Andrew Robinson
This Is Us had just three episodes remaining in its up-and-down third season entering Tuesday night. After “Don’t Take My Sunshine Away,” only two remain.
Summary
Kate and Toby take on new roles. Beth and Randall return to their hectic lives. Kevin makes decisions for his future, with some help from the past. The Young Big Three attend their first school dance.
Analysis
Most of “Don’t Take My Sunshine Away” is very good. The drama is high, the emotions are genuine, and the character interactions are raw, and feel real… save for one specific aspect of the storyline.
Randall and Beth both have very dominant, intense personalities. Therefore, it makes sense that they would fight sometimes. However, they have always proven to have an overwhelming love for one another. While this does not mean that they will never fight – all couples fight – it does tend to mean that they won’t stay mad at each other for long periods of time without talking about it, allowing themselves to boil in anger. It seems convenient that they all of a sudden fail to voice their opinions, before eventually (seemingly) having what is likely an inevitable blowup. Both have always supported the other, and it feels cheap to suddenly have them be such at odds. TIU has a tendency to make every minor conflict – or every hint at a minor conflict – into a major one, and the Randall/Beth issues highlight this sad fact.
Outside of the Randall/Beth scenes, nearly all of “Don’t Take My Sunshine Away” is very well-done. The only other minor gripe this reviewer has regards Kevin’s inner conflict regarding Zoey. Rarely has Kevin proven himself to be in need of what Zoey says she doesn’t want. He’s aging very quickly, and the “eventually…” argument needs to be thrown out the window at some point. However, with his ultimate decision known, this only serves as a minor gripe. This reviewer wishes the show would have avoided the conflict altogether by having Kevin come to the conclusion earlier – as it is in his character to do – but this is only a minor misstep.
Everything else in the episode is fantastic. The scenes with the Young Big Three are captivating (minor issue: how did none of the chaperones at the dance notice that many missing kids??), and their experiences at their first dance are very cute. As usual, Parker Bates, Lonnie Chavis, and Mackenzie Hanciscsak are fabulous as the Young Big Three. Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore also showcase their brilliant chemistry, while playing Jack and Rebecca – who are seeing their kids go to a dance for the first time, and reminiscing over their own experiences – to perfection.
The best parts of “Don’t Let My Sunshine Away” are undoubtedly the hospital scenes. Chrissy Metz is brilliant in her somewhat-limited scenes as a first-time mother. Chris Sullivan, however, overshadows Metz, and everyone else in the episode. Sullivan portrays Toby’s own innermost anxieties and concerns in a way that makes the audience want to cry for the struggling man. His scenes in the hospital room are emotional, and feel extremely raw and real. It is clear that Kate and Toby are going to be dealing with a lot for the foreseeable future, but Metz and Sullivan appear to be fully up to the task.
Verdict
“Don’t Let My Sunshine Away” is one of This Is Us’s better season three episodes. Outside of a minor gripe regarding Kevin’s conflict of the episode, the only major issue this reviewer takes with the episode is the Randall/Beth arc.
Bates, Hanciscsak, Chavis, Ventimiglia, Moore, Metz, and Sullivan haul the load for the actors. Their story arcs range from cute to heartwarming to tear-inducing, and all provide the feels. Sullivan is the MVP.
8.25/10
