"I had the greatest, most connected parents you can imagine, and they missed so much."
This whole episode's narrative thread about parenting and changes was beautifully done, it seems This Is Us is back to its glory days after what seemed like a bumpy ride when they first had to adapt to the whirlwind of changes the world went through this year. Now there seemed to be some things adapted here and there but the chore is clear and wonderfully done. As for the twist, I'm not sure yet, the scenes with Hai and Linh were adorable but I don't know how I feel about the whole Laurel thing yet.
Rebecca and Jack are dealing with angsty teenagers, and so are Randall and Beth, I have to say I love these two couples, it's not news, but I just love the little details. Like Jack and Rebecca trying to be the cool parents or the way Randall appreciated Beth's pancakes and how she appreciated that he noticed, it was adorable, and so was the way they managed the whole thing with Tess. It seems Randall found his new therapist Dr. Vance (Keith Powell), and I have to say I really like him, I don't know if having Randall switch doctors was on the cards before, but I'm glad he did.
Madison seems to be struggling with the idea of marrying an actor, but also with how much they don't know about each other, they're living together and having kids together but they didn't even get to date and slowly open up to each other. So they both decide to open up, Madison about her eating disorder and Outlander obsession (loved that), and Kevin about his addiction and his daddy issues. Eventually, they both admit how terrified they are of passing their problems on to their kids, and Kevin mentions that he had the best parents and they still missed so much.
Which is one of the things I love about this show, the way some of these messages are always present, because the truth is, no matter how great you are, you'll always mess up your children in some way, or you'll be unable to stop the world from messing them up. And to follow in Kate and Toby's footsteps, I'll try to lighten the mood now. Speaking of which, the happy couple meets Ellie and it was hilarious to see them geek out, it's also refreshing that it seems like there won't be a typical adoption arc where the mom regrets giving the baby up, they do however use that fear that we may have and show them being afraid of it, which was a nice touch. Though I hope I'm not counting my chickens.
