We don’t talk enough about what This is us‘Rebecca lived through the first years.
Let’s think back to the series premiere for a moment. After carrying three babies for months, Rebecca underwent a hugely traumatic delivery and caesarean section. And when she woke up afterwards, she had to learn that one of her children had not survived the horrific ordeal.
Yes, the Pearsons’ on-the-fly decision to adopt Randall was heartwarming (if not without lifelong issues). And yes, babies are cute and can have too much of a capacity to make you feel better when you’re down. But this week’s episode is beginning to understand that the loss of little Kyle is not easy to cover up, especially in the physically painful, sleep-deprived state Rebecca finds herself on the drive home from the hospital. And while I’m focusing on the new mom, it’s not like Jack gets out much easier here: as we see on Tuesday, he’s sad too. And his demons are so close that they drive practically all the way back to the house with a shotgun.
That journey between the hospital and home is central to every storyline this week. So let’s see how it fares for Madison and Kevin; Toby, Kate and Ellie; Randall and Beth; and the aforementioned Pearson precursors. Oh, and did someone say FLASH-FORWARD? Read on for the highlights of “The Ride.” (And then be sure to go deep with our detailed guide to the Rebecca-centric flash forward, and hear what serial star Jon Huertas had to say about directing this week’s episode.)
‘WE HAVE A FAMILY’ Jack and Rebecca prepare to take Kevin, Kate and Randall home from the hospital. Jack tries his best to bring in some joviality, but Rebecca seems overwhelmed and sad … probably because she’s overwhelmed and sad. Jack’s bravado burns away as soon as he realizes he has to a) install three car seats and has no idea how, and b) may be even more like his dad than he realized.
This final revelation takes place while they are on the road. Rebecca is a scared mess because she can’t see the babies in the backseat. The children start to cry. And an impatient and reckless driver honks Jack to go faster, then accelerates and cuts him off, just as both vehicles drive into a gas station. Jack has to stop briefly to avoid an accident, and that’s it.
He jumps out of the car and starts yelling at the other driver, who is unrepentant about what just happened. Jack even reaches through the open window to grab the man’s shirt, but Rebecca’s angry screams keep him from doing anything more violent / stupid. Inside, when Jack pays for the gas, he also buys – and quickly sips – a sip of whiskey. Then he asks Rebecca to drive home, saying he can more easily turn in his seat to keep an eye on the kids.
When they arrive, all three babies are asleep. So Jack and Rebecca decide to stay in the car until that changes. She mentions that her mother miscarried when Rebecca was a child, and her grief lasted a while. “What if I can’t be a great mom because I’m just too sad for too long?” she worries aloud. Jack assures her that this will not be the case, he confesses about his sip halfway through the trip. “I felt really overwhelmed by everything that was happening, and I was just trying to keep it together,” he says. Then he remembers how awful his father was and how drunk; every night when he came home from work, “all the air was sucked out of the room.” Jack fears he will end up the same way. ‘You don’t suck the air out of the room. YOU to be the air, ‘says Rebecca, giving him a boost. He kisses her hand, “Everything I Own” from Bread hits the radio and the atmosphere brightens. “We have a family,” she says with a smile.
THE FIRST PAPARAZZI MEETING OF BABIES Likewise, Kevin has many thoughts and feelings as he and Madison prepare to bring Nicky and Franny home. And all these boiling emotions bubble over when he realizes a paparazzo is after them. He stops and gets out to yell at the man, who is unimpressed by both Kevin’s threats and Madison’s attempts to deal with him on a human level. So then Mads – who handles things like a boss during this episode, I might add – quietly negotiates a deal: If he leaves them alone, she’ll give him a warning for when Kevin is going for a run on Tuesdays, and he can grab a few shots then. Of course she has to agree that Kev is “shirtless” and “in tight shorts” so I can see his suit, but it all ends well. Back at the car, she slides behind the wheel and lovingly tells Kevin that she wants him to take a nap the rest of the way home. “I’ll need you your best,” she says, “and aggro, Liam Neeson movie Kevin isn’t your best.”
While sleeping, Kevin dreams that Jack is holding Franny and Nicky. ‘Do them a favor: don’t live by me anymore. I was terrified of being like my father, and you are terrified of not being like yours, ”says Grandpa Jack. “Close your eyes, decide what you want, and then go get it, son.” Kevin wakes up alone in the car, goes inside, and does what he does best: making a grand gesture based solely on emotion, with little regard for its consequences. He finds Madison in the house and says that even though they’ve been engaged for a while, he really wants to do it. ‘I really want you to be my wife. I want to be a family, ”he says, slipping his hospital bracelet around her wrist instead of a ring. She seems touched and says yes, then they kiss.
ELLIE IS OUT Toby greets Kate and their new daughter outside the hospital with a large sign that reads “Hi Hailey, I’m your dad!” Then they bring Ellie home while Kate chats about future gatherings and the like. But Ellie barely participates, until suddenly and in tears she announces that she thinks she no longer wants to participate in an open adoption. Yes, Hailey still belongs to Kate and Toby. But Ellie doesn’t feel okay emotionally when she’s a part of the girl’s life. Kate presses a bit, confused, but Toby softly tells her to back off.
Later, at home, Kate is upset: Randall’s adoption was so secretive, she says, and brought so much pain to him and the family. “I promised myself it wouldn’t be like this for Hailey,” she says. Toby says they will always make sure their daughter knows exactly where she is from. And once that crisis is over, Toby throws one more on court: he was fired that morning. Kate does not panic and says they will find a job the next day. “Let’s just be a family today.”
TWO BLIZZARDS AND A WARNING When Beth and Randall leave the hospital after Annie’s birth, they feel pretty good about how smoothly everything is going. Annie is a calm, smiling angel baby. They are packed in such a way that they are prepared for every little need that arises on the way home. And Beth gets the Dairy Queen Blizzard Randall promised her while she was in labor. It’s all going well until Randall doesn’t stop with the idea of having a third child so they can ‘go for a boy’.
Beth – way nicer than I would be if I was probably sitting on a donut pillow for the drive home – says no … then no if her husband doesn’t get the hint. As she burns off a bit of anger at ordering the ice cream, Randall tells his new daughter that he’s so glad she looks like him because he grew up and didn’t look like anyone in his family. Then he muses a bit about his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Beth returns with two blizzards. She is no longer picky, and the pair joke and smile. But Randall, me really wouldn’t bring that all up again.
BACK TO THE FUTURE Mainly because, as we know – and as illustrated in the episode’s flash forward – Randall ends up is doing have the three kids he wanted.
But let’s go back for a moment. Throughout the episode, we watch a female medical intern (I think – if these are really residents we’re looking at, somebody shout please) gets an orientation in the labor and delivery department of a hospital. But she doesn’t like it, and she asks one of her colleagues to cover her while she sneaks out.
Outside the hospital she is picked up by another young woman. There’s a big screen in her car near the driver’s console, which was my first hint we were in the future. The driver gives the doctor a Sophie teething giraffe: Turns out the intern herself is pregnant, although she hasn’t told anyone yet.
They drive and eventually arrive at Kevin’s cabin. Tess comes out to meet them, and then we realize the driver is Annie and the doctor is Deja. When Old Randall joins them outside, they ask how he’s doing. He replies that he is doing better now that they are here. Everyone starts to go in, but Randall and Deja are delayed when they notice the arrival of another car. (We don’t see who’s inside.) He asks her how the ride was, and she says okay, “It’s always faster than you think.” (And for a very deep dive into this flash forward, check out our ongoing research.)
Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!