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S02.E15: The Car


AmandaPanda
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I'm glad they went to the concert, I was hoping they did. I'm glad to see Dr K and I wonder if Joe the fireman will be in flashbacks of the home. They still can go through stuff that might have not burned. Maybe they find the picture of Jack's brother.

I still don't get Kate's 20 year mourning. Why not honor her dad with doing what he wanted for her or giving back in ways he would have?  I hope things improve for her now.

Edited by debraran
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First of all, even if Kevin and Randall got along great, I don't think Jack should have had them together for their first road drive. 

The car buying thing got on my nerves.  A car is going to cost what a car is going to cost. There's a little wiggle room, but car dealerships are not in the business to sell people cars solely based on what they can pay with no to little regard of how much the car actually costs. 

Weird Al.  Ha ha.  I am quite embarrassed to say I had one of his records when I was a kid. 

No big shocker that Jack let Kate cut school for an autograph.  Honestly, if any of the stuff that he indulged her in was a once in a while thing, I wouldn't have a problem with it.  But, I'm honestly wondering if she ever even once heard the word "no" from him.

Oddly enough the tie thing made me tear up.  I have no idea why.  I don't have any brothers, so I never witnessed a father-son tie thing with my dad.

I really can't blame Kate for blaming herself. I know I would be blaming myself if I were her.  And, it totally sucks, because guilt is just one thing that never goes away.

I wish Kevin had chosen a different time and place to confront Randall, but I don't wholly blame him.  I can see where that attitude came from. 

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I loved the first tree scene with Jack and Rebecca dealing with the cancer scare. 

I wasn't overly impressed with the scene with Rebecca and the Dr. K. And I am confused on the time line of the doctor. When did he lose his wife? That had to be his second wife?

 

Today's show was just okay for me. Some great scenes,and the rest only okay.

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I really do love the car as a symbol of "OK"

The Weird AL singing as they were going across the bridge was just awesome.

And I can't ever get over the special bond of Kate and her dad. It makes me understand why she has been so "stuck" on her dad dying. She just always felt her dad understood her and in all the years he's been gone, she has never felt there has been someone there for her like that.

And the Boss. That was wonderful.

Another amazing performance by Mandy.

I do love the teenage kids. I'm so glad they get to shine in this episode. They really are a great representation of the adult counterparts. So well done show.

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1 minute ago, pianogirl73 said:

I loved the first tree scene with Jack and Rebecca dealing with the cancer scare. 

I wasn't overly impressed with the scene with Rebecca and the Dr. K. And I am confused on the time line of the doctor. When did he lose his wife? That had to be his second wife?

 

Today's show was just okay for me. Some great scenes,and the rest only okay.

I think he was a widower when she delivered?

I don't get why Kevin is angry again and throws out his airplanes, his only memory of his dad other than his necklace. Maybe though that's why he let the watch tantrum go.  I felt Rebecca giving him the watch so soon might have been premature.

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If this season doesn't give Mandy an Emmy, nothing will.

Was happy to see the doctor again. This show reminds us that there are good people in the world, and we need that more than ever now.

Big lol at the flashbacks of the Weird Al sing along and Jack kicking the two idiots out of the car for almost getting them into an accident while fighting.

Kevin was a total prick, lashing out at Randall at the funeral of all places. And I know Kate is going through hell with her own guilt but getting rid of Louie was cruel. It wasn't his fault!

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So Rebecca never got to make any big decisions in her marriage, did she? And Jack punishes Kevin and Randall for fighting in the car by making them walk five miles, while Kate gets rewarded for cutting school with a ride to the record store and a pep talk how she can be a better songwriter than Alanis Morissette.

I loved that Dr K managed to gently dispel some of the Superman Jack myth while still being a comforting presence for Rebecca. I found him too "folksy" in his interactions with Jack last season, but he's hit just the right tone here.

Loved the La-La-La-Lasagna sing-along in the car to help Rebecca get over the bridge, and of course kid Randall has memorized all the phobias.

The cancer scare came out of left field, and I don't think that was the end of it. I'm sure there'll be another scare while Rebecca is trying to manage life as a widow and single parent, or maybe it'll even be actual cancer this time.

Edited by chocolatine
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2 minutes ago, pianogirl73 said:

When did he lose his wife? That had to be his second wife?

He lost his wife before the triplets were born.  And, he met his second wife (well, not really met they already knew each other) at the grocery store.  I'm trying to remember what episode that was.  I'm almost thinking it was the one where they had the whole episode about the day when REbecca went into labor, but I'm not 100% sure of that.

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4 minutes ago, debraran said:

I think he was a widower when she delivered?

I don't get why Kevin is angry again and throws out his airplanes, his only memory of his dad other than his necklace. Maybe though that's why he let the watch tantrum go.  I felt Rebecca giving him the watch so soon might have been premature.

 

2 minutes ago, Katy M said:

He lost his wife before the triplets were born.  And, he met his second wife (well, not really met they already knew each other) at the grocery store.  I'm trying to remember what episode that was.  I'm almost thinking it was the one where they had the whole episode about the day when REbecca went into labor, but I'm not 100% sure of that.

Thank you! I remember the scene where he is in his kitchen but I forgot the rest of his story. 

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Only two things saved this episode from being treacly for me:  Dr. K (I think Gerald McRaney did a really fine scene) and Jack telling Kevin and Randall matter-of-fact-ly about his brother, then giving them the speech probably most parents have about "someday we'll be gone and you'll only have each other." 

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Its kind of a blessing in disguise that the show is taking a break, because TWO episodes of This Is Us in a row is way too much emotion for me to take in one week. 

Last week was sad, but I think seeing Dr. K again, and Rebecca and the kids at the funeral got me even more. 

Between the Toy Story movies when I was a kid, and this show now, I have spent a distress amount of time crying about the life cycles of inanimate objects. 

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Oh My, the emotions this show brings forth in me!  I idolized my Dad the way Kate does Jack.  The young Teen Actors in this show are all terrific and clearly show how the adult versions of themselves became the way they are.  Kudos to them, and again, Mandy Moore broke my heart with the scene by the Tree!  And was happy to see Doc there again, so kind & so true.   

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7 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

So Rebecca never got to make any big decisions in her marriage, did she? And Jack punishes Kevin and Randall for fighting in the car by making them walk five miles, while Kate gets rewarded for cutting school with a ride to the record store and a pep talk how she can be a better songwriter than Alanis Morissette.

Kate just skipped school. Kevin and Randal literally almost caused a car accident. Just saying...

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Another solid episode for Mandy Moore. Her and Justin Hartley are both killing it this season. I thought she did an excellent job at portraying an emptier Rebecca, especially with Jack's death still fresh. I like that she got to talk to Dr. K. I know that he'll probably have his own death episode, which will surely devastate me. I love how he was there for Rebecca, talking about Jack a bit but ultimately being her support.

Oh man, Kevin, lashing out at Randall during the reception because of Jack's watch was definitely not the right time. But I can see where it was coming from, and grief comes out in the strangest and most inappropriate of ways. Unfortunately for Kevin, he's always been an angry kid, so it just feels like the same old bratty Kevin. However, I did note a slight difference this time. Though Randall got to get angry back, so that was interesting.

I will say that Jack kicking Randall and Kevin out of the car during driving lessons was great. I was cheering the entire time. 

I guess we know officially that Nicky died in Vietnam. It was just a casual way of slipping in that big piece of information. I actually liked Jack's speech to the boys about not taking things for granted. It was nice to see a contrast of how Jack talked to the boys vs how he talked to Kate. Letting her skip school to drive her to the records store while casually chatting instead of disciplining her was more obvious with the two scenes being in the same episode. I guess I was just hoping for Jack to at least say "Skipping school is bad, no matter what reason you have. I'm going to drive you, but I hope you don't do it again". 

The Jack/Rebecca scenes were well done. Also, I absolutely adored the family car scene as it was driving over the bridge. I love that Rebecca was utterly terrified and the kids helped her keep distracted. It was a really nice family moment that we actually haven't gotten much of. More of that, please.

Also, I absolutely love that the Tree became important to Jack solely because it was the closest one to a payphone. Though not entirely true, as we saw plenty of trees around the payphone much closer, the sentiment was nice. 

So, I will say that having two episodes within the same week? Perhaps not the best idea. 

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Man that funeral was so uncomfortable. Well done by the teen actors because you could just feel the tension and hostility and how Rebecca just kept them moving because she was too much in a fog to deal with it. 

 

But at the end, they had a nice moment at the tree and I’m glad they did go to the concert and have some fun. That would be exactly what Jack would have wanted. 

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Welp, I cried this time.  Especially when they all went to the tree.  Made a difference that this one wasn't hyped up like the Super Bowl episode.  

I was so glad that Rebecca had that conversation with Dr. K.  It was something she really needed to hear, from someone who understood her and Jack.  During the first few minutes, I was rolling my eyes because of course Jack made the car decision without talking to Rebecca.  Yeah, it's nice that he knew his family "belonged" in the Wagoneer, but it also made Rebecca look like the boring one again.  Rebecca needed to understand that as painful as it would be, she could hold the family together on her own.

I was sad to hear Kate give up the dog so easily, and even more so that Rebecca agreed with her.  Figure they were both still in shock.  But I was glad that Rebecca insisted that Jack's death wasn't Kate's fault, even if they both knew Kate wouldn't believe it.  Puts the earlier scenes between them in an interesting retrospective.

Anyone notice that Kevin didn't cry at all, during the funeral or when they scattered the ashes?  

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Just now, Amethyst said:

Welp, I cried this time.  Especially when they all went to the tree.  Made a difference that this one wasn't hyped up like the Super Bowl episode.  

I was so glad that Rebecca had that conversation with Dr. K.  It was something she really needed to hear, from someone who understood her and Jack.  During the first few minutes, I was rolling my eyes because of course Jack made the car decision without talking to Rebecca.  Yeah, it's nice that he knew his family "belonged" in the Wagoneer, but it also made Rebecca look like the boring one again.  Rebecca needed to understand that as painful as it would be, she could hold the family together on her own.

I was sad to hear Kate give up the dog so easily, and even more so that Rebecca agreed with her.  Figure they were both still in shock.  But I was glad that Rebecca insisted that Jack's death wasn't Kate's fault, even if they both knew Kate wouldn't believe it.  Puts the earlier scenes between them in an interesting retrospective.

Anyone notice that Kevin didn't cry at all, during the funeral or when they scattered the ashes?  

Kevin's probably still in shock.  He is still processing his loss of football, they haven't even discussed the house yet and there is so much to process.

Funny how Rebecca said she'd keep telling Kate her whole life it wasn't her fault, but I wonder if their tense relationship made Kate do the opposite of her advice a lot.  Very sad, but I hope Louie stayed, Jack wouldn't have approved of his saving the dog and it being given away.

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I also thought the scene where Jack was working on the car & the boys walk up and he matter of factly tells them about his brother.  He wants Randall & Kevin to have a real brotherly relationship.  I realize as I get older how important my sisters & our shared(and yet different) memories are.

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I liked that we were all in the past this episode. It was a nice break from the Big Three grieving in the present day.

Even since Kevin said he was always on the outside, odd child out I cannot help but notice it. He was constantly on the outside of hugs, standing furthest from Rebecca. I applaud/cringe they’re continuously putting him as the odd child in the past.

I’m not surprised they dropped the price on the car for Jack. I bought a new car, and without meaning to I had to take a moment bc the car I wanted was just outside my limit. My face gets real splotchy when I cry. I hid the tears, but the guys all knew I had been crying. The manager instantly dropped the price to below what I was hoping to pay. I know people say take “guys” car shopping, but those tears definitely worked in my favor.

I hate that Jack never says no to Kate. He is setting Rebecca to be at odds with Kate. I also understand Kate’s guilt. My “superbowl” is a day in May, and even though its only been seven years (unlike Kate’s twenty) I still feel guilty I didnt walk into a friend’s room five minutes earlier. Guilt is an awful, powerful thing. 

Edited by SnoGirl
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what a horrid episode,

 

the overhype and endless shilling of jack has gone beyond annoying, i would argue it's even worse that what they did with wesley crusher's character on star trek if that's even possible

kate being rewarded for skipping school was so stupid, at the least even if she was still allowed to go, she should have been punished afterward

kate blaming herself was annoying, it made it seem like she wanted everything to be about her

the foreshadowing jack's death was beyond annoying

the car saleman part was so damn stupid and annoying, there's no reson why they couldn't have gotten a used car, my family has gotten them and they are fine, also wouldn't getting a used car be like adopting randall or getting louie, they are giving someone or something a loving home

Randall really annoyed me with the watch, like who the hell does that? what is he going to pick through jacks stuff and steal the clothes he was wearing when he died as well?

Well at least we know about nick, i wonder if he died during the war or after and if he died after what happened

the bridge scene was annoying and really random and unneeded

the miguel part was so stupid and over the top, like i'd think your mother would take priority even over your best friend

also the urn ashes was weird

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6 minutes ago, Miss Dee said:

The teenage boy playing Randall absolutely nailed SKB's tone and timbre of voice in some of those scenes. Just nailed it.

These casting directors deserve a raise.  I really thought I was hearing SKB's voice once or twice.  Especially when Randall was arguing with Kevin at the funeral.  

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Will someone with the medical knowledge clarify something for me, please?  They would have done an autopsy on Jack, right?  Could they have determined if he had a pre-existing heart problem that would have killed him regardless of the smoke inhalation?  Would any of this information be passed on to Rebecca?

As they were walking away from the tree with Kate so upset, I wonder if they would do anything and sure enough it is Kevin with his arm around his sister.

I think I would rather watch the three younger kids navigate their lives.

Edited by elle
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This was a good follow-up to the super-intense Superbowl Sunday. Little things like Rebecca seeing the coffee cup in the car: so real. I giggled out loud at "I've memorized all the phobias." - most Randall thing ever. :) I love Gerald McCraney and Doc K was just what Rebecca needed. I was/wasn't surprised that Kevin went there, blaming Randall for 'letting' Jack go back in. I wonder if that will come back again. And good for Rebecca telling Kate in no uncertain terms that it wasn't her fault, even if it fell on deaf ears.

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Am I imagining it or didn't Dr. K die in some episode last year? He was in a car accident and went to the hospital as the kids were sick or something? They stayed with him while he passed because his family was far away.

I loved all the musical notes this episode struck....and Jack's comment on Alanis(or Atlantis) as "guitars with complaining made me fall out of my chair...as that is what most '90's music sounded like to me....

Great episode with touches of humor....

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10 minutes ago, elle said:

Will someone with the medical knowledge clarify something for me, please?  They would have done an autopsy on Jack, right?  Could they have determined if he had a pre-existing heart problem that would have killed him regardless of the smoke inhalation?  Would any of this information be passed on to Rebecca?

You have to ask, unless it's suspicious, maybe Rebecca thought she knew and it didn't matter. Might have helped Kate though if something else. But as she said, we all got out and were okay, so unless he had an underlying issue, it was just too much smoke.

Edited by debraran
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Quote

Also Rebecca following the urn around because she wasn’t there when he died wrecked me because none of us were there when my dad died. I’m told it was instantaneous but still.  He died all alone.

My moment was when we all left the wake and my dad was still there in his coffin.  I realized he would be all alone in the locked building with all the lights out.  I wanted to go back inside so badly.  Just thinking about it still makes me cry.  Twenty years ago at the end of this year.  I have managed to move on with my life, though.

Quote

Am I imagining it or didn't Dr. K die in some episode last year? He was in a car accident and went to the hospital as the kids were sick or something? They stayed with him while he passed because his family was far away.

I thought it was just a serious surgery, and both of them made it.  If he died I completely blocked it from memory.

Edited by Crs97
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38 minutes ago, debraran said:

My daughter without skipping a beat, said when Jack took Kate to store, " I bet he would have taken Kevin back to school"  Maybe?

Probably so.  Jack can't ever tell Kate no.  I was quite shocked that he let her skip school.  No wonder she thinks of him as a saint.  

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Mandy and Milo hit it out of the park.  Again.  I didn't miss the adult kids.

 I think we got the story of the tree.  It was the closest one to a pay phone ;).

Anne was Dr. K's kind neighbour who cared about him.  I cried (through this entire episode actually) when he introduced her to Rebecca "this is my wife, Anne".

I think this episode showed they were all in a horrible state of shock.  I don't think Kevin was purposefully left out of hugs; rather, he kept his distance as he saw fit at the time, although none were in any shape to be held accountable for their actions.

I was waiting for the mention of the child they lost.  And we got that from Dr. K.  Their loss of Kyle is something that has been touched upon but not explored.  I for one would welcome more Kyle. 

I have been dreading this time in the series even though I always knew it was coming.  Yes, we got answers, but about certain things, I think I was okay not asking questions.

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4 minutes ago, stonehaven said:

Am I imagining it or didn't Dr. K die in some episode last year? He was in a car accident and went to the hospital as the kids were sick or something? They stayed with him while he passed because his family was far away.

I loved all the musical notes this episode struck....and Jack's comment on Alanis(or Atlantis) as "guitars with complaining made me fall out of my chair...as that is what most '90's music sounded like to me....

Great episode with touches of humor....

No Dr K didn’t die, he was in the hospital the same time Kate had her appendix out though, and Randall kept him company. 

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So, two things. One you may already know and the other you don't. 

1) I have a crippling fear of bridges and have to close my eyes any time someone drives me over one. I avoid them even though I live in a very busy driving city that is full of them. I always said to myself, "the only way this bridge won't scare me, is if I'm driving to my hometown knowing one of my parents is dying/dead." Luckily, this has not been tested. The end scene felt like it was written for me. I really related. I got 3 texts from others who know me when they saw that scene.

2) You may already know this, I mentioned it in season one forums, but I blame myself for my grandmother's death. It happened just under 20 years ago, and my grief is shown mostly through my relationship with food (aka, I am Kate). When Rebecca said "I know you won't believe me when I tell you this, Kate, but it was NOT your fault." You could just switch Kate for Boogie and you now know what I've heard since she passed away in 2000. She didn't run into a fire to save my dog, but I did cause her to stress out which increased her blood pressure and lead to heart failure.

I find it interesting how William and Jack both had such unlucky childhoods and years as young adults. When Jack was explaining why he never talks about old times, it was just so sad. William's was sad as well. I suppose they suffered to spare their child(ren) from suffering. 

Just now realized we didn't see the adult Big Three. Casting is so good, I didn't notice. 

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1 minute ago, Gemma Violet said:

Probably so.  Jack can't ever tell Kate no.  I was quite shocked that he let her skip school.  No wonder she thinks of him as a saint.  

She mentioned that she had no exams - so if that's the case, she wasn't really skipping, just not at the school. Maybe I shouldn't be proud of it, but my dad would've done the same for me.

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I loved when they showed the shots of both kid AND teen Randall dropping pop on himself and Kevin in the backseat as Jack talked about the inevitable stains the car would get. The kids both had the exact same expressions, and now I want the same thing to happen with adult Randall and Kevin! 

Also, Jack is apparently my dad when it comes to music. "That all sounds like complaining to music. Now SPRINGSTEEN is an artist!" 

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38 minutes ago, bettername2come said:

That was so much better than the Super Bowl episode. No twists, no turns, just emotions, and Jack being really decent and looking out for his family and Rebecca continuing that.

Yes, I liked that the episode was straightforward, didn't feel the need to shoehorn the adult Big Three in, and exemplified Jack's relationship to his family through the saga of the Wagoneer. Jack saving everyone from the fire is a superhero memory but the events chronicled here much better represent his parenting. Some day I think Kate does have to realize that Jack did her no favors by indulging her every whim.

We now have it confirmed that Nicky died in Vietnam, so there is a source for many new Jack flashbacks.

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6 minutes ago, Dreamboat Annie said:

I for one would welcome more Kyle. 

I can almost guarantee they are saving the baby stories for once the child actors outgrow their age group. Same with the Nicki/Nicky stories.

Edited by BoogieBurns
No clue how to spell his brother's name
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I think so too, re the toddler years. I see so many cute pics online and never saw those episodes, lots of birthdays etc. I think they are coming and "maybe" an episode with Dr K  and Jack's anxiety.

And although the 20's were awkward, maybe now more can be filled in with Jack's death.

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