This Is Us Review: The Car (Season 2 Episode 15)

We were blessed with two This Is Us episodes this week, and unlike Sunday’s intense episode, This Is Us Season 2 Episode 15 “The Car,” gives us a quieter, more introspective look in the aftermath of Jack’s death.

“The Car” is one of the rare episodes that take place solely in the past, but what sets this one apart is that it is comprised of multiple past scenes from different years, propping up Jack’s funeral, which is the main focus.

We start by seeing Jack and Rebecca buying the family’s Jeep Wagoner in the 80s, which becomes the emblem of the Pearson family itself. So many memories, both significant and ordinary, were shared in the car, and we journey through them in this episode.

We learn some interesting things about the family in “The Car,” including Rebecca’s cancer scare and how Jack’s tree came to be an important place for the family.

We also see different sides to Jack’s parenting skills, including his stern, disciplinary treatment towards his sons after their argument almost causes a car accident, and also his sweet scene with Kate, where they bond over music after he allows her to ditch school to go to an autograph signing.

These scenes don’t reveal any new information on Jack, but it’s still adds to his character-building. All of these small memories accumulate into the essence of who Jack was to his wife and kids. For an episode that revolves around his memorial, there couldn’t be a better way to honor him. 

Jack also talks to Randall and Kevin about his own brother, Nicky, and how he was Jack’s best friend and died in the Vietnam war. This is the second time we hear about Jack’s brother, and I’m curious to learn more. Jack’s closeness to his own brother explains how upset he is over the fact that Randall and Kevin can barely get along. It’s a great, telling moment for Jack and his own past, something that he doesn’t divulge to his kids that often.

Of course, one the episodes brightest moments comes in the form of Dr. K, the wise and perceptive friend/mentor who arrives at Jack’s funeral. Whenever Dr. K appears on the show, it’s one of the show’s finest reminders of how to use secondary characters in a very effective way.

What follows is a great scene between Rebecca and Dr. K, as she allows herself to be openly fearful about a future without Jack, to which Dr. K responds with the utmost encouragement. She is as strong as they come, he tells her.

And we know this. Rebecca’s strength has never been more evident than in this episode.

She rallies up the kids and puts on a brave face for them at the funeral. She has her emotions under control, despite it being one of the hardest days in her life.

But her spirit and her love for her kids shine through in the final scenes as she tells her 17-year-old boys that neither of them need to be the man of the house, and tells Kate that she shouldn’t blame herself for Jack’s decisions. And then she tells them that she found Jack’s surprise tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert, made more sweet by conversation with Kate in the car,  and persuades the group to go.

I was so moved by this scene that I want to see more of Rebecca dealing with being a single mom. We’ve seen so much of who Rebecca is with Jack, I’m interested in seeing who she is without him.

Overall, “The Car” closes out the three consecutive episodes about Jack’s death with grace, beauty, and enough hope to indicate a brighter future in the horizon, not just for the Pearson family, but for the show as a whole.

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 will return on Tuesday, February 27 at 9/8c on NBC.

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