Wedding bells are ringing on this week’s episode of This Is Us.
Last week, we saw the progressive end of KaToby, aka Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan), a couple we’ve spent the entire series rooting for. However, the audience realized through that episode that their split was the best thing for them.
This week, we see Kate’s wedding to Phillip (Chris Geere). The whole family has gathered for the joyous occasion, and Kate is surprisingly zen considering the circumstances of the day.
Most of the episode is focused on how everyone is preparing for and enjoying the wedding. But there are a few key big focuses in this episode.
First is Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) deterioration with her Alzheimer’s. Because the wedding is about five years after Rebecca’s diagnosis, she struggles significantly with remembering and especially with her confusion. She consistently calls Kevin (Justin Hartley) Jack throughout the episode and thinks she’s spending time with Jack.
Speaking of Kevin, his whereabouts the night before the wedding are the second piece of focus.
Madison (Caitlin Thompson) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) are incredibly interested in who Kevin has been sleeping with, theorizing that it might be Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge), Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison) or even the wedding singer.
They spend the entire wedding trying to figure it out, and though the answer isn’t revealed, it seems he spent the night with all three, and we’ll hopefully find out next week.
The final big point comes between Miguel (Jon Huertas) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown). The two take a break from the wedding craziness to spend some time wine tasting and enjoying their day. However, they quickly realize that’s near impossible.
Randall continuously talks about Rebecca’s Alzheimer’s, and Miguel keeps trying to change the subject. As they go through the wine tasting, Miguel gets more and more frustrated and, finally, he snaps. He tells Randall that all he wanted was a day to spend not thinking about Alzheimer’s or his own age.
Randall feels bad about it, and he tells Miguel he’s just worried because he’s noticing a tremor in Miguel’s hand. However, Miguel tells him it’s a harmless side effect of his medicine, and Randall apologizes for not being able to help Miguel take his mind off things.
However, all of the worry about Rebecca struggling, Miguel getting older and who Kevin is or is not sleeping with falls away, as Rebecca plays Kate her wedding song. Rebecca sings the credits melody of the show, putting words to the lovely instrumental, and she doesn’t stumble or forget anything, making the entire audience cry.
All in all, these episodes are really setting the tone for the end of the season, and it’s very bittersweet. It’ll be interesting to see how the next five episodes wrap up the series.
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
