Show Snob
Fansided

This Is Us Recap: “Still There”

By Kelly Shanaphy

facebooktwitterreddit

This Is Us is even better than last year now that every Pearson gets a great storyline to deal with.

“Still There,” displays a lot of nuances this week by tackling some serious themes. An untimely visit from Rebecca’s mother is the catalyst for the episode when the entire family needs to band together to survive her visit. With all of the Pearson siblings trying to figure out their personal lives,  this episode definitely serves as a tipping point for the rest of the season.

In flashbacks this week, the Pearson household is dealing with a chicken pox outbreak coupled with a massive snow storm. Unfortunately, the last-minute arrival of Rebecca’s mother is a recipe for disaster in “Still There”. Grandma comes flying in and reigning compliments on Kevin, who has the worst case of the illness, while easily dropping passive-aggressive insults on her other two grandchildren. She gifts Kate with a too small mermaid costume and tells her that it should be a “goal” for the slightly chubby little girl and gives Randall a basketball for the third time even though he has no interest.

Mandy Moore is at her best in “Still There,” when she finally confronts her over-bearing mother on her attitude towards Randall. With Jack out of commission when he catches the chicken pox again,  Rebecca allows herself to be baited into an argument. Yet, Rebecca knows when it’s time for her to voice an opinion because she won’t stand by and allow her mother to demean Randall because of the color of his skin.

More from Show Snob

It’s a heart-wrenching scene only made more devastating when it’s revealed her son was listening in and finds out the real reason his grandmother has been so distant from him. However, it leads to the two making their first steps towards bonding and Rebecca highlights how the subtle racism her mother shows can be just as harmful as people who openly express their hate.

In present day, Randall is dealing with a different problem in the form of hygiene. Deja isn’t washing her hair and it’s leading to some serious hygiene issues. While Beth wants to speak with her honestly, Randall feels like a discussion like that could make her feel alienated. However, after an altercation at the bowling alley, he admits that he needs Beth’s help thus leading the mother and daughter to have a heart to heart. Turns out, Deja has alopecia and has been ashamed hence why her hair has been left a mess. What was a heart-warming moment is overshadowed when Deja realizes that Beth tells her secret to Randall which leads her to cut off the braids that her foster-mother had done for her. “Still There,” subverts the typical foster child storyline on television by showing just how difficult it is to be foster parents.

While Randall’s family unit is being tested, Kevin’s career could be taking a potential hit. A producer calls out Kevin early into “Still There,” when he realizes that his star is dealing with a knee injury. Unfortunately, he’s forced to get a quick surgery which puts him out of commission for a bit and on Kate’s couch.  Remembering how his father encouraged him to be tough by reminiscing on his chicken pox incident as well as his old football highlight reel. While the doctor told him to rest, Kevin ends up taking pain medication and exercising anyways in an attempt to be ready for his next scene. Looks like he might be headed down a dark path and with Sophie working constantly, hopefully, someone will notice these warning signs.

Next: This Is Us Season 2, Episode 3 recap: “Deja Vu”

Kate’s storyline seems like a lot of the same stuff until that bombshell ending in “Still There”. Turns out she hasn’t been working out and eating healthier because of a singing gig but because she’s pregnant! This definitely has the most potential to be an interesting payoff for her character especially when last season was a lot of the same stuff for her. Now that she’s going to be a mom, there has to be a reunion between her and Rebecca that sees the two bury the hatchet from earlier this season.

Home/NBC