Fans of This Is Us will be pleased to welcome the new Big Three of the Pearson gang this week.
Last week on This Is Us, Kevin (Justin Hartley) was racing toward Madison (Caitlin Thompson) as she’s in labor with their babies. Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) are talking Madison through the birth as they drive back from their trip to Randall’s birth mother's home. Meanwhile, Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby’s (Chris Sullivan) adopted child is being born at the same time.
This week is another game-changing episode for the series. From an unusual start to a heartwarming finish, the Pearson family is growing.
Randall talks Madison through the birth as Beth drives them home. Though Kate and Randall are all keeping in touch about the state of each birth, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) is beginning to panic because she can’t get a hold of Kevin and wants more updates. Miguel (Jon Huertas) tries to calm her down by making her a cocktail and reminiscing about their marriage.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Toby is forced to wait in the parking lot while Kate is in the delivery room during the birth. He meets a man (Michael O’Neill) waiting to see if his wife, Rose, is going to live or die while she’s on a ventilator. As Toby works to choose a middle name for the baby (an agreement for having to wait outside), the man gives him a good luck charm between his wife and him as a helping hand.
Back in Madison’s delivery room, her babies are on the way, but Kevin is still nowhere to be found. Randall tells Madison the story of when Kevin came home wasted one night in high school and started singing at the top of his lungs, asking Randall if he wanted to start a brother band. Just as Madison is starting to relax and feel happy, Kevin walks in.
He tells Madison he quit the movie, and he doesn’t want to be in any job that keeps him away from her for a long period of time, and the two make up and have their babies. Kate’s adopted baby is also delivered, and all of the babies are healthy and happy as can be.
However, Ellie (Annie Funke) tells Kate she wants to hold the baby and have a moment alone with her first before she gives her to Kate. Kate is a little startled but gives her space.
As Rebecca waits for more updates, she keeps staring at the framed painting of blobs on the wall. When Miguel asks her about it, she remembers the time when she and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) went away together for the weekend without the teen Big Three. While she’s making fun of the kids, Jack is feeling sad that they don’t want to spend time with him anymore.
Rebecca reassures him that no matter what happens, they’ll always be close with the kids. The landscape of the relationship will just alter a little with time.
She explains to Miguel they framed the photo because it was a destroyed family handprint photo, and they wanted to use it as a reminder that they’d always be close. She tells Miguel she feels like she’s letting Jack down by not being there for the kids during the births.
Then, the audience gets to see one of the most honest conversations between Miguel and Rebecca, where they discuss Jack’s death and how it impacts Miguel, too. Rebecca apologizes for being a lot to handle, but Miguel tells her she’s just the right amount. It’s a touching moment that makes the audience warm up to Miguel even more.
The scene shifts to Ellie and Kate’s new baby, where she tells the baby that giving her to Kate is the best decision and that she loves her so much. The nurse then gives the baby to Kate, who has a heartwarming moment.
“I feel like I’ve waited my whole life to meet you. I can’t wait to watch you grow up,” Kate said. “The world is a little nutty out there right now, but no matter what, I can promise you this: you will never, ever doubt your place in it.”
Kate Facetimes Toby with the baby, and Toby tells her he decided to make the baby’s middle name Rose, which the audience knows is in honor of the man’s wife who Toby met.
Back to Madison’s delivery room, Kevin calls Randall to tell him about the birth. They named the twins Nicholas and Frances, after Jack’s brother and Madison’s grandmother. Kevin and Randall share one of the most heartwarming moments they’ve ever shared throughout the series, comparable to Randall’s panic attack scene.
They apologize to each other for what they said in their heated argument.
“The truth is you’re the best person I know,” Kevin said. “On my finest day, I'm simply doing a poor man’s imitation of you.”
Kevin tells Randall that he wants to have a conversation about all of the things he didn’t see while they were growing up — specifically regarding Randall’s race. Randall tells him he’d be absolutely delighted to have that conversation but not when he has two brand new babies waiting for him. Kevin tells Randall how grateful he feels that he was there to help Madison, and Randall sums it up by simply saying “you’re my brother.”
Finally, Kate Facetimes Rebecca to show her the baby, and she’s thrilled. Then, Kevin Facetimes her to show the babies and calls Uncle Nicky (Griffin Dunne) to tell him he named the baby after him. Nicky is so moved, and so is the audience as we see him for the first time in quite a while.
The episode ends with a montage of happiness from everyone in the Pearson clan, as the audience finally meets the new Big Three. There’s also a wrap-up to the initial introduction of a young couple in New Mexico, which we were initially led to believe might be Miguel’s parents.
However, This Is Us kept audiences on their toes by including the story of a man named Nasir, who was part of the team that created data optimization for computers, allowing us to share images and videos today. The creators of This Is Us felt that during COVID-19 times, it would be appropriate to honor one of the men responsible for keeping us connected throughout the pandemic. The creators of the show even video-chatted with Nasir to hear his story.
The entire episode is a nice break from the normal anxiety that lies with the plot’s twists and turns. The audience can breathe easy and enjoy the newborn Pearsons as we eagerly await next week’s episode.
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
