SPOILER ALERT: THIS IS US SPOILERS!
One of the most honest and most brilliant shows on television right now is NBC's This is Us. It stars Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, and Sterling K. Brown. The show centers around the lives of five characters taking place over a certain period of time. In the first episode, fans come onto Kevin, Kate, and Randall Pearson (Hartley, Metz, and Brown) celebrating their 36th birthday in the present time. The three of them are siblings and we immediately see that they are trying to figure out their lives. The show also shows flashbacks following the lives of Jack and Rebecca Pearson (Ventimiglia and Moore), the parents of Kevin, Kate, and Randall. Rebecca is pregnant with triplets and when she gives birth to her children, one of them doesn't make it in the birth. Jack Pearson sees that a baby has been abandoned and left at the hospital on the same day his kids are born. Jack and Rebecca take Randall in to raise him as part of their family.
In the present day, we discover that Jack Pearson is no longer alive and Rebecca is married to Jack's friend. Kevin struggles to redefine his identity as he is a famous comedic actor on a television show he doesn't like anymore. When he has a breakdown on the show and quits, Kevin must figure out what he wants to do with his life and what direction he wants to go in. Kate currently holds a job as a waitress and she struggles with her weight. Randall has two children and a wife in a house that he built, living a life he earned from hard work and school, but he decides to find his biological father who abandoned him and ends up rekindling a bond that he lost.
The show is currently on its second season and is airing the season two finale. The fate of the show is unknown right now, but judging on how incredibly compelling the series is, there is no doubt fans will see more of the Pearson family.
This is Us is beautifully written and also very well casted. Each of the characters are relatable, compelling, and real. This story is about struggle, love, friendship, family, having faith, and learning to go through the trials of life together. These are characters that you can be friends with and have real conversations with. They resemble your neighbors, your family, and your friends.
Fans immediately connect to this show at the beginning when they go through the midlife crisis with Kevin (Hartley) as he quits a show that has pretty much defined his whole identity. When he takes a chance on abandoning that identity, he has to begin this journey to find out who he really wants to be and many people can relate to that in real life.
On one hand, you also have Kate (Metz) who is in a weight loss group. She works as a waitress and she has big dreams that she let go of. She wants to be a singer, but her whole life has also been put on the back burner by insecurities and fears. When she meets this joyful and genuine spirit in her weight loss group, Toby (Chris Sullivan), she starts to fall in love and find a way to love herself too.
Randall Pearson (Brown) is this hardworking father married to Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) who has spent his entire life being different from his brother and sister. When he tracks down his biological father, he starts to form a bond with him. Randall brings his father into his family and transforms the people around him.
In the flashbacks, Jack goes through alcoholism and growing up with a judgmental father who also struggled with alcoholism. Jack works a dead end job he doesn't really love, but he makes the sacrifice to provide for his family even though he had dreams of his own. Meanwhile, Rebecca raises three children and she wants to pursue her dreams as a performer and go on tour singing. Together, as a married couple, they struggle to be parents while pursuing their own dreams.
These are every day, real, honest struggles among families and friends. These characters create such a genuine and pure show that makes it so incredible to watch every week. Perhaps one of the most amazing storylines that has happened so far is in the newer season. The show has picked up considerably with storylines.
Kevin had inherited his father's alcoholism when his career had started to fall apart. He ended up becoming dangerous to his friends and family and he was losing a huge part of himself. In one particular episode, Hartley had really went above and beyond in being raw and heartbreakingly beautiful when Kevin was desperate to find his father's necklace, begging a girl he slept with outside of her house to find it for him. He, at that point, was beyond repair and it was an incredible performance to see come across the screen. Many people have experienced hopelessness and heartbreak to that capacity. Kevin has never really dealt with his father's death because we discover later in season two that on the day of his father's death, he wasn't home. With his identity being one thing his whole life, it's understandable that his childhood follows him into his adult life because he spent his childhood trying to be the star of the family. He was in football and he got injured during a game and lost his chance to be a great athlete, so he had to redefine his identity early on. Kevin was also always the alienated sibling of the family as he never had a close relationship with his father or mother.
In regards to Kate's experience with her childhood, every person has experienced this before as well. Growing up, she wasn't perfect and she hated shopping with her mother or even talking about beauty with her mother because in her eyes, Rebecca was absolutely stunning. Rebecca had a beautiful singing voice, thin body, and a gorgeous face. Meanwhile, Kate's dad, Jack, always saw Kate as this beautiful, strong woman. He always endorsed her singing and believed in her more than anyone. You can immediately tell that Jack and Kate had a strong bond. Into adulthood, Kate carries her insecurities with her weight and she doesn't pursue singing because of her mother. She never felt good enough and she also carries blame into her adult life for her father's death as she left her dog behind in the house fire and Jack ran back in to save the dog. (No. He didn't die in the fire.) You can see as Kate talks to her mother when she's older that she still doesn't want to tell Rebecca that she sings or that she had a miscarriage. However, when Kate experiences her miscarriage it creates a closeness between her mother and her when Rebecca shares what she went through when she lost her other son, Kyle.
Randall's life seems perfect almost. He has this strong, supportive wife who sometimes can seem abrasive and non-supportive. He has two talented daughters and a beautiful house that he built. Randall has a good job that pays him well. Growing up he was the intelligent and responsible sibling who always received relentless support from his father and mother. However, he had a strained relationship with Kevin as they never got along and his bond with Kate was better since she always saw Randall as this amazing person. Despite having a good childhood, Randall knew he was different from his siblings because of his color. He wanted to know who his biological father was so when he turns 36, Randall tracks his father down and shares how angry he is about being left at the fire station. When Randall gets to know his father, he realizes that he was missing a piece of himself for most of his life. Currently, Randall took it upon himself to leave his job and find more meaning after his father died of cancer. Randall wanted to do the same thing his mother did for him and take a foster kid in, which causes some ups and downs in his family.
Out of every character in the show, it appears clear that the heart of the entire series is Jack Pearson. Rather than make him a distant memory, the show has built the entire framework around Jack Pearson. He is truly the heart and soul of the series. Jack is a hardworking father with flaws, but above all his family always comes first. When he reaches the point of his life where his alcoholism starts to affect his family, Jack doesn't hide from his wife and kids. He is honest with them and he promises to work on his addiction. With the support of his family, Jack starts to heal and he finds ways to combat his vice. Through this transformation, Jack becomes stronger for it and the fans can relate to his inner demons. However, Jack is also loving, forgiving, and beyond supportive. He gives the whole world to Rebecca and supports her endeavors as she does his. They are a strong couple that combat the world's challenges as a team. Whenever Kate doubts herself, Jack is there by her side reminding her how incredibly talented and beautiful she is. Jack constantly represents what a good man is for his family simply because of the love and strength he instills in everyone around him.
Perhaps it's heartbreaking when Super Bowl aired the episode which started the heartbreaking story of how Jack is no longer alive. On the night of the Super Bowl, Jack Pearson clearly tries to bring his family together for an important event, but by then, his kids are 17 years old and would rather do something other than spend time with family. Kate leaves. Randall has a girlfriend. Kevin is with his girlfriend. It leaves Jack to celebrate with his wife, Rebecca, but it's heartbreaking to watch as Jack wants a little more time with his kids. The sacrifice he also makes to rescue Kate and Randall from the fire and help them get out of the house with Rebecca shows how incredible this character really is.
Jack Pearson is selfless. He's honest. He's loving. He's strong. He's truly the heart and soul of this entire show and the reason I believe This is Us holds up well as one of the best shows of all time.
The season two finale airs on NBC on Tuesday, March 13.
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