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

[anna0852]

I know Kate told Tess that she'd keep her secret. But I also understand why she tell Rebecca. This is a pretty huge thing and Kate's on the other side of the country. Like Becca said, Kate wanted someone looking out for Tess. It's Tricky when kids that aren't yours confide in you. Keeping their confidence while also respecting parental rights can be a bit of a tightrope.

Nicky couldn't have faked his death. He's living under his own name and the US military doesn't believe him dead. 

[Amethyst]

I suspected that Nicky was alive.  I'm wondering if he did something so awful that Jack disowned him, meaning Nicky was dead, in a way.  Something horrible had to have happened for them not to speak all this time, and for the Big 3 to have no idea their uncle is still alive.  

So Rebecca is the one in the hospital all those years later.  I'm betting this has something to do with the numerous aches and pains she was talking about with Tess.  Possibly masking something worse.

This election continues to drag on, but at least something is happening now.  Randall is just too stubborn.  If he really wants to roll up his sleeves and help the community, he can.  He doesn't have to win the election to do good.  And Beth is right.  Tess and Deja are going through some major stuff and they need both parents there.  Losing the election could be a way out for Randall if he would let it.

Didn't Kate say she was 8 credits short?  She might need more than six months to graduate.  Not to mention going through a pregnancy, but I get what it's supposed to mean for Kate.  Whatever, I'm really not invested in that.

Edited November 28, 2018 by Amethyst

[Scarlett45]

5 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

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?

No she was talking about meeting William (twice when Randall was growing up) and never telling Jack OR Randall about it. Randall having to find out on his own after he tracked William down, and her lying again (pretending it was the first time they had met when Randall introduced them). Yes I can see how that would give someone a stomach ache. 

[screenaddict]

I don't have a DVR, so I can't check this. But the ultrasound I saw on the doctor's screen in the office was not an ultrasound of a 14-week fetus. Surely somebody on staff is a mother and can say, look, a 14-week ultrasound is a round head, a round torso and some appendages. Do they even do screening tests that early? And wouldn't an amnio be worth a whole episode of watching Kate emote over whether it's worth the risk?

Justin Hartley is one of the most perfectly beautiful men on television.

If Randall and Beth break up, I have no hope for any marriage. 

Where is Annie in the future? Where?

Not feeling an Alzheimer's story line, although it would be interesting to watch older adult Pearsons navigate the joys of taking care of an elderly parent. If they're anything like my family, they'll revert to their childhood roles and fight over the little details because they don't want to admit what the big picture tells them.

Again, no breaking up Randall and Beth, show runners. You've been warned.

I can't even think about Uncle Nicky yet. 

How come they can age the characters down so well, but the older versions look like my junior high school play characters, where we drew lines on our faces with eyebrow pencil and sprayed gray stuff in our hair?

[Dreamboat Annie]

9 minutes ago, deaja said:

 

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.

He was definitely good at getting his message across but, yes, he's been over his head from the start.  And, knowing Randall, it was predictable that upon hearing it's hopeless that it would only serve to strengthen his resolve.  Instead of the predictable, I was really hoping he would reassure Beth that he could still be active in the community, trying to make a difference by attending council meetings (when it fit their schedule) and continue working to help those in the building they own and their community.

[Scarlett45]

5 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

I know Kate told Tess that she'd keep her secret. But I also understand why she tell Rebecca. 

Nicky couldn't have faked his death. He's living under his own name and the US military doesn't believe him dead. 

I edited your post but I agree with the first point. 

If the Nicky is Nicky Jr could he be getting a survivor benefit (as the disabled adult child of a veteran)?

 

3 minutes ago, screenaddict said:

Do they even do screening tests that early? And wouldn't an amnio be worth a whole episode of watching Kate emote over whether it's worth the risk?

They can do cell free dna at 9 weeks I believe. @doodlebug am I right?

And from the dna you’d know the SEX of the baby (babies don’t have genders!). 

[tennisgurl]

Yeah, you cant just walk in off the street and get a teaching job without any teaching experience, or a college degree, Kate. Honestly, you can hardly get any job without some sort of higher education. Duh. And maybe the best way to get a job isnt a variation of the usual "have I mentioned my life sucks?" speech that you love so much, Kate?

And I hope you enjoyed her niece bonding last week, because I dont see that happening again for awhile. 

[balmz]

ok episode,

 

was surprised kate didn't get the job, with her brattyness and whineyness she'd fit perfectly in the high school

randall should have left the election though i was surprised that the guy said it was over so soon, the 2016 election is sad proof anything can happen

wasn't surprised with the nick thing though part of me still was thinking their dad beat nick to death

so her is either rebecca or randall's bio mom who is still alive

the tess plot made me roll my eyes, it's so obvious they are doing the lgbt plot just to try and get brownie points with the lgbt people like jk rowling tried, and this is coming from someone who is bi

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

Didn't Kate say she was 8 credits short?  She'll need more than six months to graduate.  Not to mention going through a pregnancy, but I get what they're implying.  Whatever, I'm really not invested in that.

She can at least get a semester in (barring any major baby complications). I think Toby's goal was more to give her something to keep her occupied, anyway (since her odds of getting a decent job that won't be difficult for her health are, let's face it, pretty slim).

[Packerbrewerbadger]

When Toby and Kate cut the cake , I’m like...... “ it’s green!?!?”  

Edited November 28, 2018 by Packerbrewerbadger

[Neurochick]

Nicky:

We never saw what Jack saw when he went out into the water.  Maybe Nicky’s face was damaged from the explosion, maybe Jack felt he was to blame, maybe Nicky wanted to be left alone, so that’s what Jack did.

Do we know where Nicky is living?   I didn’t see the address on that envelope.

Maybe the issue with the election isn’t that Randall’s wants to help people (and someone needs to help,even if they do have a family), it’s that Randall is doing it for his own ego.

Edited November 28, 2018 by Neurochick

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Neurochick said:

Do we know where Nicky is Livingston?  I didn’t see the address on that envelope.

Somewhere in Pennsylvania (I forgot the town already).

[DoubleUTeeEff]

Damn, Randall. If he wins this election I will be so disgusted. I don't want him to get vindication for being a jerk to his wife and winning against all odds so that he can be right about being the only person who can help someone else's community.

"Gender" reveals are weird to me, but to each their own. It was even odder to me that it was just Kate and Toby going through the whole ritual of ordering the cake and all. They are so dramatic; they could have just asked the doctor.

Does Kate have a brain of her own? She just goes through life letting other people make her decisions for her. First, Madison comes along and tells her to be a teacher and she's like, OK. Then Toby comes along and tells her to go back to school and she's like, sure.

When Beth was telling Tess that she loved her, I thought, please don't say "no matter what" so of course she did.

Do we know the significance of pin the tail on the donkey? What that a Jack thing? It seems familiar but I can't remember the details.

[Amethyst]

11 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

Do we know where Nicky is living?   I didn’t see the address on that envelope.

Managed to rewind it.  The envelope read:

Nicholas Pearson

2125 Songbird Rd.

Bradford, PA 16701.

 

14 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

Maybe the issue with the election isn’t that Randall’s wants to help people (and someone needs to help,even if they do have a family), it’s that Randall is doing it for his own ego.

Wondered this myself.  I'm sure he does want to help, but more than that, he wants to win.

Serious question: do people not like being surprised about the baby's sex anymore?  I know gender reveal parties are popular, but in general, I don't hear people saying they want to wait until the delivery, they want to know immediately.  

[Pallas]

I think Nicky was discharged (with a Section 8, perhaps) and sent back to the States, but he never went home: his family never saw him again. Jack said, "The mission is going home." That's how Nicky didn't complete the mission. He's been living in Pennsylvania all along, but only Jack knew where. If even he did. I'm sure he knew Nicky was alive though. He took Randall to the Vietnam memorial on their way back from the visit to Howard -- the night that Kevin was injured -- and I remember noting that we didn't see them trace a name with their fingers. (Of course the name's not there to be traced.) 

Wasn't Beth in a gym, on the track suspended above the basketball court? I think she runs a school, not a ballet studio. 

[WhosThatGirl]

I mean.. some stuff was good. I liked that Kevin didn’t meet with the grown up little boy that’s jack helped, I liked that it was just a random Vietnam person whose dad was also in the war.

Other than that.. they’re seeing Rebecca. Kind of expected that. I remember thinking maybe it could have been Kate or their daughter but I was always sure it was Rebecca. 

Also not sure how I feel about the Nicky being alive thing. Jack had mentioned a few times his brother died in the war and seemed upset about it. His first date with Rebecca, when his dad mentioned how he couldn’t save anyone not even his luitle brother,the kids, etc. so when I think of that it makes Nicky look like a jerk for doing that to Jack. And I will find it really cheesy if it ends up being that jack was in on it, which is probably what’s going to happen.

Edited November 28, 2018 by WhosThatGirl

[Snapdragon]

40 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

I suspected that Nicky was alive.  I'm wondering if he did something so awful that Jack disowned him, meaning Nicky was dead, in a way.  Something horrible had to have happened for them not to speak all this time, and for the Big 3 to have no idea their uncle is still alive.  

Yeah, Nicky had to have done something huge for Jack to basically disown him, so that's going to be the mystery for the second half of the season.  My first thought was that the person in the boat explosion was the Vietnamese woman who gave Jack the necklace and Nicky was responsible for her death, but that would be too dark for Nicky to come back from.  And we know whatever he did is going to have to be something forgivable since Kevin will obviously be meeting with him later.  I feel that I need to go back and re-watch past episodes to see if Jack actually ever said that Nicky died in the war or if he was just "lost" in the war.  Though hats off to the writers, because I did not see the "Nicky is alive" twist coming.

My guess from the start was that the "she" in question would be Rebecca since the creators have said that that's going to be the final timeline for the show and the only series finale that makes sense is Rebecca dying and reuniting with Jack.

Glad that Randall's political storyline seems to be coming to an end.  Wish there was a way to keep his campaign manager around as I like the character but I don't really see a way to make that happen.  

[ChromaKelly]

I never liked that Deja's mom gave up her parental rights. She didn't need to. It's not like she was completely unfit, she just needed to get herself together. Oh well, more drama that way.
Ugh, I knew it would be impossible to have a likeable Kate for more than one episode.
Randall, fuck off. Choose your family. You now have two unemployed people in this family. Beth can't carry everything herself. God if Randall wins this election I'm going to scream.

[LoveLeigh]

1 hour ago, Armchair Critic said:

Nicky still alive? 

And they are visiting Rebecca in the future.

Yes and yes. Oh well.....

[Bama]

I just watched the future Randall/Tess scene again.  Right before it starts we hear Randall say “10 years from now” in his toast at Toby and Kate’s wedding.  

But those future scenes have to be farther along than 10 years, right?

Tess is what, 12-13 in the present?  Future Tess looks like late 20s/early 30s, not 22-23.  And Future Randall looks way older than 48.

Randall - “It’s time to go see her, Tess.”

Tess - “ I’m not ready.”

Randall - “Me neither.”

 

I’m with most of y’all assuming the “her” is Rebecca and they aren’t ready to see because she’s ill or dying.  But couldn’t the “her” be Beth?  And they don’t want to see her because their family is estranged?  No one has mentioned Annie in the future.  Could it be Randall/Tess on one side and Beth/Annie on the other?

Future Beth seemed different - almost cold.  Her assistant seemed almost scared of her.

Of course after Nicky being alive I could be looking for twists where there are none.

[tennisgurl]

Randall really is pissing me off something fierce. Beth called marriage, and he just shut her down. Yeah, he said that his family is his priority, but...is it? Because it seems like his priority is whatever project he can jump into to make himself feel like the big damn hero, even if it means jerking his family around, putting their financial security at risk, constantly changing their lives (especially for poor little Tess and Annie, who must have serious whiplash over the last year), and now, when his family is dealing with unemployment, heartbreak, his daughter trying to figure her sexuality right, his other daughter trying to figure out if she wants a relationship with her bio mom, Randall still wants to do his election in a community hours away, which if he wins, would possibly make him uproot his family, changing things again, or would just mean he would be around a LOT less. All for a job that he will probably get bored with anyway when he drives past a bar William played at once and sees its having financial problems, and he decides he wants to take over it now or something. This all seems to speak to a bigger issue with Randall having some kind of mid life crisis after meeting and losing William, or just a typical midlife crisis, or something like that, not him just wanting to help people. Its selfish, as selfless as he acts like it is. And, as much of a smarmy jerk as his opponent seems to be, he wasn't wrong when he said Randall doesent know their community. He just showed up on his white horse to save all the poor people, and is annoyed that they dont accept him as their lord and savior. And all of this, while their family now has no income, and need to start being careful about fiances. Guy is going to savior his way to the couch permanently. 

[Violetgoblin6]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Somewhere in Pennsylvania (I forgot the town already).

Bradford PA. My husband used to hunt there with his best friend from Penn State, back in the 90s. Didn't watch this episode (I've been spoiling myself all night, heh), but someone posted a picture of the envelope on Twitter and I immediately recognized the town. 

14 minutes ago, Bama said:

I just watched the future Randall/Tess scene again.  Right before it starts we hear Randall say “10 years from now” in his toast at Toby and Kate’s wedding.  

But those future scenes have to be farther along than 10 years, right?

Tess is what, 12-13 in the present?  Future Tess looks like late 20s/early 30s, not 22-23.  And Future Randall looks way older than 48.

Randall - “It’s time to go see her, Tess.”

Tess - “ I’m not ready.”

Randall - “Me neither.”

 

I’m with most of y’all assuming the “her” is Rebecca and they aren’t ready to see because she’s ill or dying.  But couldn’t the “her” be Beth?  And they don’t want to see her because their family is estranged?  No one has mentioned Annie in the future.  Could it be Randall/Tess on one side and Beth/Annie on the other?

Future Beth seemed different - almost cold.  Her assistant seemed almost scared of her.

Of course after Nicky being alive I could be looking for twists where there are none.

Apparently it's 13 years, 2031. I heard that from folks on Reddit back in March. Rebecca would be 81. 

[Bama]

So then Future Randall is 51?

Yikes - apparently Randall is in for a rough 13 years.  He looks much older in the future scenes than 51.

[brokenwing29]

The thing with Tess is so overblown. She was born in October 2008. She is barely 10...not a big deal if she isn't into boys. I know Kate had her best interests at heart and Rebecca was sensitive about it but she shouldn't have told after being asked not to. Tess only insinuated that she would be open to dating girls...not some big declaration. No reason to pressure a 4th grader to "choose a sexuality." If they are going with this storyline, fine, it's time the actress got some screen time, but sexuality with this youngest generation isn't so black and white and isn't a big deal. Like Tess said last year so nonchalantly, "I guess Grandpa is gay, or bi."

[lavenderblue]

In the universities I attended, 8 credits would have equaled only two or three standard courses (3 or 4 credits a course), so a part-time semester's load. I nitpicked more what Kate's outstanding credits were, because if it were upper level major work that she needed, the community college won't cut it. But I'll be generous and assume she was only missing general ed requirements.

I just want Randall to lose this freaking election so we stop hearing about it already. Team Beth on this one.

[Snapdragon]

12 minutes ago, brokenwing29 said:

The thing with Tess is so overblown. She was born in October 2008. She is barely 10...not a big deal if she isn't into boys. I know Kate had her best interests at heart and Rebecca was sensitive about it but she shouldn't have told after being asked not to. Tess only insinuated that she would be open to dating girls...not some big declaration. No reason to pressure a 4th grader to "choose a sexuality." If they are going with this storyline, fine, it's time the actress got some screen time, but sexuality with this youngest generation isn't so black and white and isn't a big deal. Like Tess said last year so nonchalantly, "I guess Grandpa is gay, or bi."

I think they're fudging the numbers for Tess's birth year because Rebecca said that Tess was in middle school, which would make her 11-13 years old (if her birthday's in October, then she could possibly have just turned 14), which makes a lot more sense with the period and orientation plot lines.  

EDIT: Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, she's probably supposed to have just started middle school, which means that she's in the 11-12 age range.  So yeah, that's the appropriate time for people to start getting crushes and such.

Edited November 28, 2018 by Snapdragon

[Christina87]

11 minutes ago, lavenderblue said:

In the universities I attended, 8 credits would have equaled only two or three standard courses (3 or 4 credits a course), so a part-time semester's load. I nitpicked more what Kate's outstanding credits were, because if it were upper level major work that she needed, the community college won't cut it. But I'll be generous and assume she was only missing general ed requirements.

I just want Randall to lose this freaking election so we stop hearing about it already. Team Beth on this one.

I was thinking the same thing about Kate's credits. I feel like she might be in for a surprise, however. Certainly the degree requirements have changed in the last couple decades, and I doubt a lot of her classes would transfer! Her knowledge has to be badly outdated in some areas, and there are undoubtedly new classes. Plus, if she wants to be a teacher, she'd need to spend her last semester student teaching. I'm actually all for Kate finishing college; it might give her some inspiration and help her find good work in the future. I just doubt it will be as easy as she expects!

[zillabreeze]

32 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Randall really is pissing me off something fierce. Beth called marriage, and he just shut her down. Yeah, he said that his family is his priority, but...is it? Because it seems like his priority is whatever project he can jump into to make himself feel like the big damn hero, even if it means jerking his family around, putting their financial security at risk, constantly changing their lives (especially for poor little Tess and Annie, who must have serious whiplash over the last year),

I love your entire post!  I can't believe I loved the character so much in season one.  Now, I want to slap him through the screen.

When the writers call for my opinion, I'm ready.  "Sterling K needs to sit in a corner and STFU, EXCEPT twice per episode he is allowed to talk....as long as he's not wearing a shirt." 

[AmandaPanda]

15 minutes ago, lavenderblue said:

In the universities I attended, 8 credits would have equaled only two or three standard courses (3 or 4 credits a course), so a part-time semester's load. I nitpicked more what Kate's outstanding credits were, because if it were upper level major work that she needed, the community college won't cut it. But I'll be generous and assume she was only missing general ed requirements.

I just want Randall to lose this freaking election so we stop hearing about it already. Team Beth on this one.

Especially if she wants to be a teacher. Unless she had already been taking things like child psych and classes on curriculum development, she needs to take a ton of classes that she hasn't taken yet. Maybe if the school she wants to teach at is a charter school and they'd be able to let her teach with just a degree in music, it would still be possible to finish her degree this season. 

[Violetgoblin6]

17 minutes ago, Bama said:

So then Future Randall is 51?

Yikes - apparently Randall is in for a rough 13 years.  He looks much older in the future scenes than 51.

That's the popular opinion on Twitter tonight. Sterling even retweeted somebody who tweeted just that. And OOPS! I'm in the middle of reading another Dan interview in Entertainment Online and it's actually 15 years in the future, so he's actually 53. Lol. 

[WhosThatGirl]

Im starting to agree with others now that Jack May have been in on Nicky faking his death. As I said in my first post, it would be a crap thing for Nicky to do to jack without telling him. And two, I guess we should have foreshadowed what the Vietnam guy said about Kevin and he having dads who were kind of “like actors” about their war experiences. Like obviously in that moment Vietnam guy wasn’t really talking about pretending about situation like this but we should have known, Jack was pretending about his brother.

I just can’t see it being that jack disowned his brother, especially not if Kevin is going to presumably meet him at some point. Just like William. William wasn’t a bad horrible guy, it was just awful timing. And just like how I feel after we learned Deejas mother’s vackstory, up until she got Deeja back from Randall and Beth, she was pretty decent, I mean yes she asked adult responsibility of deeja but for the most part they were okay. But a lot of had assumed it was neglected parenting when that turned out not to be the case. And it still isn’t. So yeah.. Nicky can’t be that bad.

[Violetgoblin6]

2 minutes ago, AmandaPanda said:

Especially if she wants to be a teacher. Unless she had already been taking things like child psych and classes on curriculum development, she needs to take a ton of classes that she hasn't taken yet. Maybe if the school she wants to teach at is a charter school and they'd be able to let her teach with just a degree in music, it would still be possible to finish her degree this season. 

I taught with emergency cert in the state of PA with a degree in English. I had to earning my teaching masters, however, which I did in 2 years. 

[colorbars]

Kate sucks for telling Rebecca about Tess. I'm glad Rebecca at least didn't try to talk to her about it, even though she knew, and it wasn't until Tess called her out on it that the truth came out. I really enjoyed their scenes tonight. I like seeing Rebecca interacting with characters other than Jack, Miguel or the Big 3.

I also loved how they handled Tess coming out to her parents. The actress that plays her did such a good job portraying the nervousness and fear and awkwardness of sharing something like that with your parents. And I liked the realism of her not wanting it to be a Thing and her not wanting to talk about it after sharing.

I don't think Randell and Beth are divorced in the future, I think Randall just went to pick Tess up from her work to go to the home/hospital, while Beth was going to come from her work. I'm more interested in where Annie is, and Deja. They've already set up for Toby/Kate to not be together in the future through whatever circumstances (that flash forward of Randall and Toby on the phone in the premiere, where Toby was alone in bed, looking sad and without his wedding ring, and Randell telling him 'she' would want him there), so I doubt they'd do that with Beth/Randell, too. I'm guessing they're leaving Kevin and Kate's whereabouts for last - Kevin, probably to reveal whether he's still with Zoe or not, and Kate, because something big might have happened to her, if not just between her and Toby.

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, ChromaKelly said:

I never liked that Deja's mom gave up her parental rights. She didn't need to. It's not like she was completely unfit, she just needed to get herself together.

Exactly, and Deja is not a toddler, she's 14 or 15; it's only a few years until she's an adult. I hope the way this storyline plays out is that Deja insists on moving in with Shauna and Randall and Beth let her.

Didn't Kate's doctor say she didn't want Kate to drive for hours on end because that entails too much sitting? So how is sitting for hours in a classroom/library much different? If anything, that's even more sitting. I did love how quickly Madison jumped into connector mode and lined up the school interview for Kate. That's exactly how my friends and I are when one of us is needs anything.

Is it just me, or was Future Beth styled like Debbie Allen? It's as if the costume department thought all black female choreographers dress like that.

I already shudder to think of Randall pulling out a surprise win, because that's the kind of thing I've come to expect from the show.

And, possibly unpopular opinion, but I don't care about Nicky one way or another. I'm sure it's going to be a convoluted way for Kevin to finally find peace about Jack's death, but this storyline does nothing for me. I don't know if it's the actor who plays Nicky, the writing, or the fact that Zoe is involved.

Edited November 28, 2018 by chocolatine

[Mystery]

3 hours ago, bettername2come said:

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. 

That's what I thought was happening. I'm trying to remember, and I think Tess asked Kate not to tell her parents and probably just assumed that Kate would not tell anyone else. 

 

2 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Didn't Kate say she was 8 credits short?  She might need more than six months to graduate. 

As someone else said, at most schools that would be 2 or 3 classes. My college had 4 units to a class. 

I get that Randall said that he'd quit if Beth asked. But *she* had just said that the family wouldn't hold him back. They were both going back on their word. 

[willco]

I think Randall will make a great politician. He's already promising things that he will never do ! He might try harder that a lot of people, but he will still fail. He's on a quest to get elected. Saying you will will help shovel snow sounds great, but it won't happen.

 

I'm pretty jaded when it comes to politics.

 

It seems like they saved several big plots points til the last 5 minutes. Not a fan of that style of story-telling. I know, they've been doing it from the beginning and it worked, but it's getting a little old.

[MBayGal]

3 hours ago, AmandaPanda said:

And if Randall wins, that will be my breaking point. He has no business winning that campaign

I so agree!  He's an unrealistic carpetbagger.  Oh, but if the city doesn't plow your street, he will be right down from Alpine NJ and do it with you!  Maybe his magically alive Uncle Nicky will come by and help too.  Because Nicky will have married Randall's now sober and magically alive mom!  Unicorns and rainbows will abound!!

And we know Randall will win, because his campaign manager said it's impossible.

Edited November 28, 2018 by MBayGal

[voiceover]

Well.  I liked Beth's "...come back like Serena", and Randall's line about how, now he was imagining Serena in the catsuit.  

And any time Annie's onscreen, I just grin like an idiot.

*sigh* I used to hang on every moment with this show.  Now I'm tweezing out great lines, and cameo appearances by the younger generation.

[LoveLeigh]

OMG they stick EVERY disorder, condition, and alternate lifestyle INTO THIS SHOW. I support all conditions and lifestyles, but how can one extended family have embodied so many interesting bios? Most families are Dull and mundane. 

And the show is moving very very slowly. It really has lost it's steam for me. Now Jack's brother may be alive? The writers are so invested in the shock value, and tearjerker element that I am no longer shocked or sad. 

The show seems to have sort of lost it's way. And the season cliffhangers get on my last nerve. 

[marymon]

If Kate only needed 8 credits she might be able to be a sub.  No one with an ounce of sense would have gone in to a interview not knowing what requirements were needed and  more importantly no Principal would have even seen her if she didn't have the requirements needed.

[Drumpf1737]

The disintegration of Randall and Beth's marriage is like watching a car crash in slow motion.  I hate to say it because there are kids out there that need the Randalls of the world (if there are any left) but the beginning of the end was Randall's desire to adopt. Randall drives headlong from one situation to the next without stopping to consider the impact on the people around him. How could he continue this campaign when his family so clearly needs him?

The actress playing Tess is doing an amazing job.

I think gender reveals are dumb--sorry not sorry. I'm struggling to get into the baby storyline because Kate's such an entitled ass it's hard to root for her. Who thinks they can just walk into a school and teach without any credentials? What pisses me off is Kate seems like the type that would want that exception for herself but she'd never make that accommodation for someone else.

Did Rebecca say she's been in pain for years in very specific areas of her body and had kept it quiet for years? That's incredible and terrible.

I like Kevin and Zoe together and the beauty they bring to my screen is amazing.

Quote

OMG they stick EVERY disorder, condition, and alternate lifestyle INTO THIS SHOW.

Thank god the days of an all white straight cast with the one troubled gay child are over.  We really have to stop normalizing hatred and bigotry for the sake of those who are uncomfortable about the myriad types of people in the world besides themselves. 

Edited November 28, 2018 by Drumpf1737

[NUguy514]

23 minutes ago, DakotaLavender said:

OMG they stick EVERY disorder, condition, and alternate lifestyle INTO THIS SHOW. I support all conditions and lifestyles, but how can one extended family have embodied so many interesting bios? Most families are Dull and mundane.

Just to be extremely clear, being gay is not a "lifestyle," alternate or otherwise.

Eris Baker was wonderful in Tess's coming-out scene.

Kate is back to sucking.

Randall, go fuck yourself with a chainsaw.  I wish Beth had slapped him across the face.

Kevin, you are, by far, my favorite of the Big 3.

[Dowel Jones]

If Randall and Beth actually divorce, at least he has an apartment available with his name on the lease.  In the right area, too.   (/snark).

2 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

I'm starting to agree with others now that Jack May have been in on Nicky faking his death.

Jack's CO told him over the phone that he had 48 hours to ship Nicky back to his original unit.  I didn't even think of that until reading the comments.  It kind of fits together, now.  However, wouldn't the Army still list him as KIA, or would he be one of the MIA if his body was not recovered?  I have some doubts that Nicky is still alive, though.  He was pretty deep into drug abuse while he was there, and it would take a monumental effort on his part to overcome that before he ever got situated back in the US.

[chabelisaywow]

I watched the credits - Griffin Dunne guest star. Could be who played older Nicky.

[debraran]

Sterling said in an interview they would have trouble but no divorce. I kept waiting for it .  Nicky alive will only be pallatable to me if his mom knew. How did he work or live? Don’t like this plot at all but I’m sure another twist for the sake of a twist will come . They are losing to me what made them great. 

 

I love this recap, especially the saracasm at the unrealistic parts. ; )

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a25326250/this-is-us-season-3-fall-finale-midseason-explained-questions/

The last part is my favorite:

But we do know that Nicky Pearson somehow faked his own death, deserted the United States Army, engineered an escape from enemy territory during a war, got himself out of Southeast Asia and back into the United States without detection, moved three hours away from his entire family, where he presumably got a job but never changed his name, and nobody in this needy, ever-searching family ever thought to look him the hell up. Try not to think too hard about it over the relatively emotionally-unchallenging holiday season!

Edited November 28, 2018 by debraran

[Lily H]

Beth is the one who should be sleeping on the couch. She has such an unpleasant personality.

[MrsWitter]

7 hours ago, AmandaPanda said:

And if Randall wins, that will be my breaking point. He has no business winning that campaign. 

 

I’m totally fearing this scenario. With a speech from Beth about how she shouldn’t have doubted him. Randall needs to take several seats... on the couch by himself.

 

Also, Kate (paraphrasing): “I know it’s a crazy time, but I don’t think I’m going to be president!”

 

Writers: “Wait, should we make her president? She is the only daughter of Jack The Great so she clearly could be the first female president! This storyline with Randall’s election is going so well, why not do it again, only bigger?”

 

🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Edited November 28, 2018 by MrsWitter

[MrsWitter]

5 hours ago, willco said:

I think Randall will make a great politician. He's already promising things that he will never do ! He might try harder that a lot of people, but he will still fail. He's on a quest to get elected. Saying you will will help shovel snow sounds great, but it won't happen.

 

I'm pretty jaded when it comes to politics.

I hear you on being jaded, but isn’t that why we have Randall? To restore our faith in the goodness of people and of politicians? (total sarcasm) 

With Randall, I think they are trying to (loosely) take inspiration from Cory Booker, who actually did shovel snow both as the mayor of Newark and the Senator from New Jersey.  Booker is often talked about as a “superhero” because he shovels snow, saves dogs in danger, rescues people from burning buildings, etc. It doesn’t make sense since Randall doesn’t live in the community (he will get there in a jiffy during a blizzard, don’t you worry!), but I am completely convinced they will have Randall complete equally heroic feats as an elected official. I mean, Jack saved a dog from a burning building so Randall already has it in him (ok NOT technically in him, according to Kate who does carry the superhero gene, but he is certainly superhero adjacent).

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cory-booker-rescues-a-freezing-dog-and-9-other-things-he-has-saved

Edited November 28, 2018 by MrsWitter

[MrsWitter]

9 hours ago, chabelisaywow said:

I watched the credits - Griffin Dunne guest star. Could be who played older Nicky.

Spoiler

You’re right- he is! And, according to Deadline, he will be back in 2019. They also say he is playing older Nicky (not a son of Nicky, etc.), the “mysteries” surrounding him will be dealt with in the first few episodes, and he will have interactions with characters in the present day.

https://deadline.com/2018/11/this-is-us-griffin-dunne-castr-key-recurring-role-after-nicky-fall-finale-shocker-1202510085/

[Haleth]

I thought it was more of a twist that Nick is alive than the trope of having him cleaned up and ready to complete the mission only to have him die right before leaving Vietnam.  (Kudos to those who speculated that he might not be dead.)  If he did fake his death though, why would he be living under his own name in PA?  (Assuming that is Nick that we saw in the shadows.)

Boo, Randall.  I hope you lose by thousands.  (And writers, boo if he pulls out a miraculous win.)  Even though he got the crowd riled up it was obvious his lack of experience with political bureaucracy meant that he'd fall short of his promises.  The Pearson Magic won't work on politicians.  Team Beth!

So Kate left school with one semester to go and went to work for Kevin?  The principal also didn't fall under the spell of the Pearson Magic.  Good idea of having her finish her degree while waiting for the baby.

7 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

I liked that Kevin didn’t meet with the grown up little boy that’s jack helped, I liked that it was just a random Vietnam person whose dad was also in the war.

I know!  I was waiting for him to say "That was my mother."  Thanks for that, writers.

4 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

Most families are Dull and mundane. 

Yeah, well, who wants to watch that?