Does anyone else get the sense that the beginning of the end is near for Rebecca (Mandy Moore) on
This Is Us? Two weeks ago she spent a ton of time bonding with Kate (Chrissy Metz) and in the latest episode she spent a pretty perfect day with Kevin (Justin Hartley), which has fans wondering whether Rebecca is about to spiral.Typically it’s Randall (Sterling K. Brown) that the Pearson matriarch bonds with most, but the fact that the writers are switching things up should have everyone’s Spidey senses tingling. Don’t forget that this is the same series that had William (Ron Cephas Jones) bond with pretty much every other character before killing him off; when it comes to playing with emotions the minds behind the show are experts. At this point, it feels like each one of the Big Three are getting their last moments in with Mom before she loses her memories in a more permanent way.
A dire diagnosis
And, thanks to the diagnosis following Rebecca’s MRI on Tuesday night, it looks like she is definitely heading in that direction. Now that the doctors have confirmed Alzheimer’s, that explains all of the not-so-subtle hints in the flash forwards so far. Basically, fans should be relishing the lucid moments with Rebecca and The Big Three because things are going to progress pretty quickly from here on in.
Speaking of bonding time, it’s been a hot minute since Rebecca and Kevin shared any kind of meaningful scene. So much of the series has been about Kevin trying to figure out where he belongs and of Rebecca connecting a little too much with Randall and not enough with Kate. Her relationship with Kevin is the weakest of the bunch, so to see them geeking out in the past over baseball cards (Canadians caught the Blue Jays shout-out, right?), and tracking down Joni Mitchell’s house in the present was super meaningful. It almost gives you the sense that if these two had more moments like this that Kevin might have turned out just a little bit differently.But, it’s only fair to point out that Kevin has changed too. His therapy, coupled with new realizations that he wants to be a father himself, have driven him to shoulder more responsibility. For far too long he’s let Randall be the caregiver, something he made a point of changing in the episode when he got Rebecca to her appointment on time, despite her pleas to keep their fun day going.
Randall is finally honest with himself
Kevin’s new sense of responsibility came just in time, too. Because over in Philly, Randall finally took the plunge and went to therapy in an intense series of scenes in which you only heard the therapist’s voice but you didn’t see her face (everyone knew it was previously-announced
guest star Pamela Adlon though, right?). It was pretty obvious that Randall was anything but comfortable in the room, and he lashed out at the doctor more than once. But some pretty big issues are already surfacing, like the fact that Randall has always felt responsible for keeping Rebecca on track after Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) died, and that he feels like the entire family would fall apart without him. That’s why Randall quitting after one session, although it felt very on-brand for him, was also sad.[video_embed id='1827415']RELATED: Sterling K. Brown reveals how 'Waves' influenced his approach to parenting[/video_embed]More importantly, when Randall went home to tell Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) that he gave it the old college try but that he was done, it led to Beth finally telling Randall how much she needed him to be in therapy. It was an enlightening moment for Randall, to be sure, but it was a storyline that also opened up the conversation for how mental health affects those around you. Everyone needs a person, and Beth had lost hers.So it appears as though Randall will continue his treatment after all (and fans finally got to see his therapist’s face) since he went to that follow-up appointment. Considering everything coming up with Rebecca, Kate’s potential divorce to Toby (hey, the clues are all there), and the fact that Randall will no longer be speaking to his brother in the very near future, he picked a pretty good time to commit to this thing.As for all the fans out there? Well, it looks like everyone should brace themselves because there are only three episodes in the season left.
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.[video_embed id='1903952']Ben Affleck calls divorce from Jennifer Garner ‘biggest regret' of his life[/video_embed]
THIS IS US -- "Clouds" Episode 415 -- Pictured: (l-r) Mandy Moore as Rebecca, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack -- (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
