This is Us Season 6 Episode 6 recap: Our Little Island Girl: Part 2

This article contains SPOILERS for This is Us season 6 episode 6.

As Beth prepares for her class’s first recital, Kevin and Kate work on balancing their sibling boundaries in this week’s episode of This is Us season 6.

Catch up on everything from the last episode here!

Following the Olympics hiatus, the sixth episode of This is Us season 6 kicks off with a flashback to young Beth on the beaches of Kingston, Jamaica where we see her father (Carl Lumbly) explaining the story of Beth was their little island girl who danced before she could walk. This blends perfectly with the present-day Beth Pearson being shown the impressive dance studio that she will finally be teaching at for their new program. Included within this program is a scholarship student who loves to dance but isn’t quite getting the routine yet.

This is Us Season 6 Episode 6: Prep for Thanksgiving

Flashing back to a post-Jack 1990s, teenage Kate, Kevin, Sophie, and Miguel all return from grocery shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. Shortly after Kevin shows the signs of his oncoming addiction, Becca and Matt (the man from the PTA and speed dating) return for some awkward introductions for everyone.

Becca invites him for the holiday dinner where hardly anyone looks pleased but it’s going ahead regardless. Around that same time, teenage Beth is on a date with Randall which is going well until she sees her old ballet dancer and gets uncomfy.

Going back present day, Kevin is making brunch for Kate, Madison, and her boo Elijah to show he is supportive of Madison dating. Kevin begins talking about plans for Thanksgiving when Toby comes barreling in on the phone, much to Kate’s dismay. They all make plans to come to Kevin’s taping for the pilot episode of his new show.

On the set, Elijah is being wholesome and Toby has to leave since he had a business call coming up. When Kevin begins talking about Thanksgiving and the Cabin again, Madison admits she does not want to go to the cabin. Madison wanted to hold off on this but she tells Kevin that she wants to stay in LA with Elijah and the twins.

Teenage Kate and Kevin are ignoring their respective vices when Kevin states that he cheated on Sophie. Kate is now conflicted because she is stuck between one of her best friends and her brother with this upsetting news.

Present-day Beth is closing down her studio when she sees her scholarship student working and struggling on her form and technique. Beth admits that she was in the same boat around her age, but encourages her to keep fighting for her passion so this opportunity doesn’t pass her by like it did Beth.

This is Us Season 6 Episode 6: Kevin’s pilot and Madison’s reveal

At the taping of the pilot episode, Kate tries to comfort Madison about the discomfort of expressing that she didn’t want to take her twins to the Cabin. This parallels with teenage Kate keeping her brother’s secret from Sophie, one of her best friends. Kate struggles with this but lies to a confused Sophie when she explains Kevin is likely struggling with his career.

After Kevin is being too avoidant, however, Sophie confronts her husband. Kevin explains he cheated once and also reveals Kate knew about it. This balances perfectly with modern Kevin and Kate since Kate knew about Madison’s news and adult Kevin is mad about that. Sophie leaves the Pearson’s after expressing her indignation at Kate.

It turns out teenage Beth looked up to her dance teacher a lot so when he didn’t show any compassion when she started struggling in class, had to drop out, and her dad passed away, Beth became hurt by this man.

When she goes to confront him about it, he is nothing but chipper and kind which throws off the mourning Beth. After exchanging basic pleasantries, Beth tells Randall that she would like to leave as soon as possible. On the night of adult Beth’s big recital, she is freaking out and looking to Randall for his endless support.

Kate confronts her brother in his trailer for his unreasonable behavior. Once Kevin is insulted that his sister didn’t have his back, Kate understandably argues that she always had her brother’s back, even when it damaged her life. Kevin listens and hears what Kate is saying and goes to Madison’s house to explain he was in the wrong for trying to bring twin infants across the country and that she can stay here with Elijah and he will not make a fuss anymore.

As he is leaving, Elijah comes out and sternly tells Kevin that he will be in Madison’s life for a long time. That night Kevin has some more friction with Toby and Kate texts Sophie, looking like their beef is over.

This is Us Season 6 Episode 6: Beth’s big recital

During the recital, the scholarship student stumbles during a solo and is too embarrassed to get up. Beth eventually walks up to her, makes she isn’t injured, and finds out what happened. Beth explains how she once fell during her time dancing (alluding to when she had to quit it during her youth) but she was able to get back up and get back into position eventually.

Beth’s words do wonders because this young student gets back up and is ready to take it from the top. As she does this, Randall explains to his three daughters that they can never forget their mother is a wonderful person.

The episode comes to a conclusion with adult Beth calling her ballet teacher finally and telling him everything she has held onto for almost three decades. She says it all and punctuates it by saying he took away the island girl who danced before she walked from her, but now that girl is back.

It all ends with a flash-forward to Beth being the academy’s director and her corkboard being filled with endless smiles and memories from years of successful dancers.

Is the final Thanksgiving episode of This is Us going to be the biggest? Is this the beginning of Sophie coming back into Kevin’s life? Let us know your answers and thoughts about the episode in the comments below!

Stream the new episode of This is Us season 6 next Tuesday, only on NBC, or stream the next day on Hulu!