S03.E09: The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

[ElectricBoogaloo]

MID-SEASON FINALE!

Quote

Kevin arrives at the Ville his father served in. Kate pursues a new opportunity. Randall debates Councilman Solomon Brown. In the past, Jack struggles to get through to his brother.

Promo:

Original air date: 11/27/18

[Armchair Critic]

Randall please give up the campaign. Did Beth just make him sleep on the couch?

Beth's response to Tess was the best.

Kate it's hard to feel sorry for you when you have unrealistic expectations like teaching without a degree or certification.

Nicky still alive? 

And they are visiting Rebecca in the future.

[Lady Calypso]

The reason why I dismissed Nicky being alive somehow is because I find the idea ridiculous and so tropey for him to still be kicking. 

Well, they did it. And....I'm not so sure I hate it as much as I thought? I would have preferred Kevin left empty-handed because that's realistic. I would have preferred Nicky to have died, because that would be realistic. But the show seems intent on writing these twists just for twist-sake.

This show has veered off course of anything close to being realistic.

Also, no shit Kate is having Jack Junior. 

[LexieLily]

What was that at the end of the war scene? A boat exploded? My guess is that Nicky somehow engineered that so he could safely go AWOL.

[ams1001]

Bad move, Kate. ('I said I wouldn't tell your parents! And I didn't!')

Maybe it was a little cliche, but I liked the scene cutting back and forth between Jack and Kevin walking through the village. 

The hotel guy actually wanted the shirtless selfie for himself, right? Did he ever get it?

Still not feeling the election thing. (You gonna shovel the snow from Alpine, NJ?) I hope the poll news isn't setting up a miraculous come-from-behind victory. Randall needs to get his shit together. Good for Beth kicking him to the couch.

Going back to school is a good idea for Kate. Gives her something to do for a few months before the baby's due, and puts her on the path to realistic job prospects (and did she really think a school was going to hire her for any kind of teaching position without a degree or any teaching background? A decent singing voice and a job as a singing Adelogram does not qualify one to be a music teacher).

So "her" is Rebecca. And Beth runs a ballet company?

I like that the gender reveal cake was just for the two of them and not a huge party thing. (Jack, Jr., of course it's a boy.)

Nicky's still alive? Did not see that coming.

Edited November 28, 2018 by ams1001

[callmebetty]

I knew it.  I thought to myself what if Nicky never did die. But I thought maybe he stayed in Vietnam.  This show loves its twists.

So are Randall and Beth divorced in the future?

I'm looking forward to the show coming back.

[Scarlett45]

1. I want a shirtless selfie of Justin Hartley PLEASE. Zoe reminds me so much of my cousin (her looks and mannerisms) it’s uncanny.

2. Dammit Randall! He can be very self centered sometimes. I was 100% on Beth’s dude. They had an agreement and he’s choosing not to abide by it. 

3. So I wonder if Nicky faked his death, OR Nicholas Pearson is his son that Jack didn’t know about. I had thought Nicky committed suicide rather than dying in combat but who knows. 

[Arcadiasw]

Beth lists all the issues going on in their family

Randall: I made promises to a community, Beth.

Me: What the hell, Randall?

Team Beth

WTH? Nicky’s still alive? I should've known when the actor was on Jimmy Fallon. 

[CleoCaesar]

So Rebecca is the "her"? Well color me massively underwhelmed. What's the over-under on her having Alzheimer's or something of the sort?

Kate’s scene with Tess last week was fairly sweet, but Kate’s back on my shit list for betraying Tess’s trust by blabbing to Rebecca.

I really liked the Randall/Beth/Tess scenes. The actress who plays Tess has talent. The Pearson parents handled it well.

Randall needs a hard smack in the head. His "promise to the community" [that he does not belong to by virtue of never having lived there] is really his massive ego and hero complex. Beth has far more patience with him than he deserves, quite frankly.

[pianogirl73]

Oh, Kate! Why did you have to tell Rebecca about Tess? That was so disrespectful.

Oh, Randall. The community in PA over your family?

I loved Beth and Tess!

And for some reason, when Beth said "We're all going to visit Randall's mother", my mind went right to his birth mom and not Rebecca.

[Trillian]

1. On 2018-11-14 at 2:13 PM, Trillian said:

   • Purely speculation, but is it possible that Nicky is not dead?

[ProudMary]

Um, debates have rules.  What Randall did would have been halted by the moderator.

[mtlchick]

So PLOT TWIST!!!

The Manny knows no international boundaries!

So Nick is not dead, Beth and Randall seem to part ways in the future (but she found a new calling in life as it seems she was the dance teacher), the baby is a boy and ... Nick is not dead and  lives in PA.  

Ok.  Sure.

See you in the spring!

[Neurochick]

Nicky wanted to get away from Jack and all his expectations.  Sure it would have been realistic for Nicky to have died in Vietnam, but I don’t watch this show for realism.

[ShadowFacts]

It was kind of a blah episode until the last few moments, which packed a lot of punches.  I don't think I'm too happy about the intimation that Nicky is alive.  Tess' scene in the kitchen with her parents was most affecting.  And damn you Randall, do not be a dick to Beth. 

[Spartan Girl]

Okay, did NOT see the Nicky twist coming.

So the flash forward is to Rebecca's deathbed? 

I pretty much hate Randall right now. If he and Beth split instead of Kate and Toby, fine with me.

Still that end to the debate was pretty awesome, and the talk with Tess went pretty well. All kids in those situations really need to know is that their parents love them no matter what.

Now we wait until after the holidays. This fucking show, man....

Edited November 28, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[Dreamboat Annie]

Well, Tess now knows she can't trust Kate with her innermost secrets.

So, Beth called marriage.  And Beth placing a pillow and neatly folded sheets beside the couch?  Seriously?  Isn't that just a little too 50's for Beth?  I'd rather she took that entire bottle of wine (and another) into their room and locked the door.  She was that mad.

[Snickerdoodle]

I'm so glad Beth made Randall sleep on the couch.  He deserved it.

[Annb67]

Uggghh....it didnt record and I caught the ending. Can someone tell me please what is going on with Tess?

[Armchair Critic]

4 minutes ago, pianogirl73 said:

And for some reason, when Beth said "We're all going to visit Randall's mother", my mind went right to his birth mom and not Rebecca.

Could be, we know how they like their plot twists

[Dreamboat Annie]

1 minute ago, Annb67 said:

Uggghh....it didnt record and I caught the ending. Can someone tell me please what is going on with Tess?

She's gay.  She came out to her parents.  And they were great about it. 

[mtlchick]

1 minute ago, Annb67 said:

Can someone tell me please what is going on with Tess?

She may like girls instead of boys but is confused and didn't want it to become "a thing."  

[Annb67]

Just now, Dreamboat Annie said:

She's gay.  She came out to her parents.  And they were great about it. 

Cool. Thanks so much!

[bettername2come]

Woohoo! Rebecca in the future makes sense. The end of an era and all that jazz. And Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Because they played it at at Jack's birthday in season 1? IDK. 

You cannot have Randall and Beth break up! Not after the "you know you're my favorite sound in the world" part. 

Nicky's alive?! Did Jack know? And while I didn't see this one coming, that it a good twist for both This Is Us and a Netflix documentary. And I love the simplicity of the hotel guy just searching the Vietnam War Memorial for the name. I can totally believe Kevin didn't think of that, especially as he was focused on his father. 

Major respect for Tess actress's acting in the coming out scene. Very believable. I liked that she got to spend some time with Rebecca. Hate that Kate told Rebecca. I was waiting for the sitcom-ish misunderstanding that she'd just told Rebecca that Tess got her period. 

I will say they have me believing Randall's a better candidate than the other guy, but keeping all the bus stops if the city tries to shut them down seems unrealistic, although I liked that Randall did his homework. Hate that he's not going on with his promise to Beth, but I believe it. 

Was this the first time Kate hung out with Madison without making any references to her being annoying? Progress in the friendship!

[J0nas3]

4 minutes ago, pianogirl73 said:

And for some reason, when Beth said "We're all going to visit Randall's mother", my mind went right to his birth mom and not Rebecca.

Me too. The way she phrased it seemed off. 

It seems really odd for Kate to tell Rebecca, as she had to have known there was NO WAY Rebecca could keep it to herself.

[Lady Calypso]

Also....something to note about the Rebecca/Tess scene. Rebecca was talking to Tess about keeping secrets and specifically mentioned having a secret she never told Jack or Randall but she told Tess. I don't think we know what it is, but I AM intrigued. It may have a connection to the flashforward, with Tess not wanting to see Rebecca/Randall's mother (I assume it's Rebecca because I'd actually quit the show if Randall's birth mother popped up; we don't need any more biological family members showing up!).

[WednesdayAddams]

So the question is did Jack know about Nicky? I'm guessing no, but he can be secretive, so who knows? 

Jack II for Kate, no surprise there.

Glad it's not Deja they are visiting and sure seems like Beth and Randall aren't together. What was the item her assistant gave her?

Seems like Randall and Kate are separated from their spouses in the future. Maybe Kevin gets the happy ending?

[Ms Blue Jay]

I want a piece of that caaaaaaaaaaaake!

I still love this show.  I was running so many errands during the war scenes and missed a lot, but I still love it.

Thank goodness they didn't put me through Nick's death, even though I don't really like the kid.

Beth is such a good mother :(  I cried

[anna0852]

I assumed Rebecca was referring to Randall's bio dad.

[Dreamboat Annie]

4 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

She may like girls instead of boys but is confused and didn't want it to become "a thing."  

Possibly.  I kind of got the impression that, when they didn't react at first, she thought she had to say something to soften the blow so she pretended with the "maybe" thing.  But I definitely got that she didn't want it to become a "thing" between them and her and thankfully, they got that. 

Edited November 28, 2018 by Dreamboat Annie

[Lady Calypso]

Just now, anna0852 said:

I assumed Rebecca was referring to Randall's bio dad.

...true. I momentarily forgot about that plot point.

[Conotocarious]

7 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

So Rebecca is the "her"? Well color me massively underwhelmed. What's the over-under on her having Alzheimer's or something of the sort?

Ah. So here I was about to post something about how good Beth looked for supposedly having Alzheimer’s. But I should have realized that no one will rest until someone on this show gets it. First it was Jack, then Beth, somewhere in there Randall had Parkinson’s and now Rebecca. 

[Neurochick]

At first I thought Beth was a butch for making Randall sleep on the couch because she didn’t get her way.  If you’re the one who’s oissed Beth, YOU sleep on the couch.

But later I realized it was about respect.  Randall told Beth that if it looked like he wouldn’t win, he’d step down, and he went against that Beth felt as if she wasn’t respected.  But I still feel Beth was being a drama queen, I mean man plans, God laughs.

 I wonder what would happen if Randall wins the election.  

[WednesdayAddams]

Can't be bio mom they are visiting. Why would that concern Kate and why would Toby need to be there for Kate if it's some random person she's visiting?

[ams1001]

9 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

1. I want a shirtless selfie if Justin Hartley PLEASE. Zoe reminds me so much of my cousin (her looks and mannerisms) it’s uncanny.

Not selfies, but... https://www.google.com/search?q=shirtless+selfie+of+Justin+Hartley&rlz=1C1NHXL_enUS690US690&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi77r6JjvbeAhWqVN8KHa4vCcgQ_AUIDigB&biw=1462&bih=713

 

9 minutes ago, Arcadiasw said:

Me: What the hell, Randall?

Me, too.

 

2 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

 (I assume it's Rebecca because I'd actually quit the show if Randall's birth mother popped up; we don't need any more biological family members showing up!).

His bio mother died when he was born.

7 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Also....something to note about the Rebecca/Tess scene. Rebecca was talking to Tess about keeping secrets and specifically mentioned having a secret she never told Jack or Randall but she told Tess. I don't think we know what it is, but I AM intrigued. 

I think it was that she knew William.

[Guest]

Ugh.

I loved Randall during the debate, but I still think he’s underestimating the obstacles in getting stuff done in an area with limited funding. We know the current councilman has done stuff for people- and yes, three buses instead of zero is a big improvement. But Randall will shovel snow. And no, Randall. Listen to Beth!

Having the flash forward be Rebecca is anti-climatic. Yes, it’s sad if she’s dying but she’ll be in her 80s at that point. It’s not as impactful. Moreso things like why Toby doubts he would be wanted, are Randall and Beth together, etc.

[ShadowFacts]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

His bio mother died when he was born.

That's what William said.  But Jack said Nicky died in Vietnam, so . . .

[Ms Blue Jay]

I also have family members who seem to care what strangers think about them more than their immediate family.  I never understood it personally.

[Lady Calypso]

Just now, ams1001 said:

His bio mother died when he was born.

So we're told. We were also told that Nicky was dead and...well...

No body, no death. I didn't believe the show would actually go the Nicky is alive route. Now, I can see them going the Randall's bio mom is alive route. 

3 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

At first I thought Beth was a butch for making Randall sleep on the couch because she didn’t get her way.  If you’re the one who’s oissed Beth, YOU sleep on the couch.

But later I realized it was about respect.  Randall told Beth that if it looked like he wouldn’t win, he’d step down, and he went against that Beth felt as if she wasn’t respected.  But I still feel Beth was being a drama queen, I mean man plans, God laughs.

 I wonder what would happen if Randall wins the election.  

I think that they could have set up these marital problems a bit better. It feels sudden because they have one big fight and suddenly, Randall's on the couch. However, yeah, I can't blame Beth for doing it.This was a fight where Randall's ego got in the way and despite telling her that family comes first, he put family second above people they don't even know, and with people telling him that it's a lost cause. He thinks that he has no chance of winning and he's choosing to still stick by a community he's only just met instead of being there for his family.

And, in hindsight, this has been building for a long time, ever since Randall brought William home without talking to Beth first. They just didn't have Beth really get mad at Randall, so it was harder to see this building up.

[Spencer Hastings]

Ugh, I had a feeling Nicky would be alive. No way would he die under Superman's watch. 

Kate is the absolute worst.  The worst. Tess told her the most deeply personal secret that some people carry with them for a lifetime and she ran and blabbed to Rebecca.  Stupid. 

[Dreamboat Annie]

17 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Um, debates have rules.  What Randall did would have been halted by the moderator

Totally!  I thought he was going to hold a town hall right then and there - and wouldn't be stopped. 

[AmandaPanda]

21 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

The reason why I dismissed Nicky being alive somehow is because I find the idea ridiculous and so tropey for him to still be kicking. 

Well, they did it. And....I'm not so sure I hate it as much as I thought? I would have preferred Kevin left empty-handed because that's realistic. I would have preferred Nicky to have died, because that would be realistic. But the show seems intent on writing these twists just for twist-sake.

This show has veered off course of anything close to being realistic.

Also, no shit Kate is having Jack Junior. 

That's exactly why I thought they would do it. This is increasingly becoming a hate watch for me. When the writers are sure they're making the entire audience cry, I'm just rolling my eyes. Every storyline is basically Trope 101 and it's getting old. 

19 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

So Rebecca is the "her"? Well color me massively underwhelmed. What's the over-under on her having Alzheimer's or something of the sort?

Kate’s scene with Tess last week was fairly sweet, but Kate’s back on my shit list for betraying Tess’s trust by blabbing to Rebecca.

I really liked the Randall/Beth/Tess scenes. The actress who plays Tess has talent. The Pearson parents handled it well.

Randall needs a hard smack in the head. His "promise to the community" [that he does not belong to by virtue of never having lived there] is really his massive ego and hero complex. Beth has far more patience with him than he deserves, quite frankly.

100%. Then in the future, they have to sit around Rebecca's bedside telling her stories about her epic love story with Jack. Also, I have no doubt Randall and Beth are still together. Why on Earth would Beth be going to visit her ex-mother-in-law if she and Randall are divorced?

19 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Um, debates have rules.  What Randall did would have been halted by the moderator.

This x 1000! Though all of Sol's snide comments should also have been cut off by the moderator. 

7 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

At first I thought Beth was a butch for making Randall sleep on the couch because she didn’t get her way.  If you’re the one who’s oissed Beth, YOU sleep on the couch.

But later I realized it was about respect.  Randall told Beth that if it looked like he wouldn’t win, he’d step down, and he went against that Beth felt as if she wasn’t respected.  But I still feel Beth was being a drama queen, I mean man plans, God laughs.

 I wonder what would happen if Randall wins the election.  

I don't think it's necessarily a matter of respect. It's that Randall explicitly promised if at any time she asked him to quit, he would do so. When it came time for that and she laid out the many (very good) reasons he should end the campaign, his response was essentially "I know I promised that...but I never really meant I would..." I would have made him sleep on the couch, too. And if Randall wins, that will be my breaking point. He has no business winning that campaign. 

Edited November 28, 2018 by AmandaPanda

[callmebetty]

Just now, ShadowFacts said:

That's what William said.  But Jack said Nicky died in Vietnam, so . . .

But did Jack ever say Nicky died? I really can't remember if it was ever specifically said. I know the dad said to Jack "you didn't take care of your brother, or you lost him" something vague when you look back at it now.

[BuckeyeLou]

Oh My, I had the Kleenex out at the end....I thought when Jack heard the gunshot, that Nicky had committed suicide....but now we find out he's Alive?! (Or maybe, as some have suggested, its his son?).. I like that Kevin didn't find a definite answer for what he was looking for, but as Zoe suggested, that he needed to keep looking.  Justin Hartley is doing such a wonderful job in these scenes from Vietnam.   Now we know that they are going to see Rebecca.  Why did Beth look different?  And do we assume she is running the ballet school?  I was happy for Kate&Toby.  I liked Toby's talk to Kate about going to school...she needs to finish something in her life, not just keep flitting from thing to thing.  Kate & Toby were cute in that scene at the school(and Kate's legs looked thin).  I'm Team Beth as far as Randall putting his political aspirations above his family's needs.  Beth&Randall seemed like they had the "Perfect marriage" in Season 1, now the realities are coming out & Randall's OCD tendencies are not helping.   All in All, I liked that nothing was 'tied up in a Bow", but everyone's life is still playing out, which is how real life is...just when you think something is all solved, something else pops up. 

[callmebetty]

2 minutes ago, AmandaPanda said:

 

100%. Then in the future, they have to sit around Rebecca's bedside telling her stories about her epic love story with Jack. 

 

So basically The Notebook 2

[Lady Calypso]

Just now, callmebetty said:

But did Jack ever say Nicky died? I really can't remember if it was ever specifically said. I know the dad said to Jack "you didn't take care of your brother, or you lost him" something vague when you look back at it now.

I'm pretty sure he did, at one point last season. He also told Rebecca on their first date during the season 3 premiere. 

[AmandaPanda]

I can get why Kevin didn't think to check the Vietnam database for Nicky's name, but how on Earth did Zoe overlook that one?

[tennisgurl]

Well, pin the tail on a donkeys behind, because I did not see the twist with Nicky coming. I was actually worried that Nick would try to kill the villagers, and Jack would have to kill his brother to save people, but maybe Nicky faked his own death? Or did something else to disappear so he could run off? Did Jack know he was alive?!

So, the person they're visiting in the future is Rebecca, and future Beth runs a fancy dance studio. And it seems like Randall and Beth might have split up. Is this the beginning of the end for Beth/Randall?!

Beth is right to be pissed off. Randall is choosing a bunch of random people over his family, yet again. I could deal with it if this felt like Randall just really wanting to help people, but it always comes off like Randall just working through his adoption issues and his issues with his two dads and everything. This is clearly just another project to make him feel better about himself, the same way being a foster parent/adopted parent, quitting his job, and being a building super was. His family clearly needs him, but he still isnt plugged in with them. 

Of course Kate told her mom about Tess, even if it with good intentions. I do wonder about the secrets that Rebecca was talking about. Did she just mean her issues with her lost singing dream, and her marital problems? Her meeting William? Or is it more? Did she find out Nicky was alive,and never tell Jack? 

Kevin doesent find the whole story of his dad, but he does find some connections with him, meeting people he might have seen and spoken to, and walking the paths he did during a time he didnt like to talk about. So its not nothing. He still made this connection with his dad. I have really loved the Kevin stuff this season.

[shouldbedancing]

High Nicky was coherent enough to enough to fake his own death and escape the war and live secretly for a million years? Randall and Beth are gonna get divorced? Nooooooooo way! I yelled at the end of this show. I'm not here for this.

[bettername2come]

1 minute ago, BuckeyeLou said:

(Or maybe, as some have suggested, its his son?)..

Ooh, forgot about that possibility. Is there some Vietnamese guy pulling a reverse Kevin as he searches out answers about his father's family? And now I will go back to clinging to my secret Vietnamese family wish.