Andrew Robinson
Well, we did it; we made it through season two of This Is Us. While it seems wrong that the show has concluded over one month before the unofficial end of the television season (which is generally in early May), I will take a few less episodes per season if they keep the stories fresh, exciting, and believable, as they have all season. It’ll be a long summer without This Is Us, but let’s not get too into that! *As always, minor spoilers may follow.
Summary
In the season two finale of This Is Us, a wedding – and all its complications – occurs. Also, Deja begins to adjust to her new life, and The Big Three continue to deal with Jack’s untimely demise years earlier.
Analysis
I think “The Wedding” is a fitting way to end what has been a rollercoaster of a season for one of television’s best dramas. The episode features many major developments, and even takes us into the future for a few moments.
Jack’s appearances in the episode are interesting, to say the least. Per usual, This Is Us brings out all the emotions, which is especially evident in Jack’s screen time. While I cannot say that I am 100% on board with a few of his scenes – the show, which has always bordered on emotional-to-a-fault, crosses that barrier for me in “The Wedding” – it is always a joy to see Milo Ventimiglia bring Jack to life. I probably could have done without his more prominent scenes that seem to be written in a way that presents them as emotional as possible (however, I love his scenes with young Kate), but this is a small gripe.
Chrissy Metz really brings it as present-day Kate in “The Wedding.” This is one of her strongest performances of the season, and her chemistry with Chris Sullivan (Toby) is phenomenal. She makes every single struggle that Kate goes through seem absolutely believable, and truly makes the viewer sympathize with Kate. In “The Wedding” especially, Metz shows that she can carry the show, despite the presence of Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown (Randall), Mandy Moore (Rebecca), and Susan Kelechi Watson (Beth), among many others. This Is Us has one of the best casts top-to-bottom on television (behind just Game of Thrones and Stranger Things, in my mind), and Metz’s performance in “The Wedding” simply furthers this notion.
This Is Us had me worried. When Toby speaks to his parents (who, by the way, make me want to punch them in the face), it seems, for a split second, that something unexpected may occur. His response to his parents is perfect, however, and rights the ship.
Speaking of Toby’s parents, I think it is pretty low of them to say what they do, especially considering the fact that, as far as we know, they haven’t made an appearance in Toby’s life over the course of the past year and a half. While some (and I stress some) of what they say may have a bit of truth to it, the way they go about it is maddening, and they are certainly not the right people to give Toby their “advice” on that subject matter. With that said, I’m glad that, in the end, they decided to back off.
Then, right after things seem to be settled with Toby, things are ruffled up with Kate. Honestly, watching this, I was more worried with Kate making a rash decision (remember, she has done it in the past) than Toby. When Rebecca (accidentally) makes Kate realize what she does about her dreams, I nearly lost hope. It’s nice to see that Kate has evolved a bit as a person; one year ago, I believe that Kate would have reacted differently.
While Kevin does make some things about him throughout the episode (as always), I think he too has evolved… slightly. The fact that he is able to plan what he plans selflessly (for the most part) is telling, and his toast hints at this, as well. I hope this change in behavior continues.
In limited scenes, Lyric Ross (Deja), does a great job portraying a troubled teenager who is angry with the world. Her scene with newcomer Melanie Liburd (Beth’s cousin, Zoe) is emotional, intense, and utterly brilliant.
(*Minor spoiler in next paragraph)
With that said, I am not totally on board with the writers’ decision to have her do what she does in the final moments of the season finale; it doesn’t seem authentic to me. While I cannot honestly say that she and I had similar childhoods (far from it, actually), I am not quite sure if Toby’s mother’s comment would affect her in the way that it does. Also, we have been given no indication that Deja has resorted to physicality in the past – she always seems to bottle up her anger and let it fester – so I don’t necessarily believe that she would do what she does. But, of course, as the season’s penultimate episode showed us, her mother did walk out on her; this can obviously make a child act out. I am just not sure that she would have acted out in the way that she did, given everything that we know about her character.
(*Minor spoiler over)
Speaking of Melanie Liburd, get used to seeing her on your screen during This Is Us; I hear that Zoe will be, at least, a recurring character next year, and the final moments of “The Wedding” may have shown us why.
Seeing Miguel’s (Jon Huertas) face as Kevin gives his big toast, yet leaves out Miguel, who was Jack’s best friend, is painful. I don’t hold Miguel in the same level of disdain as many fans do, and I often feel bad for him. After all, he did lose his best friend exactly when Rebecca and the Big Three lost their husband/father, yet no one ever really mentions that. I hope we get more Miguel scenes in season three; I really would like to know how he comes to be with Rebecca and, as a direct correlation, decide if I should continue to sympathize with him!
The second that I noticed the wedding was reaching its conclusion around the 45-minute mark, meaning that the show still had about ten minutes to burn, I began bracing myself for… something. I didn’t know what, but I knew something was coming, and I knew that it would probably be a major development. I was right.
(*Minor spoiler in next paragraph)
Those last ten minutes are shocking, yet entirely like This Is Us. Playing with timelines is a tricky business in television shows; not many can pull it off convincingly. TIU, however, does. Setting themselves up for a rocky season three, they mess with timelines, showing us what many major characters will experience. (On a side note, I’m disappointed in myself for not realizing that this would be the case the second that Randall begins to speak of his desire for control, yet recognizes the fact that no one has control over their lives). This Is Us sets itself up for an explosive season three, and seasons beyond, by doing this, yet it doesn’t come off like a weak attempt to keep viewers tuned in next fall. Instead, it feels entirely reasonable for This Is Us. It’ll be interesting to see some major/supporting characters act in ways that we haven’t seen before.
(*Minor spoiler over)
Verdict
“The Wedding” is a fitting end to a mostly-brilliant season of This Is Us. While I am not a fan of some of Jack’s scenes – to me, they come off as emotional just for the sake of being emotional – or the direction that the writers take with Deja, I think that the episode is stellar. The show sets themselves up for quite the season three, and provides at least a little bit of closure on two of the season’s biggest additions/moments: Deja, and the wedding.
8.25/10
With This Is Us done for the summer, I plan on reviewing Rise weekly; it aired directly after TIU on Tuesday night on NBC, and will take the 9pm Tuesday night timeslot through the duration of its season. I have not had a chance to watch it yet – ya know, college – but I will give it a look soon, and make sure it is something I want to review. If so, a review of its pilot episode should be out by Saturday, at the latest. If you’re interested in a show about a middle-class high school drama department reaching new heights with a new teacher, give it a watch! (All things revealed: it didn’t exactly hit it off in the ratings, as it failed to retain even half of This Is Us’s 2.8 Nielson rating, posting a meager 1.2. This, of course, doesn’t mean that the show won’t be great, but it is not a start that inspires confidence in NBC picking it up for a second season. Regardless, I think it looks great, and will be giving it a shot).
