'This Is Us' character channels George Clooney to nail his performance

On This Is Us, Kevin (Justin Hartley) was totally freaking out about returning to the set of “The Manny,” since the last time he was there he had a total breakdown. “The Manny made me, Soph. It made me, and then it ruined me. And now they ask me to return to do this special episode, but really I’m just returning to the scene of the crime,” said Kevin to Sophie in his dressing room. “You know what I need? I need it to go like when George Clooney returned to do that last episode of ER. Do you remember that? That was cool. That’s what I need. That’s what I’m going for. I need people to love me … the way they loved Clooney.” He later realized that, in order to be the bigger man, he needed to “Clooney the hell out of this thing.”

With the entire Pearson family traveling to Los Angeles for Kevin’s “The Manny” appearance, Kate (Chrissy Metz) was also feeling nervous, but for a totally different reason. Always worried about what her mother, Rebecca (Mandy Moore), thinks about her, Kate was frantic to make sure everything was perfect for when Rebecca and Miguel arrived at her home. After totally flipping out over a blanket not properly “throwing”, Kate told her fiancé, Toby (Chris Sullivan), “You don’t understand. Every time my mom comes to visit, she comes in hot, looks me up and down like she’s fitting me for a freaking bra and then she starts criticizing me with these seemingly innocuous questions. I’m not going to overreact to everything she says this time.” But she did end up overreacting.

After watching Kate sing for the first time in public, Rebecca was trying to compliment her, but it only ended up offending Kate, who confessed to her mother, “You overcompensate for me, Mom, and you always have. And here I am, a 37-year-old woman, and you still make me feel like a stupid … fat, little kid.” It all got very dramatic (it is This Is Us after all), so it was a good thing Kate’s hilariously endearing fiancé was there to drop some much-needed humor. “As much as I want you to like me, you need to know that I am Team Kate for life. Like, that’s the deal here,” said Toby. He continued, “So I can’t have you putting me in a position where I bring you to a show that she doesn’t want you at, and you can’t ask me to side with you, okay? Because — Team Kate. Forever. That’s how this works.”

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of This Is Us for free on Yahoo View.

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