S03.E12: Songbird Road, Part Two

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Rescuing a lost soul will reveal long-lost memories and secrets from the past.

Promo:

Original air date: 2/12/19

[Lady Calypso]

Team Kevin! Team Rebecca! Screw the other members of the Pearson clan who were "too busy" to stick around at least another few hours to take their uncle to the Vet Center but weren't too busy to take a detour to stop at their old house to force their way into a stranger's home. 

But you know what? I'm glad they took off and weren't a part of this helping their uncle stuff. You know why? Because both of them would have ruined the plot. With Randall's inappropriately timed humour (and I'm thrilled Kevin called him out on that at the beginning) and clear lack of concern over their newfound uncle, and Kate complaining about something about her life along with a clear lack of concern over their newfound uncle, they did the right thing in leaving so that Kevin could finally have his moment. 

And good on Rebecca for praising Kevin. It's a rarity, but I'm glad we're getting moments. Kevin and Rebecca's growth in the last season has been wonderful to watch. And yes, Kevin may have started out more selfish but he's now the least selfish out of the Big Three. And hell, even thinking back, Kevin has always been caring toward his siblings and always been there, even as teenagers. 

Also, I'm glad the Nicky stuff ended realistically. He's leaving the door open for his family, and he's willing to try, but he isn't leaving his trailer and isn't suddenly going to be family with Kevin. It's actually very nice. 

And then that ending. Damn, Kevin has relapsed. He was doing so well and look at that, in a second, it changed. Now, his family better damn be there for him when he tells them or when they find out if he keeps drinking.

[Armchair Critic]

I like this show, I do. But not everyone finds the Pearson family stories fascinating, especially when they are strangers who are kind enough to let you in their house when they are busy.

Also, you just met your Uncle and you think you can move him into a vets home? Then Rebecca gets upset because Nicky isn't thrilled about the idea of leaving the only home he has known for years for people who will most likely go back to their own lives and never see him again. And her expression around him was like he smelled bad (okay, maybe he does).

Ack, Kevin don't start drinking again...

[Spartan Girl]

Dammit Kevin!

Well, he and Nicky won't be cured in one episode. Nicky especially is going to need a lot of time.

I'm glad they're getting into not so rosy memories of Jack. Being flawed doesn't make him any less of a character.

Honestly, I thought it was stupid of them to leave Nicky in his own hotel room right after he almost killed himself.

[CleoCaesar]

So Randall can’t help Nicky because he has to get home. Why? “My wife is unemployed and all over the place.” What? How can anyone NOT want to just smack him in his stupid face? Beth is in no way the problem here, and not spiraling like someone driven insane by unemployment. He is such a sanctimonious ass with so little actual respect for his wife. I hope a divorce there happens at some point.

Kevin really shouldn’t have apologized to him for commenting that usually Randall is first to save everyone, with the exception of Nicky. It’s true.

[debraran]

Maybe Kevin drinking again will somehow cross paths with Nicky and they'll help each other.  I thought Nicky was real, the reactions of others wanting the storybook ending so quickly, not so much.

I tried to help an alcoholic once and he got angry that he didn't need a Florence Nightingale, he didn't need nagging, he just needed some support and he had to do it himself. Nicky needs to know the floor is solid, but the wanting to have some connection, does have to come from him. I hope the writers do it with Kevin.

The rest to me was filler, the house really wasn't theirs and we knew Beth needed the segue to next week and her Mom. I look forward to that.  Randall was rude but I'm also glad he didn't stay or Kate. Just too much.

3 minutes ago, debraran said:

Edited February 13, 2019 by debraran

[PepSinger]

Pray tell, why on Earth did Kevin apologize to Randall when Kevin rightfully called out Randall's willingness to help everyone under the sun, except their estranged uncle? Kevin was 100% correct.

Kate cares about her health when it's convenient for her. She had no problems boarding a cross country flight and *now* she's pressed to get back to California? Please. Also, she sat in the car for even longer for their detour to Pittsburgh!

Kevin relapsing is 100x more likable than Kate and 50x more likable than Randall.

Kevin has always been a sweet, but flawed, person. I find it endearing.

Edited February 13, 2019 by PepSinger

[BuckeyeLou]

I loved all the sibling moments tonight, both as youngsters & adults.  The scene of Jack & the sequin fight was wonderful & left me feeling teary-eyed, as well as that ending scene of Kevin in the car with his Mother,, and knowing he has relapsed & is repeating his father & uncle's weakness.  Mandy Moore was wonderful in the scenes with Kevin & when she asked Nicky for a memory of her husband.  The show also gives me smiles, like when Kevin thought his uncle might want Pringles, and the whole pizza/sequin fight.  I love seeing more of the youngsters & the siblings relationships with their parents & each other, they all have different memories of the same days, which is just how it is in families.

[debraran]

4 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Dammit Kevin!

Well, he and Nicky won't be cured in one episode. Nicky especially is going to need a lot of time.

I'm glad they're getting into not so rosy memories of Jack. Being flawed doesn't make him any less of a character.

Honestly, I thought it was stupid of them to leave Nicky in his own hotel room right after he almost killed himself.

I also thought that and I feel the writers after Milo seemed shocked at Jack's coldness, might have written the breaking of the plate in to soften him a bit. It didn't with me, but might with others.

I actually thought the box had the gun and he was going to take it from him. The bottle makes sense though but he's been around them before. Not as stressed and tired though.

[Lady Calypso]

3 minutes ago, CleoCaesar said:

So Randall can’t help Nicky because he has to get home. Why? “My wife is unemployed and all over the place.” What? How can anyone NOT want to just smack him in his stupid face? Beth is in no way the problem here, and not spiraling like someone driven insane by unemployment. He is such a sanctimonious ass with so little actual respect for his wife. I hope a divorce there happens at some point.

Kevin really shouldn’t have apologized to him for commenting that usually Randall is first to save everyone, with the exception of Nicky. It’s true.

He also didn't care about his spiraling wife when he was too busy with his election stuff. Again, something that Kevin called him rightfully out on. I do think it was really more about Randall not actually caring about their Uncle Nicky and using an excuse to leave. Which still sucks, but fine, better than giving a bullshit explanation when you were fine leaving your unemployed wife to fend for herself for months while you drove four hours a day to Philly.

[ShadowFacts]

I wasn't liking much about the episode -- Kate and Randall reminiscing in the home they did not grow up in, Rebecca with her almost accusatory attitude to Nicky at first -- but then the scene of Nicky telling Rebecca about fort-building Jack melted me a little, and him telling Kevin it was too painful to be with them struck me as real.  For me Nicky was the most compelling part of the episode and he might not be around that much going forward.  (It will never stop being stupid when they show a winter-time scene in Pittsburgh and it looks like midsummer, and I'm not going to get over it; it's lazy.) 

[mtlchick]

True story: if you gift me items you stole from your hotel, I will not turn that down. 

I did appreciate at Nicky is all "yeah so...I'm glad I know you exist but you know what?  This is all new for me, you're pushing too hard, come back in a while."  

The more I watch, the more I see that Kevin helps people because he wants to as opposed to Randall helps people because he feels like he needs to.

[ams1001]

Several times I thought, "god, these people are so self-centered!" (Mostly Kate and Randall.)

I did like Nicky sharing a little story with Rebecca, even if they were pushing him too much.

[jmonique]

Randall flew out to see and make up with Kate for the insemination, then flew back on a dime to be there for a woman he had met once.

But he couldn't spare any more time for his father's brother.

As for the rest, I continue my pitch for Kate to move home because her standing there laughing with Randall (before he made it weird) was the first time I can remember adult Kate being allowed to feel and convey real joy in some time.

As for Nicky, good for HIM for being one of the few people to tell Pearsons to slow their damn roll.

[tennisgurl]

Oh yeah, Randall and Kate were too busy to help their new found uncle who just tried to shoot himself, even after signing up for this Pearson siblings road trip, but NOT too busy to go to their old house and barge into some other families life so they can wander around reminiscing about childhood memories. Yeah I see you guys, I see you. The big stuff you can make time for, but the messy aftermath, and you suddenly have places to be. 

I did like this episode for the most part, and I like that they are adding more grey to the Pearson family experience. Jack made what were possibly bad choices at times, and those choices hurt him and caused him to lash out, but they still had sequin fights and other fun memories. Even memories that were bad could be paired with things that are good, and they are equally valid. And I like how the Nicky story is going. He is a bitter old man, but also deeply sad and lonely and has been left alone with  his regrets for years, so its hard for him to suddenly have a family and community out of nowhere. The ending made sense, that he let Kevin help him, and the door is open, but he is staying where he was, this isnt William 2.0 all over again. 

Oh Kevin. He was so sweet, and was trying so hard to help Nicky, but the emotions just wore him down so much that he slipped. I was worried when he was talking about how tired he was that he would relapse, but seeing it happen was just so heartbreaking after how far he has come. I really liked the flashback of kid Kevin and the baseball player, I think its a very Kevin kind of thing to do. He is very much a people person, and while he craves affection, he is also something of a nurture by nature, and while he can be self centered and let his insecurities bring out the worst in him (especially with Randall growing up) he really just seems to enjoy helping people and making people happy. 

Loved Rebecca telling Kevin how proud she was of him, even if it was horribly sad from Kevins side, knowing he relapsed. We went a long time without them having much time together, its been great seeing them bond more and appreciate each other.

Put the bottle down, Kev!

[Amethyst]

I actually didn't mind Kate and Randall leaving, because they annoy me anyway.  Couldn't blame the woman for shutting the door in their faces, either.  Plenty of people don't open their home to strangers.  Funny how we got that family's little backstory just to learn they lived at the old Pearson residence.  Or lot, anyway.

Kevin wasn't wrong about what he said to Randall, even if he wasn't nice about it.  And I say this as someone who felt Randall should put his wife and kids first.

I understand Nicky feeling overwhelmed.  It's a lot to learn in the span of two days.  But I actually thought Nicky was still going to kill himself once Kevin left the trailer.  The stuff about him going to meetings didn't seem true, and it seemed like he just wanted Kevin to leave.

[PepSinger]

2 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

I actually didn't mind Kate and Randall leaving, because they annoy me anyway.  Couldn't blame the woman for shutting the door in their faces, either.  Plenty of people don't open their home to strangers. 

Except that it wasn't her house. My mom would dare me to slam the door in the face of a visitor to HER home. Girl, bye.

[Amethyst]

1 minute ago, PepSinger said:

Except that it wasn't her house. My mom would dare me to slam the door in the face of a visitor to HER home. Girl, bye.

She could have been more polite, but I still don't blame her for closing the door on them.  

[ams1001]

11 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

Funny how we got that family's little backstory just to learn they lived at the old Pearson residence.  Or lot, anyway.

For a second I thought I had accidentally changed the channel when that scene started.

[BuckeyeLou]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

For a second I thought I had accidentally changed the channel when that scene started.

Me too!  I was so confused, like Who are These people?!

[PepSinger]

Just now, BuckeyeLou said:

Me too!  I was so confused, like Who are These people?!

Hee!! Glad I wasn't the only one; I thought the NBC feed messed up.

[Catgyrl]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

For a second I thought I had accidentally changed the channel when that scene started.

ME TOO!! I went back to my guide and pressed the right channel and it went right back to the show.

[tennisgurl]

I hope that Kevin doesent go into a full on downward spiral, and that he can pull himself up before things get as bad or worse than they were right before he went to rehab. And hopefully someone will actually notice now or he will reach out, now that his relationships with his relatives are a bit better. Of course, knowing the Pearson's, no one will notice or care about Kevin's increasingly obvious downward spiral until it affects another family member. 

When Rebecca was asking Nicky for stories from Jacks childhood, and he was just like "he told you I was dead because he was wished was dead" or whatever, am I awful for thinking "so, I guess now we know where Kate gets her small talk skills from"? 

[ams1001]

Just now, tennisgurl said:

I hope that Kevin doesent go into a full on downward spiral, and that he can pull himself up before things get as bad or worse than they were right before he went to rehab. And hopefully someone will actually notice now or he will reach out, now that his relationships with his relatives are a bit better. Of course, knowing the Pearson's, no one will notice or care about Kevin's increasingly obvious downward spiral until it affects another family member. 

Maybe Nicky will notice there's less in the bottle than when he left and reach out to him. (Since now he knows Kevin is newly sober.)

[kittyglitter]

Kate and Randall were a bit cold, yes, but I also got a sense that they knew that helping Nicky was something Kevin had to do himself. It seemed to me like they both felt awkward in this situation, and wanted an out so they wouldn’t make things worse. 

Also though, Randall only now suddenly seeming to care about supporting Beth when he could only think of himself for the past several months? Like, dude, really? His one redeeming moment was the Schuyler Sisters with the girls, and Annie’s “...I’m Peggy?” Poor Peggy...always the afterthought.

[voiceover]

Poop.

*however*

This is the first ep I've watched since December, though I wasn't going to do more than peek, until I saw the Wee Pearsons in action.  And I could never resist them!  Milo is magic with them.

[camom]

Enjoyed the episode.  Nicky's "I used to be a person" was kind of heartbreaking.

[stonehaven]

After spending an hour screaming at my TV watching NCIS, I was in awe of the quietness f this episode. Yes, Kate and Randall were selfish but Kevin has been the one to watch.

Nicky saying that he wanted to be things and then one day stopped...and he wanted to be a person again...that got me...Young Becca asking the baseball player what he and Kevin talked about also made me smile...

..and Kevin...yes, you relapsed but it's always "one day at a time"....Don't fall into self loathing like your Uncle....

[mansfolly]

I was thinking perhaps Jack was drunk when he was eating the pizza and started the sequin fight. He was a mess all day...and couldn't catch a moment to himself, so maybe he drank to "take the edge off", as they say.

Griffin Dunne is doing great in this role.

When Kevin started drinking that whiskey, it gave me the same (sad) feeling I had when watching Cooper's character in A star is born.

[Brinny]

Oh, Kevin. 

The character arc for Kevin has been really well done. Like, Randall has always been my favourite Pearson and, while I have appreciated Justin Hartley and his abs since Passions, I haven't always been on board with the writing/storylines for Kevin. But this? So good. Hartley is really acting the hell out of it. 

(I will admit that my growing soft spot for Kevin may have something to do with baby Kev in the flashbacks. The Big Three are a year or so older than my older brother, and whenever the youngest actor who plays Kevin breaks out his sad face, it just reminds me SO MUCH of my brother when we ourselves were youngins in the 80s and 90s.)

[lucindabelle]

I cannot believe they just left him there. No “you still are” from Rebecca when he says he used to be a person?

hes  or a “sad old man,” he’s squarely middle aged, about Rebecca’s age after all about 55 because remember he’s younger than Jack. Stephen Colbert is 54, for reference.

Griffin Dunne kills me and it looks like he is not back next week and now I don’t want to watch if he’s not in it.

cosigned everyone who could not believe the lame excuses Kate and Randall suddenly made. Just like Jack all over again: only their own nuclear family matters we’ll just forget it.

nicky May not want it: but he IS their responsibility now. He’s blood. And letting him go after his “You were all I ever wanted?” Without even a hug? SOMETHING?

glad to see Jack was a little tortured for most of an afternoon. 

But six years? Six. Years. 

Wishing your own brother dead.

if that’s the end of this arc I’m done with this show. I can’t possibly summon up energy to care about Beth’s dancing career.

[3 is enough]

And once again there is green grass and trees in full leaf in Pittsburgh.  In February.  For God's sake.  There are winters with little to no snow, but the trees are bare and the grass is brown. Hey show:  just don't film outdoor scenes when it is supposed to be winter.

Kevin's relapse made me sad.  Kate and Randall bugged me, especially when the nice people let them in the house and they had that Pearson moment.  

The only saving grace was that Nicky did not have a miraculous breakthrough and fairy tale ending.  At least that was realistic.

This season is not doing much for me.  I will continue to watch, but it just isn't the must see tv it was in earlier seasons. 

[kendi]

Griffin Dunne made the episode for me. No happy ending and no tearful reminiscing or touchy-feely moments. He's exactly what you'd expect from a man whose brother told his family that he was dead. Poor guy. He's a Pearson, but not what anybody expected. Maybe Randall and Kate left because they felt no connection to him like the father they adored. Kevin really felt for the man, and he and Rebecca just let him be. I think they hoped there would be a bond forming, but too much time has passed and there's so much hurt and pain to go through again.

Edited February 13, 2019 by kendi

[WhosThatGirl]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

For a second I thought I had accidentally changed the channel when that scene started.

2 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

Me too!  I was so confused, like Who are These people?!

2 hours ago, PepSinger said:

Hee!! Glad I wasn't the only one; I thought the NBC feed messed up.

2 hours ago, Catgyrl said:

ME TOO!! I went back to my guide and pressed the right channel and it went right back to the show.

I’m so glad others had the exact same what show am i watching now moment?!?!

Ugh. I hated the moment with Randall and Kate in the House when they were reminiscing and then Randall had a breakthrough and made things super awkward in front of random strangers about “no Kate it wasn’t a great day, dad threw a plate!” Like I understand things like this can happen, you remember things randomly ad at bad times but also kind of seems like Randall didn’t just remember it at that moment. He had clear indications  of that moment it seems like. And even if he didn’t, would he start bringing it up in front of strangers? It just seems like a not Randall thing to do. Then again.. ever since season one I’m not really sure who the hell randall is anymore. It’s odd that SkB continues to get the most award love for this character, Randall is awful.

Sad for Kevin. That last minute broke my heart.  I did enjoy the moment where Rebecca learned Kevin wanted to make the baseball player feel at home in his possible new city because that is Kevin. Yes he was selfish as a teenager, most teenagers are actually, not everyone is a Randall, Kevin generally does just want to make people happy at the end of the day. I think that’s why he liked being an actor too, not just because he liked the attention but because he knew it made people feel good when or if they met him and they enjoyed his show or his movies. 

Yeah.. aside from the Kevin stuff, I found this episode boring. It doesn’t help that it feels like it’s been off for a long time and this episode was a slow one to come back to. 

[Mystery]

3 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

I like this show, I do. But not everyone finds the Pearson family stories fascinating, especially when they are strangers who are kind enough to let you in their house when they are busy.

Pearsons! Am I right? Randall couldn't wait til they got outside to make Kate remember what really happened? He has to do it in front of strangers?

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Honestly, I thought it was stupid of them to leave Nicky in his own hotel room right after he almost killed himself.

I thought so too! I breathed a sigh of relief when he came into the breakfast room.

3 hours ago, CleoCaesar said:

So Randall can’t help Nicky because he has to get home. Why? “My wife is unemployed and all over the place.” What? How can anyone NOT want to just smack him in his stupid face? Beth is in no way the problem here, and not spiraling like someone driven insane by unemployment. He is such a sanctimonious ass with so little actual respect for his wife. I hope a divorce there happens at some point.

Don't forget pointing out that he has to take office soon. Had to work that into the conversation.

2 hours ago, camom said:

Enjoyed the episode.  Nicky's "I used to be a person" was kind of heartbreaking.

I wish Rebecca had told him that he's still a person.

1 hour ago, mansfolly said:

I was thinking perhaps Jack was drunk when he was eating the pizza and started the sequin fight. He was a mess all day...and couldn't catch a moment to himself, so maybe he drank to "take the edge off", as they say.

I thought he might have been drunk as well. He was shown lifting weights in the garage though, so I hope it was the workout that took the edge off.

28 minutes ago, lucindabelle said:

hes  or a “sad old man,” he’s squarely middle aged, about Rebecca’s age after all about 55 because remember he’s younger than Jack. Stephen Colbert is 54, for reference.

Rebecca is 68 since she was 30 when the kids were born. Jack would be 74 if he were still alive. Nicky must be 69 or 70. 

36 minutes ago, lucindabelle said:

nicky May not want it: but he IS their responsibility now. He’s blood. And letting him go after his “You were all I ever wanted?” Without even a hug? SOMETHING?

He said "you were all he's ever wanted", meaning Jack.

I also thought it was shitty of Kate and Randall to leave when they had several hours to kill. It's like when they saw that Nicky wasn't going to play along and let them have a Magical Pearson Moment, they wanted nothing more to do with him. It was very kind of Kevin to stay, though it's so sad that it affected him so much that he relapsed.

I can't believe how big the kid actors have gotten. Lonnie Chavis's voice has really dropped, too.

[lucindabelle]

I heard all “I” ever wanted but can’t rewind because deleted.

rebecca was 30? Are you sure? Why were Rebecca and jack married so long without starting a family?

in any case unless Rebecca is an old woman Nicky is not an old man- age may be wrong but I was right that he’s aboutbher age. And I’m irritated she didn’t tell him he’s still a person.

[chocolatine]

1 minute ago, lucindabelle said:

rebecca was 30? Are you sure? Why were Rebecca and jack married so long without starting a family?

When they were having the conversation about having or not having kids, Jack said Rebecca was 29, "almost 30", and later that night they had sex in the disgusting bathroom of a sports bar and she got pregnant.

[lucindabelle]

Oh and: flashback - um NOBODY in pittsburgh is sitting outside on the porch without a jacket and coat. Grass would not be green.

[NUguy514]

Kevin just broke my heart tonight, and Randall and Kate are inappropriate, shallow dicks.  What else is new?

I laughed when Kevin served Randall some truth about the latter's convenient savior complex.  Even though he has been shown to be a dick to Randall as a teenager, Kevin is easily the most sensitive, intuitive, and selfless of the Big Three, while his siblings are so self-centered.  Tonight was a stark reminder of that.

I loved the Rebecca/Kevin scenes.

I did love again Randall for just a moment with his Schuyler Sisters shoutout.

[Dowel Jones]

My favorite quote of the night:  Kevin telling Nicky "No, I'm not a handyman, but I played one in a college movie one time.  It wasn't porn.  Honest, it wasn't porn."

On a side note, sometimes unexpected visits from strangers can be an interesting moment, not that I would recommend letting them in without permission from the adults.  When I was a teenager in 1970 or so, we lived in this 1920's house.  One night a couple stopped by, and told us they lived there decades before, so they got a tour of the house.  They told us stories about how it had changed, which was really a hoot.  to top it off, they gave us all a ride in their car, a pre-war Packard gangster-mobile.  All I can remember about it was the leg room and the headlights that could light up Dodger Stadium.  I think about that every time I drive by that house.

[bros402]

4 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Also, you just met your Uncle and you think you can move him into a vets home? Then Rebecca gets upset because Nicky isn't thrilled about the idea of leaving the only home he has known for years for people who will most likely go back to their own lives and never see him again. And her expression around him was like he smelled bad (okay, maybe he does).

I thought they just wanted him to go to the vets center every once in a while to just have some people to spend time with?

[Spencer Hastings]

Kate and Randall are annoying and inappropriate but I enjoyed seeing how time and circumstance can warp your perception of a loved one or a situation. They both remembered the sequin fight but somehow forgot what led up to it. Randall finally remembered when he was back in “the house” but Kate somehow managed to keep blocking it out. Sometimes our brains try to protect us and only let us remember the good. Jack has been so annoyingly perfect because that’s how his kids chose to remember him.  Nicky being alive and the realization that Jack straight up lied to them definitely shook the Pearsons. I think we will start seeing less than stellar St. Jack moments as the characters start to come around to the fact that he was indeed very flawed and more of his secrets come out.   

[ElectricBoogaloo]

That Was Us:

[WhosThatGirl]

It will be interesting to see if the facade that both Kate and Randall seem to have built on their father will crack more. It brings me back to the therapy scenes in season 2. Kevin in rehab had come to terms with their dad not being a saint, despite knowing very little of his fathers actual addiction, aside from little moments he realized it was a problem and he had to deal with it. But none of the other Pearson’s would hear it.

Rebecca refuses to acknowledge her husband was less than perfect to the kids because he died when they were 17 and she doesn’t want their picture of their father to be anything but that and I get that but the therapist was even like “well that’s a problem”, because addiction is genetic and also they should know. 

And Randall in those scenes went in defensive mood for Rebecca and the family.. because Randall is perfect and that’s why I really started to dislike him.

And Kate refused to ackowldge that their dad ever had a problem.  Not just that scene and not even the scenes we saw tonight. I remember teenage Kate when Rebecca wanted jack out after the band moment and the fight and Kate immediately blamed Rebecca. And even in that scene I remember jack trying to explain it to her but it seemed she wasn’t even hearing it. And now tonight we saw how she did choose to block out memories. 

Maybe Randall did too but I don’t know- that seems kind of new. With Kate this has always been an issue. As I pointed out a few moments,  there have been lots of moments when Kate does hero worship Jack the worst. If she’s blocking our memories.

Im curious like others if Jack picked up drinking again. At least for a little. He’s apparently a good drunk. Anyone remember the beginning of season 2 when Rebecca told jack to come home, and obviously he’s not someone with a drinking problem and Jack admitted that he’s actually drunk right at that moment and lately he’s been drinking ALL THE TIME. I’m not saying that’s where the show is going but it would explain some things. I can’t really buy that he was drinking a lot when the kids were little and then stopped cold turkey and didn’t pick it up again until they were teens and Rebecca started singing again. I just can’t.

[debraran]

1 hour ago, WhosThatGirl said:

It will be interesting to see if the facade that both Kate and Randall seem to have built on their father will crack more. It brings me back to the therapy scenes in season 2. Kevin in rehab had come to terms with their dad not being a saint, despite knowing very little of his fathers actual addiction, aside from little moments he realized it was a problem and he had to deal with it. But none of the other Pearson’s would hear it.

Rebecca refuses to acknowledge her husband was less than perfect to the kids because he died when they were 17 and she doesn’t want their picture of their father to be anything but that and I get that but the therapist was even like “well that’s a problem”, because addiction is genetic and also they should know. 

And Randall in those scenes went in defensive mood for Rebecca and the family.. because Randall is perfect and that’s why I really started to dislike him.

And Kate refused to ackowldge that their dad ever had a problem.  Not just that scene and not even the scenes we saw tonight. I remember teenage Kate when Rebecca wanted jack out after the band moment and the fight and Kate immediately blamed Rebecca. And even in that scene I remember jack trying to explain it to her but it seemed she wasn’t even hearing it. And now tonight we saw how she did choose to block out memories. 

Maybe Randall did too but I don’t know- that seems kind of new. With Kate this has always been an issue. As I pointed out a few moments,  there have been lots of moments when Kate does hero worship Jack the worst. If she’s blocking our memories.

Im curious like others if Jack picked up drinking again. At least for a little. He’s apparently a good drunk. Anyone remember the beginning of season 2 when Rebecca told jack to come home, and obviously he’s not someone with a drinking problem and Jack admitted that he’s actually drunk right at that moment and lately he’s been drinking ALL THE TIME. I’m not saying that’s where the show is going but it would explain some things. I can’t really buy that he was drinking a lot when the kids were little and then stopped cold turkey and didn’t pick it up again until they were teens and Rebecca started singing again. I just can’t.

Kate always refused to see Rebecca in a better light, did she call her "the queen" when Jack was kicked out. "Did the Queen let you back in?" Jack tried but I remember writing here, not hard enough. With Kate you have to have full attention and almost have her say back what you told her.

I wonder after all this time, if Jack's AA diary is around, not sure what was in that Mary Poppins box they keep pulling things out of. I can't imagine Rebecca wouldn't have peeked at it and it could have had Jack working on steps and thinking of Nicky. Still no mention of his mom.

You can go dry a long time, I've seen addicts do it almost 10 years and fall, many it's less, but I wondered how Rebecca never smelled it. Mints never work. My thing with Jack is he was a drunk, drove drunk, probably many times, could have done many awful things "by accident" but he didn't. The not talking to him and trying so hard to hate him is what I felt was "off" and I think Milo meant. He played him stoic at trailer but you can see him softening and he got hard again. When he showed picture of family, it seemed almost bragging, "See what I did?"  Something seemed off to me, but it was written that way. Again, if he was a pedophile, cold blooded murderer, fine, but he loved Nicky so much, he enlisted for him, he was going to commit suicide he alluded to his mother in letter and then he was supposed to be saved by St Jack overnight.  Sometimes we need more than our childhood Superman.

Edited February 13, 2019 by debraran

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When Randall said he had to abandon the sibling road trip because "I take office in the next few weeks and God only knows what kind of effect that's going to have on my family," I thought oh, NOW you're concerned with how this will affect your family? GREAT.

I kind of wanted to high five Kevin when his response to Randall was to remind him that he jumps at the chance to save anyone else on the planet but just this one time, he decided that he needs to be home in time for dinner. It might be a harsh truth, but it's still the truth.

While I understand Kevin wanting to help his uncle, it's really not his place to force him to go to the VA. Like he said, he's been to several of them before. Nicky is an adult. He is allowed to CHOOSE not to go to the VA and get counseling. I'm not necessarily saying it's the best choice, but it's still his choice. What right does Kevin, a relative who doesn't know him, have to try to force him to go to AA or the VA or counseling? His heart is in the right place, but it's not his decision to make.

I thought it was very kind of Nicky to go to the VA to make Kevin happy, and it was also kind of him to tell Kevin that he would go to a meeting. Nicky didn't have to do any of that, but he was trying to be nice to Kevin. 

I'm glad that the way things concluded with Nicky was realistic. Just because you're blood related doesn't mean that you automatically love each other or like each other. It takes time to build relationships and frankly, not everyone is happy when relatives pop up out of the woodwork. A friend of mine said that a random cousin who she'd never heard of from a branch of the family that she'd never met contacted her out of the blue. My friend's reaction was "Why would I want to talk to this stranger?" I think it was fine that her cousin got curious about their family and tracked her down, but I also think it was fine that my friend had no interest in getting to know a total stranger just because they have some relatives in common (they weren't first cousins so they were related but not super closely related).

What I liked about Randall remembering Jack getting angry and breaking a plate is that sometimes shared memories are shared because you talk about them. But I know that I've had the experience of remembering a certain situation (even if it's just a conversation or a dinner party) where I remember ABC and someone else remembers XYZ. It doesn't mean that only one of those things happened.

I totally cracked up when Kate and Randall started arguing about their memories and the family that lived there was like, "Um, so you should probably go now."

I also laughed when young Randall used a deep voice to say, "I'm an adult. Can I order a pizza?" Ha!

Oh, Annie, don't worry. You're not a Peggy! (I loved Randall's Hamilton shout out and Annie's response because I'm going to see the brand new And Peggy tour cast next week!)

[ShadowFacts]

4 hours ago, bros402 said:

8 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Also, you just met your Uncle and you think you can move him into a vets home? Then Rebecca gets upset because Nicky isn't thrilled about the idea of leaving the only home he has known for years for people who will most likely go back to their own lives and never see him again. And her expression around him was like he smelled bad (okay, maybe he does).

I was a little put off by Rebecca popping up to the hotel only to act the way she did.  She didn't initially want to meet him, now she does, says we need to talk, but then really doesn't listen and treat him as a vulnerable human.  Wants a childhood story.  There was some human warmth missing there from Rebecca toward someone in need.  Sure, it was a tough situation for all, tricky how to approach it, but I didn't like the sense that Nicky was not much more than a source of info about Jack.  How about asking him what he might need, slipping a phone number, something?  Kevin is the only one who made a connection here, and maybe that's okay because the rest of them can't be bothered too much. 

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

While I understand Kevin wanting to help his uncle, it's really not his place to force him to go to the VA. Like he said, he's been to several of them before. Nicky is an adult. He is allowed to CHOOSE not to go to the VA and get counseling. I'm not necessarily saying it's the best choice, but it's still his choice. What right does Kevin, a relative who doesn't know him, have to try to force him to go to AA or the VA or counseling? His heart is in the right place, but it's not his decision to make.

This is something that really bothered me.  I understand that terrible trio is supposed to be seen as well meaning, but they barely know Nicky.  If a relative stranger showed up at my home and started trying to direct me on how to live my life, that would likely be a very short discussion.  Kevin, out of all people, given his rehab experience, should probably know this.  I feel like he is being written as being a lot more naive about this kind of situation than he should be.       

[Katy M]

I gave up at the 40 minute mark. Show actually got a few extra minutes from me, because I was about to turn it off when Young Randall called to order the pizza.  "Hi, this is an adult.  I want to order a pizza."  That was such a perfect kid thing.

I don't mind Kate having to return "now".  She had obviously booked the return flight already with her doctor's appointment in mind.  Should she have never come at all?  Of course not.  But, that doesn't mean she doesn't get to leave when she had planned.

I thought going to the old house was stupid when Randall suggested it.  When Kate pointed out that it wasn't the same house, but Randall said it was the same neighborhood, I was then OK with it, because I figured they were just going to do a drive through on the way to the airport.  Maybe pull over for a couple of seconds.  But, how does going into a house with a completely different layout do anything?

And good for that woman for shutting the door in their faces.  This happens all the time on TV, but does anybody in real life actually go to their old house and ask to go in.  Sure, I've driven by a couple of times when I've been in the area.  I'm not bothering anyone.  I'm driving down a public street.  Nobody knows.  Nobody cares.  But, asking to go inside?  That would be completely insane and inappropriate.  I loved it when Randall and Kate started arguing about their memories and the older couple told them they were about to go out.  Randall's timing is always so awful.  

I think all of them, especially Kate, need to stop wallowing so much in the past.  Does anyone spend as much time reliving their childhoods as these three?  Again, I'm not saying you can never think of your childhood memories.  I'm sure we all do.  And I'm sure we all occasionally share a funny or sad moment.  But, not all the time for crying out loud. Live in the present.

And, I'm glad Randall bailed also.  Beth may not be "spiraling out of control" as someone else said.  But, that doesn't mean it's OK for Randall to keep dumping all the family responsibility onto her while he runs around being weird.

I'm going to now stop watching this show and hope they replace it with a spinoff where everyone dies in some weird car accident except for Kevin and Annie.  I would watch that show all day long.  And, Kevin has some kind of amnesia, so he only remembers the last couple of years.

Oh, one more thing. Young Kevin was perfect.  He gave the ball player a list of places where he could play pool or whatever.  That's the good kind of help.  Just a suggestion, no pushiness.  Nothing to suggest that after he got traded (assuming he did) that Kevin ran away from home to Minnesota and ensured the guy followed up and played pool in the right places.