The season finale of This Is Usis a mashup of How I Met Your Motherand Scenes from a Marriage. Save for a few scenes near the conclusion, the episode is devoted to Jack and Rebecca, flashing back to the days just before they met and then to the night of Rebecca’s first touring gig with Ben’s band, which goes horribly awry, ending the night in tears. Then again, when does a night with the Pearsons notend in tears?
The finale expertly subverts our expectations of seeing Jack die, since last week's ominous ending certainly implied that he was headed for a tragic demise. Perhaps the show's biggest twist yet is that creator Dan Fogelman chose not to deploy that reveal at the climax of the first season, when audiences have become trained to expect a shocking ending. It's agonizing to think that we have to wait even longer to get some semblance of closure about Jack's death, but you've got to admit that it's also kind of a genius move on the part of the producers.
SEE ALSO:'This is Us' will keep you crying for at least 2 more seasonsInstead, the episode shows us how Jack and Rebecca first met, juxtaposed with the couple's escalating marital strife after Jack turns up wasted at Rebecca's show (having driven two hours to get there while chugging beer) and makes a fool of himself, punching Ben and prompting Rebecca to drive his drunk ass home.
By showing us the sweetness and random kismet of Jack and Rebecca's first meeting and the disagreement that reveals a serious rift in their marriage, we get a better understanding of who they are as individuals as well as a couple.
True to form, the writing is precise and painfully real, with the perfect degree of emotion to delineate that while there's clearly a lot of love and devotion between the two, there are also some major communication issues that they need to address if they're to have any hope of a future together. (No matter how shortlived that future might be.)
There's a sweet parallel to Jack and Rebecca's trajectories in this episode; they both had blind dates arranged on the night they met, but Jack stood his up to attempt to rob the bar where he met Rebecca -- hoping to make enough money to help move him and his mom away from his abusive father -- while Rebecca ditched hers, a boring businessman who works in mergers and acquisitions, to go sing at open mic night. It's suitably poetic that Rebecca's musical aspirations are what brought the couple together and later threaten to tear them apart.
Much of the episode lays the groundwork for the spectacular and heartbreaking fight that Jack and Rebecca have at the end of the episode -- one that should ring true for anyone who has been in a long-term relationship.
First off, Rebecca gets Jack to admit he’s been drinking for a few weeks (although he can't resist a passive aggressive dig that she didn't notice because she hasn't been around much recently). He promises to get help, and to call Ben and apologize. This doesn’t even begin to appease Rebecca and it quickly becomes apparent this is about much more than Jack going on a bender and using his dad's alcoholism as justification for his behavior.
As the argument unfolds, Rebecca accuses Jack of not being able to handle her doing something for herself. She says she feels like a ghost, since she has no life as a housewife and the mother of three teenagers who don’t need her anymore and a husband who waltzes in at 8 o'clock, if he feels like it, recaps his day and then passes out. She says that she’s always followed Jack wherever he led her, and admits she finds it convenient that the first time she finally has something for herself that isn't connected to Jack or the kids, his alcoholism resurfaces.
Her anger runs deep and for the first time, we realize just how frustrated Rebecca is with her life, or lack thereof. This isn’t merely a tired housewife, this is a woman at a crossroads, seeking deeper meaning and an identity outside of her family. Jack doesn't help matters by calling Rebecca's singing career "ridiculous" -- pointing out that as a 40-year-old woman singing covers in a pub, she doesn't actually have a career. Ouch.
Some of the air goes out of the argument when Jack notes that they love each other so it's insane to be fighting, but Rebecca challenges him to tell her what he loves about her right now, and he's at a loss.
She goes to bed angry, sad and tired, and we can only pray Jack's still there in the morning.
When she comes downstairs to find him on the couch, it's a relief -- at least to us viewers -- but Rebecca points out that they can't take back everything they said, even if they regret the way they said it.
She asks Jack to stay with Miguel for awhile so they can both catch their breath. She worries about what to tell the kids. Jack says to tell them the truth. Rebecca worries it’ll screw them up, but Jack is confident that they've done the best they can as parents, and the decisions the kids make as grown-ups will reflect that.
Cut to present day: Kevin is going to meet Ron Howard, but first he tells Sophie he loves her. Randall looks through a photo album and then tells Beth he wants them to adopt a baby. As Kate and Toby unpack and set up their new apartment, she finds an old photo of Rebecca and tells Toby she wants to sing. Looks like Jack was right.
His touching monologue continues as Jack tells Rebecca what he loves about her right now: he loves the mother she is; he loves that she laughs with her whole face; that she dances funny, not sexy, which is even sexier; and that she ditched her boring blind date because she just had to go and sing.
He closes by telling her that she may think their love story is over, but it’s just getting started. (We hope he's right, but we know better.) “You were my big break,” he insists.
Rebecca cries and we're right there with her, wondering what the expiration date is on this marriage. But frankly, we’re just relieved that Jack is still alive at the end of the episode.
Once again, This Is Usshows us how marriage changes people, and how sacrificing pieces of ourselves for the good of spouses and children can both build us up and break us down. It’s also a vivid depiction of how it’s possible to grow older with someone and also grow apart from them.
While we love the idea that marriage is “til death do us part,” this season closer illustrates how women often need more than their role as a mom to realize their full potential, and that no matter how "perfect" a husband seems, nobodyis perfect -- and it's a little unfair to expect otherwise. Jack clearly puts more pressure on himself than Rebecca realizes, but he also seems to internalize those worries rather than leaning on her and letting her be a partner with him.
Season 2 will undoubtedly bring us more tears -- especially since the mystery of Jack's death is still hanging over us -- but it also brings hope, since we already know this family will be alright as long as they have each other. Start stocking up on tissues now.
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