5 Best Moments From 'This Is Us' Season 3 (PHOTOS)

Kate and Toby Welcome Baby Jack

Nothing about starting a family has come easily to Kate (Chrissy Metz) and her husband, Toby (Chris Sullivan, with Metz), from the IVF conception through the premature delivery via emergency C-section. Post-birth, the new parents gazed at their small but mighty son in the hospital incubator, inspiring Kate to send up a plea to her late dad, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) — the baby's namesake — to watch out for the little guy. We trust that young Jack will be A-OK, but those of us at home may never quite recover from the trauma.   

Beth Gets Her Groove Back

The ongoing story about Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) and her job search came to a head as she and her cousin Zoe (Melanie Liburd) paid a visit to mama's house. It turns out that Carol (Phylicia Rashad, center, with Watson, left, and Liburd), the mother of all intractable matriarchs, had put an unceremonious end to Beth's dance career when she was a teenager. Once Beth finally received a long-overdue apology, it freed her — physically and emotionally — to reignite her passion and pursue a fresh path as a dance instructor.   

Randall Wins the Election

Well, we sure didn’t see that coming. Nobody expected Randall (Sterling K. Brown) to be successful in his long-shot bid to win a seat on the Philadelphia City Council, and that includes the political newcomer himself. Which is what made it all the sweeter when he received that surprise late-night phone call with the news that his tenacity — and countless hours spent knocking on doors — actually paid off. The audacity of hope, indeed!

Jack and Nicky Cease to Be Brothers in Arms

It's easy to lionize the elder Jack Pearson; after all, he was as solid as they come. But this season's exploration of the time he spent in the Vietnam War — and, in particular, how his relationship with his younger brother and fellow soldier, Nicky (Michael Angarano, left, with Ventimiglia), came to be irreparably fractured — served as a poignant reminder that Super Dad also harbored more than his fair share of dark nooks and crannies.     

Kevin Falls Off the Wagon

Out of all the Pearsons, Kevin (Justin Hartley, with Metz) may be the least predictable. (As his mom, Rebecca, played by Mandy Moore, so aptly explained, he's always been a tricky one to define.) Case in point: After successfully navigating sobriety for months, the recovering addict suddenly fell off the wagon in a big way, then subsequently attempted to hide the relapse by lying up a storm to his nearest and dearest. We'll never doubt Kevin’s acting skills — or profound vulnerability — again.