This Is Us is really on a hot streak lately.
That’s not to say it’s not always on at least a warm streak, because it has consistently been one of the best shows on TV for four and a half seasons now, but there’s something about the recent episodes that have delivered in a way we couldn’t have imagined a couple of seasons ago. Everybody’s growing up, talking things out, going to therapy and saying the things that have only been bubbling under the surface since the first episode. Turns out daddy issues run deep and last long into adulthood, especially when that daddy is Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia).
For the last few weeks, we’ve been watching Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) come to significant moments in their lives. Kevin is now a father and a fiancée, hoping to have his estranged brother as his best man. Randall now knows the truth about his birth parents, and has been coming to terms with his complicated feelings about all the different facets of his family.
Tonight, Kevin came to visit, and the two brothers were forced to deal with a lifetime of jealousy and anger while the audience was treated to a little bit of helpful context, thanks to Mr. Rogers.