‘This Is Us’: Kevin Needs to ‘Peel the Wallpaper,’ Kate’s Challenge & More (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 3, Episode 6 of This Is Us, “Kamsahamnida”]
After weeks of big reveals and season cliffhangers, fans were treated to a relatively tame episode of This Is Us with “Kamasahamnida.”
Of course, as always, beware of some big spoilers about the Pearsons below as we dive deeper into their history. For anyone in need of an emotional break, take note that the show will be on hiatus until November 13.
In this week’s installment, things begin on a bittersweet note as Kate (Chrissy Metz) reveals her pregnancy news while Toby (Chris Sullivan) continues to battle with depression. In the midst of it all, Kate calls Rebecca (Mandy Moore) a number of times for advice.
Kate and Audio are at the dog park when he gets loose and ends up eating a rock, causing the new mom-to-be to question her parenting capabilities. She brings the dog home to find Toby still in his pajamas — he’s been back on his meds for a couple weeks but they’ve yet to kick in. When she realizes Audio doesn’t seem right Toby freaks out that Kate would let the dog get away from her.
In an effort to help her pup, Kate brings Audio to the vet where she learns the options are surgery or waiting it out to see if the dog will poop the rock out. Again, Kate calls her mother for the answers, but Rebecca tells her daughter she can do anything, and that the decisions she’ll be making in the future will never be easy but she will make them because she’s strong.
Kate takes this advice to heart, so when she finds Toby dressed and showered at home she hopes this is a sign of Toby’s recovery. Unfortunately, in reality, he isn’t any better. The two go to the dog park and Kate promises that she won’t leave her husband after he earlier expressed fear of being alone. Kate also promises to pick her spouse up the way he did with her in the past — for better or for worse, right?
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Randall (Sterling K. Brown) continues his campaign against Sol Brown (Rob Morgan), as Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) continues to stress out over her jobless state. When Randall goes to church to canvas, Beth tries her hand at helping Tess (Eris Baker), Annie (Faithe Herman), and Deja (Lyric Ross) sell Girl Scout cookies and things don’t go so great.
Then, Sol outs Randall in front of the congregation as a new attendee and his campaign opponent, and it sets a fire for the determined Pearson. Soon after, Kevin (Justin Hartley) calls to meet up — Zoe (Melanie Liburd) ditched him to pamper herself after finishing her documentary — and the two agree to meet at Koreatown.
There, Kevin wants to discuss the mysterious photo he discovered last episode of Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and the Vietnamese woman, Hien (Porter Duong). Randall is reluctant to dig deeper into their father but Kevin is determined, calling back to their childhood and the peeling wallpaper in their family guest room. He notes that, underneath the paper, they were surprised to find wood paneling once they peeled it back. “I need to peel the wallpaper,” Kevin says about his desire to know more about their dad.
Before he can do anything, Randall notices that Kevin’s been recognized by fans and sees it as a political opportunity. Seems like Randall will now go after the Koreatown vote, since many of the residents are unregistered. One of the locals can see what Randall’s strategy is but isn’t impressed. He calls the aspiring politician out but Randall’s charm and Kevin’s popularity end up softening him. He ultimately reveals that Randall inspired his grandmother to actually register, and if that’s enough for her, then he wants to serve as campaign manager.
Overall it’s a good day for Randall, and he takes that positivity with him when he meets with Sol. After that, Beth finally opens up to her husband andm after pouring her feelings out, Randall comes up with a solution — Beth’s going to work for his campaign. “You are my missing ingredient baby,” Randall tells her. “Anything we take on, we crush.”
After meeting with his brother, Kevin crashes Zoe’s alone time giving her a bag with visa applications to Vietnam. He wants to track down the woman in the photo, but will he be successful? We don’t know but w’re finally reaching Kevin’s Season 2 finale flash forward!
We then flash back to the past where, one night, Jack returns home from the boxing gym with a black eye. Rebecca is unhappy, to say the least, but young Randall begs for Jack to teach him the sport, claiming that he has a bully at school. Jack agrees to do so in secret until they’re caught by Rebecca, and a quick call to the school reveals that Randall was lying. With this news, Jack confronts Randall who says he wants to be tough like Jack and Kevin.
In true Jack fashion, he tells his son that he doesn’t need to be physically tough because his brain is his superpower. Once that is squared away, Rebecca gives Jack some protective gear, because she knows that his boxing habit now stems from a need to escape bad memories. The gesture softens the patriarch who opens up a little bit about his brother to Rebecca.
As said, it was an unusually mellow installment for the Pearsons as they prep for week hiatus. But there are still plenty of things to keep in mind! Below are some of the big ones to remember.
- Will Toby’s condition take a toll on Kate’s pregnancy? Considering Kate’s absence from this season’s flash-forward, we can’t help but wonder if Toby’s issues will become too much for her to bear.
- Beth and Deja’s pep talk was an episode highlight and proof that she’s becoming a true member of the family. We’re hoping for more scenes with her in the future as she has a knack for putting things into perspective for the Pearsons.
- Kevin’s on a mission! Fingers crossed we’ll get to learn more about Jack’s past as he dives even deeper.
- In the preview for the next episode, fans were teased with Jack and Rebecca’s road trip. Will Jack’s memories from the war hurt or change their relationship? It appears as if he’s experiencing some night terrors, but we will just have to wait and see.
This Is Us, Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC
