Like so many of us in the real world, the characters on This Is Usare going through major emotional turmoil, and Valentine's Day is just another excuse to turn on the waterworks.
Tonight’s episode focused on the Pearson men and turned out to be a hugely moving installment.
We are all Randall
Randall’s a stress case and he’s reaching his breaking point. From a flashback, we see he’s had anxiety attacks since he was a kid, in which he breaks down shaking, crying and hyperventilating when the pressure becomes too much.
Present-day Randall has more than his share of worries at the office with the constant threat of the new guy taking over his clients, on top of William’s declining health and growing frustration at not being able to do everything for himself.
Randall's trying his best to juggle everything, but his façade of happy, smiling super-dad and office pro eventually cracks, and during a client call, the tears start to flow -- on Randall’s part and ours.
Memo to the show’s producers: this episode should be submitted for Emmy consideration because once again, Sterling K. Brown delivers a knockout performance that’s short on words but long on heartbreak and it rocks us to our core -- in a good way.
The family's rock has finally crackedCredit: NBCThe Manny becomes a man
The day of Kevin’s play opening has arrived, and a very nervous Kevin goes to Rebecca and Miguel’s house to see his mom in the hope that she will be able to calm him before his stage debut, which he’s sure he’s going to tank.
After inviting Kevin in to wait for her, Miguel confides that he sees a lot of Jack in Kevin and that’s why it hurts him that Kevin doesn’t like him. Oh boy.
He tells Kevin that before he goes onstage that evening, just think about what Jack would do and he’ll be ok. (Sniff.)
That evening, five minutes before showtime, Randall calls Kevin and says he can’t make it. Kevin is thrown by Randall’s call; he can tell something’s not right. As he’s talking to Sloane just before the curtain goes up, Kevin says he’s thinking about what his dad would do.
A moment later, when the lights go up, Kevin’s not onstage -- he’s running to Randall’s office, where he finds Randall sitting in a corner crying. (As usual, so are we.)
Kevin sits next to his brother on the floor, puts his arms around him, and Randall cries and cries. We have to marvel at Kev’s evolution: he started as a shallow, two-dimensional TV star, but no longer coddled and sheltered by his sister or dating every random woman who crosses his path, this Kevin is a compassionate, empathetic man. We love this guy – for more than his pretty face and even prettier abs -- especiallybecause he has nightmares about Katie Couric.
Way harsh, Katie.Credit: nbcToby and Kate hit the brakes
After Kate is asked to leave the fat camp (turns out that her douchey admirer is the owners' son, and he doesn't appreciate being called on his bullying), she and Toby realize their relationship has been moving very quickly and there’s still a lot they don’t know about each other.
This is made vividly apparent when Toby asks Kate to tell him about Jack’s death and she can’t bring herself to talk about it. Before heading into Kevin’s play that night, Toby tells Kate he thinks they should slow down, take their time, talk about all the things they’re wondering about each other, and get married when they’re ready. A relieved and happy Kate agrees. Phew!
V-Day Disaster
In a flashback, we see Jack and Rebecca on Valentine’s Day and the day starts well enough, with Rebecc prepping notes for Jack about everything he’ll need to do while she’s on tour with Ben and the band. They make plans to go to their usual Valentine’s Day restaurant after her singing gig that evening.
At the show, Jack watches Rebecca and Ben singing to each other and he’s not liking what he sees -- there's a little too much sizzle on that steak. After the set, Ben chats with Jack at the bar and reveals that he and Rebecca used to date. Oh no. No no no no.
Jack tells Rebecca he doesn’t really feel like going to dinner so they go home and Rebecca tries to get Jack to stop sulking and tell her what’s wrong. When Jack finally tells her he knows she and Ben used to date, Rebecca tells him it was nothing and that she didn’t tell him about it because it didn't mean anything and she knew he’d “spin out” and get jealous.
Jack feels hurt and lied to and he leaves -- heading to the restaurant they always visit together on Valentine’s Day. He orders their usual cheeseburger and onion rings, with a double Maker’s Mark to wash it down. We see Jack quickly drain the booze and our hearts sink as we realize this is probably the beginning of the end.
The second the waiter puts the drink on Jack’s table, our worry blooms into full-fledged sadness, as the drink has to be the tipping point of what will be Jack’s final downward spiral. Come on, Jack, you're better than that.
Punches in the feels:
At least five. Every scene with Kevin, Randall or Jack decimated us. Who says TV characters don’t grow and change? Who says men don’t evolve? Not these writers! Of course, it’s February 14th so broken hearts are a must. Happy Valentine's Day to us.
This Is Usairs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
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