"They're a million things to us all at once."Both of these episodes were a definite return to the glory of this show for me, with all of the emotion, some of the tension, and so many great conversations. There was one hell of a ride, there were so many suspenseful moments when we weren't sure what was going to happen to Kevin, and though I don't really love fake-outs, I did like the way they handled most of it. How they talked about parents and what makes them loom so large in our heads.
I loved that they took the time to develop not only Kevin's relationship with Jack and showed us that sweet conversation at the bar between them, but also Jack's relationship with his dad, and how it wasn't all bad, which is why it's so hard sometimes to just write people off and forget about them.
It was also beautiful to see Randall and Rebecca being there for Madison, especially given how lonely she was feeling and how much she clearly needs a family, a place she can call home. Which is why it's so great that Kevin was able to get there in time, not only for his kids but for her, too.
In The Room was also pretty special, and a big part of that was how they connected Nasir Ahmed's story to that final moment in the episode where everyone was sharing some of the biggest moments in their lives through screens, and it hits home especially hard after what we've been going through worldwide. Somehow they also managed to include the story of Rose and her husband through Toby showing one of the many reasons why the show is so special.
It was also great how they incorporated Rebecca's anxiety, her memory of those moments with Jack, and also how thankful she was for Miguel's company, which made me think of how horrible it will be if she starts losing the more recent memory of her current marriage and starts confusing the present with the past. I'm already dreading those ugly-cry moments ahead.
There were also some tense moments with Hailey's birth since Kate was clearly scared out of her mind that she might lose her, but I loved how Ellie handled it, the way she said goodbye to the baby, and the way Kate got to welcome her into the world, it was perfectly written and thought out, especially the moment when she tells Hailey that she'll never doubt her place in the world which is clearly such a big thing for her mother.
And that is absolutely one of the bigger themes this time around, the hope that we're all trying to do better than our parents, even if they were wonderful, and that would probably lead to better human relationships all around. These things are where this show shines and why I'm so happy they're having the time to develop the stories in their own time.
"We've got a lot of ground to cover."
