"This Is Us" "Career Days" (Recap + Analysis) SPOILERS!!!
If you've ever wanted to crash someone's memorial service but are looking for the perfect cover, this week's episode is just for you! Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself.
In the cold open we're treated to a montage of Jack and Rebecca's life from Jack's perspective. It begins as Rebecca's playing the piano while the newborns sleep. A scraggly-bearded Jack is quietly tiptoeing through the house, getting ready for work; he's a construction worker. Their lives get more hectic as "The Big Three" become toddlers, and Jack and Rebecca struggle with their finances, forcing Jack into a desk job at a construction company, although he's not the suit-and-tie-wearing" type. Five or six years later, he's still there and looking dazed as he spins around in his desk chair. We soon find out that Jack's set on branching out and starting his own construction company: Big Three Homes; so, when Miguel gets promoted to Project Manager and asks Jack to join his team, Jack rejects the offer; however, Miguel asks him to think about it.
This is an interesting episode for Jack. Last week, he was adamant about having kids. This week, we see him start to realize just how much HE gave up. Still, that doesn't change the fact that he's a devoted father that wants to give his children the life he didn't have.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
This is an interesting episode for Jack. Last week, he was adamant about having kids. This week, we see him start to realize just how much HE gave up. Still, that doesn't change the fact that he's a devoted father that wants to give his children the life he didn't have.
Jack returns home to find Kate (Mackenzie Hancsicsak) practicing the piano while Randall (Lonnie Chavis) does homework and Kevin's (Parker Bates) busy building a model B-52 airplane, which Jack offers to help Kevin with after dinner. Rebecca's sitting on the couch, reading through the kids' report cards which sadly aren't all that great; a collection of B's and C's; even from Randall who's getting B's in math although we know he strives for perfection. Jack and Kate seem surprised too and are alarmed that Randall's teacher wants to speak with them.
Back in the present, Randall comes home to find William playing the piano and singing for Tess and Annie. Both the girls and Randall are impressed with William's musical abilities, and William tells them his father taught him how to play and as an adult, he learned how to play the trumpet as we've already learned. Tess asks Randall if he can teach them how to play to which Randall replies that unfortunately, Grandma Rebecca and Aunt Kate acquired all of the family's musical talents. We then learn that Career Day is coming up at Tess and Annie's school, and now having discovered William's talents they want him to be a speaker. When Randall informs them that he already signed up and there can only be one speaker per family, the girls are quick to choose William over him.
It seems as though Randall's always struggled with multiple identities. On one hand, he was living in a very white neighborhood while as we learned in "The Pool" episode, also living in a "black man's world." He was an adopted child living with people who weren't biologically or culturally related to him. With William now in his life, he's learning that maybe he's missed out on some opportunities.
Which brings us to Jack and Rebecca's meeting with Randall's teacher. Luckily, the news is better than expected. Randall's been tested, and he's gifted! The school is suggesting that he be transferred to a school for gifted children, telling Jack and Rebecca that in a standard academic environment, he'll be bored and unable to thrive. They're shown a pamphlet for a private school called Hanes Academy, a predominantly white school. Rebecca's all for it but Jack's resistant telling Randall's teacher:
Of course, Kevin and Rebecca don't have the grades or ability to thrive at Hanes, so Jack and Rebecca are forced to make a difficult decision. To try and sway Jack, Rebecca drives him to Hanes Academy. Sitting in the car, Jack and Rebecca look out the window, and Jack is horrified at the sight of young kids in suits and ties carrying binders and briefcases.
When I first watched this scene, I was amazed and somewhat disappointed that Rebecca didn't go off on Jack. She gave up a singing career in favor of being a stay-at-home mom because Jack "believed there was something bigger than them" and now he has the gall to tell her he's unhappy with the way his life turned out? Luckily, Jack gets me back on his team by the end of the episode.
In New York, we get to see Kevin in action as he and Olivia run through the play's climax. In it, Kevin's character, David, is being visited by his dead wife Jessica, played by Olivia. Despite knowing the pain of loss, Kevin's unable to allow himself to emotionally connect to the scene.
After the rehearsal, Olivia invites Kevin to a party the next day, telling him she'll text him the address. The next day, he waits for her outside of someone's house watching droves of much older people, men in suits and black ties and women in black dresses, shuffle in. When Olivia arrives, he finds out that it's not a party at all, it's a memorial service!
Meanwhile, Kate is standing outside the home of a potential employer dreading the walk up several flights of stairs. She arrives out of breath, and we're introduced to Marin Rosenthal, played by Jami Gertz ("Still Standing") a socialite who's looking to hire Kate as an event coordinator for her organization that deals with homelessness. Marin tells her that the job is not an assistant position but may require that Kate run a few errands and drive her daughter Jemma around. Then in walks, Jemma: wearing dark clothing, a choker and refusing to look up from her phone. To make things even more awkward when Marin introduces her to Kate, and she does look up, she replies, "Oh, I see you hired the fat one."
Despite this rocky start, Kate uses her celebrity connections to organize a fundraiser for Marin's organization. Later on, as the two women work, Jemma walks into the kitchen, telling her mom that she needs a ride to a friend's house. Of course, Marin asks if Kate will do it, to which she reluctantly agrees. In the car, Gemma continues to text on her phone, ignoring Kate who repeatedly asks her for her friend's address. Jemma thinking Kate naive tries to set her straight:
At the memorial service, Olivia's enjoying her cheese while Kevin's thoroughly confused about why they're there. His confusion turns to panic when Olivia informs him that she doesn't know the deceased Frank Pendergrass, a professor who was killed by a falling tree while jogging through the park. Unfortunately for Kevin, this revelation comes just a few seconds before Frank's wife, Grace, played by Molly Hagan ("Some Kind of Wonderful") approaches them. Olivia without skipping a beat introduces her and Kevin as Jessica and David, their characters from the play. Kevin stands there dumbstruck while Olivia speaks in character to Grace. Luckily Grace doesn't suspect a thing. Once she leaves Kevin tears into Olivia, knowing full well what she's trying to do, help him with the "grief" scene. He storms off to get a drink; however, he runs into Grace in the kitchen who's cleaning out the fridge trying to make room for all of the other food mourners are bringing her. They get to talking, and Grace tells Kevin that her 15-year-old son is angry about Frank's death and doesn't want to keep any of Frank's possessions. To try and comfort her, Kevin tells her about how he dealt with Jack's death:
Speaking of Jack, he's still hesitant to move Randall to a predominantly white school. So when he goes to pick up Randall from his friend's house, he asks the boy's mother Yvette, played by Ryan Michelle Bathe ("Boston Legal"), who we met a few episodes ago, for advice. Unfortunately, she's not on his side:
At the memorial, Olivia finds Kevin alone in Frank and Grace's bedroom. He rips into her and tells her that they shouldn't be intruding on someone's mourning for a play. When she asks him what happened, he finally opens up to her:
First of all, I just want to say that all of "The Big Three's" actors (Justin Hartley, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz) are perfect for their roles! Because of them, I've come to embrace these characters fully as real people because each of these actors completely sells their story arcs.
With that being said, Justin Hartley completely kills it this episode! It's the smaller moments that Kevin has where we see him struggling with his insecurity that culminate into bigger moments like this one where Kevin goes from being a "pretty boy" actor to someone whose pain doesn't need to be manufactured it's been there for a long time and it's deep.
Back in Los Angeles, Kate returns to Marin's house to face the music but surprisingly, she's not angry at all.
This is one of the first moments of real self-reflection that Kate has had in the series so far as she realizes that projecting her insecurities onto others isn't helping things either, and I love it!
Later that night, Randall sits down at the piano, looking pretty dejected. William walks in and sits down on a chair next to him, and Randall tells him that he blew it. William, however, has some words of encouragement:
Unfortunately, he learns another lesson, too, as he realizes he's better off putting his dreams on hold for a little while longer so that Randall has that opportunity to thrive. So, he takes Miguel's offer. On Randall's first day at Hanes Academy, Jack teaches Randall how to tie a tie and tuck it low so that it's "nice and comfortable."
In the present, the next morning, we see Randall tucking his tie low and then walking into the kitchen where Beth, the girls, and William are having breakfast. Randall, among the hustle and bustle, tells them he has something to say:
Finally, the next day Kevin's back at rehearsal. He brings Olivia a cappuccino and thanks her for the lesson, telling her it worked. That's not the only lesson she has for him, she says, as she tells him that what happened between them will never happen again!
In the past, Jack drops Randall off at school, and Randall starts walking towards the door. When he gets halfway, he turns to look at Jack and adjusts his tie. Jack does the same and smiles as Randall walks inside.
In the present, Randall sits down at his desk, takes a look around, and smiles to himself as he spins around once in his chair just as Jack once did.
While Beth jokes and calls Randall's transition a midlife crisis, I think it's important that he's going down this new path; however, it also makes me happy that he didn't just turn in his stapler for a saxophone. He knows he's where he belongs, but he still has a genuine interest in continuing to explore who he is.
That's it for this week! What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments. Don't forget to subscribe to the blog and like my page on FB @TheTelevisionZone and follow me on Twitter @TelevisionZone. Remember, you can follow along on this journey by watching "This Is Us" on the NBC website by choosing your cable provider. See ya next week!
Back in the present, Randall comes home to find William playing the piano and singing for Tess and Annie. Both the girls and Randall are impressed with William's musical abilities, and William tells them his father taught him how to play and as an adult, he learned how to play the trumpet as we've already learned. Tess asks Randall if he can teach them how to play to which Randall replies that unfortunately, Grandma Rebecca and Aunt Kate acquired all of the family's musical talents. We then learn that Career Day is coming up at Tess and Annie's school, and now having discovered William's talents they want him to be a speaker. When Randall informs them that he already signed up and there can only be one speaker per family, the girls are quick to choose William over him.
Randall: "What are you saying, that Daddy doesn't have a cool job?...But you guys love visiting me at the office, right?"
Annie: "I like spinning in your chair."
Tess: "You kind of have a boring job, Dad."
Randall: "Trading commodity futures based on long-term weather patterns is not boring, okay?"On cue, in walks Kevin, who pretends to have fallen asleep at the mention of Randall's job. The girls, amused then ask if he can speak at Career Day but Randall puts his foot down:
Courtesy of NBC
Randall, not wanting to humiliate himself in front of the girls, practices his presentation in front of Beth; however, he finds it difficult to even pique her interest, frustrating him even more. Beth senses there's something deeper going on, and Randall suggests that maybe he chose the wrong career path.
To this, Beth is sympathetic and assures him that with William's sudden appearance in his life, it's perfectly natural for him to start questioning who he is. To show her support, Beth suggests that Randall explore whether or not he has musical talents and add some flair to his presentation."There's this whole genetic side of me that nobody even knew existed. I mean, William was a poet, an artist, a musician. You know, maybe I've had an artistic side in me all along and nobody knew to empower it. You know, maybe I wasn't meant to be a straight and narrow math geek destined to wear a shirt and tie every day like my parents thought."
It seems as though Randall's always struggled with multiple identities. On one hand, he was living in a very white neighborhood while as we learned in "The Pool" episode, also living in a "black man's world." He was an adopted child living with people who weren't biologically or culturally related to him. With William now in his life, he's learning that maybe he's missed out on some opportunities.
Which brings us to Jack and Rebecca's meeting with Randall's teacher. Luckily, the news is better than expected. Randall's been tested, and he's gifted! The school is suggesting that he be transferred to a school for gifted children, telling Jack and Rebecca that in a standard academic environment, he'll be bored and unable to thrive. They're shown a pamphlet for a private school called Hanes Academy, a predominantly white school. Rebecca's all for it but Jack's resistant telling Randall's teacher:
"Randall is one of the only black kids at this school, but at least here he has his brother and sister."
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| Courtesy of NBC/GingesBeCray.com |
Of course, Kevin and Rebecca don't have the grades or ability to thrive at Hanes, so Jack and Rebecca are forced to make a difficult decision. To try and sway Jack, Rebecca drives him to Hanes Academy. Sitting in the car, Jack and Rebecca look out the window, and Jack is horrified at the sight of young kids in suits and ties carrying binders and briefcases.
"[...] It's cute now; next thing you know, he's gonna be trapped in a cubicle for the rest of his life. I tell you, it starts with a briefcase, then you put on a tie, you sit at a desk. Next thing you know, you are so conditioned to the fluorescent lights that when you step outside, the sun actually burns your eyes."Rebecca catches on to the fact that Jack's not talking about Randall. After some prodding, he tells her that he wants to quit his job and start Big Three Homes but that by sending Randall to a private school, his plans don't seem currently viable. Surprisingly, Rebecca's supportive and tells him that if that's what he wants to do, they'll find another school.
When I first watched this scene, I was amazed and somewhat disappointed that Rebecca didn't go off on Jack. She gave up a singing career in favor of being a stay-at-home mom because Jack "believed there was something bigger than them" and now he has the gall to tell her he's unhappy with the way his life turned out? Luckily, Jack gets me back on his team by the end of the episode.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
In New York, we get to see Kevin in action as he and Olivia run through the play's climax. In it, Kevin's character, David, is being visited by his dead wife Jessica, played by Olivia. Despite knowing the pain of loss, Kevin's unable to allow himself to emotionally connect to the scene.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
After the rehearsal, Olivia invites Kevin to a party the next day, telling him she'll text him the address. The next day, he waits for her outside of someone's house watching droves of much older people, men in suits and black ties and women in black dresses, shuffle in. When Olivia arrives, he finds out that it's not a party at all, it's a memorial service!
Meanwhile, Kate is standing outside the home of a potential employer dreading the walk up several flights of stairs. She arrives out of breath, and we're introduced to Marin Rosenthal, played by Jami Gertz ("Still Standing") a socialite who's looking to hire Kate as an event coordinator for her organization that deals with homelessness. Marin tells her that the job is not an assistant position but may require that Kate run a few errands and drive her daughter Jemma around. Then in walks, Jemma: wearing dark clothing, a choker and refusing to look up from her phone. To make things even more awkward when Marin introduces her to Kate, and she does look up, she replies, "Oh, I see you hired the fat one."
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| Courtesy of NBC/Tenor |
Despite this rocky start, Kate uses her celebrity connections to organize a fundraiser for Marin's organization. Later on, as the two women work, Jemma walks into the kitchen, telling her mom that she needs a ride to a friend's house. Of course, Marin asks if Kate will do it, to which she reluctantly agrees. In the car, Gemma continues to text on her phone, ignoring Kate who repeatedly asks her for her friend's address. Jemma thinking Kate naive tries to set her straight:
"What'd she tell you, you'd be an associate? And you thought my mom was gonna give you actual responsibilities because a few C-list celebrities take your calls? Clearly, she only hired you because she thinks the fat girl can get through to me. Guess she figured, bigger the better. You know, I actually feel bad for you."At this, Kate screeches the car to a halt, and kicks Jemma out and drives away to Jemma's surprise. Despite Kate's frustration with Jemma, she understands her perfectly. We come to understand too, as we're shown a brief scene between Rebecca and a young Kate, and we realize Kate grew up comparing herself to her "beautiful" mother.
At the memorial service, Olivia's enjoying her cheese while Kevin's thoroughly confused about why they're there. His confusion turns to panic when Olivia informs him that she doesn't know the deceased Frank Pendergrass, a professor who was killed by a falling tree while jogging through the park. Unfortunately for Kevin, this revelation comes just a few seconds before Frank's wife, Grace, played by Molly Hagan ("Some Kind of Wonderful") approaches them. Olivia without skipping a beat introduces her and Kevin as Jessica and David, their characters from the play. Kevin stands there dumbstruck while Olivia speaks in character to Grace. Luckily Grace doesn't suspect a thing. Once she leaves Kevin tears into Olivia, knowing full well what she's trying to do, help him with the "grief" scene. He storms off to get a drink; however, he runs into Grace in the kitchen who's cleaning out the fridge trying to make room for all of the other food mourners are bringing her. They get to talking, and Grace tells Kevin that her 15-year-old son is angry about Frank's death and doesn't want to keep any of Frank's possessions. To try and comfort her, Kevin tells her about how he dealt with Jack's death:
"[...] My dad and I...used to build models together, when I was a kid. [...] We'd build, um, planes and boats. I used to pick the most complex ones--B-52s, aircraft carriers--'cause they took the longest, you know? See, I was one of three kids, so you really had to strategize to get your alone time with Dad. You know, and eventually, we had a whole fleet of them; we had just rows and rows; shelves of them."He tells her that when Jack died, he threw all of the models away. He then touches the necklace that he's wearing and tells her that it was Jack's and that it's all he has of his. Kevin realizing just how much grief he's been keeping in lets it all out as he and Grace hug.
Speaking of Jack, he's still hesitant to move Randall to a predominantly white school. So when he goes to pick up Randall from his friend's house, he asks the boy's mother Yvette, played by Ryan Michelle Bathe ("Boston Legal"), who we met a few episodes ago, for advice. Unfortunately, she's not on his side:
"You're looking for me to give you the black person seal of approval for any messed-up parenting decision you make. [...] Jack, Randall is special. So, if you're looking for somebody to make you feel better about denying him a special opportunity, you may just have to find yourself another black person."In the present, it's finally Career Day, and Randall's presentation gets off to a rocky start when the school's principal calls him a weatherman. Sadly things don't get much better from there as Randall's written a song to help better explain what he does for a living. Beth and the girls look on in horror as Randall sings and plays the piano off-key.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
At the memorial, Olivia finds Kevin alone in Frank and Grace's bedroom. He rips into her and tells her that they shouldn't be intruding on someone's mourning for a play. When she asks him what happened, he finally opens up to her:
"What happened is my dad died. That's what. And I hated him for it. And I couldn't eat for a month, and I used to wake myself up crying, so I could cry myself to sleep again. That's what happened."Olivia tells him that he can't hide from his pain because it's just a part of him. With that, they begin making out.
First of all, I just want to say that all of "The Big Three's" actors (Justin Hartley, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz) are perfect for their roles! Because of them, I've come to embrace these characters fully as real people because each of these actors completely sells their story arcs.
With that being said, Justin Hartley completely kills it this episode! It's the smaller moments that Kevin has where we see him struggling with his insecurity that culminate into bigger moments like this one where Kevin goes from being a "pretty boy" actor to someone whose pain doesn't need to be manufactured it's been there for a long time and it's deep.
Back in Los Angeles, Kate returns to Marin's house to face the music but surprisingly, she's not angry at all.
"I've left her at three malls myself, and I've wanted to shove her out of the car on the freeway at least once," Marin tells her.She tells Kate that Jemma hadn't spoken more than seven words to her in two weeks and that Kate heard them, "I see you hired the fat one." When Kate asks if she hired her because of her weight, Marin confesses that at least in part, she did. Kate, though offended, isn't ready to give up this opportunity, and Marin's desperate to keep her; however, Kate has conditions: she doesn't want to run any more personal errands, she wants to chair the fundraising event, and she wants an office. Thankfully, Marin's more than happy to accept these conditions. Before Kate leaves, she goes to try and talk some sense into Jemma.
"I know what you're going through," she tells her. "[...] So, my mom was skinny and gorgeous. Well, is gorgeous. She still gets hit on by everyone. She once was asked if she was a model when she had the flu. Pretty hard growing up with a mom like that. I spent all my time comparing myself to her, and then I took it out on her. And now we barely talk, and it sucks. Hey, your mom's not perfect. She has her stuff, and you have yours, but you got to cut her a break. Or you're gonna regret it. I promise."
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| Courtesy of NBC |
This is one of the first moments of real self-reflection that Kate has had in the series so far as she realizes that projecting her insecurities onto others isn't helping things either, and I love it!
Later that night, Randall sits down at the piano, looking pretty dejected. William walks in and sits down on a chair next to him, and Randall tells him that he blew it. William, however, has some words of encouragement:
"When you first told me what you did for a living, man, I didn't understand a word. Hand to God, I mean, you might as well have been speaking German. But I was watching your face. In my better days, I have met and played with some of the greatest musicians in the world. And when they talked about music, their face looked like your face when you told me about whatever the hell it is you do."Then, he offers to teach Randall how to play sometime. Back in the past, Randall accompanies Jack to work; it must be the weekend because nobody else is there. Jack asks Randall for help reading a blueprint and figuring out how many feet of wood he'll need for a wall. Unsurprisingly, Randall gives him the answer immediately. When Jack compliments his abilities and asks how many feet of wood he'll need on another wall; however, Randall pretends not to know the answer. Jack presses him, and he finally gives in and gets the answer correct. Jack then asks him why he's getting a "B" in math. To this, Randall replies that he doesn't want to alienate Kevin and Kate by getting ice cream at school for getting an "A." He tells Jack that he doesn't want to be different from them for fear of being hated by them. This prompts Jack to have a man-to-man talk with Randall about his deeper differences:
"You know, your mom and me, we always try to treat you kids the same. Always have. Hasn't always worked, because, well, you're not all the same. You're adopted, and we don't talk about that enough. 'Cause to me, you are every part my son. Maybe I...I don't want you to feel like you stand out. But I need you to know something. I want you to stand out. I want all of you to be as different as you can possibly be. In all the best ways."Jack's realizing that he can no longer protect Randall, he can only embrace Randall's differences and encourage Randall to do the same.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
Unfortunately, he learns another lesson, too, as he realizes he's better off putting his dreams on hold for a little while longer so that Randall has that opportunity to thrive. So, he takes Miguel's offer. On Randall's first day at Hanes Academy, Jack teaches Randall how to tie a tie and tuck it low so that it's "nice and comfortable."
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| Courtesy of NBC |
In the present, the next morning, we see Randall tucking his tie low and then walking into the kitchen where Beth, the girls, and William are having breakfast. Randall, among the hustle and bustle, tells them he has something to say:
"[...] My dad put on a tie every day because he had to. I put one on every day because I want to. It's important you [Tess and Annie] know that. Maybe I don't run into burning buildings for a living, but to me, my work is challenging and exciting. I will not apologize for the fact that it's hard to explain to people."He then tells William that he's grateful for his offer but that given that they're still getting to know each other, he believes it unhealthy to introduce a teacher/student dynamic to their relationship. However, he's still intent on learning how to play the piano, so he'll be taking piano lessons from Mrs. Perkins down the road. He lets them know that there's going to be a recital in the spring and that he'd love for them all to come and support him. With that, he nods and heads to work. Tess confused asks what that was all about to which Beth tells her that Randall's having a midlife crisis "but just a little one" and William laughs.
Finally, the next day Kevin's back at rehearsal. He brings Olivia a cappuccino and thanks her for the lesson, telling her it worked. That's not the only lesson she has for him, she says, as she tells him that what happened between them will never happen again!
"[...] This is who we are and all we are. You're my husband, and I'm your dead wife. And you will never sleep with her again."Though sad, Kevin sees this as a useful tool to also help him harness his emotions for the play.
In the past, Jack drops Randall off at school, and Randall starts walking towards the door. When he gets halfway, he turns to look at Jack and adjusts his tie. Jack does the same and smiles as Randall walks inside.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
In the present, Randall sits down at his desk, takes a look around, and smiles to himself as he spins around once in his chair just as Jack once did.
While Beth jokes and calls Randall's transition a midlife crisis, I think it's important that he's going down this new path; however, it also makes me happy that he didn't just turn in his stapler for a saxophone. He knows he's where he belongs, but he still has a genuine interest in continuing to explore who he is.
That's it for this week! What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments. Don't forget to subscribe to the blog and like my page on FB @TheTelevisionZone and follow me on Twitter @TelevisionZone. Remember, you can follow along on this journey by watching "This Is Us" on the NBC website by choosing your cable provider. See ya next week!
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