Andrew Robinson
Spoilers will be mostly avoided in this review, but minor spoilers may appear.
“Toby” is an episode that was eagerly awaited by many fans, as it seemed to promise a bit of an origin story on Toby, whom the audience knew surprisingly little about, considering the nature of the show. Instead of dedicating the episode to Toby, however, as the title may suggest, nearly all of the major storylines currently circulating are addressed and furthered, making for a bit of a messy episode.
Summary
Toby continues to battle depression, as he and Kate await phone calls from their fertility doctor. Toby’s past is explored. Kevin and Zoe travel to visit Jack’s old squad-mate, Donnie Robinson, in a quest to find out information on Jack’s time in Vietnam. Randall and Beth continue to expand upon their recent developments. In the past, Miguel helps Rebecca with repairs around the house, and the Teenage Big Three celebrate prom in their own ways.
Analysis
“Toby” simply tries to do too much. In an episode that should have been dedicated almost solely to Toby’s origin story, plus him and Kate in the present, Fogelman and Co. instead decide to further nearly every major storyline, leaving the episode feeling quite jumbled and messy. Considering the major developments in Kate and Toby’s lives, “Toby” should have focused predominately on those two characters, much like the previous episode, “Vietnam,” focused on Jack’s story. It feels very unlike This Is Us to gloss over significant updates in storylines, but they do just that in “Toby,” as they simply try to cover too much ground in 43 minutes.
With that said, the parts of the episode that do focus on Toby (and, to a lesser extent, Kate) work very well. Chris Sullivan does a magnificent job at portraying a man struggling with depression, but also attempting to stay strong for those he loves – this is a far too real situation that is quite heartbreaking to watch. His scenes, both in the past and in the present, are captivating to watch; Sullivan gives what is perhaps his best performance in the show’s young history to date in “Toby.” Luke Clark, who portrays the 15-year-old version of Toby, is similarly great in his few scenes. Perhaps the most heartfelt moment of the episode occurs when a younger Toby (perhaps around 10 years old) goes clothes-shopping with his mother, and does what he can to cheer her up. To the actor who portrays this version of Toby, I apologize for being unable to locate your name, but you did a great job in limited scenes.
Here’s to hoping that Toby and Kate’s story arc can return to at least a bit of happiness soon. The end of the episode seems to at least be a step in the right direction.
(Spoiler present in the following paragraph).
While, again, it would have been nice if an episode titled “Toby” focused predominately on, well, Toby, the arc surrounding Kevin and Zoe is intriguing. The look into the intricacies of their relationship is well-received, and much of their dialogue is strong. They actually seem to be finding some answers into Jack’s past in Vietnam, thanks to Donnie, which is nice to see in a show full of mysteries. However, the reveal near the end of the episode concerning Jack and a certain necklace is something that I absolutely hate, assuming it goes in the direction that I fear it will. It would feel extremely cheap if another 30-40-something year-old character is introduced that has a, for lack of a better term, familial relationship with Jack. That would seem waaayyy too soap opera-y for a show that is better than that. I really, really, really don’t want to see that.
(End of spoiler)
Randall and Beth are going off in what seems to be very different directions. This can be a good thing, as it allows the show to grow, but I’m not so sure it’s a good thing for the characters themselves. It seems like it’ll be extremely difficult for Randall to accomplish what he has his heart set on accomplishing, and Beth seems to be struggling more than she is letting on. The promo for next week’s episode seems to promise some sort of advancement in this storyline, so that should be a major point moving forward.
What feels the most unnecessary in “Toby” is the inclusion of the scenes featuring the Teenage Big Three, Rebecca, and Miguel. Simply too much is packed into one episode, and these scenes seem to be the easiest to include in a different episode. They don’t really seem to aid in the storyline of the present, as many flashback scenes do in TIU. Yes, Teenage Kate’s arc does relate to present-day Kate’s storyline, but this simply feels forced and unnecessary. And, yes, one could argue that Teenage Randall’s struggles in “Toby” can relate to present-day Randall’s arc but, again, it feels unnecessary to add these flashback scenes in an episode that already features so much. The scenes with Miguel and Rebecca would be nice to see in a different episode, as that relationship does need to be explored at some point, but “Toby” was not the episode to do that. The same rings true for all of the flashback scenes involving the Teenage Big Three. Fogelman simply bites off more than he can chew, and the episode struggles as a result.
Verdict
“Toby” is an episode that could have been great if Fogelman and Co. would have been content to let the titular character, along with Kate, take center stage. Instead, likely considering the fact that last week’s episode, “Vietnam,” also didn’t advance many present-day storylines, they panic, and include far too much. Chris Sullivan gives a great performance, as do the actors portraying Teenage and Younger Toby, and Chrissy Metz does a great job as Kate. However, the rest of the episode is messy, and far too jumbled.
6/10
