This Is Us
This Is Us Review – The Past Influences the Present at the Cabin (4×14)
A time capsule can bring you back to a moment in time and put things into perspective.
At least, that’s what happened on This Is Us “The Cabin” when the Big Three reunited in their family cabin to mull over their problems.
By the end of the hour, they all had some clarity about their next steps.
Randall realized that he was done letting the anxiety control him as it did his whole life and vowed to seek out counseling. Randall’s storyline continues to be one that normalizes mental health not only in a general sense but also as it pertains to African American males.
He may seem like he has it all together, but Randall has been a ticking time bomb since the break-in. It’s important to check up on your family and want to make sure your house is safe, but the incessant way that Randall goes about it is indicative of a bigger, underlying issue that he’s repressing and refusing to acknowledge.
Digging up the time capsule and realizing that his anxiety stemmed all the way back to when they were young and over something as basic as what to bury in the ground made him realize that he needs to get it under control.
Kate dug up a game of MASH, which revealed her one wish was to “live happily ever after.”
It’s a common dream for young girls, sure, but in the context of Kate’s current situation, it was a cold, hard truth smacking her in the face.
While things may seem bleak for Kate as she questions her relationship, I’ll continue to argue that Tobias (I love that Randall calls him that) is doing just fine in the daddy department.
He may have been hesitant about embracing his blind son, but all he needed was a little push. As the two spent time together, they had a chance to really bond and without Kate around, Toby was forced to step up to the plate.
Being alone with his son helped him realize that while life may be different than he imagined with baby Jack, it isn’t any less special.
His first major realization was that baby Jack needs him in his life. He’s always going to need a father to support him, teach him right from wrong, and help him on his life’s journey.
Related: This Is Us Review – Finding Your Way Home (4×13)
Parenting doesn’t always come as naturally to everyone, but I have no doubt Toby will get the hang of it.
When he saw baby Jack choking, his fatherly instincts kicked in and, in that moment, he realized just how much his son needed him.
But most importantly, Toby realized that he can still introduce Jack to all the things he loves, he just has to take a different approach.
The scene with him showing Jack all the Star Wars characters and imitating the sounds was such a sweet moment and something Jack Pearson would have done for his child.
Kate’s past storyline with Marc was also wrapped up, and it ended better than I thought it would.
After Marc, the asshole, broke Jack Pearson’s cup on purpose, Kate finally told him off, which triggered Marc’s angry meltdown.
In a fit of rage, he locked her out in the blistering cold and ignored her knocking as he knocked back a few cold ones.
Honestly, this dude couldn’t be kicked out of the house fast enough when Rebecca, Kevin, and Randall arrived.
However, I was expecting something much worse like the family finding Kate on the brink of hypothermia, so seeing them happily making pancakes and pretending everything was fine took me by surprise.
It was Randall who realized that a window was broken, noticed Kate’s gloves, and realized that something was sickeningly wrong with this “perfect” image.
Kate did her best to protect Marc because that’s what she was used to doing, but she needed to get to a point where she acknowledged how messed up their situation was.
I’m just glad she was in a safe space where Rebecca, Kevin, and Randall all had her back and that nothing worse happened to her while she was with him.
Also, Rebecca is such a strong woman who fights for the people she loves, and now, in the future, she needs them all to fight for her.
Kevin came to the cabin to cope with losing Sophie, and the time capsule reminded him that it’s always been her as he dug up a picture of the two of them when they were children.
He was also forced to come clean to Kate about sleeping with Madison after Madison blurted it out to Kate in a voicemail after telling him it should be their little secret. Thanks a lot, Madison.
Kate wasn’t entirely on-board with Kevin and Madison, but she seemed more upset about the fact that Kevin kept it from her than anything else.
Related: This Is Us Review – Why Kevin’s Hook Up Upset So Many Fans (4×12)
But I have to be honest, I still don’t think Madison is Kevin’s wife in the future or the woman pregnant with his baby. Unless it’s an “oopsie” and Kevin steps up to the plate, he doesn’t seem emotionally invested in pursuing anything with Madison. The “sparks” weren’t there, and that’s telling. Plus, he’s still pining over Sophie.
If I had to guess, the writers are going to pull the rug right from under us and offer a major twist just like that house.
When we first saw the flash-forward to the night the family gathers at Kevin’s to say goodbye to a sick and frail Rebecca, we assumed the house Kevin was living in was a mansion somewhere in LA.
Turns out, it’s the dream cabin that Jack Pearson sketched and planned to build for his wife one day.
Grab your tissues, it’s an emotional sucker… but you already knew that because Tuesdays are for crying!
The Big Three dug up the renderings with the time capsule and listened to a cassette that was recorded by Jack in 1993, which detailed his plans and how Rebecca always believed in him.
Kevin became inspired by the sketch and made the decision to build the house as they were leaving from their weekend getaway.
Kevin has always been the most emotionally vulnerable character, so it’s such a fitting twist to his narrative, one that has mostly found him bopping around and trying to find purpose in life.
We see a glimpse into that future scene towards the end as he returns home and greets Beth. We’ve already seen an “elderly” Randall and Beth prior to this episode, but whoa, older Kevin was just as hunky in the future.
While we know the scene is going to be heartbreaking, a part of me is looking forward to seeing elderly Kate and Toby. It will also clear up the speculation about where they are in their relationship in the future and, of course, who Kevin is married to.
As for Rebecca’s big memory secret, Randall let that out of the bag when he slipped up about a recent trip to LA.
They were forced to come clean to Kevin about Rebecca’s illness, which triggered the expected response from Kevin that they were all afraid of.
But, I don’t think any of them give Kevin enough credit. Rebecca didn’t want to tell Kevin the truth because she was afraid for his sobriety, but he’s been juggling a lot of emotional baggage and has never lost his focus or reached for an alcoholic drink.
Just like Kate and Randall, Kevin is a fighter.
But since the big secret isn’t what caused the rift between Kevin and Randall, what is it?
Does something trigger Randall during therapy? As we saw in the promo, Randall finally went to talk to a therapist and it seems that he was hit with the realization that he wasn’t the glue that held the family together.
What did you think of the episode?
Who do you think Kevin settles down with?
Will Toby and Kate make it through? How advanced will Rebecca’s cognitive impairment get?
Let us know all of your thoughts in the comments, Cravers!
The season 5 finale of This Is Us stunned audiences with a major cliffhanger, but that wasn’t the only surprising revelation during the hour!
In the final moments as Kate gears up for her wedding to — well, it seems like Phillip, but that could be a red herring — it’s revealed that Nicky has a wife!
Yes, Nicky, Jack’s cynical and “weird” brother, is a married man in the five-year flash forward! But who is his wife?
The obvious answer would be Sally Brooks, his first and only love.
In flashback episodes, Nicky and Sally met at a vet clinic in 1969 and their relationship flourished. They had the kind of summer romance you see in rom-coms, but when she asked Nicky to head out to California with her, he never showed up because he decided to stick around and be there for his mother, who was still living with his abusive, drunk of a father.
Credit: NBC/ This Is Us
Nicky hasn’t seen or heard from Sally since, but after seeing Kevin and Madison’s love story, he was inspired to seek her out online. Now, there are likely a ton of women with the name Sally Brooks, so he might have to get pretty specific with his search, but it’s not impossible.
Laura Kener, the show’s story editor, told Entertainment Weekly that it’s possible we’ll see Sally in the present day.
“Um, I cannot confirm or deny either of those things, but I think it would be very exciting if it did happen. And I definitely was talking with the actor on set, Genevieve, about who she thinks could be the present-day Sally. So hopefully we will see that — my hopes as a fan and as a writer is that we do because I love Sally, and I want to see more of her,” she explained.
This doesn’t automatically mean that sparks will fly again as Sally could be married or simply not interested in reconnecting.
But regardless, it could give Nicky the closure he never received and allow him to move on and find love again.
If Sally isn’t his wife, who is?
The second option is Rebecca Pearson. It would be pretty crazy if Rebecca got married to her late husband’s brother, but she also married his best friend, Miguel, so I guess it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch.
In the 10-12 year flash-forward, Rebecca is on her death bed with her family gathered around her. Nicky is seen by her side, which fans found strange. Furthermore, her husband, Miguel, her husband, is not around. The camera also makes it a point to pan to a wedding band on Nicky’s finger, which could possibly suggest that he and Rebecca tied the knot.
However, I’m not too keen on this storyline. Marrying Miguel made some sense as they both loved Jack and connected after over their shared grief. They were each other’s support system. As for Nicky, it’s just a little too close to home.
Plus, I’m a fan of the theory that Nicky is only by her side because Rebecca’s dementia has led her to believe that Nicky is Jack. This could also explain why Miguel isn’t pictured.
Why Is Nicky By Rebecca’s Side on the ‘This Is Us’ Season 4 Finale? This Theory Might Explain It
The final option is that Nicky married Cassidy (guest star Jennifer Morrison). While there’s a significant age difference between the two, aside from Kevin, Cassidy is the only other person that Nicky is close to. Plus, people of different ages fall in love all the time.
The series likely wouldn’t introduce Morrison’s character only to have her be a blimp in Kevin’s life, right? Unless, of course, Kevin, who ended up not getting married to Madison in the This Is Us Season 5 finale, marries Cassidy in the flash-forward. Either way, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Cassidy just yet!
If Rebecca thinks Nicky is Jack, and if Kevin is married to Cassidy, then it seems like Nicky either wed Sally or the series will introduce a new love interest for him in the final season.
Regardless of who the wife is, we just hope Nicky, who has only known solitude for the latter half of his life, is happy.
He deserves a companion that will make him feel happy and alive again!
Who do you think he marries?
This Is Us Season 6 will premiere midseason in 2022. No premiere date has been announced.
After five seasons, This Is Us continues to sweep us off our feet.
And yes, that’s a terrible phrase to use for an episode that did not include the highly-anticipated Kevin and Madison wedding. Is anyone really surprised by that?
I think I was more surprised by how much the teasers were hyping up a wedding that both the bride and groom were so uncertain about. We knew in our hearts that it wasn’t going to happen.
While Kevin and Madison didn’t walk down the aisle towards their happily ever after, there was a silver lining for both of them.
For starters, they both avoided a marriage that was doomed from the beginning. Madison would never have Kevin’s full heart, and that’s unfair to everyone. Meanwhile, he wouldn’t have to force himself to fall in love with a woman after saying “I do.” They were both settling simply because they had children together, which was made obvious when Kevin couldn’t bring himself to tell Madison that he was in love with her.
Kevin was so determined to make it work because he so badly wanted to have the kind of love story his parents did. But this wasn’t it… at least not now. I say that because based on the flash-forward, I definitely think there’s a chance that Kevin and Madison fell in love with each other sometime in the future. Otherwise, they’re nailing this modern family/parenting thing, and that’s great too. They both deserve to find their person.
The other silver lining was that through this experience, Madison finally found her worth. In the same way that Kevin was searching for the fairytale romance and perfect family because of his parents, Madison spent her life accepting any sliver of affection that anyone would give her. After being with Kevin, she realized that she owed it to herself to find someone who was just as in love with her as she was with him.
Calling off a wedding mere moments before it’s set to happen to a man who has given you everything (except his heart) is difficult, but kudos to Madison for finally putting herself first.
The series is always trying its best to trick us and the sweet Kate and Toby conversation about making sacrifices for the other person was a red herring.
For a full season, we’ve all wondered when the other foot would drop on Kate and Toby’s relationship as the flash-forward to Rebecca on her death bed seems to reveal that the two of them are no longer together.
However, this was not the moment I thought we’d get the big reveal.
As Kevin practiced his speech, it was assumed that he was putting together his vows for his wedding with Madison. When it became obvious that this scene was from a flash-forward, I immediately thought that Kevin was finally going to lock down the love of his life and was convinced we’d see Sophie standing on the other side of the door.
All of that ended up being absolutely inaccurate as Kevin was actually gearing up for his best man speech for… Kate’s wedding.
Kate was getting married to her co-teacher, Phillip. Yes, the very Phillip that thought she wasn’t qualified for the job and gave her flack on her first day.
I’m a huge fan of season finale twists but not when they involve the breakup of one of TV’s sweetest couples.
Were Kate and Toby tired of making sacrifices for each other? Were they just being delusional when they both said they’d make things work between juggling a family and a career?
Or is this yet another red herring? Kevin calls Phillip brother-in-law, but maybe Phillip is Madison’s long-lost brother and Kate is renewing her vows with Toby?
It’s a stretch, especially since Kate says “this is the last time I’m doing this.”
We know Toby is still around in the flash-forward, and this could explain the “she” he’s referring to when Randall assures him that “she would want you to be here, Tobe.” Initially, we all thought it referred to Rebecca wanting Toby there or that it might have meant Kate was no longer alive, but now that we know Toby and Kate divorced, it would make sense that he’d feel a little apprehensive about being there for a huge Pearson moment.
Though, I’m glad he is. Toby is family regardless of whether he’s married to Kate or not.
THIS IS US — “The Adirondacks”, Episode 516 — Pictured: (l-r) Justin Hartley as Kevin, Sterling K. Brown as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
The 5-year flash-forward also revealed something quite shocking… Nicky is married! Yes, the cynical Nicky has found a lifelong partner.
But who is it? Is it his teenage love Sally Brooks? Did he finally find her? Or is it Rebecca? Because in the other flash-forward (so many timelines, so little time!), Nicky is by Rebecca’s bedside. Did she split from Miguel and get married to Nicky? I can’t see that happening, but I’m also not putting anything past this series anymore.
The episode was filled with great moments about putting yourself and your own happiness first.
Tess confessed that she didn’t feel like herself in the bridesmaid dress, and while no one ever does, hers was a different story as it was tied to her identity. Beth took matters into her own hands and helped Tess alter the dress to make it more her style, and it turned out awesome.
Deja found out that Malik got accepted to Harvard, and while she’s obviously concerned about the future of their relationship, can we just get a round of applause for his five for five? Get it!
And Randall finally opened up to Rebecca about his time in New Orleans learning about his birth mother. He’d been avoiding the conversation for quite some time, but it allowed them to heal from all the pain of the past as Rebecca finally apologized for keeping him away from his birth parents and not giving him a platform to talk about it.
Rebecca and Randall are the best mother-daughter duo on television, so I’m glad they’re back on track.
The episode was filled with the same magic that made This Is Us such an unexpected hit back in 2016!
We even got a present-day Pearson family moment, and while Jack was obviously missing, his presence was felt as everyone suggested how he would handle the given situation. There’s something so special about the family still having each other’s backs after everything they’ve been through. It was one of the most powerful scenes of the season.
What are your thoughts after the finale? Have you picked your jaw up off the floor?
What do you think led to the Kate and Toby split? Are they still on good terms? Are Kevin and Madison together in the future?
Who is Nicky married to? Sound off in the comments below to share your thoughts, feelings, and opinions.
And we’ll see you back here for the sixth and final season in the fall!
Kevin and Madison celebrated their respective bachelor and bachelorette parties on This Is Us Season 5 Episode 15.
For a Hollywood hunk, Kevin’s bachelor party was pretty lame, but it was fitting for the family-focused series.
The boys went up to the family cabin with the hopes of fly fishing, but due to the weather, they found themselves watching Jerry Maguire, talking about their feelings, and reminiscing about the past.
And that’s kind of what bothered me about the episode. There was too much emphasis on the past and not enough on the future, namely, Madison and Kevin’s future.
Their relationship may be unconventional, and yes, it’s highly likely that if they didn’t accidentally get pregnant, they wouldn’t be together, but they did find each other, which has to mean something.
Their love isn’t a grand love like Rebecca and Jack’s, but not every relationship is.
However, as Miguel rightfully pointed out, that doesn’t make it any less important. What Madison and Kevin have is unique and special in their own way, and I wish the series acknowledged that instead of trying to tear them apart through every means possible.
Kevin was right to call out Nicky for his rude behavior. I know he doesn’t have a filter, but some things just don’t need to be said out loud.
THIS IS US — “Jerry 2.0”, Episode 515 — Pictured: (l-r) Sterling K. Brown as Randall, Chris Sullivan as Toby, Jon Hertas as Miguel, Griffin Dunne as Nicky, Justin Hartley as Kevin — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Nicky’s comments coupled with the call from Sophie made Kevin doubt and question his decision to get married to Madison, but I’m glad Miguel brought him back to reality.
Miguel definitely knows that there are different types of love and they’re all valid. He will never be Rebecca’s Jack, but they have something real that they’ve made work.
Similarly, Madison will never be Kevin’s Sophie, but that’s a good thing. Kevin and Sophie tried to make it work numerous times, and despite the love they had for each other, it just didn’t fit.
Randall managed to keep everyone in check, but Miguel’s advice saved the day.
Honestly, Miguel continues to be so underrated, but I’m glad they’re incorporating him into the storylines more and more.
I was happy that Kevin didn’t call Sophie back and decided to delete her number. It was a little irritating that she decided to call Kevin in the first place and insert herself back into his life.
A congratulations text would’ve worked just as well, but it seemed like she was hoping something else might come of it and that isn’t fair to Kevin. He tried to win her back so many times and she turned him down. Her call seemed to be fueled by the “you want what you can’t have.”
Madison’s bachelorette party didn’t fare any better. While it had a more bachelorette vibe to it, it was still pretty depressing.
First off, none of Madison’s friends came to the party. Then, the model that they were painting turned out to be Madison’s ex, and finally, she also began to question her relationship with Kevin when watching the video about their future.
The whole ex thing didn’t seem to serve any purpose, but it was funny watching them call him out for ghosting her!
What did become evident is that both Kevin and Madison both have the same fears and insecurities about the relationship. Instead of pretending they’re this happy couple, they should probably talk about it before the wedding.
I definitely think they both love each other, but they have to be honest about their feelings if they want to make this work. Slapping a bandaid over it isn’t going to cut it.
With both of them questioning the relationship, it’s definitely hard to get excited about the wedding in the upcoming season finale.
Will they make it down the aisle? Will Sophie be a wedding crasher? Or will they live happily ever after?
Other Major Moments
- Toby realized that he couldn’t continue on as a stay-at-home dad and put himself in the running for a position in San Francisco. What does that mean for him and Kate considering she just found a job she loves in LA?
- Beth was also looking for a job and couldn’t bring herself to work at just another dance academy as she considered the traditional ones to be broken and joyless. Rebecca suggested that she start her own (and we know that she runs with that advice in the future), and I just love how positive of a force she is in everyone’s lives. She was supportive of Madison, and she’s always been #TeamBeth.
- In turn, I love that Beth was the only person who treated Rebecca like a human instead of a broken doll. Their relationship is so sweet.
- Fisherman Randall is a whole vibe.
- Nicky wanting to bring a jigsaw puzzle to the bachelor party was so on-brand.
- Rebecca’s reaction to learning about ghosting was everything. People who ghost other people are jerks!
- Nicky is trying to find his one true love, Sally Brooks. It’s definitely a generic name, so he might have so trouble with the Google results, but I’m excited about this storyline. Maybe it’ll make him less cynical!
What did you think of the episode? Let us know in the comments!
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