This Is Us Review: Clooney (Season 2 Episode 12)

My favorite thing about This Is Us Season 2 Episode 12, “Clooney,” is how we finally get a glimpse into Rebecca and Miguel’s home life for the first time.

If you had told me last year that this is something I’d actually be interested in seeing, I’d think you’re crazy.

But as it were, Miguel has become something of an endearing character, and gleaning some insight into his present-day relationship with Rebecca, even if it’s mostly from Kevin’s point-of-view, is one of “Clooney’s” highlights.

It’s a reminder that even though we tend to get hung up on the show’s ever-looming mystery of Jack’s death (which, this episode dropped some key hints about), there are also other little mysteries that is fun to uncover and learn about.

“Clooney” answers questions we’ve had for a while, and it also answers questions we probably haven’t thought about before.

We learn that in her teenage years, Kate was so determined to lose weight that she starved herself, which I hadn’t considered before but it makes sense because of teen-Kate’s slimmer physique. We also learn that Kevin surprisingly got along with Miguel growing up, and even shared common ground with him long before Miguel became his stepfather. And the show also continues to honor William’s memory by continuing to show aspects of his life.

This Is Us is at its best when it’s not unnecessarily milking to mystery behind Jack’s death, but rather in its quieter revelations that illuminate the dynamics of these relationships.

In the 90s, Jack and Rebecca take the kids to the mall, which is a great, mundane backdrop for the tension surly and moody kids have with their parents.

Jack and Kevin go shopping for suits, and for a sweet moment, Kevin ditches his attitude to genuinely thank Jack. Not just for the suit that he buys him, but for everything.

And the irony is that he has Miguel of all people to thank for that.

Kevin learns from Miguel that Jack sacrificed his Big Three Homes project so that he can provide for his family. It’s clear that Kevin was touched by that, and helped him appreciate his old man in a ways that he wasn’t able to before.

I love this episode for what it illuminates about Kevin and Miguel. The two not only got along in the past, but they were on the same page. It makes one think these two could have had a much friendlier relationship in the present if only Kevin didn’t have issues about Jack.

Kevin, who decides to stay with Rebecca and Miguel following his checkout from rehab to mend his relationship with his mother (a great continuation from last week’s episode) finds himself wrangling his feelings for Miguel.

He sees what the audience sees for the first time, Rebecca and Miguel in their home, sharing their lives together and being happy. And that prompts Kevin to flat-out ask Miguel something we’ve been wondering ourselves: Was Miguel in love with Rebecca when Jack was still alive?

Miguel, stunned, expresses what the audience knows to be true, that when Jack was alive, Jack and Rebecca were one. It would have been impossible for him to look at Rebecca in that way. It’s an honest and admirable moment for Miguel, and it certainly makes him less villainous than we originally believed.

There is still a lot to be explored in the Jack-Rebecca-Miguel front. Aside from Jack’s death, we also haven’t seen Rebecca’s mourning process in the immediate aftermath of that loss. We also haven’t seen Rebecca and Miguel first get together.

So, I’m intrigued to see the blanks get filled in this story, and to see Rebecca’s process of moving on from Jack, even as I’m still waiting to see the big event itself. (This show’s relationship with time really messes with your head.)

Speaking of Jack’s death, the big hint that we receive at the end of the episode is a close-up of the smoke detector in the Pearson home, for which Rebecca forgot to buy batteries for.

At this point, the 90s timeline is just a big ticking time bomb.

Kate and Rebecca also go shopping, and I especially loved these scenes because of how much I feel for both characters in this situation. Rebecca, who is thrilled that her distant daughter wants to go shopping with her, is again crushed when Kate snaps at her mother during a bonding session gone wrong.

As mentioned earlier in this review, it’s revealed that in this time period, Kate’s eating disorder shifted from her eating excessively to barely eating at all. While trying on dresses, Kate find that she’s met her goal of whittling down to a size 7, except it brings her no joy at all, because what ails Kate is much deeper than wanting to be skinny.

There’s a much more nuanced tale about Kate’s psychological and emotional state that is being explored here.

These scenes complement Kate’s story in the present, where she and fellow support group member Madison go shopping for her wedding dress. Both scenarios work beautifully together because Kate realizes Madison, who may be bulimic, struggles with something similar to Kate.

Kate’s plot this episode is a pleasant surprise because not only do we delve into Kate’s body image issues by showing us a different stage or side to it, but they’re also establishing a new friend for her. Madison started off as something of comic relief and someone for Kate to roll her eyes at, but it’s nice to see Kate connecting with a woman from her support group.

Lastly, we come to Randall’s storyline, which comes off as the least interesting one. As much as I love William and enjoy Ron Cephas Jones as an actor, I think it’s time to retire the character for a while and sprinkle him in more sporadically.

Much of this storyline has Randall running around looking for a piece in William’s puzzle that was his life, which Randall still wants to learn more about. The conclusion that Randall comes to is that he and Beth should buy the building that William used to live in, and help the community that still lives in it.

I love the idea behind it, but I struggled to pay attention or care about these scenes. I may have been too preoccupied with the other stories that felt more connected to Jack and his inevitable demise. And while we’re inching closer to the reveal, it’s almost hard to care about anything else.

Other final thoughts:

• Teenage Randall’s objective this episode was to muster enough courage to ask a girl out in a date. And he does in one the cutest ways possible — by creating a custom Magic 8-ball.
• With each passing episode, I love Rebecca even more. Her enthusiasm to have a mother/daughter shopping date with Kate made my heart melt.
• I really like Miguel, OKAY?!
• Jack feeling ready to start Big Three Homes just feels like a knife to the gut.

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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