Audiences had better prepare themselves because next week’s episode is the fall finale of This Is Us, and if this week’s episode was any indication of what’s to come, it’ll definitely be hard to watch.
Last week’s episode dealt with young Randall’s (Lonnie Chavis) interaction with Mr. Lawrence (Brandon Scott) and Malik (Asante Blackk) and Deja’s (Lyric Ross) relationship.
This week’s episode showed the Pearson family getting ready for Thanksgiving. First, Deja has a date with Malik, but instead of going out anywhere, they’re confined to Deja’s house, monitored by Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson).
Deja and Malik get into a fight, and she storms upstairs, causing Beth to confront Malik. He is hesitant at first but ends up telling Beth the truth. Deja is upset because she wants to see her birth mom, but she didn’t want Beth and Randall to think she was ungrateful. They decide to invite her for Thanksgiving, and Deja and Malik end up making up.
Meanwhile, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) get out of the house for some R&R time, and Randall starts to notice some weird behaviors going on with Rebecca. This proves to be the first introduction to Rebecca’s illness, which was previewed at the end of last season. Fans believe it’s Alzheimer’s, and it’s very sad to watch.
Outside of Philadelphia, Uncle Nicky (Griffin Dunne) is preparing for his court hearing, and Kevin is feeling guilty for how he dealt with Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison). Uncle Nicky goes to his hearing and receives no charges after giving a beautiful speech.
“For 40 years, I’ve pushed people away,” Uncle Nicky said. “Not because I thought they would hurt me but because I thought I would hurt them. I told myself I was doing it for their own good because I’m broken, but I was wrong. I wasn’t broken. I was sick. And when you’re sick, you gotta let the people who care about you help.”
Kevin and Cassidy decided to stop whatever was going on between the two of them, and she wishes him luck with his happy ending. This marks Morrison’s exit from the show, at least for now.
Kevin decides it’s time for him to move on, so he asks Uncle Nicky if he’ll come back to Philadelphia with him for Thanksgiving, and he accepts.
Between the events of this week’s episode, the spark of Rebecca’s illness and the tension cooking between Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan), the fall finale is sure to answer a lot of questions.
Here’s how audiences reacted on Twitter:
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
