Show Snob
Fansided

This Is Us Recap: “Brothers”

By Kelly Shanaphy

facebooktwitterreddit

This Is Us, “Brothers,” focuses on the Pearson men this week in the two different timelines. It’s always nice to see the boys interact because there’s so much emotional drama between the three to make up seasons worth of stories.

For now, they’re all dealing with their own demons with the exception of Randall who is a constant source of optimism. A big charity gala ends up being the sight of the present day drama with both brothers attending with loved ones.

Randall takes Deja to Kevin’s fancy gala even though she only wants to go because of her crush on his brother. Nevertheless, it’s a step forward for her after the last episode when it seemed like hope might be lost for the parents to coax Deja out of her shell again. While the gala initially starts off well in “Brothers,” things take a turn for the worse when Randall grabs her to prevent the young girl from eating a shrimp tail. Deja makes a beeline for the bathroom where she holes up with her foster father sitting outside the bathroom door trying to get up the courage to go inside. After a semi-pep talk from Kevin, Randall goes inside and finally gets her to open up about coming from an abusive foster home. It’s the first big step for him and it’s a nice payoff for the family after these first few episodes.

Kevin is spiraling quickly all throughout “Brothers,” and it’s incredibly hard to watch. The actor is all out of his painkillers and is desperate to get his hands on some more despite his doctor refusing. He’s clearly going through withdrawals, and to cope he begins chugging all the alcohol he can get his hands on. Clearly, things aren’t going to end well because he’s supposed to be the charismatic actor at a charity gala alongside his girlfriend.

More from Show Snob

Of course, drunk Kevin misses the auction he’s supposed to attend which leads to a pretty big spat with a displeased Sophie. He ends up crying on the street after getting in contact with a new doctor who will get him the painkillers he wants. It’s sad to watch someone give into addiction, and hopefully, Sophie will pick up on the warning signs early considering she’s a nurse.

In the past, Jack is bringing the boys on a camping trip hoping they’ll bond. “Brothers,” highlights the problems young Randall and Kevin faced with each other despite how close they are now. After a malicious prank by Kevin, he ends up getting sent into the tent for the bulk of the trip to sulk and play his Gameboy. He refuses to talk to Jack about what his problem is with Randall but when he finds his brother’s journal detailing how to befriend Kevin, he finally relents.

By the end of the trip, the two boys are roasting marshmallows together and young Kevin is trying to make an effort to be a better brother. Meanwhile, the nursing home called and Rebecca rushes over there to be with her dying father-in-law. Jack predictably does not want to leave the camping trip to spend time with his abusive father but when he returns home he does drop a huge bombshell. Turns out Jack has (had?) a little brother named Nicky who also was in Vietnam!

Next: This Is Us Recap: “Still There”

“Brothers,” is a pretty bleak episode of This Is Us as the show begins to move into darker territory. Even Parenthood managed to juggle the sad tears with the happy ones, but this series has gotten much more glum. Hopefully, Kate’s pregnancy, which she finally tells a few strangers about, has a happy ending because the Pearson family needs more reasons to smile.

Home/NBC