This Is Us Recap: ‘Vegas, Baby’

This Is Us returns from hiatus with a more upbeat episode focused on a trip to Sin City.

“Vegas, Baby,” has the Pearson clan splitting up to celebrate either Kate’s bachelorette party or Toby’s bachelor get-together. Of course, things don’t go off as planned with both parties getting ruined by some long-simmering tension bubbling beneath the surface. Then again, would it be a Pearson gathering without a big fight ensuing between family members?

“Vegas, Baby” has the first big blow-out argument between Beth and Randall when the latter refuses to enjoy the vacation because of his constant worrying about Deja. Turns out when she stopped by at the end of “The Car,” it was to ask for money to get their heat turned back on before the next social worker visit.

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When Beth asks him to please start enjoying himself, he makes a crack about how she’s “the head” and he’s “the heart” in their relationship which is why it’s so easy for her to forget about Deja. Understandably, this leads to their big showdown at Kate’s bachelorette party after Randall interrupts the night because he received a phone call from their former foster daughter to let him know that she’s fine.

However, Kate ends up getting caught in the crossfire in “Vegas, Baby,” when she tries to step in and defend her brother. When Beth rightfully tells her sister-in-law to stay out of the fight with her husband, Kate ends up releasing some pent up anger about always coming second in her brother’s eyes. While the two siblings reconnect over some tears and shared memories of Sex and the City, she urges Randall to go hang out with Toby. In the end, Kate makes her way to Beth’s room since Madison is snoring too loudly, and they share some long overdue bonding time.

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Poor Toby desperately wants to bond with Kevin and Randall but they blow him off early into “Vegas, Baby” to deal with their own problems. After running into one of his co-stars at the bar, Kevin finds out she’s been cut out of the movie. Staring at the cocktails getting made in front of him, he realizes that a large number of his scenes were with her and he begins to spiral.

Heading back to his hotel room, he spends the night crazily doing push-ups to try and keep his mind off of the alcohol. Thankfully, Randall drags him to go make up with Toby, where the three men finally go for a walk and have some fun. Turns out, the groom-to-be felt rejected by his actual brother who blew him off and he just wanted the opportunity to have fun with these two. It’s a touching scene and leads to the three actually having a good time despite their collective problems.

In the past, Rebecca and Jack decided not to celebrate their anniversary after years of the latter overshadowing the former with gifts. It doesn’t exactly tie into the present day events, but it’s still touching to see the kids scramble to throw together an impromptu celebration for their parents. However, when Jack forgets to set the oven for Kevin’s cornish hens, and his son breaks down, the real motive is revealed: he’s worried that his parents are getting divorced. After alleviating his fears and actually cooking the food, the world’s greatest couple heads upstairs for meters shower secretly planned by the Big Three.

While “Vegas, Baby” isn’t the strongest episode of This Is Us, it’s an enjoyable break from the emotional rollercoaster regarding Jack’s death. With only two episodes left, it looks like the remaining time in this season will see Randall and Beth deal with Deja’s situation since the closing minutes had them discovering the young girl sleeping in a car with her mother.

Next: Good Girls premiere recap: "Pilot"

The only sibling whose storyline is up in the air is Kevin right now. Will he make another big gesture to win Sophie back or is he going to spend time with Kate? All questions will be answered in these two remaining episodes.