We do not talk enough about what It’s us‘In early years, Rebecca went through.
Let’s just take a moment to think back to the premiere of the series. After carrying three babies for three months, she underwent a lot of traumatic labor and an emergency caesarean section. And when she woke up afterwards, she had to find out that one of her children did not survive the horrible ordeal.
Yes, Pearsons’ decision to adopt Randall was heartwarming (if not without lifelong problems). And yes, babies are cute and have an extraordinary ability to make you feel better when you are down. But this week’s episode begins to find out how the loss of little Kyle is not something easy, especially not in the physically painful, sleep-deprived state in which Rebecca finds herself from the hospital. And while I’m focusing on the new mom, it’s not like Jack’s getting out of here much easier: as we see in Tuesday’s hour, he’s sad, too. And his demons are so close, they practically drive the gun all the way home.
The journey between the hospital and home is the focus of every storyline this week. So let’s see how Madison and Kevin fare; Toby, Kate and Ellie; Randall and Beth; and the aforementioned Pearson ancestors. Oh, and did anyone say FLASH-FORWARD? Read on for the highlights of ‘The Ride’. (And then make sure you go deep with our detailed guide for the Rebecca-centered frontman, and hear what series star Jon Huertas had to say about directing this week’s episode.)
‘WE HAVE A FAMILY’ | Jack and Rebecca get ready to bring Kevin, Kate and Randall home from the hospital. Jack tries his best to give a little joviality in the day, but Rebecca seems overwhelmed and sad … probably because she is overwhelmed and sad. Jack’s bravado burns down as soon as he realizes he a) needs to install three car seats and has no idea, and b) might be even more like his dad than he realized.
This last revelation takes place while they are traveling. Rebecca is an anxious mess because she can not see the babies in the back seat. The children start crying. And an impatient and reckless driver honks for Jack to go faster, then accelerates and cuts him off just as both vehicles drive into a gas station. Jack needs to stop short to avoid an accident, and that’s IT.
He burst out of the car and started yelling at the other driver, who did not regret what had just happened. Jack even reaches through the open window to grab the man’s shirt, but Rebecca’s angry cry stops him from doing something more violent / stupid. Inside, when Jack pays for the gas, he also buys – and drinks quickly – a sip of whiskey. Then he asks Rebecca to drive home and says he can turn in his seat more easily to watch the kids.
Upon their arrival, all three babies are asleep. So Jack and Rebecca decide to sit in the car until it changes. She mentions that her mother had a miscarriage when Rebecca was a child, and her grief lasted for a while. “What if I can not be a wonderful mother because I’m too sad for too long?” she worried her out loud. Jack reassures her that this will not be the case, she confesses. “I was really overwhelmed by everything that happened, and I was just trying to keep it together,” he says. Then he remembers how terrible his father was, and how drunk he was; every night when he comes home from work, “all the air will be sucked out of the room.” Jack is worried he will end up the same way. ‘You do not suck the air out of the room. You is the sky, ”says Rebecca, giving him a boost. He kisses her hand, Bread’s ‘Everything I Own’ comes on the radio, and the mood lightens. “We have a family,” she says, smiling.
BABIES ‘FIRST PAPARAZZI MEETING | Kevin also has a lot of thoughts and feelings as he and Madison prepare to bring Nicky and Franny home. And all these boiling emotions bubble over when he realizes that a paparazzo is following. He pulls down and goes out to yell at the man, who is untouched by both Kevin’s threats and Madison’s attempts to relate to him on a human level. So Mads – who handles things like a boss throughout this episode, quietly negotiates an agreement: if he leaves it alone, she gives him an edge for when Kevin runs on Tuesdays, and he can grab a few shots then. Of course, she has to agree that Kev is ‘shirtless’ and ‘in shorts so I can see his package’, but it all ends well. Back at the car, she slips into the driver’s seat and lovingly tells Kevin that she would like him to sleep the rest of the way home. “I’m going to need you at your best,” she points out, “and Kevin, Liam Neeson’s movie, is not your best.”
While he sleeps, Kevin dreams that Jack is holding on to Franny and Nicky. Do yourself a favor: stop following me. I was terrified of being like my father, and you are terrified of not being like yours, ”says Grandpa Jack. “Close your eyes, decide what you want, and go get it, boy.” Kevin wakes up alone in the car, goes inside and does what he is best at: making a big gesture based solely on emotion, with little thought about the consequences. He finds Madison in the house and says that even though they have been engaged for a while, he really wants to do. “I really want you to be my wife. I want to be a family, ‘he says, slipping his hospital bracelet instead of a ring on her wrist. She looks touched and says yes, then they kiss.
ELLIE’S OUT | Toby greets Kate and their new daughter outside the hospital with a large sign that reads, “Hello Hailey, I’m your dad!” Then they travel Ellie home, with Kate talking about future encounters and such. But Ellie barely steps in, until she suddenly and tearfully announces that she no longer wants to participate in a public adoption. Yes, Hailey’s still Kate’s and Toby’s. But Ellie does not feel emotionally OK to be a part of the girl’s life. Kate presses slightly confused, but Toby tells her softly to pull back.
Later, at home, Kate is upset: Randall’s adoption was so mysterious, she says, and it brought so much pain to him and the family. “I promised myself it would not be so for Hailey,” she says. Toby says they will always make sure their daughter knows exactly where she’s coming from. And as soon as the crisis is over, Toby peeks another one into court: he was fired that morning. Kate is not scared and says they will find work the next day. “Let’s just be a family today.”
TWO BLIZZARDS AND A WARNING | When Beth and Randall leave the hospital after Annie’s birth, they feel pretty good about how smoothly everything is going. Annie is a calm, smiling angel baby. They packed in a way prepared for any small need that arises on the way home. And Beth is going to get the milk queen, Blizzard, that Randall promised her while she gives birth. It all goes well until Randall does not stop conceiving the idea of a third child so that they can ‘go for a boy’.
Beth – much nicer than I would be, if I was probably sitting on top of a donut pillow for the ride home – says no … and then hell no if her husband does not get the tip. As she breaks down a little fire to order the ice cream, Randall tells his new daughter that he is so happy that she looks like him because he grew up and did not look like anyone in his family. Then he thinks a little about his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Beth comes back with two Blizzards. She was no longer tested, and the couple joked and smiled. But Randall, I really would not let it all be heard again.
BACK TO THE FUTURE | Especially since Randall is finally, as we know – and as illustrated in the preview of the episode – finally do has the three children he wanted.
But let’s back up for a moment. Throughout the episode, we see how a female medical intern (I think – if it’s now residents we’re looking at, someone who is rogue) gets an orientation on the labor and maternity ward of a hospital. But she does not love it, and she asks one of her colleagues to cover her while she sneaks out.
Outside the hospital, she is picked up by another young woman. There is a large screen in her car near the driving console, which was my first hint that we were in the future. The driver gives the doctor a giraffe from Sophie: it appears that the intern herself is pregnant, although she has not yet told anyone.
They drive and finally arrive at Kevin’s cabin. Tess comes outside to meet them, and then we realize that the driver is Annie and the doctor is Deja. When Old Randall joins them outside, they ask how he is holding out. He replies that he’s doing better now that they’re there. Everyone starts to enter, but Randall and Deja are stopped when they see the arrival of another car. (We do not see who’s inside.) He asks her what the ride was like, and she says OK, ‘It always goes faster than you think.’ (And check out our ongoing investigation for a deep, deep dive into this flash ahead.)
Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sounds down in the comments!