‘This Is Us’ Recap: Exit Wounds

Warning: This recap of the “What Now” episode of This Is Us contains spoilers.

The Pearsons gathered to celebrate William’s life, and the gathering reopened old wounds for many members of the family. (And, of course, left the rest of us in tears … again.)

Randall
A few days after William’s death, Randall enters his room to gather his stuff and ponders how he can honor his legacy. “Do I start wearing sweater vests, drink more egg creams, get cooler frames? Round ones like the hipsters wear? William was kind of OG hipster,” he says to his wife, who then assures him that all anyone expects him to do is plan a service, be with loved ones and think of him dearly.

Turns out he doesn’t even have to do the first part, as William has requested in a letter left under the pillow as he packed for Memphis that his granddaughters plan the memorial because “adults make these things sad.” He would prefer them to “make it fun” and “fill it with things that make [them] smile.”

So out are lasagna and white doves. In are rainbow balloons, breakfast, confetti bombs, Blue Hawaiians (which the girls thought were an umbrella drink and not his fave strain of weed) Hand a eulogy by Randall. No scratch that, a toast by Randall because the girls think eulogies sound sad. But Randall has writer’s block. Jessie’s phone call to give his condolences is a welcome interruption. He shares a story about William feigning interest in football when a young athlete addicted to Vicodin came to their NA group just so he had someone to talk to. “He was a soft arm rest for weary souls to lean on,” Jessie sums up.

When the mailman delivers an impersonal crate of pears and a card that reads “deepest sympathies, the team” from Randall’s work, he inquires about William as he has not seen him out on his walk for awhile. Turns out William made friends with the postman and always asked about his daughter. “People don’t stop just to talk anymore,” notes the mail carrier. “This neighborhood will miss him.” When he hears the news, he tears up.

Beth is obviously not handling the death well. She gets snippy about the pears. ”Your father dies and this is what work sends you?” Later at the FUN-eral, Beth shows Randall that she had refilled all of William’s prescriptions and reveals that she is feeling like she didn’t the closure she needed. “You got your trip to Memphis. The girls got the memorial. He left you all with a way… I loved him too. I never even got a chance to say goodbye.” When it is time to toast, Randall decides that Bath should give it as the “person who was in it with him every single day.”

She delivers a beautiful speech even though she’s “pretty mad at him for leaving.” She mentions his cheating at cards, his humming while brushing, and that the “frail old bag of bones” still attempted to Charleston. “His moves weren’t fast but they were endearing. He was as endearing as hell. Even though we only had him for a few months, he’s part of our fabric now. We’ll remember things as before William and after William.”

Later, they took William’s daily stroll wearing hats and Rebecca admitted the error in her ways. “You know your father, Jack, I mean, taught you a lot about honesty and courage. Truth is, you came into this world pretty perfect. You always had this gentleness and this inner kindness. You got that from William. I haven’t said this before [but] I need to.”

She continues, “When I first met him, he was so far gone. When I saw him again years later, he was so much better. You got curious and I got scared. I always planned on telling you. I would set an age in my mind and then I’d lose my nerve. Truth is, I was so terrified. It was such a big lie and a long lie. I knew I could lose you over it. And that is no excuse. It was selfish and it was wrong, I am so sorry that you didn’t get more time with him. It is my fault.”

Randall finds it in his heart to forgive his mom, knowing that his pops loved him. He says, “It was enough time to know that I loved him. And he loved me. And I love you.”

The emotional, momentous day leads Randall to go to the office that evening, and he has his Jerry Maguire moment. Turns out those pears really irked him too as he is allergic, which his boss knows after an anaphylactic shock incident. He was more annoyed by the “one line Hallmark message and typed-out signature.” It helped him solve his earlier riddle. “I realized I honor [his life] by taking what I learned from him and have it shape the way I go on living mine. So I quit. No hard feelings. Sanjay, it’s all you now brother.”

Beth, who had gone home to relieve the babysitter, finds a postcard waiting for her from William calling her the daughter he never had.

KEVIN
The play’s (re)opening night is scheduled on the day of William’s service and Kevin is plagued by the idea that The Times theater critic isn’t coming. His new (old) girlfriend suggests telling him why he missed the first showing. “I can’t tell him Randall’s business. He’s been through enough.”

She finds his loyalty sexy and deserving of a kiss, and Kevin reveals that they still aren’t sleeping together even though they’re dating exclusively. She avoids this conversation and his suggestion that she sit with his family at the play and that they come clean about getting back together by putting the focus back on his critic issue. “You’re dating the ex-wife you cheated on 12 years ago, yet somehow managed to woo back in a diner with a C health rating. Do you really think you can’t win over this guy?”

Kevin loves a challenge so he bribes the reviewer’s assistant to let him into his office and begs him to give him a second shot because the play is really good yet no one will buy tickets unless he tells them to. Clearly the critic has already made up his mind about Kevin. “I think that you choked,” he charges. “I think that you realized without five takes and a laugh track, you are nothing but a 40-year-old playboy with no talent.”

He doesn’t come, but it turns out Kevin didn’t need his validation after Sophie shows up before curtain to wish him luck with a crutch for when he breaks his leg. Randall even proclaims, “There is now a man where the Manny once stood. I’ve never been prouder.” When Sophie meets up with him later, he relays that he has figured out that he came to New York really to win back his girl and that he will wait for as long as necessary to prove to her that he is no longer that same screw-up cheater. Apparently those were the magic words as she lets him into her bed that night.

While the critic didn’t make it, another VIP did. Ron Howard caught the play reluctantly, but was so impressed by Kevin that he wants to offer him a part in his next film. Only trouble with this big break is the movie starts shooting in a couple of months… in LA.

KATE
Kate is on edge the entire episode and ignoring all of Toby’s attempts to talk. “If you want to talk about William or anything,” he says. But she’s focusing all her energy on things like ordering balloons for her nieces’ party — until Beth’s speech sends her over the proverbial edge. Randall follows her outside to comfort her.

“I should be comforting you. I’m so sorry you had to go through this twice,” says Kate, adding, “[But that] broke me open. All this stuff is coming up about dad.”

Randall tells Kate about a dream he had the night before where his two dads were conversing on the couch, having a grand time swapping stories. Jack pulled out a tale about the time he tried to teach Randall to drive, and instead he peeled out of the driveway in reverse. “I’m not the guy to tell you how to handle your feelings, but I’ve learned that you’ve got to let them out,” Randall tells Kate. “You gotta share them with the people that love you.” Kate promises to chat with Toby after the play, but still avoids the topic once they are back at the hotel. She relents when he calls her on it and she drops a major bomb: “There is something that I need to tell you. I couldn’t talk about my dad’s death because it’s my fault. I’m the reason that he’s dead.”

Rebecca and Jack
The flashback provides further explanation to Kate’s shocking confession. The day has arrived for Rebecca to leave for the tour and things are still not hunky-dory after the disastrous Valentine’s Day and Jack’s discovery that she is in the band with her ex. He doesn’t come home to see her off at the time he said he would. Instead he’s hanging on way longer than he normally would at an office retirement party. Miguel keeps pestering him to go: “It’s time for you to go home and say a proper goodbye to your wife. Staying here is not going to keep her from leaving.”

When he finally comes to his senses, the shady ginger tells him the real party is at Joe’s Tavern later. He gets home and the kids plus Sophie are watching TV and Rebecca demands he meet her in the kitchen. She calls his actions passive-aggressive and gives him the lowdown on the kids needing a ride to a party, Randall’s robotics class switching days, and a warning that he should not let Kevin and Sophie hang in the basement without supervision. They share a small exchange about Sophie nibbling their son’s ear, and for a brief second we see the couple we love.

But it passes and there’s a honk to tell her it’s time to hit the road. The kids get grand hugs but Jack’s is limp and the kiss is all formality, no passion. Teenage Kate urges him to go outside and get a do-over but she’s already gone by the time he gets outside.

Later he takes the kids to the party, but Kate stays back and starts to express her concern that her parents are not all right. He promises that it is just “marriage and stuff,” and urges her to worry about more important things like grades, boys, and the band Weezer. She says he should have gone to the show that was only two hours away and tells him not to sit at home being sad that night.

“How could I be sad when I got a kid like you?” he replies, before returning home to TV and takeout. Eventually he heads for trouble at the bar. That shady ginger is back and offers him a drink. He accepts and she wonders where his wife is. He explains she’s following her dreams in Cleveland with her band. “I knew something was up,” Heather says as she puts her hand on his thigh. “I see you every day. You have that look a man gets when something breaks and he can’t fix it.”

Finally Jack starts acting like the Jack we know and love and kicks that shady hoe to the curb. “I am a married man. You’re embarrassing yourself and you’re embarrassing me.” He goes to the phone booth and makes a few calls. The first one is to ask someone to let the kids spend the night. The next one is to Kate: “Hey princess, I wanted to tell you were right. I’m going to fix things with your mom. I love you Katie girl.”

Then, he gets in the car and starts driving, toward Cleveland we suspect. The only problem with this scenario is that he had already been drinking — and then we see a flash of empty beer cans in the backseat. Ugh, I can’t even. Is the noble, awesome superstar dad going to meet his maker in a drunk driving accident and forever leave his daughter thinking it is her fault? Maybe there will be one last twist we can’t see coming just yet.

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

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