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This is Us 2×18 “The Wedding”

Big Three Moments of the Week 

And that’s a wrap on season two — congratulations to This is Us for successfully being one of the very few shows that hasn’t fallen into the season two curse (aka the terrible twos of a TV show.) It’s been a fantastic adventure, dear readers, and we’ve reached the end of a wondrous chapter celebrating with a wedding. Who doesn’t love crying through a union and a cliffhanger that we’ll have to wait months for? No part of me is okay, all of me is shook, and my eyes hurt from crying. How are you guys feeling?

However, on a serious note, I appreciated the series bringing us back to its core theme, which is the power of our choices — the strength that’s found in making the hard decisions in life. The serenity that’s found in choosing to let go of what’s burdening us and choosing to walk down the hard paths for it’ll lead us towards a better victory in life. “The Wedding” took everything we knew about This is Us and moved us towards a journey into the future, a journey that’s a clear result of the choices people have made, and a clear portrayal of just how vital human connections are.

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This is Us 2×17 “This Big, Amazing, Beautiful Life”

Big Three Moments of the Week

This is Us knows how to make its viewers care, and I care a lot about Deja — I care about her well being, and I even care about her mother’s. And it was fascinating to me to have an episode that wasn’t focused on the Pearsons, but somehow tied them to the story intricately. “This Big, Amazing, Beautiful Life” was the profound reminder of just how dark this world can be in foster homes, and where a great one is found, it must be held onto.

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This is Us 2×14 “Super Bowl Sunday” and 2×15 “The Car”

To Jack Pearson | Part II and III

jackkk

Jack Pearson is a superhero — and sometimes, the superhero dies in the end, and though he is gone, the superhero’s story lives on, the superhero’s legacy paves the road for what’ll lie ahead. The people the superhero leaves behind learn of the fact that in being themselves, they played a vast role in giving him the powers he’s had. And that’s not to undermine the superhero, but rather, it’s intended to highlight a kind of greatness, which showcases that all-consuming, immaculate adoration has great power to inspire human beings to be the very best versions of themselves. Jack Pearson is in all of them — because they are him. They are the reason he’s chosen to lead the kind of heroic life, where unbeknownst to him, to everyone, he’s consistently done everything in his power to protect those whose love tirelessly fueled him. Therefore, when a hero like that leaves this world, all that remains is strength, perseverance, and profoundly comforting wistfulness.

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This is Us 2×07 “The Most Disappointed Man”

Big Three Moments of the Week

We are our choices — a compilation of the good, bad, and ugly. And “The Most Disappointed Man” reminded us of the importance of said choices revealing that truly, what we do matters. This is Us easily does a fantastic job of painting life as it is, and this episode particularly illuminated the truth behind the ramifications of every choice. We have the power to shape our lives in the way we want it solely based on how to approach matters that will greatly impact not only our lives, but those we care for. “The Most Disappointed Man” did just that for every single character — changing the outcome of their lives drastically after one, simple choice.

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This is Us 2×03 “Highs and Lows”

Big Three Moments of the Week

Human beings have a tendency to repress pain — pain that’s so vivid, so heart wrenching that when it’s felt, there’s no escape. And that kind of pain has only one solution, it demands to be felt. This is Us is a show that forces its characters to feel these emotions by pulling through roller coasters they’ve never wanted to be on. In “Highs and Lows” we saw just that, moments between the siblings, parents, and new family members adjusting.

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This is Us 2×02 “A Manny-Splendored Thing”

Big Three Moments of the Week

As human beings, the one thing we need to embed in ourselves is the fact that we’ll never be perfect — none of us. No matter how faultless a person seems to be, there’s darkness in them that neither of us can imagine. We are only ever capable of knowing our own best. And in “A Manny-Splendored Thing”, we finally brought light to the darkness within Jack — for the kids at least. There’s no picking sides on this show, and there shouldn’t be, for there isn’t a single character that’s capable of reaching some sort of unimaginable perfection. There’s no character who’s capable of fighting off darkness and negativity entirely, but these are human being that clearly try, so where credit is due, it should be given. And this episode’s means of dealing with the tainted relationships verses the seemingly perfect ones was enamoring. Who would’ve imagined that Kevin returning to The Manny would result in an incredibly emotional rollercoaster.

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#100DaysofFanFavorites | Day 63

25 Inimitable Men 13/25 
Randall Pearson (This is Us)

This Is Us - Season 1

Randall Pearson is one out of the three characters featured on this list that are from their freshman year, and if that alone doesn’t showcase how inimitable they are then I don’t know what will. Randall Pearson is as close to perfect as it gets — his wife Beth even agrees. If you look up the definition of loyalty, you’ll find his name underneath as the shining example. This is Us is setting the bar ridiculously high for cable television, and with a character like Randall taking center stage to reveal a number of cataclysmic human emotions all wrapped up inside a man with a compulsive need to be perfect, you can’t go wrong.. A man whose vice is his goodness — his integrity, his drive, his kindness.

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This is Us 1×18 “Moonshadow”

Big Three Moments of the Week

I’m pleasantly surprised with the fact that the finale was nothing as I’d expected. And although it didn’t end in the happily ever after I would have preferred, from beginning to end, it did a remarkable job of leaving me mesmerized. This is a series about unity. It’s a series that focuses on raw, complex emotions without glossing over them. It forces us to feel beyond what we can understand. And whether the emotions are positive or negative, its success comes from the profoundly layered characters that tirelessly tug on our heartstrings.

I was under the impression that this separation was meant to leave us heartbroken, but instead, I was left with melancholic hope. A feeling that may not exactly be ideal, but it’s real. And I’m okay with it.

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This is Us 1×16 “Memphis”

Big Three Moments of the Week

Spoilers Ahead

Death is singlehandedly the most tragic part of life that leaves us with a pain we can never truly heal from. And no matter how expected the death is, it doesn’t make it any easier. It’s the one hardship that has the effortless power to affect everyone. It’s a time in life where we forget about all the heartache in our hearts, the anger towards people, and look at life for all that it really is — short. We knew William’s death was coming, and we knew it’d leave a mark in our hearts, but This is Us delivered one of the most poignantly potent TV episodes of the year. It has delivered raw, heartrending emotions so evocatively; critics everywhere are calling it the saddest episode to date. And while death leaves a heartache nothing can cure, the memories we make leave us with a sense of gratification nothing else can induce.

We took a different turn with flashbacks in “Memphis”, and it allowed the audience to understand just how and why William turned to drugs for comfort. And the contrast between who he was before his mother died side by side with who he was as he died looking up at his son was breathtaking.

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This is Us 1×15 “Jack Pearson’s Son”

Big Three Moments of the Week

Spoilers Ahead

This is Us continues to outshine everything and make us ugly cry more than once. After last week’s episode, it’s nice to cry again, and while that’s strange to say, with this show, tears seem to be the best sign. “Jack Pearson’s Son” encapsulated some of life’s toughest battles so effortlessly into one hour, it almost feels like it was longer. And that is quality television, world. “Jack Pearson’s Son” took its viewers down dark, hasty, unwinding roads showcasing the horrors of stress and the pangs of miscommunication. Concurrently exhibiting the significance of kindness and choice. I say this every week, but a large part of this show’s gift comes from its realistically written characters — no one on this show is perfect, and things get as ugly as possible. And sometimes, unless the show’s on cable, writers shy away from going too deep, but thus far, that’s never been the case with This is Us.

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