This Is Us – Nine Bucks

By: Maddie Ruby

Finally, after a very anticipated wait, “This Is Us” has returned back onto our televisions on NBC’s Tuesday nights. In the Season 3 premiere, we follow multiple story lines. We get a look into Rebecca and Jack’s (Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia) first date, Kate and Toby’s (Chrissy Metz and Chris Sullivan) life as newlyweds, Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) new love affair and Deja’s (Lyric Ross) big decision.

Let’s start with the flashback of Rebecca and Jack’s first date. With how great their love is, you would have thought it was perfect. Nevertheless, the date has its bumps. It takes place on a great night in sports history – the 1972 Steelers versus Raiders football game where Franco Harris’ catch is forever famously named the “Immaculate Reception.” Of course, everyone is talking about the recent game and Rebecca has no idea about it. Jack covers for her when it is brought up. They go to a carnival for their first date where Jack pays for admission as well as for a candy apple and hot chocolate, after she has mentioned how much she loves candy apples. Jack has started their date night with only nine dollars, (a reference back to the title) Jack must choose between games or an umbrella when he is left with only two dollars. He decides to tell Rebecca they can handle the rain, to which she is obviously perturbed by, and wants an umbrella. Jack doesn’t admit he started out with only that little of money until they’re in the car. He didn’t want to spend it on the umbrella, in case she wanted to play games. She then feels bad and the date has a bittersweet ending. Rebecca says she isn’t going to leave her purse in his car, which her girlfriends do, so she has a reason to see Jack again because their date was so bad. Ultimately, she does though.

As for in the present, it is the big three’s birthday, like per usual in every season premiere episode. We see Randall (Sterling K. Brown) celebrating with his family and Deja is there. She has gone to see her birth father though and ask one favor from him. It ends up being a new pair of shoes for Randall. This is not Randall’s only gift. Deja tells Randall and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) that she is ready to take their relationship to the next step and for them to sign the papers for adoption. At the party, we see Kevin and Beth’s baby cousin Zoe (Melanie Liburd) as their new romance blossoms. They attempt to hide it, but Beth knows they are “knocking boots,” as she likes to call it. You would think she wants to protect Zoe from Kevin, but it is the other way around! She is afraid Zoe will hurt fragile Kevin.

As for Kate and Toby, they are trying to recover from their past miscarriage and carry on with having a new baby. She has been struggling with her weight and then gets told by the fertility doctor that she will not take her on as a patient because of how much she weighs. Unfortunately, Kate finds out all this information before her birthday party – where is served an actual CARROT cake. Yes, it was made of carrots.

As we get to the end, we realize that, naturally, this episode and Franco Harris’ catch is interrelated – more than being the same day as Rebecca and Jack’s first date. The episode comes to an end with everything falling into place as Kate and Toby get a last-minute call from the fertility doctor wanting to take them on. She says the odds are low and almost impossible, which secretly frightens Toby, causing him to go off his antidepressants to possibly increase his sperm count and give Kate a baby and more happiness. Just like the immaculate reception, miracles happen to the “This Is Us characters as we see Rebecca gives Jack a chance, Deja decides to take a step further into the Pearson family and Kate gets the news that even though it is a challenge she is going to give it her best attempt to have a baby.

Lastly, we return to futuristic scene we saw at the end of Season Two. An older Randall and an adult Tess (Iantha Richardson) are going to visit a woman Tess is saying she is not ready to see. The scene further plays out with a phone call between an older Randall and older Toby. Toby is also supposed to be going to see “her” as well, but he does not think the mystery woman wants to see him. Randall says, “She wants you to be there,” to Toby trying to convince him to go. We then see Toby alone in bed with the other side of it seemingly untouched. Could the mystery woman be Kate? If so, why would Tess not want to go see her? Hopefully, we will be given more indicated soon enough.