the big three

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.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

This is Us 2×13 “That’ll Be the Day”

To Jack Pearson | Part I

jackkk

source: IMDB.com

We’re always told that life is precious — a gift, in fact. We’re told to live each moment as though it’s our last because we could never be certain of what tomorrow will bring, or if it’ll even come at all. But as human beings, for the most part, we’re incapable of grasping this to a full degree. We knew Jack Pearson’s life was tragically cut short, and we knew that each of the kids harbored their trauma differently, but what we didn’t know is that it occurred at a time where teenage phases get the best of us. I’m no doctor or psychologist, so the amount of research I could do on the matter wouldn’t be qualified coming from someone with an English degree. . .but we all go through a certain phase when we’re younger where we prefer to spend our time with our friends or our significant others at the time. And the tragedy is that there’s nothing malicious about the intention, but when something as horrifying as this fire occurs, everything changes — guilt takes over.

And that’s the thing about life, every moment matters whether we’re able to get another or not. It’s authentication of the fact that while there’s a great number of things we cannot control in this world, we can control how we treat one another. We can control how much time we spend with a person. We can control how long we go without apologizing or atoning for our mistakes. We can control how often we tell people we love them.

These next two episodes are special ones, and as you’ll notice, I’ll be branching out to discuss the episodes in their entirety as opposed to choosing just three moments. We’ll resume our usual structure for episode 15.

Continue reading →

This is Us 2×08 “Number One”

Big Three Moments of the Week

There will come a time in every human being’s life where they will need the guidance of another. Those moments come differently to all, in some scenarios, it happens gradually without any sort of spiral. In others, it’s darker, bleaker, lonelier, and when the spiral comes, help isn’t always around. And while that moment of loneliness may be man’s most vulnerable time, it’s also his bravest. The choice to admit that there’s pain residing within a person awakens the kind of courage that showcases the magnitude of their heart. If they’re still aware of their emotions, then they haven’t shut their heart off to the world — they haven’t accepted the cold, overwhelming darkness that leads to far more treacherous roads. This trilogy surrounding the kids starting with Kevin is an interesting touch to the series, which is making it far more exciting than the usual flashback/present day episodes. I for one, am definitely here for this mini trilogy.

Continue reading →

This is Us 2×06 “The 20’s”

Big Three Moments of the Week

“The 20’s” gave us some of the most beautiful scenes with Rebecca that simultaneously showcased what an absolute star Mandy Moore is. We’ve had a number of episodes giving Jack the platform to shine as a parent, and we’ve had each of the kids given similar opportunities, but with Rebecca it’s always been limited to moments that forced audiences not to side with her, and that’s probably been the most frustrating aspect of the series because I’ve hated having to justify how incredibly human her behavior is when fans began disliking her. But this episode gave her the perfect situations to expose just how much love fuels her, and how hard she tries to be the kind of parent who’s helping her kids grow. Through her struggles and mistakes, Rebecca is the kind of character who’s ceaselessly learning thereby, allowing the audience to understand that perfection is unachievable while flaws are inevitable. (Mostly, I just want to gush about the spectacular performance Mandy Moore put on that made me ugly cry more than once.)

Continue reading →

This is Us 2×01 “A Father’s Advice”

Big Three Moments of the Week

Welcome back, darlings — I hope you’ve had a lovely Summer/Winter. As far as season premieres go, This is Us has just set the bar ridiculously high. Did anyone else have penultimate episode vibes? This show. This show, friends. It’s too good. And I’m waiting for the season two curse to hit, but something tells me that’s not going to happen with This is Us. “A Father’s Advice” was the gorgeous showcase of how flawed these characters are, but mostly how influential paternal advice can be — both from fathers and mothers.

Continue reading →

#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.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

This is Us 1×17 “What Now?”

Big Three Moments of the Week

This is Us is a great at number of things, but thus far, its means of dealing with real, human emotions has been done so organically, it’s an incredible treat on Tuesday nights. And “What Now?” was no exception. Not only did the episode pay homage to the late William, but it did so remarkably.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →