This Is Us – Pilot

By: Alex Steele

The pilot episode introduces us to the four main characters and their lives. Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) are a young couple expecting triplets. Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) are twins where one is struggling with weight and body image issues and the other an actor caught in a one-track role. Randall (Sterling K. Brown) is a father, a husband, a professional and on the search for his biological father. What joins all of them together? Jack, Kate, Kevin and Randall all share the same birthday and within this episode, all turn 36 years old.

Rebecca and Jack

Seamlessly moving between the stories, we start with Jack and Rebecca. It is Jack’s birthday and we see him sitting on a bed with a towel the only thing covering him up. It’s tradition and as a very pregnant and very reluctant Rebecca emerges from the bathroom holding a cupcake. Cheekily demanding she keep the tradition up, Jack reminds his wife of the lap dance she promised. Really? Pregnant with triplets Rebecca tries her hardest but when Jack does nothing but laugh, it kind of kills the mood. Jack ensures Rebecca that in every form he will always find her attractive, yet soon after that statement her waters break. Talk about timing.

At the hospital, we learn Rebecca is six weeks early and to make matters worse, their doctor is undergoing surgery for a burst appendix. But not to worry, the doctor (Gerald McRaney) they do receive is equal parts as witty, sarcastic and caring as you’d hope your doctor would be. After initially being against this new development, both Rebecca and Jack come around to the idea as he successfully calms their nerves through humor. Not only that, the passionate monologue from Jack about his “knowing” that everything will be okay is enough to make anyone believe. No sooner than things calm down does Rebecca start pushing. It’s time. The first baby, a little boy, is delivered successfully but when Rebecca starts to lose oxygen and struggle the doctor removes Jack and whisks her away. Mandy Moore is fearless during the labour, authentically illustrating the pain, the anguish, the experience. After a short period of time, the doctor reunites with Jack to inform him that Rebecca is doing fine. Unfortunately though, one of the babies was still-born, a little boy. Taking a moment to understand this statement, Jack is speechless, but overcome with emotion. Seeing that Jack may need a little company, the doctor sits down beside him and offers a meaningful story to help the new young father navigate all his emotions. He tells the story of losing his first child and how that experience sent him on the path to becoming a doctor, one that delivers babies. He also explains there is never a day that the child he lost isn’t on his mind. He assures Jack that one day, maybe he’ll have the opportunity to make that decision, to save a baby or use this experience to make “lemonade.”

Kate

We first meet Kate as she stands in front of the fridge, looking at all the deliciously bad food that fills it. She’s also reading countless post-it notes with short messages such as “don’t you dare eat this cake before your birthday” and “throw this out.” Moving from the fridge, Kate next has a stand-off with the scales. As we watch Kate undressing to be seen in nothing but her underwear, the transparency of this scene is breathtaking. It’s raw, it’s real, and its life. As she bites the bullet and places one foot on the scale, she falls.

Later that day, after a motivating pep talk from twin brother Kevin, Kate throws out all the bad food in her fridge and attends a support group for overweight individuals. As Kate sits at the back of the support group, not participating at all, she makes eye contact with joker in the back Toby (Chris Sullivan). At the end of the meeting, they introduce themselves with chemistry igniting straight away. Before it progresses though, Kate informs him that she can’t fall for a fat person right now to which he beautifully responds “I guess I’ll lose the weight.” And it seems it’s the start of a beautiful love story; they go on their first date, with conversation flowing and their senses of humor weirdly similar but when Toby goes to make a move, Kate is reluctant. This exploration of body image is overdue, with issues as these having plagued women for generations. What Toby then does is support Kate and her wishes without any strings attached. Showing the audience the importance of acceptance, of love, of support and of unwavering loyalty when facing something such as weight loss.

Randall

Randall is a successful professional who is also doting father and loving husband that has been on the search for his biological father. His mother was a drug addict and his father abandoned him on the steps of a firehouse when he was a newborn. Presently, after having his staff surprise him with a birthday cake, he receives a profoundly more surprising gift. This gift? A picture and name of his biological father. The inner turmoil is subtle throughout the episode with Randall unsure of what he must do with this information. This becomes apparent when he informs his wife, Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson), who also questions what her husband is going to do. Aside from this revelation, it has to be said the pure happiness that explodes from Randall’s family; one of his daughters, a skilled soccer player and then other a seemingly obvious “girly girl.”

After deep thought, we see Randall abruptly leave work and arrive on the doorstep of William Hill (Ron Cephas Jones), his father. He’s angry, he’s hurt and he offers all these feelings up in a rousing monologue. But what’s beautiful is the immediate change in persona when invited in by William. He continues to maintain his anger, not letting William explain or defend himself, going so far to storm out when encouraged by his quietly spoken, newly found father. He leaves, yes, but then he returns to ask William if he’d like to meet his grandchildren. Heart-warming doesn’t begin to describe this moment, highlighting the challenge many face between head and heart. Soon after, William meets his granddaughters and is an absolute hit. Randall is frankly a hysterical mess, laughing and cracking up, not knowing how to deal with the situation. The happiness of this reunion however, is tainted when William reveals he is dying. Not sick, but dying. The subtle tears that Randall sheds illustrates that connection we all share with our parents. Even the barely knowing of one another isn’t enough to halt the physiological reaction and connection he shares with William. This connection extends so far to have Beth and Randall set William up a room in their house.

Kevin

We meet Kevin as he lies, shirtless on a queen bed welcoming his 36^th birthday. He’s on a philosophical rant about aging as two scantily clad women dance and feel him up. In his bedroom, we see posters with the title of “Man-ny” and in combination with the dancers and the loud music, it’s safe to say he’s a high profile celebrity of some sort. Not really in the mood to celebrate, he receives a call from Kate, his twin sister. After fallen off the scales, she was unable to move with a badly sprained ankle. Over a tub of ice-cream, to which Kate refuses, they talk about how life has passed them by and that they now find themselves stagnant.

Throughout the episode, we see Kevin struggle at work. He’s the main character of a hit-show “Man-ny” in which he plays a frequently shirtless nanny. The struggle comes from wanting more, but more so knowing he can do more as an artist. The premise of the show is stifling and he no longer wants to just be the “Man-ny” as he wants to delve deeper. He wants to tell meaningful stories with grace and emotion. This all comes to a head after having performed the hell out of a dramatic scene and his director insists he take his shirt off and make it lighter. We see something click. Kevin loses it. He has a meltdown in the middle of set, in front of the entire audience. It’s such a telling scene, a relevant scene, in a television landscape currently where real, human stories are often thrown to the side for fan-service and ratings. He quits and soon after the footage (unfortunately) goes viral – oh the age of technology – landing Kevin out of a job and broken.

As the episode winds down, a twist crafted ingeniously raises this already soul-igniting show, to a whole new level. After heeding the advice of their doctor, Jack goes to visit his babies. As he stands, lovingly watching the new members of his little family cry and wriggle, he’s joined by an unknown male. Their conversation is brief, but the information is integral to the story as a whole. The unknown male is a firemen and he’s not there because of a baby in his family, but a baby that was abandoned at his firehouse. The baby, newborn and dark-skinned, lies next to Jack’s twins. And in an instant, all is revealed. The connection between the characters is now known as Randall is the adoptive brother of Kate and Kevin – Jack and Rebecca are their parents. As the episode flashed between present day and 36 years before, the image of Jack and Rebecca standing over their three babies (dressed in identical onesies) and the lighting of that final scene was transcendent. While seeing a picture frame with a photo of Kate, Kevin and Randall as adults, as a family, reinforces the heart of “This Is Us.”