The View From Here – We Are NOT Okay

Ask any This Is Us fan how we’re doing today and the truth is – we are NOT okay.  What a show.  What an episode.  So well written. So well done.  Spoilers ahead – so if you haven’t watched it – stop reading now.

For the rest of us – how did you feel about last night’s episode?  The Train.   I knew we were going to have to say goodbye to Rebecca.  I didn’t realize how clever it would be.  A train ride.  Through all her life experiences and people from her past.  We see Randall’s birth father – William – who escorted her on her “final ride”.   Dr. K, the one who delivered the “big three”.  Miguel.  A young Rebecca.  Beaming as she gets glimpses of her kids at different ages and stages.  Being somehow still aware of what was going on in the real world.

Beth’s goodbye got me good. “All these years, so many times when I was faking it, I was doing my best impression of you, Rebecca,” she says. “I’ll take him the rest of the way, Mama. Thank you for helping me with that, complicated, incredible, beautiful boy that you raised. But I got him now.”  Oh boy.  The tears.

The scene with Dr. K – (played by Gerald McRaney), who delivered the twins, is the bartender. The rail car is decorated with random items that belonged to the Pearson family.  You see a football game on TV, Jack’s coffee mugs.  That hits hard.  Remembering life with Jack.   Rebecca says she made mistakes while parenting, and Dr. K assured her everyone does. He tells her he thought she was going to die giving birth.   Instead “You survived just to lose a child and then a husband — and still, what thing you made of it all. What a big messy, gigantic, spectacular thing,” “You’re as tough as they come, Rebecca Pearson, and you, my dear, have earned a rest.”  Oh my heart.  That’s powerful.  We know it’s coming but we don’t want to say goodbye.  Not ready.

The whole family is sitting together.  Waiting for the end.  Reminiscing.  Talking about all the things she did as a wife and mother.  Words she said.  Advice she gave.

Waiting on Kate to arrive from London.

Rebecca is aware that Kate isn’t there yet.  She holds on until “Bug” shows up and tells her she loves her.   It’s happening.  The end is coming.

Randall says “I want to say the perfect thing to you, Mom, but I’m not sure what that is.  I don’t even know if you can hear me, but I love you Mom. We’re good now. You made us good. So, thanks for all the meals. Thank you for always making us feel loved.”

Wrecked.  We are forever going to feel this show in our souls.

Kevin tells her “I love you, Mom”.

The end of the episode, Rebecca turns to William and says “This is quite sad, isn’t it? The end?”

To which he replies,  “The way I see it, if something makes you sad when it ends, it must have been pretty wonderful while it was happening,”

How true.   That’s how we all feel now about this show which took us on this incredible journey over six seasons.

And we got to see her reunite with her beloved Jack at the very end.  A simple “hey” and they were together again.  Beautiful and incredibly sad all at the same time.

Mandy Moore is exceptional and deserves all the acting awards.  The way she transitioned from a young 30 something to her dying days.  You almost forget it’s the same actress.

One more episode and then it’s all over.

Well done.    I know I will never be the same.  I am grateful for this show and the experience.  I have loved laughing and crying with each episode.  I have loved each and every character and appreciated every storyline.  I love how real it has been.  It has tackled so many issues and real life experiences.  Relationships, tragedy, family, acceptance and love.  With humour, respect and compassion.

I will miss it and will need something else to fill my cup on Tuesdays nights.

For a little bit more BEHIND THE SCENES of the last two episodes – click HERE.   The show’s creator takes you on a journey of the end.  It’s so good.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan