Andrew Robinson
This Is Us made its triumphant return post-Olympics on Tuesday, February 27th. After airing consecutive emotional episodes before its three-week break, This Is Us let up on the emotions… well, at least a little bit.
*As always, minor spoilers may follow
Summary
“Vegas, Baby,” This Is Us‘s third-to-last episode of the season, aired on Tuesday night. It features two parties – one bachelor and one bachelorette – yet the festivities aren’t quite so festive, as Randall, Kevin, and Beth deal with their own issues while in attendance. Also, an unexpected person reenters Randall and Beth’s lives. In the past, another celebration takes place, and the Young Big Three try to show their parents how much they mean to them.
Analysis
I very much enjoyed “Vegas, Baby.” While it is certainly not anywhere near as emotional as This Is Us‘s previous three episodes (“That’ll Be the Day,” “Super Bowl Sunday,” and “The Car”), I think it serves the show well to take a bit of a mental break. Of course, per usual for This Is Us, emotional moments still sneak up on the viewer in “Vegas Baby” – the show just isn’t as upfront about it as in the past few episodes.
After such a focus on the past – namely Jack, Rebecca, and the Teenage Big Three – in the last couple of episodes, it is nice that the episode instead focused mainly on the present, with a nice sprinkling of the Young Big Three era. As much as I love seeing Logan Schroyer, Niles Fitch, and Hannah Zeile on my screen, I believe it is important for the show to give us an episode void of the Teenage Big Three, considering just how integral they have been to this season’s storylines. With that said, however, I hope they make an appearance next week!
(Minor spoiler in the next paragraph)
It is interesting that we see a side of Randall and Beth’s relationship that we have not really seen before; their scenes together feel all the more real in “Vegas, Baby” because of this. I am still of the opinion that Randall and Beth have the most wholesome relationship on This Is Us (sorry Rebecca and Jack; you’re a close second), and I believe their character arcs in Tuesday’s episode are important for the public to see. This Is Us is able to connect with viewers in a way that I simply haven’t seen from any other show (not even my beloved Stranger Things or Game of Thrones), and I believe that it is extremely important for the show not to isolate the viewer by portraying any relationship to be “perfect” – every relationship ever had between anyone had its ups and downs. By showing that Randall and Beth do have spats and do say things that they don’t mean, yet still stay together and have endless love for one another, This Is Us effectively gives the viewer both a relationship to strive for, and the knowledge that no relationship will ever be perfect; they all take work, and will have their ups and downs.
(Minor spoiler over)
Speaking of Beth, Susan Kelechi Watson continues her excellence in “Vegas, Baby.” I feel like I mention her every week, but she deserves it every time. She does a brilliant job of portraying a woman who just wants to have fun in Las Vegas, yet can’t shake responsibilities. Plus, her heart-to-heart with Kate is very touching, and expands upon her character, which is nice to see. How she and Randall decide to handle the happenings at the end of “Vegas, Baby” will be interesting, as they seem to be back on the same train of thought after a bit of a hiccup.
It’s amazing how This Is Us can present such real situations every episode. As a Secondary Education/English major, I’ve always been a huge protector of children and keeping them safe. I honestly don’t know what I would do if I found myself in Randall and Beth’s situation at the tail end of the episode. There’s a lot of red tape there, and any one action could damage their relationship with the person in question, but I know what they’ll want to do, and I cannot fault them for that – I would likely do something very similar. This is just one example of how This Is Us draws the viewer in unlike any show that I’ve seen before – it presents all-too-real scenarios, and challenges the characters in ways that we see ourselves challenged every day.
Speaking of challenges, We Need to Talk About Kevin (sorry; movie pun. Great film, by the way). I have expressed my dislike of Kevin numerous times throughout my reviews, but even I am excited for him after the events of “Vegas, Baby.” I’m still not entirely sure if he passes his self-invented challenge, but my gut says he does, and the maid’s face near the conclusion of the episode seems to confirm this gut-feeling. It seems as if Kevin may be coming just a little bit out of his self-conceited, self-interested shell, and I am very happy for him. Hopefully he doesn’t revert back to that nature if/when the show puts him back in the Hollywood spotlight. If there were ever a time for This Is Us to challenge the idea that people can’t change, it’s with Kevin. I hope he builds off his small victory in “Vegas, Baby” and becomes a better man.
I love the sprinkling of the past in Tuesday’s episode. The Young Big Three – particularly Kevin, go figure – do a heartwarmingly bad-turned-good job at showing their parents how much they appreciate them. This feels very similar to how many kids try to surprise or spoil their parents, and it makes it all the more real for the viewer. Parker Bates (Young Kevin), in particular, does a great job as a child who innocently believes something about his parents that, when pondered, isn’t too much of a leap, given his youth and the fact that Jack and Rebecca want to celebrate their anniversary differently than normal that specific year.
Finally, Kate and Toby’s conversation before flying out to Vegas is both funny and revealing. On face value, there is definitely some humor in their comments but, when looked at more deeply, I think many people will see themselves in their feelings – many of us don’t want to go out of our comfort zone and talk to a bunch of people that aren’t quite our style (myself included), yet know that it is important to do so. Kate and Toby simply voice these feelings that generally go unvoiced.
Verdict
“Vegas, Baby” is a solid episode. While nothing super spectacular happens, there are some important character developments and heartwarming moments. It’ll be interesting to see where the show takes Randall and Beth as they deal with an unexpected surprise, as well as Kevin, when he (possibly) is thrust back into the spotlight.
I don’t have too much to critique here. I would have loved to see a few scenes of Tess and Annie with Rebecca and Miguel when their parents were in Vegas, but the 43-minute runtime just doesn’t allow for some scenes. However, it would have been great to see them out of their environment a bit, as I can only remember scenes with the two Pearson girls at home, with Randall or Beth.
It seems that next Tuesday’s episode will focus mainly on the last few months of a fairly new character – this could set the precedent for any future This Is Us episodes centered around non-Big Three characters.
Only two episodes left in the season!
8/10
