This Is Us Review: Moonshadow (Season 1 Episode 18)

We delve deep into the past with two separate flashbacks on This Is Us Season 1 Episode 18, “Moonshadow.”

The Jack-centric  season 1 finale takes us back to the mid-’90s, immediately after Jack’s phone call to Kate and to a completely new era: the early ’70s, when (clean-shaven!) Jack and Rebecca first meet.

Back in the ’90s, a very wasted Jack arrives at Rebecca’s show just in time for her to realize that Jack was right about Ben, who tried to lay a kiss on her moments prior. She leaves him a voice message — one that he never gets to hear — and tries to make amends.

But it never quite happens.

Rebecca soon finds Jack attacking Ben backstage, takes his drunken self home, and they have one of the most intense arguments we’ve ever seen them have.

It’s a shattering scene, one that we watch unfold in the Pearson house like interlopers, or uncomfortable guests trying to find a way to quietly excuse ourselves.

That’s how real and messy this fight got.

And it’s one of the more impressive scenes we’ve seen, not just because the acting was so keyed in, but also because of the direction.

The fight seems to last forever, thanks to the wonderful tracking shot that makes the scene more immediate and raw. The words exchanged are bruising, but have been boiling under the surface for so long that it doesn’t just pour out; it screams out.

Rebecca’s words seem to cut the deepest, as she reveals her discontent as a stay-at-home mom to three self-involved teenagers. She has no life, she yells.

Jack has harsh things to say to her as well, including how singing at pubs as a 40 year-old mom isn’t a real career, and how he has worked hard for the family.

But out of everything, the most heartbreaking part is when Rebecca suggests that the real problem is that the love is lost. She challenges Jack to list why he still loves her, and he doesn’t give her an answer.

I have to admit, I go back and forth on liking Rebecca, which I hope is the intention for the character, because if it is, I commend the writers for it. I almost like that I don’t find Rebecca lovable, let alone as lovable as Jack.

I find her sympathetic.

I find her misunderstood.

I also find her a little selfish and disagreeable, but I don’t fault her for it. And most importantly, I find her real. And her realness doesn’t necessarily translate into lovable qualities, but it feels valuable.

The next morning, Rebecca tells Jack it’s best that he stays with Miguel for a while. He packs his bags, and right before he leaves, in perfect Jack fashion, he lays his heart on the line. He assures Rebecca that the marriage isn’t over, and goes on to list the reasons why he loves who she is today.

This is when we flashback to the night Jack and Rebecca met.

The two of them were on separate blind dates that they both ended up ditching, and meet in a moment that changed the course of Jack’s life. Prior to laying eyes on Rebecca, a struggling Jack was contemplating theft to escape his rut of a life, a choice that would have placed him in a different path.

Instead, he changes his mind the second he sees Rebecca singing for the first time.

Jack: You’re not just my great love story, Rebecca. You are my big break.

As Jack pours his heart out in the final monologue, promising that Rebecca that their story is not done yet, hope is momentarily reinstated.

As it turns out, this hope will be prolonged into next season, given that the much awaited story behind Jack’s death is not revealed in the finale, despite last week’s mislead.

How Jack dies, we still don’t know. I’m not sure if I’m relieved that we don’t know yet, or if I’m growing impatient. Probably both, but I trust that there is a reason for keeping the truth at bay. We’ll see what happens.

Right before the episode ends, we also see snippets of where the Big Three are in their lives at the end of the season.

Kate realizes what she wants to do with her life: sing, just like her mom.

Kevin leaves Sophie to pursue the new acting opportunity he received from Ron Howard, leaving things tentative between him and his ex-wife.

And, for the real surprise, Randall tells Beth that he wants to adopt a child.

I had reservations about what William’s death would mean for Randall’s story, but I think a story on adoption, and all the entire emotional and logistical process that follows, is actually a brilliant idea for Randall’s next arc. It also makes sense, as it will tie into his own adoption and therefore the past.

Now that the first season of one of the most talked-about new shows is over, we can take a second to reflect its biggest strength and biggest weakness.

The biggest strength of the show for me are the characters. Specifically, Jack, Rebecca, Randall, Kevin, and William are drawn really well. They’re identifiable and fleshed out.

Within this first year, Jack has become such a beloved character, and we owe that both to the writing and Milo Ventimiglia who injects an incredible amount of empathy into his portrayal.

The biggest weakness, I think, has been Kate’s story.

I’m disappointed that it didn’t materialize despite it’s potential.

The writers started doing it towards the end, but I’m going to need them to seriously make course correct Kate’s story. Kate and Toby were good in the beginning, but then I started to think he dragged her down, and that maybe she wasn’t into him as much as he was into her.

They need to dial her in and give her an arc that tells us more about who she is.

My biggest concern moving forward is now the flashbacks, which is my favorite part of the show because that’s where Jack lives.

Once we do learn how he dies, it will be a definitive end to his story, and I just hope the flashbacks still carry the weight and significance as they did this season once we see his end.

Season 1 of This Is Us wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely moving and unique, and I look forward to seeing what’s in store for the Pearsons in the future.

Things I would like to see next season: 

• I have mentioned before that individually, there are stories and characters that work really well on the show, i.e, all of the Jack content, Randall’s family dynamic with his wife, kids, and William, and most of Kevin’s growth arc, etc. But sometimes, the Pearsons as a whole feel disjointed, even if that’s not the show’s intention. I’d like for them to find ways to seamlessly weave everyone’s stories together and make them feel more connected.
• It’d be nice to see more of Rebecca (and even Miguel) in the present day. What are their lives like everyday? Who is Rebecca today? How does she remember Jack? I’m really curious to know these things.
• We really get a sense of what Randall and Kate’s relationship with Jack was like, but there is still some things left unsaid about Kevin and Jack. I suspect they weren’t as close as either of them really wanted to be, and I would love to explore that side given that most Jack relationships are really positive. I really want to see this father/son relationship explored next season.
• More Beth as an individual, please. Let’s meet her family. Maybe let’s flashback to when Randall met her? I think there’s a lot of depth waiting to be uncovered there. Hopefully, the adoption story will give her a lot to work with.

Thanks for joining me this season, This Is Us fans!

What did you think of the season finale of This Is Us? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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This Is Us will return this Fall on NBC.

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