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This Is Us Recap: ‘The Car’

By Kelly Shanaphy

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This Is Us followed up Sunday’s heart-breaking episode with the fallout of Jack’s death in “The Car.”

While his death was handled with surprising nuance, this week steers head-on into the emotional moments. Like last week, Jack takes a bit of a backseat because this story is about how his death effects those around him. Rebecca, in particular, isn’t coping with single motherhood and it takes a surprise appearance by an old friend to finally remind her of her own strength.

As the title would suggest, “The Car” revolves entirely around the Pearsons’ station wagon and how it holds all of the family’s memories.

In the past, Jack and Rebecca take the kids car shopping where they’re looking for an affordable used vehicle. However, when he catches sight of his three kids joyfully playing inside of the new station wagon he can’t help but get that one instead. Rebecca is naturally worried about the cost, Jack assures her that he managed to get the price down to a reasonable amount.

In a final shot, it’s revealed that the smooth-talking dad gave one of his fantastic speeches about his family in order to convince the salesman to cut the price. Of course, the car turns out to be a good purchase in the long run since it lasted for such a long time.

“The Car” shows a lot of the smaller Pearson moments, like Jack driving his truant daughter to an Alanis Morissette signing or teaching his two sons how to drive. The sentimental moments are exactly what Jack hoped to get out of a sturdy vehicle, and it’s telling that most of those scenes are from his perspective. It’s fitting, considering those memories were exactly the kind of thing that Jack wanted to hold onto, which is why he went back into the house to grab the photo albums and other family mementos.

However, the focus of the car is mainly a background character for the rest of the ensemble throughout the episode, because the teens and Rebecca are trying to cope on the day of the funeral.

The latter is trying to keep a brave face for the kids but she finally cracks at the reception when Kevin gets angry at Randall for wearing Jack’s watch. She’s too heartbroken to figure out a solution to the kids’ fight but luckily Dr. Katowsky shows up at the perfect moment. For those who forget, he’s the doctor who helped deliver the triplets and became a close friend of the family, as well as a confidant for Jack.

“The Car” makes the smart choice to have Rebecca lean on him over Miguel considering how apathetic fans were to his introduction last season, and he manages to alleviate a few her fears. Yes, Jack had an easier time solving their kids’ problems but as a strong woman and mother, she will be able to get through anything.

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“The Car” explains the meaning behind Jack’s favorite tree which turns out to just be a random spot. When Rebecca goes in for a scary cancer test, he takes her to his “favorite” tree to take her mind off everything while they wait for the result. However, he reveals that the only reason he loved the tree so much was that he knew it would be the place where she would find out she was perfectly healthy.

It’s a moment Rebecca consistently reflects on, and she chooses it to be the spot where the family sprinkles Jack’s ashes. However, the scene is more important than just a family coming together to mourn their father. It’s about Rebecca realizing she can be both parents to her kids even though she’s falling apart. She tells her sons that neither has to worry about being the man of the house which finally stops their argument, and reminds Kate that it was in no way her fault (or the dog’s) that Jack went back inside the house.

With “The Car” ending on a relatively hopeful note, This Is Us gives fans a lot to look forward to when the show returns after the Olympics. These past three episodes have been the emotional payoff that fans were looking for since the reveal that Jack would die, but it’s time to move past that to tell new stories.

After last week’s surprising flash forward into the future, it looks like the series will continue to explore new timelines.

Next: This Is Us finally reveals Jack’s death in “Super Bowl Sunday”

The promo for the next episode looks like the series is going to start looking at Jack’s story and his time in the military, rather than just as a family man. It’s a reminder that just because Jack Pearson is dead, it doesn’t mean his story is over yet.

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