This Is Us "Pilgrim Rick" (Recap & Analysis) Spoilers
Hey there! Hope you all had a great weekend. This week, we're treated to two Pearson family Thanksgivings, and frankly, I'd rather take my chances at the Pinewood Lodge.
The episode opens in the past, where Rebecca's preparing cranberry sauce the Pearson gang is headed off to Rebecca's parent's house this year, and the kids are less than excited. The tone for the day is set when Kate (Mackenzie Hancsicsak) walks into the kitchen complaining about the itchy sweater she's wearing that Rebecca's mom knitted for her. Then, Randall (Lonnie Chavis) chimes in:
The first glimpse we get of Rebecca and her parents is in the episode "The Game Plan." From that episode, we know that Rebecca resents her mother for being the Suzy Homemaker-type completely subservient to her father. Rebecca, is the complete opposite of that, so I wonder why it's so important for her to have her mother's approval? I also wonder if maybe her mother is so critical of her because Rebecca's possibly found the life her mother always wanted.
At Kate and Toby's support group meeting, the members are detailing their plans for maintaining control during Thanksgiving dinner. When one of the members explains that she can only handle smaller food portions since she had gastric bypass surgery, Kate's ears perk up. After last week's slip-up, Kate's been tumbling downward and trying to find her way back up. To help get her there, she decides it's best to take a break from Toby.
Although Toby promised Kate, the last episode that he'd eat healthily when they're together despite being done with dieting, old habits die hard. As he downs a plate of spaghetti, Kate tells him that they had a deal she'd only go out with him if he lost the weight along with her. While she's in love with him, she realizes that being in love isn't enough to make her happy.
Kate's started to show some growth these last few episodes; she's starting to acknowledge that her insecurities get in the way of her relationships. However, in this case, her relationship isn't providing her what she needs the most right now, support. Will the breakup set her down a further path to destruction? I'm not sure, but it seems like Kate's fully self-motivated at this point that nothing can stop her, feel free to tell me in the comments that this observation didn't age well in a few weeks/months).
In New York, Kevin's done with rehearsal. As he gets up to leave, he asks Olivia if she has any plans for Thanksgiving. Though her mother's American, Olivia has no desire to "get together with relatives I hate so we can gorge ourselves on dry bird while pretending that we'd ever have anything to do with each other if we weren't related by blood." Instead, her Thanksgiving plans include going to her favorite dive bar, downing bourbon, and watching "Rocky II" with her favorite borderline senile bartender Benny. When Kevin suggests that instead, she should join him and his family, Olivia's not taken by the offer.
The next day, Randall's woken up by his alarm clock to the sounds of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" and boy, is he pumped. He struts through the house, grooving to the music as he wakes everyone up, telling them all to meet him for kitchen duty in ten minutes. Then we're treated to a montage of Randall preparing the Thanksgiving food, and it looks like it takes quite some time before anyone makes it downstairs.
Kevin's the first to come down, but he leaves to go pick up Olivia, after telling Randall he's not allowed to talk to her. Then in walks Beth and the girls who Randall sends to the attic to get the Thanksgiving picnic blanket. Finally, in walks William, who Randall puts in charge of the yams. Unfortunately, William's not feeling too great this morning, so Randall takes over. As he prepares the yams, Randall expresses excitement that his biological father and Rebecca will be sharing a meal. Beth, having learned William and Rebecca's secret, is quiet to Randall's surprise. Luckily, the doorbell rings and Beth rushes to answer it before Randall can question her. It's Rebecca and Miguel, who walk in with pies. Beth tells Miguel to bring the pies to the kitchen, and Miguel makes his way leaving Beth alone to confront Rebecca. Rebecca claims she hasn't been avoiding Beth's calls, but Beth doesn't believe her and gives her an ultimatum she must come clean to Randall before she leaves that night or Beth will. In walks Randall, who with a smile on his face, whisks Rebecca way for kitchen duty.
I'm not going to lie; Future Rebecca is starting to piss me off. Understandably, she made the deal that she did with William at the time. However, she treats Beth in this episode as if she's some adversary that's sticking her nose where she shouldn't when that isn't the case.
In the past, Jack, Rebecca, and the kids are on their way to Rebecca's parents, it's already 4 o'clock, the Pearson gang made a 2-hour pit-stop to find the perfect cranberry sauce, and the kids are getting testy as "You Can Call Me Al" plays through the car speakers for the fifth time that day. Soon, the tires blow out, and the Pearson's car heads straight for a fence on the side of the road. With the nearest gas station 3.4 miles away, the Pearson's begin their hike.
At Pearson Family Thanksgiving 2016, Randall leads the gang on their jaunt, which just so happens to be exactly 3.4 miles. As they walk, Kevin talks to his mom about the play, called "The Back of An Egg". Annie runs up to Rebecca to tell her that Tess found a dead bird and whisks her away, leaving Kevin and Olivia alone. When he asks her if her parents mind her missing Thanksgiving, she says no telling him that her Mom used to have very elaborate Thanksgivings.
Her mother would end up getting drunk for the rest of the night, and they'd never end up eating pie. They make their way down the trail and behind them quite a way we see Randall and William. William needs to catch his breath, so the men sit on some rocks. As they take in the fresh air and scenery, Randall asks William what he used to do for Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, Kate's still in Los Angeles after a 4-hour boarding delay. When she gets to her seat, she finds a seatmate, a blonde-haired, relatively thin lady who doesn't look too thrilled when she spots her. Kate, embarrassed, tells her not to worry as she's bought the middle and aisle seats. Kate sits down, but the humiliation isn't over yet as a flight attendant approaches her with a seatbelt extender and offers to buckle her in. She declines and buckles herself in then glances over to see the woman's disgusted look.
In the past, the Pearson gang's trip is delayed as it's now completely dark, and they still haven't reached the gas station. As they walk, they suddenly hear noises coming from the woods, and the kids freak out when Jack tells them it's probably animals. Rebecca, in an attempt to calm them down, suggests that they play "The Thanksgiving Game." Jack tells them that they'll each take turns and say what their Thanksgiving is going to be like when they grow up. Kevin goes first and says that he plans on being a quarterback for the Steelers and playing a big game on Thanksgiving, then coming home and having a giant Thanksgiving turkey. Next up is Randall, who tells Jack and Rebecca that he doesn't plan on celebrating Thanksgiving because "when you're a grownup, you don't have to stuff you hate." This prompts Kate and Kevin to say that they're not going to celebrate Thanksgiving either. Rebecca, incredulous, stops in the middle of the street and tells them that their grandparents aren't that bad. The kids are silent before Randall speaks up, telling Rebecca that while their grandparents don't make them feel welcome, Rebecca's whole demeanor towards them around her parents sullies the holiday too.
Rebecca stands their stunned, and Jack, trying to keep the peace, tells the kids to move along and tells Rebecca not to listen to them. This is every parent's worst nightmare, having their children remind them of the times that they've been less than perfect. What's worse is that they might be confronting her with the truth. Why does she get so worked up over Thanksgiving with parents that don't show her or her kids any respect?
Back at Randall's, the family and Olivia have returned from their hike. Beth tells everyone to go get cider before they start the movie "Police Academy 3." As Beth starts setting up the movie, Randall tells her he's heading over to William's apartment to get the tapes. Though Beth is a bit surprised that he's going to drive 2 hours both ways to New York, she understands once Randall reminds her this may be William's last Thanksgiving. As he says his goodbyes, Rebecca offers to take the ride with him knowing it's her prime opportunity to come clean, but Randall declines.
Olivia, who'd gone upstairs, comes down to the foyer as Kevin enters from the kitchen with his hands behind his back. He tells her that despite her "spotty past" with Thanksgiving, he's going to ensure that she gets pie this year, with that, he hands her a piece of the pie. William smiles at the scene, and Olivia herself seems quite surprised. Their moment, however, is interrupted by Miguel, who asks Kevin if he can "wear the hat" this year another Pearson tradition. Kevin's quick to not so subtly remind him that "wearing the hat" is a Pearson tradition and that he's not one of them. Olivia watches as this exchange takes place, and as Miguel walks away defeated, Olivia can't take it anymore. She hands Kevin the pie before telling him, "I can't be who you want me to be. [...] Please, stop trying to see something in me that isn't there."
We then head back to the past, where having reached a mechanic they're, unfortunately, told that they can't get towed, until the next day. With nowhere else to turn, Rebecca goes outside to a payphone to call her parents to come to pick them up. From the moment her mother answers, Rebecca is tense. Though her mother asks if the family is okay after Rebecca tells her about the car accident, she's more concerned that they're missing a dinner she spent all day working on. Rebecca defends herself, her voice getting higher and higher as she speaks. Eventually, she tells her mother to have her father pick them up but then pauses before changing her mind and telling her mother that they'll no longer be coming to Thanksgiving dinners. Jack, who'd walked outside to see what the commotion was about, asks Rebecca what they're going to do. Luckily, they turn to see another sign for a hotel up the road called the Pinewood Lodge.
This phone call is the last straw for Rebecca, who finally has to acknowledge that whatever approval she's seeking, she's never going to get, and it's not worth subjecting her children to a lousy holiday.
In the present, Olivia walks outside to wait for her Uber and finds William sitting on the front stoop. Though at first, she acts completely uninterested in his presence, she nevertheless decides to sit down next to him and asks him what it feels like to be dying. He stares at her for a moment and then replies:
This conversation strikes a chord with Olivia, who immediately goes inside to find Kevin, who's in the kitchen. She kisses him, and then, teary-eyed thanks him for the pie. She walks away and he follows her as they sit down to watch "Police Academy 3."
At the Pinewood Lodge, the Pearson gang is hungry and tired, which is the perfect time to be introduced to Pilgrim Rick, the seedy Pinewood Lodge's night-manager. He's wearing a pilgrim hat and dives right into a bad pilgrim bit. Jack, playing along, and trying to get them out of this uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible, tells Pilgrim Rick that they'll take the Pinewood's finest room.
Cut to the Pearson's walking into a cabin with a deer head on the wall, a furnace that's stuck on high, and, a television with zero channels. To make matters worse, the only food the Pearson's have are cold gas station hot dogs along with Kraft Singles and saltines. With the Pearson morale low, Jack tells Rebecca to get the kids settled in while he goes to speak with Pilgrim Rick about the furnace.
In New York, Randall's at William's apartment, walking around looking for the tapes. He finally finds them in a drawer when something else catches his eye, a letter addressed to William in familiar handwriting. Randall, sensing something isn't right, opens one of them and begins reading, a somber look forming on his face.
Of course, this reveal isn't done in any spectacular way, but Sterling K. Brown sells the scene with a look that foreshadows an explosive showdown between Randall and Rebecca.
We then cut to Kate, who's taking a nap, while up in the air and is immediately jolted awake as the plane makes its way through a cold front. The passengers enter into a frenzy, and once the plane makes it way through the cold front, Kate looks down and sees that, in the panic, her seat-mate squeezed her hand for comfort. As the plane resumes its normal cruising speed, Kate and the woman look at each other and agree that they thought they were gonna die. The woman shaken, tells Kate that she's married to a man who's cheating on her while her kids, her only reason for staying with him, are all out of the house. "I'm gonna get a divorce," she says, telling Kate, "Life's too short." Kate sits there looking contemplative.
It seems like Olivia's not the only one having that "grab life by the reigns" epiphany this week. Maybe setting a goal is just what Kate needs to stay on track.
Back at the cabin, Rebecca's sitting in a rocking chair while the kids sit looking bored on one of the beds, there's a loud knock on the door. A gravelly voice calls out, saying that he's Pilgrim Rick and that he's come to fix the heater. Rebecca, not wanting to be alone with him and the kids, says that they're fine when suddenly the door opens to reveal Jack, wearing Pilgrim Rick's hat. He begins to do a bit, essentially poking fun at the REAL Pilgrim Rick to The Big Three and Rebecca's amusement.
He then outlines their plans for the rest of the night: cooking hot dogs on an open furnace flame, wrapping them in Kraft Singles and rolling them in saltines and then watching "Police Academy 3." Thankfully, that's enough to turn this Pearson family Thanksgiving around as the kids sit happily on the floor by the furnace and take turns roasting their Thanksgiving Cheese Dogs.
Jack saves the day once again. Though we've seen glimpses of his imperfections, Rebecca was right when she told Jack in episode two that, when he's with them, he's operating at a ten. Though this is an ensemble cast, it's clear that the Pearson's past is heavily filtered through The Big Three and Rebecca's eyes and the belief that Jack's a great guy which, is why I'm waiting for the shoe to drop.
Back in the present, Pilgrim Rick makes another surprise appearance at a Pearson Thanksgiving gathering this time, of course, played by Kevin. As he begins doing their annual bit, Kevin looks across the room at Miguel. At this moment, he decides to stop being so petty and asks Miguel to take over. Miguel, shocked, gets up and goes to the front of the living room and takes the hat.
As Miguel starts the bit over, Randall walks in and Beth goes to greet him. She kisses him on the cheek and asks him if he found what he needed, he nods, distractedly, with that same somber look unable to take his eyes off his mother across the room as Beth and "Pilgrim Rick" lead everyone into the dining room.
Before they eat, however, there's one more Pearson tradition to partake in as Rebecca takes out a ball of yarn and passes it on. We're then brought back to the past where we're explained this tradition. After finishing "Police Academy 3" Kate, who's leaning against her sweater on the bed, complains that it's still itching her. Rebecca grabs the sweater and then tells the kids that she's got one more Thanksgiving tradition for them. As they gather around the bed, she tells them that they're gonna go around the circle and tell everyone what they're thankful for, who's ever turn it is will then pull on the yarn and toss it to the next person. Jack starts and says that he's thankful for his family and the fact that they're safe. He ends by telling them that "there's no one in the world I'd rather be too hot or too cold with."
He then throws it, and we immediately cut to the present where Rebecca has caught their ball of yarn and repeats the same thing Jack said 27 years prior. When Tess replies that Rebecca says the same thing every year, Randall, who's sitting at the head of the table, agrees. Rebecca then throws the ball of yarn to him, and he plays with it for a second before tossing it on the ground. Beth tells the girls to go to their room and they do, leaving the adults to brace for whatever's about to happen. Finally, Randall grabs the letter from his back pocket.
He asks her why he'd found a letter that she'd sent to William with his picture but quiets her as she begins to respond. Randall, with tears streaming down his face, reads the letter aloud in which we learn that Rebecca went to visit William eight years after their initial meeting. Rebecca gives William that piercing stare then begins to explain herself but Randall's having none of it:
Randall gets up from his seat and walks out of the room. As he leaves, Kate excitedly walks into the kitchen, apologizing for her tardiness and without missing a beat blurts out that she's having gastric bypass surgery. The rest of the room shaken by Randall and Rebecca's fall-out just sits there stunned. Olivia, somewhat amused by the entire situation, has the last word as she tells Kevin "Your family is amazing."
In this final scene in the present, we finally get the confrontation that's been building for a while now, and boy, does it pay off! Sterling K. Brown acts with the same intensity that we saw when he confronted William for the first time, then a man who'd been bottling up his emotions for so long and was ready to unleash them with a fury. Though he's begun to work through those feelings, this new revelation adds even more pain and unfortunately for Rebecca, she must finally face the repercussions.
We then go back to the past one more time as the Pearson gang all sleep, cuddled up in one bed. In contrast to what we just witnessed, Randall's cuddled up to his mother. He wakes her up to let her know he's changed his mind about Thanksgiving. In a bittersweet moment he tells her:
The episode opens in the past, where Rebecca's preparing cranberry sauce the Pearson gang is headed off to Rebecca's parent's house this year, and the kids are less than excited. The tone for the day is set when Kate (Mackenzie Hancsicsak) walks into the kitchen complaining about the itchy sweater she's wearing that Rebecca's mom knitted for her. Then, Randall (Lonnie Chavis) chimes in:
"I hate going to Grandma and Grandpa's. Whenever we take pictures, they always say, 'Okay, okay, now one with just the twins."Rebecca assures him she'll talk to them about that; again. Rebecca's none too thrilled about the prospect of having dinner with her family either apologizing to Jack--who walks into the kitchen carrying a bag of snacks, Cool Ranch, and Paul Simon's "Graceland" and urges the kids to go pee. For how they're spending their holiday, however, Jack's not letting the prospect of "listening to your [Rebecca's] sister's husband brag about his expensive CD player" get him down. Rebecca finishes her cranberry sauce that has to be perfect because "my sister's sweet potato pie is going to be perfect, and I can't stand to hear my mother's passive-aggressive BS if my sauce is not absolutely perfect." As Rebecca wraps it up and carries it out of the kitchen, Kevin (Parker Bates) and Randall come rushing in chasing each other and crashing into Rebecca knocking the sauce to the floor and in the process spilling it all over the three of them. We're off to a great start!
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| Courtesy of NBC |
The first glimpse we get of Rebecca and her parents is in the episode "The Game Plan." From that episode, we know that Rebecca resents her mother for being the Suzy Homemaker-type completely subservient to her father. Rebecca, is the complete opposite of that, so I wonder why it's so important for her to have her mother's approval? I also wonder if maybe her mother is so critical of her because Rebecca's possibly found the life her mother always wanted.
At Kate and Toby's support group meeting, the members are detailing their plans for maintaining control during Thanksgiving dinner. When one of the members explains that she can only handle smaller food portions since she had gastric bypass surgery, Kate's ears perk up. After last week's slip-up, Kate's been tumbling downward and trying to find her way back up. To help get her there, she decides it's best to take a break from Toby.
Although Toby promised Kate, the last episode that he'd eat healthily when they're together despite being done with dieting, old habits die hard. As he downs a plate of spaghetti, Kate tells him that they had a deal she'd only go out with him if he lost the weight along with her. While she's in love with him, she realizes that being in love isn't enough to make her happy.
" [...] I'm still not happy Toby. Um, and it's not just about my weight. I've got to get a handle on myself on the weight and on all of it. And I um... God, I-I need that more than anything right now, and I want it. I want it more than anything right now."Toby's quiet, realizing that Kate's made up her mind and they sit in silence.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
Kate's started to show some growth these last few episodes; she's starting to acknowledge that her insecurities get in the way of her relationships. However, in this case, her relationship isn't providing her what she needs the most right now, support. Will the breakup set her down a further path to destruction? I'm not sure, but it seems like Kate's fully self-motivated at this point that nothing can stop her, feel free to tell me in the comments that this observation didn't age well in a few weeks/months).
In New York, Kevin's done with rehearsal. As he gets up to leave, he asks Olivia if she has any plans for Thanksgiving. Though her mother's American, Olivia has no desire to "get together with relatives I hate so we can gorge ourselves on dry bird while pretending that we'd ever have anything to do with each other if we weren't related by blood." Instead, her Thanksgiving plans include going to her favorite dive bar, downing bourbon, and watching "Rocky II" with her favorite borderline senile bartender Benny. When Kevin suggests that instead, she should join him and his family, Olivia's not taken by the offer.
"I'm not spending Thanksgiving in New Jersey meeting the walking slices of Wonder Bread responsible for...this [Kevin]."Then, Kevin gives her a wonderfully crafted elevator pitch about what to expect from a Pearson family Thanksgiving.
"My mother is, uh, married to my dead dad's best friend. I have a twin sister who is seriously overweight. And I have an adopted black brother who just recently reconnected with his biological father who is dying."He ends his spiel by reminding her that the more time they spend together offstage, the more they'll act like a married couple onstage. With that, curiosity kills the cat, and Olivia tells Kevin to pick her up at noon the next day.
The next day, Randall's woken up by his alarm clock to the sounds of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" and boy, is he pumped. He struts through the house, grooving to the music as he wakes everyone up, telling them all to meet him for kitchen duty in ten minutes. Then we're treated to a montage of Randall preparing the Thanksgiving food, and it looks like it takes quite some time before anyone makes it downstairs.
Kevin's the first to come down, but he leaves to go pick up Olivia, after telling Randall he's not allowed to talk to her. Then in walks Beth and the girls who Randall sends to the attic to get the Thanksgiving picnic blanket. Finally, in walks William, who Randall puts in charge of the yams. Unfortunately, William's not feeling too great this morning, so Randall takes over. As he prepares the yams, Randall expresses excitement that his biological father and Rebecca will be sharing a meal. Beth, having learned William and Rebecca's secret, is quiet to Randall's surprise. Luckily, the doorbell rings and Beth rushes to answer it before Randall can question her. It's Rebecca and Miguel, who walk in with pies. Beth tells Miguel to bring the pies to the kitchen, and Miguel makes his way leaving Beth alone to confront Rebecca. Rebecca claims she hasn't been avoiding Beth's calls, but Beth doesn't believe her and gives her an ultimatum she must come clean to Randall before she leaves that night or Beth will. In walks Randall, who with a smile on his face, whisks Rebecca way for kitchen duty.
I'm not going to lie; Future Rebecca is starting to piss me off. Understandably, she made the deal that she did with William at the time. However, she treats Beth in this episode as if she's some adversary that's sticking her nose where she shouldn't when that isn't the case.
In the past, Jack, Rebecca, and the kids are on their way to Rebecca's parents, it's already 4 o'clock, the Pearson gang made a 2-hour pit-stop to find the perfect cranberry sauce, and the kids are getting testy as "You Can Call Me Al" plays through the car speakers for the fifth time that day. Soon, the tires blow out, and the Pearson's car heads straight for a fence on the side of the road. With the nearest gas station 3.4 miles away, the Pearson's begin their hike.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
At Pearson Family Thanksgiving 2016, Randall leads the gang on their jaunt, which just so happens to be exactly 3.4 miles. As they walk, Kevin talks to his mom about the play, called "The Back of An Egg". Annie runs up to Rebecca to tell her that Tess found a dead bird and whisks her away, leaving Kevin and Olivia alone. When he asks her if her parents mind her missing Thanksgiving, she says no telling him that her Mom used to have very elaborate Thanksgivings.
"[...] She'd even make three kinds of pie. The right kind've of pie could save us from our miserable selves. Then, inevitably, Dad's beeper would go off, and he'd pretend it was the hospital, even though we all knew he was banging some nurse."
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| Courtesy of NBC |
Her mother would end up getting drunk for the rest of the night, and they'd never end up eating pie. They make their way down the trail and behind them quite a way we see Randall and William. William needs to catch his breath, so the men sit on some rocks. As they take in the fresh air and scenery, Randall asks William what he used to do for Thanksgiving.
"I'd spend it with my sober friends. Cats I met in the meetings. A lot of 'em are musicians. Most of us didn't have family. None we were on speak terms with, anyway. So we'd have a big pot-luck. Everyone would bring their instruments, and we'd jam all night. [...] One of the guys had an old tape player. He'd record us."William's kept a set of those tapes at his apartment. William being too sick to go to the potluck last year, stayed home to listen to those tapes and eat some pecan pie. William, knowing that this will probably be his last Thanksgiving, regrets not packing those tapes.
Meanwhile, Kate's still in Los Angeles after a 4-hour boarding delay. When she gets to her seat, she finds a seatmate, a blonde-haired, relatively thin lady who doesn't look too thrilled when she spots her. Kate, embarrassed, tells her not to worry as she's bought the middle and aisle seats. Kate sits down, but the humiliation isn't over yet as a flight attendant approaches her with a seatbelt extender and offers to buckle her in. She declines and buckles herself in then glances over to see the woman's disgusted look.
In the past, the Pearson gang's trip is delayed as it's now completely dark, and they still haven't reached the gas station. As they walk, they suddenly hear noises coming from the woods, and the kids freak out when Jack tells them it's probably animals. Rebecca, in an attempt to calm them down, suggests that they play "The Thanksgiving Game." Jack tells them that they'll each take turns and say what their Thanksgiving is going to be like when they grow up. Kevin goes first and says that he plans on being a quarterback for the Steelers and playing a big game on Thanksgiving, then coming home and having a giant Thanksgiving turkey. Next up is Randall, who tells Jack and Rebecca that he doesn't plan on celebrating Thanksgiving because "when you're a grownup, you don't have to stuff you hate." This prompts Kate and Kevin to say that they're not going to celebrate Thanksgiving either. Rebecca, incredulous, stops in the middle of the street and tells them that their grandparents aren't that bad. The kids are silent before Randall speaks up, telling Rebecca that while their grandparents don't make them feel welcome, Rebecca's whole demeanor towards them around her parents sullies the holiday too.
"You're always mean when we're at their house. You always have this weird and high voice.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
Rebecca stands their stunned, and Jack, trying to keep the peace, tells the kids to move along and tells Rebecca not to listen to them. This is every parent's worst nightmare, having their children remind them of the times that they've been less than perfect. What's worse is that they might be confronting her with the truth. Why does she get so worked up over Thanksgiving with parents that don't show her or her kids any respect?
Back at Randall's, the family and Olivia have returned from their hike. Beth tells everyone to go get cider before they start the movie "Police Academy 3." As Beth starts setting up the movie, Randall tells her he's heading over to William's apartment to get the tapes. Though Beth is a bit surprised that he's going to drive 2 hours both ways to New York, she understands once Randall reminds her this may be William's last Thanksgiving. As he says his goodbyes, Rebecca offers to take the ride with him knowing it's her prime opportunity to come clean, but Randall declines.
Olivia, who'd gone upstairs, comes down to the foyer as Kevin enters from the kitchen with his hands behind his back. He tells her that despite her "spotty past" with Thanksgiving, he's going to ensure that she gets pie this year, with that, he hands her a piece of the pie. William smiles at the scene, and Olivia herself seems quite surprised. Their moment, however, is interrupted by Miguel, who asks Kevin if he can "wear the hat" this year another Pearson tradition. Kevin's quick to not so subtly remind him that "wearing the hat" is a Pearson tradition and that he's not one of them. Olivia watches as this exchange takes place, and as Miguel walks away defeated, Olivia can't take it anymore. She hands Kevin the pie before telling him, "I can't be who you want me to be. [...] Please, stop trying to see something in me that isn't there."
We then head back to the past, where having reached a mechanic they're, unfortunately, told that they can't get towed, until the next day. With nowhere else to turn, Rebecca goes outside to a payphone to call her parents to come to pick them up. From the moment her mother answers, Rebecca is tense. Though her mother asks if the family is okay after Rebecca tells her about the car accident, she's more concerned that they're missing a dinner she spent all day working on. Rebecca defends herself, her voice getting higher and higher as she speaks. Eventually, she tells her mother to have her father pick them up but then pauses before changing her mind and telling her mother that they'll no longer be coming to Thanksgiving dinners. Jack, who'd walked outside to see what the commotion was about, asks Rebecca what they're going to do. Luckily, they turn to see another sign for a hotel up the road called the Pinewood Lodge.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
This phone call is the last straw for Rebecca, who finally has to acknowledge that whatever approval she's seeking, she's never going to get, and it's not worth subjecting her children to a lousy holiday.
In the present, Olivia walks outside to wait for her Uber and finds William sitting on the front stoop. Though at first, she acts completely uninterested in his presence, she nevertheless decides to sit down next to him and asks him what it feels like to be dying. He stares at her for a moment and then replies:
"It feels...like all these beautiful pieces of life are flying around me and...I'm trying to catch them. When my granddaughter falls asleep in my lap, I try to catch the feeling of her breathing against me. And when I make my son laugh, I try to catch the sound of him laughing. How it rolls up from his chest. But the pieces are moving faster now, and I can't catch them all. I can feel them slipping through my fingertips. And soon where there used to be my granddaughter breathing and my son laughing, there will be...nothing."He tells her that while she may think she has all the time in the world, she doesn't. He tells her to "stop playing it so cool" and take in all the little pieces of her life because one day they'll be nothing left to take in. He ends their conversation by telling her that "when a nice boy who adores you offers you pie, say thank you."
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| Courtesy of NBC |
This conversation strikes a chord with Olivia, who immediately goes inside to find Kevin, who's in the kitchen. She kisses him, and then, teary-eyed thanks him for the pie. She walks away and he follows her as they sit down to watch "Police Academy 3."
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| Courtesy of NBC |
At the Pinewood Lodge, the Pearson gang is hungry and tired, which is the perfect time to be introduced to Pilgrim Rick, the seedy Pinewood Lodge's night-manager. He's wearing a pilgrim hat and dives right into a bad pilgrim bit. Jack, playing along, and trying to get them out of this uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible, tells Pilgrim Rick that they'll take the Pinewood's finest room.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
Cut to the Pearson's walking into a cabin with a deer head on the wall, a furnace that's stuck on high, and, a television with zero channels. To make matters worse, the only food the Pearson's have are cold gas station hot dogs along with Kraft Singles and saltines. With the Pearson morale low, Jack tells Rebecca to get the kids settled in while he goes to speak with Pilgrim Rick about the furnace.
In New York, Randall's at William's apartment, walking around looking for the tapes. He finally finds them in a drawer when something else catches his eye, a letter addressed to William in familiar handwriting. Randall, sensing something isn't right, opens one of them and begins reading, a somber look forming on his face.
Of course, this reveal isn't done in any spectacular way, but Sterling K. Brown sells the scene with a look that foreshadows an explosive showdown between Randall and Rebecca.
We then cut to Kate, who's taking a nap, while up in the air and is immediately jolted awake as the plane makes its way through a cold front. The passengers enter into a frenzy, and once the plane makes it way through the cold front, Kate looks down and sees that, in the panic, her seat-mate squeezed her hand for comfort. As the plane resumes its normal cruising speed, Kate and the woman look at each other and agree that they thought they were gonna die. The woman shaken, tells Kate that she's married to a man who's cheating on her while her kids, her only reason for staying with him, are all out of the house. "I'm gonna get a divorce," she says, telling Kate, "Life's too short." Kate sits there looking contemplative.
It seems like Olivia's not the only one having that "grab life by the reigns" epiphany this week. Maybe setting a goal is just what Kate needs to stay on track.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
Back at the cabin, Rebecca's sitting in a rocking chair while the kids sit looking bored on one of the beds, there's a loud knock on the door. A gravelly voice calls out, saying that he's Pilgrim Rick and that he's come to fix the heater. Rebecca, not wanting to be alone with him and the kids, says that they're fine when suddenly the door opens to reveal Jack, wearing Pilgrim Rick's hat. He begins to do a bit, essentially poking fun at the REAL Pilgrim Rick to The Big Three and Rebecca's amusement.
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| Courtesy of NBC/HerCampus |
He then outlines their plans for the rest of the night: cooking hot dogs on an open furnace flame, wrapping them in Kraft Singles and rolling them in saltines and then watching "Police Academy 3." Thankfully, that's enough to turn this Pearson family Thanksgiving around as the kids sit happily on the floor by the furnace and take turns roasting their Thanksgiving Cheese Dogs.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
Jack saves the day once again. Though we've seen glimpses of his imperfections, Rebecca was right when she told Jack in episode two that, when he's with them, he's operating at a ten. Though this is an ensemble cast, it's clear that the Pearson's past is heavily filtered through The Big Three and Rebecca's eyes and the belief that Jack's a great guy which, is why I'm waiting for the shoe to drop.
Back in the present, Pilgrim Rick makes another surprise appearance at a Pearson Thanksgiving gathering this time, of course, played by Kevin. As he begins doing their annual bit, Kevin looks across the room at Miguel. At this moment, he decides to stop being so petty and asks Miguel to take over. Miguel, shocked, gets up and goes to the front of the living room and takes the hat.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
As Miguel starts the bit over, Randall walks in and Beth goes to greet him. She kisses him on the cheek and asks him if he found what he needed, he nods, distractedly, with that same somber look unable to take his eyes off his mother across the room as Beth and "Pilgrim Rick" lead everyone into the dining room.
Before they eat, however, there's one more Pearson tradition to partake in as Rebecca takes out a ball of yarn and passes it on. We're then brought back to the past where we're explained this tradition. After finishing "Police Academy 3" Kate, who's leaning against her sweater on the bed, complains that it's still itching her. Rebecca grabs the sweater and then tells the kids that she's got one more Thanksgiving tradition for them. As they gather around the bed, she tells them that they're gonna go around the circle and tell everyone what they're thankful for, who's ever turn it is will then pull on the yarn and toss it to the next person. Jack starts and says that he's thankful for his family and the fact that they're safe. He ends by telling them that "there's no one in the world I'd rather be too hot or too cold with."
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| Courtesy of NBC |
He then throws it, and we immediately cut to the present where Rebecca has caught their ball of yarn and repeats the same thing Jack said 27 years prior. When Tess replies that Rebecca says the same thing every year, Randall, who's sitting at the head of the table, agrees. Rebecca then throws the ball of yarn to him, and he plays with it for a second before tossing it on the ground. Beth tells the girls to go to their room and they do, leaving the adults to brace for whatever's about to happen. Finally, Randall grabs the letter from his back pocket.
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| Courtesy of NBC |
He asks her why he'd found a letter that she'd sent to William with his picture but quiets her as she begins to respond. Randall, with tears streaming down his face, reads the letter aloud in which we learn that Rebecca went to visit William eight years after their initial meeting. Rebecca gives William that piercing stare then begins to explain herself but Randall's having none of it:
"[...] You knew my father? [...] You kept him from me my entire life? "Rebecca begins to speak once again, but in a fit of anger, he yells at her:
"Just stop! Just stop! Please, stop. I can't--I can't even look at you."
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| Courtesy of NBC/FanFest |
Randall gets up from his seat and walks out of the room. As he leaves, Kate excitedly walks into the kitchen, apologizing for her tardiness and without missing a beat blurts out that she's having gastric bypass surgery. The rest of the room shaken by Randall and Rebecca's fall-out just sits there stunned. Olivia, somewhat amused by the entire situation, has the last word as she tells Kevin "Your family is amazing."
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| Courtesy of NBC |
In this final scene in the present, we finally get the confrontation that's been building for a while now, and boy, does it pay off! Sterling K. Brown acts with the same intensity that we saw when he confronted William for the first time, then a man who'd been bottling up his emotions for so long and was ready to unleash them with a fury. Though he's begun to work through those feelings, this new revelation adds even more pain and unfortunately for Rebecca, she must finally face the repercussions.
We then go back to the past one more time as the Pearson gang all sleep, cuddled up in one bed. In contrast to what we just witnessed, Randall's cuddled up to his mother. He wakes her up to let her know he's changed his mind about Thanksgiving. In a bittersweet moment he tells her:
That's it for this week! What do did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments. Don't forget to subscribe to the blog and line my page on FB @TheTelevisionZone or follow me on Twitter @TelevisionZone. Remember, you can follow along on this journey by watching "This Is Us" on the NBC website by finding your cable provider. See ya next week!Randall: "I changed my mind. I want to have Thanksgiving when I grow up."Rebecca: "You do?"
Randall: "I know how I want it to be."
Rebecca: "How?"
Randall: "Like tonight. I want every Thanksgiving to be like this for the rest of my life."
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