While there were several heartwarming moments on This Is Us Season 6 Episode 5, there were also some pretty heartbreaking moments for the Pearson family.
Through flashbacks, we see that Rebecca and Miguel are prompted to try their hand at speed dating after Kate points out that they lead pretty boring lives.
It’s a huge step for Rebecca, who hasn’t even considered the possibility of putting herself out there after Jack’s death.
And honestly, the whole thing is kind of a disaster as she’s the “woman who can’t stop talking about her late husband.”
Truthfully though, I think the guys that she was talking to were kind of assholes. Rebecca is a stunner, and while leading with a devastating life story might not be the best thing, it’s also the biggest thing in her life. You can’t get to know her without accepting what happened to her.
Eventually, her path crossed with Matt, a man who previously tried to ask her out for coffee following the fire. This time, Rebecca was in a much better place and accepted the invite.
Again, it was a huge deal for Rebecca to even get dressed and go out on a date, so it was heartbreaking to see her get so much crap from Kate upon returning home.
Kate has always lashed out at her mother, but she could’ve cut her some slack after finally seeing her happy. Rebecca wasn’t trying to dishonor Jack’s memory, but she had a point that she deserved to be happy.
Sometimes, I really dislike teen Kate. She always kicks Rebecca when she’s down despite her mother being her biggest supporter. The good news is that she realized the error of her ways almost immediately when she overheard Rebecca talking to Miguel about not knowing how to handle the grief.
Rebecca definitely could’ve broached the subject a little better with Kate, but honestly, what did Kate think would happen when she called her mother out for being lame and watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire every night?
I’m hoping that this part of Rebecca’s past leads into how she and Miguel started dating. It’s clear that he was a constant support system for Rebecca, and while he pushed her to start dating again, when he actually saw Rebecca vibing with someone, he almost seemed jealous.
Will seeing Rebecca with Matt push Miguel to tell her the truth about how he feels for her?
I was kind of disappointed that Rebecca accepted Matt’s date rather than “getting out of there” with Miguel.
Rebecca’s explosive fight with Kate in the past lent itself to the present-day situation of Kate telling her mother that she and Toby don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone with the kids.
Of course, it was a low blow to Rebecca as she’s sensitive about her diagnosis, but Kate and Toby do have a point.
She emphasized that they knew Rebecca would never intentionally harm the children, but it’s dangerous if you don’t know what to expect.
However, Kate made amends by asking Rebecca if she would be willing to teach baby Jack piano.
When she handed her mother the braille notes, my eyes swelled up with tears, especially as Rebecca sat at the piano with her grandson and began to play “Heart and Soul,” the same song she was teaching Kate when she was Jack’s age and the same song she played when they reconciled after their big fight following Rebecca’s date.
This Is Us is always so good at delivering these emotional full-circle moments.
Kate mentions that she wishes she didn’t waste so much time fighting with Rebecca, and that’s such a true statement for children and parents in general.
It might seem like they are out of time now, but at least Kate has the opportunity to right her wrongs while her mother is still alive and present. She’s able to forge these new memories with her mother and her kids, and even if they are short-lived, they’ll always mean so much.
I’m really not pleased with the direction Kate and Toby’s relationship is taking. Is the series purposefully painting Toby as kind of an ass? It’s never been the vibe with him, but this new job is doing him no favors in the department.
He ditched returning home with his family to go on a yacht with his co-workers. Kate was beyond understanding, but she’s holding down the fort at home while he’s living it up.
Since this was a one-off occurrence, I can kind of understand that he just wanted some face-time with the boss, but at this point, Toby is acting like one of those part-time dad’s that is really the “fun dad” cause he’s only there for the good moments with the kids before he checks right back out to do whatever he wants.
We finally got to see Nicky and his new girlfriend, Ellie, and wow, love looks good on our Uncle.
I have nothing more to say except that Nicky is like a teenager in love! Good for him.
Unfortunately, Nicky’s romantic luck hasn’t transferred over to Kevin.
Kevin and Cassidy have the potential to be the new cute couple on the block, but she’s too broken for Kevin; it’s never going to work.
I was thinking that maybe we’d see a flash-forward of the two of them together in the Pennsylvania home that he’s building for his mother, but when Kevin even attempted to hold her hand while they got ice cream, she shot him down.
I don’t really know why she was adamant that her darkness is different than his, but I do think Cassidy is mostly scared to let anyone else in or be happy because she knows Kevin’s romantic history.
But honestly, Kevin is such a romantic — just look at the heartfelt advice he gave Elijah about winning over Madison.
He just wants to settle down and love someone while being loved in return, so none of this is fair to him; he deserves his epic love!
I’m hoping that before the series comes to an end, he’ll find it. It’s clear he’s been looking in all the wrong places, but it would be a shame if all that love was wasted and he ended up all alone.
And then there’s Deja and Malik, who have the forbidden love.
Young love is powerful as hell, so Beth is right by warning Randall not to push Deja away by keeping her away from Malik. We all know how Romeo and Juliet ended.
However, Randall also had a point about Deja getting sidetracked during a time when she should be making some major life choices.
Deja has a good head on her shoulders, and she’s right, she’s wise beyond her years. But she’s also getting a little ahead of herself.
I was always told not to rush to grow up, and that’s the lesson Deja needs right now.
THIS IS US — “Heart and Soul” Episode 605 — Pictured: Vanessa Bell Calloway as Edie — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
There has to be a common ground that appeases everyone. I don’t think it needs to be as drastic as forcing Malik to break up with Deja, but it also doesn’t have to include graduating early and moving to Boston at the age of 18.
Deja can be with Malik and visit him while also working on her goals and dreams.
The dinner was definitely too emotionally-driven, but once everyone has a chance to calm down, I think they can come to an understanding that works for everyone involved.
Randall and Deja have had their fights over the years, but they’ve always found a way through them, so I don’t think this will be any different.
At the age of 18, you’ll do anything for your first love, but the brutal reality is that it oftentimes isn’t your final love. Not all of us are as lucky as Beth and Randall.
What did you think of the episode of This Is Us?
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