This Is Us returns for its final season
The poignant season six premiere explores memory loss issues and space shuttle tragedies
TV Reviews This Is Us
This Is Us is a full circle kind of show, so it only seems fitting that its final season premiere immediately sent me back to rewatch its pilot. I wanted to see the scene that’s partially montaged in this episode, where an aimless, party happy 36-year-old Kevin monologues to his young hook-ups about the space-related trauma of his childhood. “I mean, hell, it’s not like he’s going to wind up some 40-year-old man who can’t stop talking about the Challenger explosion,” Jack tries to reassure Rebecca as they worry over whether they handled the fallout from the national tragedy correctly. But Kevin’s opening scene in the pilot is just that—a lengthy, only half-joking monologue about how watching the Challenger explode in second grade marked the moment his life all went wrong. The day he gave up on the idea of doing something meaningful because “trying to change the world just leads to being blown up into little pieces all over Florida.”
This Is Us’ sixth and final season premiere doesn’t go quite so far as to agree that the Challenger explosion is the biggest defining event in the Big Three’s young lives. But it does use that real-world 1986 tragedy as a way to explore the central coping mechanisms that have defined these characters over the past six seasons: Kate is optimistic to the point of naiveté. Randall represses his own feelings under a compulsive sense of responsibility towards others. And Kevin lives in denial to the point of delusion. If there’s one thing This Is Us excels at, it’s knowing its characters inside and out. And that’s the quality that’s most on display in this poignant, funny, melancholy premiere.
In fact, I love that I can spend this whole review just digging into character stuff like that without having to hash out some big twist and what it means for the future of the show. The only twist here is that there is no twist. This premiere doesn’t revisit the future timeline where Rebecca is on her deathbed or even the near future timeline where Kate is marrying her boss Philip (which was the major reveal of last season’s finale). Instead, “The Challenger” confidently deploys the classic This Is Us template of present-day storylines for the whole Pearson family with a relevant flashback to their past.
Some occasionally clunky exposition reestablishes where our characters are at in the present: Kevin and Madison are struggling to set boundaries in their somewhat awkward co-parenting relationship after calling off their wedding. Kate and Toby are trying to make a part-time long-distance relationship work now that he has a job that requires him to be in San Francisco three days a week. Randall is using that harrowing season four home invasion to fuel his next steps as a councilman. And Rebecca is dealing with her worsening memory loss condition, which is confirmed to involve plaques building in her brain.
While the Kate and Kevin throughlines follow naturally from what happened last season, the Randall and Rebecca stuff feels more like threads the show had originally intended for season five, before Mandy Moore’s pregnancy, the pandemic, and the global racial reckoning of 2020 caused the show to adjust its plans. For the most part, though, the show pulls off the swerve without too much clunkiness. Sure, it’s a little weird to see Randall describe the break-in as one of the defining traumas of the past two years of his life when he barely even mentioned it last season—just as it’s weird to see the show exist in a world where the pandemic is no longer even a vague concern in anyone’s life. But I’d rather the series cut its losses and return to its most compelling throughlines than stick with stuff out of obligation.
The most wrenching moments in “The Challenger” revolve around Rebecca’s memory loss, which the episode renders in subtly evocative ways. Putting us inside Rebecca’s head as she struggles to remember the word “caboose” is a smart, nuanced way to make Rebecca an active character within this storyline, rather than presenting her first and foremost as a burden for the Big Three to deal with. The moment she barks out “The red one damnit!” in the middle of the Big Three’s 41st birthday party is haunting for her family because it seems to come out of nowhere. But it’s haunting for us because we understand exactly where it comes from.
“What a thing being a parent,” younger Rebecca sighs at one point. “What a thing being a kid,” Jack replies. What makes This Is Us’ timeline-hopping premise so special is that it allows the show to remain anchored in both of those perspectives at once, across all different stages of life. In this episode alone we see Rebecca as a child taking a train trip with her dad, a mother looking after her young children, and a 70-something grandmother who’s beginning to reckon with the fact that she’ll soon need to be the one who’s getting looked after again. Those ever-shifting lenses humanize these characters in a much more three-dimensional way than you’d usually get in a family drama, where each character would be slotted into one central defining role within their family.
At its heart, however, This Is Us is a show about parents and kids. And while Jack once seemed like the defining parental figure in the Pearson household, these past few seasons have slowly repositioned Rebecca as the true, under-appreciated center of the Pearson family. So a farewell season that puts her front and center seems fitting. The realization that little Kevin quietly comes to after watching the Challenger explode is that his parents are going to die one day. And while Jack’s traumatic death destroyed the Pearson family for years, there’s hope that Rebecca’s slow decline might be different. That after all the work and growth the Pearsons have done over the past six years, there will be room for light among the dark and peace among the pain.
Stray observations
- Since Kevin and Randall often argue about which one of them was more overlooked by their parents, it’s fascinating that Kate is actually the one that Rebecca and Jack totally ignore as they rehash their post-Challenger fears for their kids’ futures.
- Also, while Rebecca refers to Randall as “the catcher in the rye,” I think there’s more than a little Holden Caulfield in Kevin too—the aimless, impulsive lost soul who only really feels comfortable expressing his emotions around his sister.
- There’s so much great, understated Beth comedy in this episode. I especially loved her “It’s all kind of one room” as Randall tries to pull her into “the next room” for a private chat.
- The scene with Phillip breaking up with his girlfriend was so stilted and clichéd, I thought it was going to be revealed they were rehearsing a play.
- I’m not quite sure how they’re already “rebooting” The Manny when it was only in-world cancelled two seasons ago. But Kevin coming back to play the dad is another fun full circle moment.
- Tobias Jelinek gives a really effective one-scene performance as home invader David Watkins, the troubled addict who inspires Randall to prioritize addiction issues in his district. I’ll be curious to see if he’s actually gone for good or if the show circles back to him.
- On the This Is Us romance front: Malik is writing Deja love letters from Harvard. Madison has a potential new book club beau named Elijah (good for her!!!!!). And Rebecca forces a reluctant Nicky to finally go search for his lost love Sally.
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So, a fun possible historical inaccuracy I can point out here. The Challenger blew up on January 28, 1986. I know this because it was my eighth birthday, and I remember it well because I was watching it…from home…because we had a snow day from school…in Pittsburgh…the same city the Pearson kids grew up in.So, odds are good the Pearsons wouldn’t have been in school to watch the Challenger. They would have been home like me that day.
I wasn’t in Pittsburgh, but also in the northeast & our school also had a snow day. I wound up babysitting for a neighbor kid whose mother worked for another school district that didn’t have a snow day. They didn’t have cable, and every channel was just showing the shuttle blowing up over and over, so I had to actually try to entertain the kid.
I was in college about 2 hours away from Pittsburgh. I remember walking into the cafeteria to see my friends and have some lunch and had no idea what had happened. I’d been in classes all morning. Everybody was so sullen and joyless and when someone told me what had happened it was devastating. I wandered down to the very full TV lounge (yes, we had one of those!) and watched the coverage. Thinking of that day still gives me a chill of sadness.
I watched the towers collapse on Sept 11 from a dorm lounge, so they still existed then too.
I was in college from ‘03-07′. Can confirm we still had dorm lounges too. Ours were sad and pathetic, but nevertheless still there.
I had a snow day as well…in Atlanta (must have been covering the whole east). We had sloshed over to a friend’s house to hang out and had the launch on in the background, only turning to watch it actually blast off. His mom still managed to get out to work, so it was just a bunch of kids standing in his living room wondering what the hell just happened. The raw, bleak weather outside definitely matched the mood of the occasion.One of my science teachers had applied to be on board in the spot that went to Christa McCauliff, and even though she didn’t make it far in the process was shaken pretty badly.
We had mid-terms at my highschool that week and I had my computer math I (semester class) final that afternoon. Everyone was talking about it.
Also the math doesn’t add up. The Big Three were born in September of 1980, which would have made them 5 at the time of the Challenger. Unless they were all child prodigies, they wouldn’t have been in 2nd grade.
It’s also important to remember that Christa McCauliffe was on the shuttle because of a plan to increase interest in NASA among school children, so watching the launch was a huge, planned event at a lot of schools. My school had an assembly and the whole nine yards, which had to be super fun for our teachers who had to figure out a way to explain what the fuck just happened en masse to a crowd of 6-18 year olds (small school) in a era before councilors and therapy dogs.
Now that’s a deep insight. Not having been in that region nor of school age, I wouldn’t have thought of it.Dramatically, the scene doubtless works anyway. From a Shuttle standpoint, of course, a cold snap in the eastern parts of the US, extending down to Florida though without the foul weather, was the particular part of nature that could not be fooled… I was at work and vividly remember the moment I learned about this (about 10 feet from my cube with the posters of Columbia’s first launch and of Bruce McCandless floating around with the MMU…)
It’s funny – the thing that bugged me most in the pilot is when Kevin mentions that the Challenger exploded “in 2nd grade” and then it’s later revealed to be their 36th birthday. I’m only a few months younger than The Big Three, as tv time goes, and I clearly remember my first grade class joining up with the other first grade class in the next pod over to watch the launch. (Also, our teachers were not nearly so quick to turn off the tv as the big three’s was) And then they doubled down on it in this episode!
Yes, the way the show continually ignores Kate’s character development really frustrates me. What do we honestly know about her character, 6 six seasons in? That she used to struggle with her weight but doesn’t anymore? That she’s going to get divorced and remarried in the future? That she’s a mom? I hate how Kevin and Randall aren’t defined by parenthood but Kate always is.
I’m guessing the actress failing to lose a ton of weight like she had in her contract really screwed up their long-term plans for her.
Wait a minute. In her contract?!
Was that actually in her contract? That sounds crazy. Glad at least they were able to work with her if she couldn’t do it.
You just don’t lose THAT kind of weight. and that “contract” thing was debunked anyway.My main issue is that she marries Phillip – as much as a jerk he is – otherwise handsome fit guy. Really? Rather he marries her. No plz I do not want to hear it – body positivity and all that – ok, but Kate being THAT heavy – landing two pretty hot guys – no way in the real world. It’s fantasy. It’s not fair for real world heavy girls to believe this is possible, no guys do not fall in love with you just because you are great music aide with blind kids, no
It’s not like they gave her a load of positive character traits either. Her brothers are not just handsome, tall and incredibly fit, they’re both rich, confident and successful in their careers. Kate had several seasons seemingly without work and is needy, angry and prone to jealousy. The writers could have at least made her a successful author or something. Give us something to hang on to for why any guy is interested.
Well, hell, sitcom tv has been telling shlubby balding guys for years that they can attract hot skinny wives who will put up with all of their bullshit, so I don’t see the problem.
Yeah like Kevin Can F*** Himself, but that’s silly comedy, this show really pretends like this is how it is IRL, its title is “This Is US” for goodness sake! It touts itself almost like a fake documentary of sorts…The problem for me is that I cannot fake-pretend that this super-heavy woman, albeit somewhat pretty in the face, but so enormous that I cannot possibly suspend any kind of disbelief that Phillip (a rather dashing handsome Brit (!!!) could possibly ever have any sort of romantic feels for her. And as another commenter noted, Kate really doesn’t have any nice qualities to her – she’s moody, needy, pouty, etc. No particular education or professional skills either. So inwardly and outwardly rather off-putting. Again, I am not a ballerina myself, so do not think I am criticizing overweight people who have issues and struggle, but the context is important for me in a show of this caliber.
Kevin Can F* Himself is specifically playing on that trope, though.I’m married to a Brit so I guess the bloom is off the rose, there, but I don’t see why a neurotic asshole like Phillip wouldn’t/couldn’t fall for Kate. I’ll agree that Kate doesn’t have a ton of nice qualities (though basically no one on this show does except for Beth), but neither does Philip.
yes agree about Kevin that’s why I brought it up.Why wouldn’t Phillip fall for Kate? Bc she is very very very very very heavy. And he is not. And he’s a Brit. Options beyond heavy girls pool are the sky is the limit for him. I do not intend to sound anti body positivity, I want to sound body reality.
Some people aren’t fatphobic. Some of those people are attracted to some other people who are fat. Not necessarily because or even in spite of them being fat. This is not as weird or unusual as you seem to think it is.Similarly, some people don’t find a man being Brit increases his hotness dramatically.
I respect your opinion but no nah ah no way Philip hot Brit there is no way. And Kate is not just fat, or overweight, she is beyond morbidly obese, so no. I am not buying it, total would never happen. Unless Philip has some secret fetish which is ok, we all do have our fantasies, but marry? no way
Do you not think thin, handsome (in a slightly odd sort of way) men with English accents have never married fat women? Like ever in history? 33 million men in the UK, I’m certain SOME are among that number! 😂😂😂
Good to know I guess that her weight issues aren’t the main part of her storyline anymore. I gave up on this show around season 3 I think.
Here’s what I think I know about Kate:
She starts off really corny, she’s a child, she enjoys corny attention from her dad, and even from her mom calling her “Bug”. She likes glitter and ponies and romantic movies and family stuff. Then she becomes really dark and weird and snarky, even before her father died and she met Marc. Maybe it was her weight issues* and just being a teen, and her brother took her best friend Sophie, but her confidence went down and she lashed out and felt angry. At some point later, she recovered her confidence, acquiring some ability to speak plainly to people who annoyed her, tried to insult or take advantage of her, and face her demons, but also re-embracing corny preferences. *She felt bad about being a little heavier than some of her classmates, never seemed out of range up through her teens, and then ate her feelings to a degree there was no coming back from, to the point of being jealous of Toby for successfully losing weight, to Madison for being thin but having an eating disorder, and being genuinely sweet to her despite Kate mocking her at that first Overeaters Anonymous meeting in the first episode where she bonded with Toby.
I don’t know a whole else lot about Kate – she is the only girl child. She acts almost to be a middle child, mediating Kevin and Randall, and bouncing between pleasing her parents and anyone else, and deciding it’s not even worth it and gives up. Despite Randall being the one who wants to save the world, Kate is the “feeler”, she feels. She absorbs pain, she’s not a Pollyanna totally. She gives off the essence of the kind of woman who would have a vision board and a dream journal and put a lot of heart and sunshine emojis in a text. Unlike her brothers, or even Toby, she doesn’t make any moves or decisions to actually help. She shows up, obligatorily, but she doesn’t make any moves or decisions.
Is Randall really so lacking in street smarts that he would tell the criminal his name and occupation? Don’t encourage the mentally ill addict to come back to your house, Randall.
Condescending prick was on the nose about Phillip. Kate deserves better, so I’m still hoping there’s a twist on that wedding flash-forward.Elijah is nerdy enough to worship the ground Madison walks on, so she’ll probably be happier with a guy who is really into her.I find it hard to believe that Rebecca & Miguel would still want Uncle Nicky around all the time.
“Is Randall really so lacking in street smarts that he would tell the criminal his name and occupation?” But that just shows how compassionate he is!
I must say, I think the powers that be have nailed the timing of this show’s ending. I adore these characters, but for the first time, I felt a little fatigue as the show geared up again. My favorite moment of this episode was Toby surprising Kate with his presence! Very nice. Still not sure what happens with him and Kate and why Kate is missing in that future episode of Rebecca’s deathbed, but that’s a good thing! Keep keeping us guessing, This Is Us!In case people forgot about Hill 400 – I did:https://nestflix.fun/hill-400/
Yeah, after very much enjoying seasons 1 – 4 we decided to skip 5. It was just too much, especially when we were looking for more escapism in our entertainment. Being a parent IRL, and losing one of your own, gives one more than enough to contend with.
Is Uncle Nicky really just carrying his laptop everywhere he goes so he can continue to to creep on Sally? And yea, talk about clunky exposition (“remember how I told you I found Sally on Facebook and I log on everyday…”)
The Beth comedy is great, keep it coming.
I hadn’t been born yet when the Challenger disaster happened (though I do vividly remember watching the Columbia disaster live) but I let out an audible “oh no” as soon as that teacher turned the TV on for the class.
I thought that was just a giant iPad Pro(motional tie-in).
Middle Schools were in session here in D.C. I remember one of the other teachers running into our classroom hysterically sobbing- saying, “Her kids were watching! Her kids were watching!” Thank goodness my class didn’t have a TV that day.
Forget Jack, it’s Beth who has the patience of all the angels. Randall definitely should have chosen Door Number Beth. I know the show had been off the air for a little while, but they certainly didn’t try to smooth out the exposition. It was extremely clunky. Hopefully they just ‘needed’ to do that for the premiere, and it’ll be better for the rest of the series.
I feel like This Is Us appeals to those who found Parenthood too raw and visceral.
Appreciate the recap/review.That is all (for now).
I don’t want to minimize what happened with the Challenger but, my god, to live in a time where that was considered a large scale national tragedy.
cold take.
Were you alive/aware of the world when the Challenger exploded? It was a huge story. HUGE. NASA had done a ton of outreach with public schools all over the nation and I would say it’s an easy estimate that 70% the nation’s school-aged kids were watching it live when it exploded. It was a huge tragedy, not just the loss of seven lives, but it drastically set back the public’s faith in NASA (and perhaps boosted the public’s cynicism with government-backed science projects in general).Sure, it was seven people dying and not *checks notes* 750,000 dying, but I’m willing to argue that at least some of the cynicism and distrust we see from people when it comes to following national health guidelines, etc, came in some part from a nation of youth watching seven people die in the air.
I was too young for Challenger. The first horrific major event from my childhood that I remember was the Oklahoma City Bombing. That one had me scared out of my wits. I have seen footage of Challenger and it’s heartbreaking. I can’t imagine how devastating it would have been to witness that when it first happened.
I was eight. I didn’t see it in school, but I remember my parents telling me about it in solemn tones afterward. But, you know, we all just went on with our lives. We didn’t know anyone who died. We didn’t fear for our basic freedoms. Our house wasn’t on fire or under water. I went to school the next day and there was no fear it would suddenly close because of a deadly disease, and no one thought anyone might come in with a gun and start killing kids. I mean, yeah, The Challenger was bad for all the reasons you said. But very, very few people’s quality of life was directly impacted. Maybe it’s my nostalgia filter to think of 1986 as just far, far less overwhelming than now. I can accept that. No disrespect.
To be fair, I grew up in Houston, so it’s also possible it was a much bigger deal around me than it was for everyone else in the country. 🙂
As a native Oregonian, I experienced a similar thing in Rhode Island when the subject of Mount St. Helens came up and someone said, “It was a volcano, right?”
Why, you got some kind of problem in Houston?
Yeah, I’m sure the distrust had nothing to do with the blatant lies we were told and the upward transfer of wealth.
So Toby paid a fortune for the birthday masseuse and Kate seemingly blew it off for a ‘work emergency’ that turned out to be the students singing her a song that could have waited. Kate might have been happy with that but I’d have been furious if I was her or Toby. Don’t tell someone there’s a work emergency on their day off unless it’s a genuine emergency – especially if it’s their birthday when they’re very likely to have stuff planned.
Why Kate didn’t at least pretend she didn’t eavesdrop? Like knock the door as if she just came or go away for 2 minutes…