This Is Us: Career Days

Episode Six

This episode starts off with a distressed Jack drinking a beer at the dinner table with bills surrounding him. Of course, the lighting is dim with the children running around which gives it more of a struggling feel. Fast forward to the part when Jack's putting a tie on and Rebecca asks him "Why a desk job?" he retorts, "To make money for us." That was the part that stuck to me the most.

Even though he seems to escape by drinking, he remains responsible taking care of his family. I see myself falling for a Jack persona (minus the drinking) but he just sounds like a dream to me. Who wouldn't want to have a husband who cares so much about his family and encourages the children to exceed their limits?

During this episode, Randall (the adopted child) gets an opportunity to move schools because of his academic success. However, the two other children are not qualified. Jack and Rebecca attend a meeting at their school and the principal talks to them about switching Randall over and not the other two. Jack complains by saying the other two are exceptional as well. Now that's what I find in a father, always being proud of your children and never comparing them.

Another reason why I am so clingy to Jack is because he gives hope to his children when they're young. I can't repeat this enough but I am so attracted to the way he parents with Rebecca. He's always trying to find the positive in every situation which makes his persona more desirable. I guess his character helped me add standards to whom I want to share my life with. Sounds a little mature for my 21 year old brain, but I know someday I'm going to want kids. And I'm going to want my husband to be the most encouraging and loving person ever.

I see some qualities in Jack that I want in my future husband. And that's it.

This Is Us: The Game Plan

Fifth episode, woohoo!

So this episode is taken place before the Pearsons have their triplets. It shows an energetic, partying Rebecca and a responsible Jack (which is a reverse in personalities when they have their children.)

This young couple is the epitome of GOALS. Jack is so lucky to have Rebecca as a wife. She is cute, smart, a great mother AND she knows football. Wow, I wouldn't be able to follow but she seems to be the whole package. I love the way that Jack looks at Rebecca when she's doing karoke at the Steelers game, that is a prime smile.

They start talking about having children at the bar and it starts getting a little too real. I think it's so attractive that Jack really wants to start a family but Rebecca is afraid of getting caught up being a mother. Which I kind of "told" her "You'll be a great Mom. You'll see."

During that awkward conversation in the bar, a man trying to watch the game gets angry at the two of them bickering because he can't hear the game. A couple of words get thrown back and forth and Jack punches him and Rebecca storms off saying, "Yeah, we're responsible enough for having kids right now."

BOOM. That was a slap to the face towards Jack. I understood exactly what Rebecca meant when she said she wasn't ready. It's a big responsibility and I think they really needed that conversation to set things in stone. But they knew what they wanted eventually so that's all that matters.

This Is Us: The Pool

Onto the fourth episode!

Here's an episode where the Pearson family goes on an outing to the local community pool. It's a hot day and Rebecca is complaining that the air conditioning is broken so Jack surprises the kids by going to the pool!

As I mentioned from my Episode 2 blog, Kate has been struggling with her weight on and off. She wants to fit in and wear a bikini just like her other "friends" do. She's a little chubby girl but I can relate because when I was that young, I had trouble with my weight because I loved food too much.  But that's not a bad thing 😉

But what was great about this episode was when Jack steps in being the greatest Dad EVER. Kate's peers gave her a note saying, "We don't want to hang out with you, we're embarrassed." And then drew a piggy face on it. They were making fun of her body and Jack steps in and tells her that she's the greatest and if she wants she can wear his shirt because his shirt helped him through his tough times too.

 

Watching his pep talk to his daughter made a little spark go off in my head thinking, "I want this mentality in my future husband." Right then and there I wanted to give Jack a hug for great parenting. He reminds me of my father in a way because he wouldn't ever judge me. Something this relatable keeps the viewers around.

This Is Us: Kyle

Episode Three

This television series shows flashbacks of the children's childhoods (to give background to the situations happening) and is also filmed in the present. In this episode, Rebecca and Jack have been trying so hard to get their newborns to settle down and get used to their new home. Rebecca finds out who the father of her adopted son, Randall, is at the hospital. She gets overwhelmed with the fact that Randall won't accept her breastfeeding so she feels like giving up.

I saw a look of desperation in her eyes when she didn't have the motivation to have hope for Randall. It was almost heartbreaking because I'm an adopted child and I wondered if my mother had any difficulties learning how to make me cling to her. It's kind of a bizarre concept but motherhood is hard any other way.

Rebecca is often found to be alone most of the time having to take care of the children (this is foreshadowing something!) BUT fast forward to the present, she appears at Randall's (adopted son's home) to say hello with this guy below!

So who is this new guy? This is DEFINITELY not Jack. This is MIGUEL! Miguel is Jack's coworker but this means Rebecca got sick of Jack's lifestyle and wanted a change. As soon as Randall opened his front door to them, I was immediately shocked. I was sad because I thought Jack had the potential to be a great father. Which he was, aside from the drinking.

We don't know how Rebecca ended up with Miguel, but I guess we'll find out soon!

This Is Us: The Big Three

Episode Two! 

Fast forwarding to the morning before grade school, you see a flustered Rebecca trying to get "The Big Three" (the triplets) breakfast and lunches ready to go. I could see the draining look on her face from dealing with her kids and it made me worry about her well being. I didn't want her to look like a Shar Pei by the time she turned 35. 

Jack is the last one to come down for breakfast and he looks at Kate's (one sibling of the big three) meal compared to his two sons. Rebecca thinks Kate has been struggling with her weight so she gives her fruit instead of eating cereal like the boys. 

But WAIT, this is the best part. Jack takes the melon out of her bowl and pours her some tasty cereal. Mhm, cereal. I relate in whole about this situation. My mother use to restrain my eating habits too. I was a chubby kid who loved food so when I saw what Jack did, I clapped and was on #TeamJack for the remaining of the episode until...

 

Until Jack's drinking habits distract him from coming home earlier each night. This is no good because Rebecca is already tired from taking care of the children alone. I was feeling a sense of abandonment when they were talking out in the hallway about her concerns.  Maybe a little foreshadowing going on, too.

From that scene, I had put a negative label on Jack being an alcoholic father who had issues of his own. I felt bad for Rebecca always having to take care of the children and the look of despair on her face really caught my attention. It made me want to confront Jack as if I were a family friend, "What makes you think you can hideaway the rest of the night?"

 

Anyway, I've been invested with Rebecca's and Jack's relationship for these whole two episodes so let's see what happens on the next!  

This Is Us: Series Premeire

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*  
This NBC television show casts the two attractive characters played by Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia. I remember listening to Moore on my Sony Walkman when I was in elementary school. She wasn't as good as Hilary Duff at the time, but we'll go on.😁

Milo Ventimiglia (RED HOT ALERT) is her husband in the show. You might recognize him as Peter Petrelli in the television show Heroes or Jess Mariano from Gilmore Girls.

 

I decided to follow both characters throughout the episodes because of familiarity. The first episode is a full ride through the couple's journey into becoming first time parents. Rebecca Pearson (Moore) is pregnant with triplets. She goes through a difficult delivery and ends up losing one baby. 

My face melted just like Jack Pearson's (Ventimiglia) when the doctor told them the heartbreaking news.

It made me think about the complications of pregnancy and Rebecca's screaming made my body ache. I thought about my future and how the father of my children would react to the news too. Of course, any person who has a heart would react hysterically, but I was intrigued with how upset Jack got. OKAY, that sounds kind of weird to say, but I connected with his emotions to the point where I was already crying out, "WHY?! HOW?!"😟 My heart was sinking with Jack's when the news came out.

Short after the delivery, Jack walks to the nursery and checks on his two newborns. Looking in from a glass window, a firefighter walks up next to him and talks about how he just entered a safe surrender newborn into the nursery. Jack glances at the baby and I knew what was about to happen and shrieked, "YES! DO IT!"

 

Because of the passing of their last child from delivery complications, the Pearson's adopted the safe surrendered baby. I was ECSTATIC at this point. I KNEW they were both good people with good hearts whom cared for other human beings. 

They brought home their three new children and I couldn't have been more happier. This episode ended on a beautiful note and I was looking forward to watching the next one!