This is Us Roundtable: Did the Series Make the Right Move After Jack’s Death?

Giving us little time to recover, This Is Us returned Tuesday with an episode meant to grieve Jack’s recent passing but ended up being a celebration of his life as we re-lived his greatest moments with his family in their Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

Tell-Tale TV writers Lauren Busser, Shabnaj Chowdhury, Alicia Gilstorf and Starry Constellation Magazine writer Jamie Steinberg discuss This Is Us Season 2 Episode 15, “The Car” below.

Lauren Busser (@LaurenBusser)
Shabnaj Chowdhury (@shabnajwrites)
Alicia Gilstorf (@AliciaGilstorf)
Jamie Steinberg (@NotYerAvgChick)

1. Do you think staying in the past storyline for the entirety of this episode was the right move for such a pivotal episode in the series?

Shabnaj: Yes. It’s something they’ve done before and it works for me. Given that this episode was a kind of commemoration of Jack (and the car he bargained for), I thought it was great to see all these little memories of him, and having the funeral scenes act as a present timeline.

Jamie: Absolutely. We were saying goodbye to someone in the past who passed away. It was the time period for this final goodbye so it made sense to stay in the moment — the past.

Lauren: I actually didn’t notice that we hadn’t moved forward until about halfway through the episode, but I do think the structure was the right move for the episode. It would have been too jarring if they’d flashed forward and broke up these very serious moments. The way it’s structured really feels like an ode to Jack.

Alicia: I enjoyed the reassurance that came with an episode that centered on Jack in every scene, whether it was a moment in the family car or his funeral. I’m so used to seeing characters die and shows move on without them. So the use of the past timeline felt like a way of telling the audience Jack’s storyline is still just as important as the present and future storylines.

2. In your opinion, does This Is Us do a good job of distinguishing its different time-periods?

Shabnaj: I think they do. Mandy Moore’s hair is a big giveaway, but Rebecca also feels so different in each decade. Moore is such a tremendous actor that there are subtle differences in how she carries herself in each timeline — and she’s in the most out of anybody!

Jamie: They do a good job of differentiating timelines. You can tell the differences through Rebecca’s character the most – shorter hair and older facial features. There may be subtle differences between the other characters, but she is the easiest way to differentiate – outside of seeing the younger characters as the kids.

Lauren: Yea, I think it does. I think that it really is Mandy Moore’s character that does help. In addition to her hair, I also think there are changes in her costumes and make-up that really give you hints.

Alicia: Yes, definitely. It’s the subtle reminders like when the firefighter starts smoking next to Jack in the hospital during the pilot or when Rebecca was left out of the negotiations for the family car because the woman of the house didn’t typically do the negotiations that really showcase how subtle but effective these details can be to the timeline.

3. How important was it for Rebecca to have that moment with her OB Dr. Katowski at Jack’s funeral?

Shabnaj: I really loved this scene between the two of them. Dr. K’s sporadic appearances are always so effective for me, and I think he offered some really encouraging and helpful words to Rebecca.

Jamie: That was a really beautiful scene. I don’t know if I’d classify it as being important, because it seemed to be out of place for me. It’s not like they kept in touch with Dr. K.

He’s only ever mentioned when they talk about losing one of the three. I’m not even sure how he heard about Jack’s passing (maybe an announcement in the paper?). Regardless, it felt nice. It felt good to see Rebecca have a trusted, familiar ear who was always good at giving great advice/support.

Lauren: I think that she needed to know those things about Jack so that she could move forward. I think that he really admired them as a couple so that his perspective was valued. I also think the “present” timeline with the funeral needed something to jolt it forward and propel Rebecca into action, so it was smart to add him.

Alicia: I feel like Rebecca has been disconnected in a way to the main family dynamic. She has always taken a back seat to Jack and his amazing parenting skills.

But Jack was just as lost as her at times, and Dr. K giving him advice was a great example of this. That realization that she was standing in the same position Jack was in all those years ago in the hospital was important for Rebecca to realize in order to move forward.

4. We begin to see how each Pearson grieves their father’s passing in this episode. Was there a specific moment or detail that stood out to you?

Shabnaj: There’s just something about Kate telling the family in the car that she’s going to give up the dog that struck me as very sad. I felt Kate through this whole nightmare of an ordeal. I kept placing myself in her shoes.

Jamie: When Kate says in the car she wants to give up the dog. She’s clearly upset and feeling guilty. Later, she speaks to her mother about feeling guilt over losing her dad because she asked him to go back for the family dog. Both scenes were beautiful and painful.

Lauren: I think Kate’s scenes were particularly poignant, but I also think that Kevin and Randall pushing past their anger towards each other and showing some support. It’s such a small moment, but juxtaposing that with Jack’s speech about his brother was heart-wrenching.

Alicia: Randall in general during this episode struck me as so sad. He didn’t show his devastation like Kate and Kevin did. He took over, greeting people at the funeral and helping Rebecca with anything she needed. He was strong and unemotional, but as we see in later years Randall is just as damaged and on the verge of a breakdown as his other siblings.

5. Rebecca has always relied on Jack in the darkest of times. What do you think pushed her to step up for her family and be the “man” of the house now that he’s gone?

Shabnaj: Rebecca’s strength is so real in this episode. I’m actually now eager to see Single-Mom-Rebecca, and all the adventures that come with her trying to do this on her own. This character has really come to her own this season, and I’m just in awe of how Moore plays her.

Jamie: I think it was talking to Dr. K. She tells him that she felt like it was too much for her to lose the one person who loved her unconditionally and was the rock of the family. He reminded her she could “take the sourest lemons and make lemonade.”

Lauren: I am with Jamie. I feel like she had a lot of guilt this episode about not being there when he died, and she needed someone to remind her that Jack was human and not as fearless as she thought. It also reminded her that she played a role in making this family, and bringing home those three babies from the hospital. It was such a gentle motivation, but very meaningful.

I also think that the memories from all those times showed so well in this episode. The opening bridge flashback specifically, because it wasn’t just about Jack and herself, it was about the kids helping to distract her from her fear.

Alicia: I think it was the realization that her sons would have to be the men of the house if she didn’t step up. When Rebecca went to Miguel right after Jack died and he broke down, I think she realized she couldn’t rely on anyone but herself to be strong. She had to tell her kids their father had died and she did it with such strength.

I think a moment as big as that pushed her to be the parental figure her kids needed and seeing how much they struggled at the funeral only solidified that decision for her.

6. What was your favorite Jack Pearson scene from the episode, because there was a lot to choose from?

Shabnaj: There were just so many, but I think the juxtaposition of Jack’s scene with teen Kate and his scenes with Randall and Kevin were terrific. He can be the understanding, empathetic and the cool dad that takes his daughter to an autograph signing instead of immediately punishing her for ditching school.

But he can also be the disciplinarian making his boys walk 5 miles because of their behavior. All of it, it is clear to us, is out of love. I loved seeing the whole spectrum of Jack’s parenting.

Jamie: It has to be at the car lot, at the end. He tells the sales associate he needs help getting the car because it is going to be a big part of their family. He says there are going to be stains on that car, but those are going to “tell the story of my family.” In fact, here is the quote:

Jack: Every battle scar is going to be another memory. Eventually, that car is going to tell my family’s story – just looking at it. The one word that I keep coming back to is okay. I want my kids to be okay. I want my family to be okay.

Lauren: There are so many moments that are so sweet and made me cry. I loved the car lot scene and I think Jack’s speech was so on point there. I have to say that my favorite moment though, was the tree during Rebecca’s cancer scare.

It was another really tense moment, but he managed to make her feel better and even laugh when she found out her MRI was clear and that she was okay. When she asked why he picked that tree and he responds: “it was the closest to a pay phone,” it was just so sweet.

Alicia: The car lot scene at the end of the episode was so gut-wrenching and reassuring at the same time. Jack describing how this car will have an impact on his family’s lives and keep them safe even when he can’t, should have gotten him the car for free, to be honest.

It was such a Jack way of reassuring the audience that everything will be okay without him because he has only ever thought of his family’s future and never his own. It was the Jack Pearson speech we all needed to hear.

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What did you think of this episode of This Is Us? Respond to our roundtable questions with your own answers in the comments below! You can also check out our review of This Is Us Season 2 Episode 14, “The Car,” right here.

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