this, but the SB goes to 10:00 or later.  That's an extremely late party on a school night for children.  Even half-time, which is what the girls seemed to care could probably go until 8:30 and then the kids still have to get back home and blah blah blah.

[UsernameFatigue]

1 hour ago, Ohmo said:

The party was not for Tess.  It was for Randall.  Tess is indeed "very young" to understand the significance of this party.  She probably has seen Randall do this before, but I doubt she understands why it's significant.  Not just because of Jack, but because this was the night that her grandfather saved her father and frankly enabled her to exist.  Tess is not yet old enough to be told "Yes, the house was a raging inferno and your father almost died."  The full details of what happened will probably be revealed to Tess as she matures, but for now it's a party that her dad wants to have...just like the majority of us were likely expected to attend or participate in something that was more important to our parents than it was to us.  Beth was right to veer Randall back on course when he was getting off track about Mr. McGiggles, but I would have also liked Beth to take Tess aside and say, "Hey, this matters to your father.  I know you might think it's stupid or lame or whatever, but it matters to your dad, and I know you love him."  Tess and Annie have a very privileged upbringing courtesy of two parents who work hard and adore them.  It would not have hurt Tess to be inconvenienced a little.

Exactly my point. Randall was making it a party for himself and inviting his children's friends. And expecting them to watch the show to boot. Even Beth said to Randall that it was stupid for him to invite all these kids who have no idea what football is, and don't care. I don't know that Randall is having the party because his father saved him in a ranging infero. He said he is having it because it was Jack's favourite day. The fact that he is wearing an apron with flames and something to the effect of hot dad written on it makes me think that he is not exactly mourning that his dad died because of a fire. But as always, we are all entitled to our opinions. Mine is that Randall is a self absorbed ass. 

[Cowgirl]

I got to re-watch half the episode on-demand while I was home at lunch.  When Kevin was bouncing the tennis ball in his mother's house, I noticed that he glanced at the full wine rack. On my first viewing, I thought that he just realized he was bouncing the ball too close to a bunch of glass bottles and that he'd better knock it off.  On the second viewing, it dawned on me that it was a moment of temptation to open a bottle and return to his old ways.  Subtle, and brief, but a nice moment. 

I liked the little shtick between Kevin and his mom, to the tune of, "Can I be honest?" "Always."  But my belly laugh for the night occurred when Kevin said he usually spent the day of the Super Bowl getting blind drunk and sleeping with the best looking model who would have him, and Rebecca replying that she spent the day the same way. It was a nice little moment between them. 

[ClareWalks]

3 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

The fact that he is wearing an apron with flames and something to the effect of hot dad written on it makes me think that he is not exactly mourning that his dad died because of a fire.

Holy shit I didn't put that together until you wrote this! That is SAVAGE!

[luna1122]

1 hour ago, ClareWalks said:

As this is your second (somewhat nasty) reference to my post in this thread, I will simply say that I would never risk my life to save a pet, especially if I were the father of three whose family depended on my being alive and earning money to support the household. That doesn't make someone heartless or evil, it's just a practicality.

I wasn't referencing any one post in particular, or even just posts from this board, , I've seen posts and comments by  people being flabbergasted that anyone would run back into a burning building for a 'mere dog' all over the internet and FB today. I had to go back thru here to see what your post even was, so there was no malice or nastiness directed at you, I promise. 

We disagree, as i would always go back after a pet, but I am absolutely impractical and reckless when it comes to such things. My cats would also hide and we'd probably all die. It's a recurring nightmare of mine. 

[buckboard]

"In Randall's defense, I think what he was trying to do is start to make Tess and Annie aware of family history."
    Except none of the kids spent the last SuperBowl game with their parents.  Randall was at the movies with his girlfriend.  If Randall cared about family history, they would have gone to the movies or rented
    "Titanic."

"Add me to the 'Kate wallowing is OK' clan."

     No one is saying that Kate shouldn't remember her dad and feel sad, especially on the anniversary of the day he died.  But she has had 20 years to deal with her guilt.  She has let it disrupt her relationships, her weight, her singing career.  She has refused to discuss her feelings around his death.  (Remember last year's SuperBowl with Toby and several other times he's tried to talk to her about her father?)  I don't know what kind of therapy she's had along the years -- if any -- but it sure hasn't worked.  If she'd spoken to a therapist - or for goodness sake, with her mother -- she would have realized a long time ago that begging  her father to go after the dog wasn't the cause of her dad's death

I saw an Ingrid Bergman - Liv Ullmann film "Autumn Sonata," where Ingrid, is a famous classic pianist and Liv is her daughter, who blames her mother's frequent absences for the misery in her own life.  Like Kate, Liv couldn't get past her childhood.  They both need to understand that what happened in their childhood certainly was influential in their lives, but both characters are around 40 years old and need to face the fact that they can control their own lives.  If they feel wronged by their mothers or by fate or whatever, it's time to stop playing victim and take control. 

[mojoween]

1 hour ago, DebbieM4 said:

I'm sure I heard the doctor say they were going to run some tests.  They weren't discharging him at that point.  It surprised me when Rebecca told Miguel on the phone that they would be leaving soon.  Tests can take hours, so I didn't understand why she would say that.  The doctor also made a point of saying that Jack had inhaled a lot of soot.  He very well may have kept Jack overnight for observation even if the test results were fine.  Unless I missed something, it seemed that the doctor was not letting him leave.

I could have sworn the doctor said they were going to keep him for observation, so Jack wasn’t going anywhere.  I also thought the doctor said Jack DID have swelling, but I could have heard wrong.

I understand Kate wanting to be twinsies but did Rebecca REALLY let her teenage daughter tell her teenage son that their father was dead?

[marceline]

I see a lot of discussion about how long it took Jack to code so I'm just going to add my $.02 with deference to the medical professionals who have posted.

I don't take anything about the scenes at the hospital to be in real time. The first clue is the background action in slow motion. Another is Rebecca on the phone saying "How many times do I have to confirm this?" I took that to mean that she'd been on the phone for a while. I don't disagree with the discussion about whether they would come to get her and/or put her in a private room. I just think that we should assume Jack's death was presented in compressed time for dramatic purposes and there's a lot we didn't see.

On a completely separate topic: I'm very confused by the teenage romantic shenanigans in this episode:

1.) Kevin and Sophie are sleeping in the woods. They snuck out of Sophie's parents' house, took a car up to Inspiration Point, had sex even with Kevin's leg in a cast, and fell asleep. Then Kate found her way to the exact same spot (who drove her?) and broke the bad news to Kevin. I don't understand any of that.

2.) Randall's girlfriend, Allison being at Miguel's. She wasn't in the house so she'd obviously gone home at some point so how did Allison end up at Miguel's. Did someone call her? If so, where are her parents? Or maybe she lives close enough to have seen the flames? 

[debraran]

12 minutes ago, luna1122 said:

I wasn't referencing any one post in particular, or even just posts from this board, , I've seen posts and comments by  people being flabbergasted that anyone would run back into a burning building for a 'mere dog' all over the internet and FB today. I had to go back thru here to see what your post even was, so there was no malice or nastiness directed at you, I promise. 

We disagree, as i would always go back after a pet, but I am absolutely impractical and reckless when it comes to such things. My cats would also hide and we'd probably all die. It's a recurring nightmare of mine. 

That's why firefighters look for stickers sometimes that say pets are in the house. They can hide and sometimes are found alive but need treatment.  I would die inside if my beloved lab died in any way, and would probably go a little crazy with a fire, but if my husband died and left his family when the entire house was in flames and falling beams, etc. It would be crazier. A horrible scenario either way.

I'm tired today but This is Us has had complaints about not doing homework about a lot of things in the past. They just don't overthink little things but it bugs people who know it's a show, but it should be realistic with medical and rehab issues, fostering, the list goes on.

[Katy M]

1 minute ago, marceline said:

2.) Randall's girlfriend, Allison being at Miguel's. She wasn't in the house so she'd obviously gone home at some point so how did Allison end up at Miguel's. Did someone call her? If so, where are her parents? Or maybe she lives close enough to have seen the flames? 

And what time was this?  I know they didn't watch the Superbowl, but I would think if it were still on before they were getting ready for bed, they would have watched the end.  I'm thinking the fire couldn't have woken them up much before 11.  Then, by the time the fire truck came and they left for Miguel's, it was probably past midnight.  Then Allison was still there when Rebecca got back.  I figure she had to have been at the hospital for at least an hour.  So, Allison is still there at 1 in the morning or later?    I understand that the circumstances are extenuating,  but at that point, it was just a house fire.  If I were here parents, I would have wanted her back home before that.

[debraran]

6 minutes ago, marceline said:

I see a lot of discussion about how long it took Jack to code so I'm just going to add my $.02 with deference to the medical professionals who have posted.

I don't take anything about the scenes at the hospital to be in real time. The first clue is the background action in slow motion. Another is Rebecca on the phone saying "How many times do I have to confirm this?" I took that to mean that she'd been on the phone for a while. I don't disagree with the discussion about whether they would come to get her and/or put her in a private room. I just think that we should assume Jack's death was presented in compressed time for dramatic purposes and there's a lot we didn't see.

On a completely separate topic: I'm very confused by the teenage romantic shenanigans in this episode:

1.) Kevin and Sophie are sleeping in the woods. They snuck out of Sophie's parents' house, took a car up to Inspiration Point, had sex even with Kevin's leg in a cast, and fell asleep. Then Kate found her way to the exact same spot (who drove her?) and broke the bad news to Kevin. I don't understand any of that.

2.) Randall's girlfriend, Allison being at Miguel's. She wasn't in the house so she'd obviously gone home at some point so how did Allison end up at Miguel's. Did someone call her? If so, where are her parents? Or maybe she lives close enough to have seen the flames? 

I have no idea how Kate gets to Kevin, hopefully not driving herself, but Kate said Randall called his friend and she brought them all clothes....luckily had sizes that fit everyone. ; )

And why couldn't the kids and family stay with Miguel for the night, a hotel? That costs money and being with a friend for the first night seems to make more sense. He was getting blankets for them an pillows.

Edited February 6, 2018 by debraran

[marceline]

3 minutes ago, debraran said:

I have no idea how Kate gets to Kevin, hopefully not driving herself, but Kate said Randall called his friend and she brought them all clothes....luckily had sizes that fit everyone. ; )

That's right! I forgot all about that. Thanks!

[debraran]

This has an statement from Milo about the "bec" that most heard at the vending machine. I guess it's up to interpretation even from him. I know I will think it was a goodbye and i hope she acknowledges it one day.

https://www.elitedaily.com/p/jacks-death-scene-on-this-is-us-had-one-tiny-detail-that-will-completely-wreck-you-8122303

[Jillybean]

Real-Life Nurses Reveal Exactly What Went Wrong in the Hospital on This Is Us

[Clanstarling]

20 hours ago, itsjustme said:

My father died unexpectedly when I was 18 and I do not have some ritual for the day he died.  Is  this a thing for people?

I think it varies from person to person, and culture to culture. I don't have any rituals for the day of death for any of my family, but I do sing a Silent Night in German every year in remembrance of my mother, because the original was written in her hometown (in German), and it was the only song she was ever willing to sing in public. Other than that, I couldn't tell you which exact day any of my family died - except for my sister because she died on the "ides of March."

15 hours ago, mojoween said:

Alcoholism can wreck your liver.  I wonder if it can also weaken your heart?  So maybe Jack just could not take the trauma of the smoke inhalation because he already had some internal damage going on well before the fire.

To my understanding, yes. It's what killed my brother. Though that took many years of alcoholism.  

10 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I think "wallowing" in someone's death more than a decade later is rarely positive.  We had a good family friend whose mother died unexpectedly in a car accident.  She was very close to her mother, and it was very tragic.  However, this person essentially destroyed her marriage, and alienated a number of friends because years later, she was still wallowing in the death and refused to seek help.  With this show, I think we have seen that Kevin and Kate's continued mourning has seriously impeded both their lives in a way that I'm sure Jack never would have wanted.      

To me "wallowing" is an extremely loaded and judgmental word. Though I don't personally do it, and I do feel uncomfortable when I think people are overly emotional, I think if honoring a loved one on a particular day brings comfort and you're able to move on with your life, then I respect that. If you can't move on with your life (like Kate, or your friend) then it's less a willful "wallowing" than a serious emotional problem. Some people can't just "snap out of it."

 

5 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

So googling I found that:
The Milky Way in the U.S. is known as the Mars bar everywhere else in the world.

There used to be an American Mars bar, but it is now called Snickers Almond Bar.

The Milky Way in the rest of the world is like an American 3 Musketeers bar. 

Why all this is so, I have no idea.........

Who knew candy was that complicated?

3 hours ago, Cowgirl said:

I got to re-watch half the episode on-demand while I was home at lunch.  When Kevin was bouncing the tennis ball in his mother's house, I noticed that he glanced at the full wine rack. On my first viewing, I thought that he just realized he was bouncing the ball too close to a bunch of glass bottles and that he'd better knock it off.  On the second viewing, it dawned on me that it was a moment of temptation to open a bottle and return to his old ways.  Subtle, and brief, but a nice moment. 

I liked the little shtick between Kevin and his mom, to the tune of, "Can I be honest?" "Always."  But my belly laugh for the night occurred when Kevin said he usually spent the day of the Super Bowl getting blind drunk and sleeping with the best looking model who would have him, and Rebecca replying that she spent the day the same way. It was a nice little moment between them. 

The rack of wine bothered me. Maybe you're not supposed to put things away when recovering alcoholic/addict is staying in your home, but I sure would if it were my child. 

Thank all of you for sharing your stories. My heart goes out to you.

Edited February 6, 2018 by Clanstarling

[Kohola3]

Quote

Now he’s relatively young and he was in pain from his wounds but in an ER I would think they’d EKG him to be sure.  I don’t know if that was true two decades ago.

ER nurse from those olden days in the 90's.  And, yes, he'd have been on a monitor and oxygen automatically.  Anyone who came in after a fire would be.

[Aw my lahgs]

What a snooze fest.

The show has officially jumped the shark.

[debraran]

1 minute ago, Aw my lahgs said:

What a snooze fest.

The show has officially jumped the shark.

I don't know about snooze fest but my hubby finally watched more than 5 minutes and said, "you are kidding me They want you to buy this stuff", re the hospital and fire. (he's a cop, friends with firemen) I got angry since the show had some great scenes, like the therapy one and others, but he did catch a bad episode to win him over.  We'll have to try another. ; )

[Neurochick]

19 hours ago, deaja said:

Kate, you are in no way responsible for your dad’s death. He was the one too stubborn to listen to reason and ran back into a building house.

You're right.  At first, I thought he just went in to get the dog, but he went in and got a LOT of other stuff too. 

I get the scene when Rebecca was making the phone call; when she left, Jack was fine, she had idea that he'd go into cardiac arrest. 

I like how the scene was shot when Rebecca walks into the room, that you only see the reflection of Jack's body; they didn't dwell on it; I also liked the scene when Rebecca tells the kids, we never hear the words, heartbreaking.

[debraran]

3 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

You're right.  At first, I thought he just went in to get the dog, but he went in and got a LOT of other stuff too. 

I get the scene when Rebecca was making the phone call; when she left, Jack was fine, she had idea that he'd go into cardiac arrest. 

I like how the scene was shot when Rebecca walks into the room, that you only see the reflection of Jack's body; they didn't dwell on it; I also liked the scene when Rebecca tells the kids, we never hear the words, heartbreaking.

I don't know how Rebecca tells her next show, but Kate asks how did Dad die. Somehow she process's it that it's her fault.

[ShadowFacts]

24 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I think it varies from person to person, and culture to culture. I don't have any rituals for the day of death for any of my family, but I do sing a  Silent Night in German every year, because the original was written in her hometown (in German), and it was the only song she was ever willing to sing in public. Other than that, I couldn't tell you which exact day any of my family died - except for my sister because she died on the "ides of March."

What a sweet and meaningful remembrance. 

[JasminePhyllisia]

18 hours ago, NicoleMN6 said:

P.S. I call bullshit on the "twin connection" between Kate and Kevin. Remember how it was SO strong in the first season that Kate woke up from Kevin's turbulence? Now Kevin doesn't even wake up when Kate is screaming in a fire and then their dad dying? Or are we now meant to believe that it was only Kate who had the connection, not Kevin?

Totally, it was in the first episode I think, then we basically never saw it again.  I seem to remember they both supposedly had it. 

We lost my Dad on Veteran's Day, and by coincidence he was a vet.  It's always a hard day for my family.  I could relate to each member of the Pearson family having a coping strategy for how they get through that day each year. 

[chitowngirl]

4 hours ago, J-Man said:

I've lived in California for almost 60 years and have never been in a house that didn't have screens. I think the house was screenless just to make it easier to film the escape scenes.

We have always taken out the screens in winter. Less wear and tear on them during winter snow and ice.