This Is Us – The Graduates

By: Maddie Ruby

The episode starts back in 1982 where Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) are picking out a camera to document their lives with. Rebecca wants Jack to just pick one, but obviously this is hard for Jack to do. The Big Three are the little three right now, just toddlers.

We flash a little forward to Rebecca after Jack’s death, looking at cameras to record the Big Three graduating. She runs into Matt Dickson (Matt Corboy) there who used to be the only dad in the PTA and who has been just meaning to reach out to her. He asks her out, but she’s still reeling from Jack’s death and declines, running out of the store.

Kate (Chrissy Metz) wakes up to Toby (Chris Sullivan) and her mother in her apartment celebrating because Kate is finally graduating from college. Meanwhile, Kevin (Justin Hartley) wakes up hungover with a phone call from Zoe (Melanie Liburd), who he lies to about what he’s doing. He’s been drinking so he makes an excuse that he’ll meet her at Kate’s graduation to avoid her finding out.

It’s now high school graduation day for Kate (Hannah Zeile), Kevin (Logan Shroyer) and Randall (Niles Fitch). It has only been four months since Jack’s death and Kate does not want to walk across the stage to get her diploma during graduation. This is because everyone seems to know what they’re doing except for Kate and she doesn’t want to be seen as the girl whose dad died with no future. In the present, Toby has thrown Kate a graduation party,

Randall catches Deja (Lyric Ross) walking home from class early. As it turns out that Deja’s teacher published a very personal essay of her’s in the school’s online paper without her permission, causing the other students to make fun of her as the essay was about when Deja and her mom living in her mom’s car.  Obviously, Randall can’t believe this teacher did this to Deja without asking her. He goes to confront the teacher who did this, Mrs. Cunningham (Eliza Bennett). When speaking to Randall she realizes she has done wrong and takes the post down, through tears. She says she was really proud of Deja and how far she has come, but that is was stupid of her to publicize that post. Mrs. Cunningham then admits she and other teachers agree that Deja is very smart and shouldn’t have had to repeat the seventh grade. In fact, she should go right into ninth grade next year.

At her graduation, Kate can tell something is up with her twin. Kevin almost gets caught in a lie by Melanie when talking to Kate. Kevin then gives an impromptu speech to get out of the conversation, one that is shaky and off. He then makes up the excuse that he has to go because he got an important call from his agent.

Randall tells Deja what happened with Mrs. Cunningham and about her going to high school next year. Deja is against this because she doesn’t think she is getting bumped up to the next grade because she is smart. She believes it is because she used to be homeless and she is black. She doesn’t want to be a story she says, like Randall, who was dropped off at a fire station when he was a baby –  a story that is told about him in every article written on him.

Rebecca admits to Kate that after Jack died the thing she hated the most was time. She hated that life was moving on and she had to go along with it. She thinks that Kate and her are really alike in that way. A very sad and moving scene comes on the screen of Rebecca barely being able to watch Randall graduate because she is so stricken with grief. Miguel (Jon Huertas) comforts her and says she needs to go in there not for Randall, but for herself.

In the past we see on the way to Kate and Kevin’s graduation Kate gets dropped off at home, where she watches old home videos. She is very upset that Kevin is planning on moving to New York City with his girlfriend. She is upset they will all be going their separate ways, but her brother reminds her that they will always be The Big Three.

Kate shows up at Kevin’s apartment to find out where he went. He claims he was just headed back to see her, but she knows the truth.She enters his apartment to see bottles. Kevin admits to Kate what happened. She starts looking for meetings for Kevin, who doesn’t want to go. While she is driving him there she begins to get contractions, but it is way to early for the baby to come since she is only 28 weeks pregnant.

We cut to the past again where we see Rebecca at home alone. She tries to watch television, but begins to get upset. She picks up the phone and calls Miguel to say she’d like to go to a bereavement group like he suggested. She asks him to pick her up and take her to one.

Randall and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) have a talk. Randall understands that Beth has given up a lot, but he still suggests they put a pin in her being a dance teacher because of all the hours it would require of her, which would take away from raising their daughters. Obviously, this is not what she wants, but Randall suggests this is best for the family. On the contrary, why does Randall get to live his dream, but Beth doesn’t get to do hers? In the middle of this, Randall gets the call about Kate going into labor. The episode ends with them together at the hospital supporting Kate.