'This Is Us' Episode 15, Season 1 Review: "Jack Pearson's Son"

Image from NBC

By Darian Scalamoni

            I know it’s late but I had to write a review for last week’s episode of This Is Us because wow, what an episode. Since returning from its mid-season hiatus, the NBC drama has been lighting up ratings wise but this week it proves why it can continue to rack up good numbers while also having good storytelling as well.

            The reason why “Jack Pearson’s Son” works so well is because it’s equally balanced throughout all of the main characters in a fluid way. The show showcases drama while also providing great moments of humor throughout which make it seemed as if though as an audience, we feel real emotional impact towards all of these characters. Starting with Kevin’s storyline which jump starts into an interview with Katie Couric for his new play that goes terribly wrong, until you realize that Kevin is just having a “nightmare”. It makes for a funny moment that a celebrity’s biggest concern is bad press with Katie Couric, no less and just gets you ready for what he’s about to face in a carousel of bad thoughts and jitters before the opening curtain.

            Kevin goes to everyone in his life to find the right advice; leaving voicemail's for Kate to help talk him down, showing up at Randall’s office when he’s got things of his own to deal with and finally, his mother’s house to which his stepfather, Miguel answers the door. He seems noticeably annoyed at first but then when welcomed in, sits down with Miguel who gives him advice in a scene that is as hilarious as it is sweet. Miguel reassures Kevin that as long as he remembers that he is Jack Pearson’s son, he’ll know what to do when he’s feeling unsure.

            When talking about the titular character of this episode, it’s easy to forget how much Jack is looked up to by everyone around him whether it’s his kids, Miguel and even his wife, Rebecca. He’s painted as a saint by many since he does so much for his family, but this all withers down in a scene in which Jack and Rebecca get into an argument after Jack has a conversation with a member of Rebecca’s band to which he discovers that she used to date when she was 19. It’s the first time the show really makes Milo Ventimiglia’s character look weak as he relapses and buys himself a drink instead of dealing with the situation that he can’t deal with: raising three teenage kids all by himself for a month. Rebecca breaks it down simply when discovering that Randall can’t handle not being perfect and that Kevin is already having sex. The episode finally breaks down the Pearson’s relationship and analyzes the problem when really, they just need to regroup.

            We also finally see Kate tell off Duke the douche at “fat camp” before discovering that it is in fact, Duke, whose parents run that same camp having her kicked out. This leads to her “awkwardly” surprising Toby before agreeing to learn more about each other before jumping right into marriage. I’m glad that the show finally addressed the elephant in the room when it comes to the quick turnaround from relationship to holy matrimony between Kate and Toby. Especially when she can’t even muster up the way that her father died to a man that she was expected to marry later in the year. The episode did a good job of breaking down Toby to a more human level similar to what the episode also did for Jack and even, Randall.

            The beloved “perfect man” formula that Rebecca and Beth preach about their husbands throughout the series are great but not authentic in any sense of the word. With the amount of problems Randall has on his plate, it’s re-assuring, while upsetting to see him start to break down. Following an episode that has him losing out at work for the first time to a rival, Sanjay, seeing his father continuously getting weaker and weaker by day and his mother-in-law breaking her hip, we see Sterling K. Brown hit his breaking point. He cries MULTIPLE times within the episode before Kevin comes to the aid of his adopted brother when noticing that something was wrong when telling him he won’t make the play’s premiere. It leads to an incredibly heart-wrenching moment where Kevin is holding Randall in his arms, doing exactly what he thought that Jack Pearson would do.

9.5/10