This Is Us: Top 5 Moments from ‘Number One’ (Season 2 Episode 8)

This is the Kevin-focused episode I have been waiting for since This is Us Season 1 Episode 4, “The Pool,” where a young Kevin Pearson reflectively looks towards the water, feeling neglected by both of his parents, until Jack pulls him into an embrace. 

That small, character-telling moment is beautifully fleshed out on This Is Us Season 2 Episode 8, “Number One,” through Kevin’s teenage years.

Given that Jack and Kevin’s painful relationship is at the heart of this week’s episode, the two characters have more than a couple memorable scenes. Here are the 5 moments that were absolutely gutting. 

1. Jack and Kevin’s fight

When a surly, irreverent, 17-year-old Kevin ruins a meeting with a college football coach because he feels too good for the school, things get tense in the Pearson household.

It’s fascinating to watch a character as beloved as Jack be on the receiving end of such belligerent behavior, especially from his own kid. It’s unnerving and difficult to watch. But it’s also necessary, and it’s an angle that makes sense because, in many ways, Kevin feels let down by Jack.

Whether it’s Jack’s alcoholism, or Jack’s tendency to direct his attention towards Randall and Kate, there is a lot of resentment on Kevin’s part that has been building since he was a child (as seen in Milo Ventimiglia’s scenes with Parker Bates). And now, in these volatile years of adolescence, Kevin’s attitude and snark is an authentic manifestation of this troubled relationship.

Also, Milo Ventimiglia sells the hell out of stern-dad. His delivery of “get out of my sight” would send a shiver down any kids’ spine (except maybe Kevin’s who got away with cutting remarks).

I think the teenage years just may be my favorite era.

2. Kevin’s soliloquy on the football field

After Kevin is honored at his old high school for his achievements, he finds himself in the school’s football field and in really messed up place. In agony and drunk, Kevin recalls the moment his football dreams were crushed, and every other monumental thing that happened in his life.

Justin Hartley absolutely kills in this scene. In a breathless soliloquy, Kevin describes all the ways he was rewarded for messing up. He keeps making mistakes and people still cheer him on, unable to recognize that he isn’t deserving of it.

He cites all his failures — his marriage, his career, his relationship with his dad, and brings it back to his current drug-addicted state. The scene also demonstrates just how self-aware Kevin is about his flaws, and how the guilt of receiving unearned praise is taking a toll on him.

At his core, Kevin has always been someone who wanted to be noticed, who craved attention. First from his parents, then from his classmates, then from crowds watching him play and perform. And that’s never been more clear than in this moment, as Kevin rejects the attention he desperately sought after for years.

3. Jack and Kevin’s talk in the hospital

After Kevin gets injured and is lying in the hospital with a messed up knee, he and Jack share one of the show’s most beautiful scenes.

Jack gets to be a loving dad and Kevin lets him. He gives him his necklace, the one we always see Kevin reaching for in the present day when he needs that reminder of his dad. Because of how complex and true-to-life this relationship is, it has honestly become my favorite. Sometimes you just can’t stand your dad, other times, he’s your biggest hero. And that feeling is encapsulated so well in this scene.

There’s just something so innocent and sad about how Kevin thinks if he just apologizes to his dad and to the coach, then he will automatically get to play football again.

Logan Shroyer gives a tremendous performance as teenage Kevin, and gets to showcase his talent throughout the episode. But it really is truly this scene that impresses the most.

Crying over this show is overrated, but man, did this scene put a lump in my throat.

4. Kevin begs for help

If the football field scene didn’t do enough to prove Hartley’s strengths as an actor, then Kevin kneeling on the lawn of his one-night-stand’s house, begging her to return Jack’s necklace — which he accidentally left behind because he was in a rush to illegally acquire more pain medication — will do the trick.

This is Kevin’s rock bottom. And it’s also his turning point.

In a way, Jack saved Kevin from making a really poor decision. It continues the theme of Jack’s presence and legacy always having a hold on his kids’ lives.

In an episode filled with emotional and gripping acting, this one just tops it off.

5. The episode’s kicker about Kate

Kevin shows up at Randall’s doorstep, ready to come clean about his drug problem and presumably seek help from his brother. But just as he is about to confess, Randall drops the episode’s shocker: Kate had a miscarriage.

We knew this was a possibility, but now that it’s a reality, it’ll be interesting to see how Kate copes with it. This is a perfect set up for next week’s episode, which will focus on Kate.

“Number One” is a fantastic episode for Kevin and the two older actors who play him, and will definitely go down as one of the show’s finest work.

What did you think of this episode of This Is Us? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

 

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This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.

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