This Is Us Season Premiere Review: Nine Bucks (Season 3 Episode 1)

After two seasons of some of the best writing, producing, and acting on television one has to ask, when will This Is Us hit their slump?

Every television show has a point where the storylines fatigue and the writing starts to feel repetitive. But This Is Us Season 3 Episode 1, “Nine Bucks,” doesn’t feel like the start of a slump — it feels like the natural continuation of a truly remarkable story.

“Nine Bucks,” is a clever reminder to fans that after two full seasons of watching the Pearson family in the past, present, and future we still don’t know their full story and we might never know their full story. That’s the beauty of a show that seems to have endless stories left to tell.

What allows “Nine Bucks,” to compete with its predecessors is the episode’s seemingly effortless use of multiple timelines at once. Juggling past, present, and future is something This Is Us has already proved it can do quite well, but the premiere has certainly taken the concept of multiple timelines to the next level.

One hour of television successfully reintroduces us to the Big Three on their 38th birthday, takes us on Jack and Rebecca’s first date, introduces us to Deja’s father, and — because yes there is more — gives us a glimpse into Franco Harris’ miracle play for the Steelers in 1972.

How exactly is Harris connected to the Pearson’s family? He isn’t actually, but his play is what inspires Jack to go after Rebecca after a less than lackluster first date and continues to illustrate the underlining message of how everyone is connected in this world in some way.

What demonstrates This Is Us has grown as a show since it’s series premiere, isn’t the need to show how everything is connected but to tell individual stories regardless of whether they have a connection or not.

Rebecca and Jack’s date doesn’t have anything to do with Kate and Toby’s struggle to have a baby. Nor does it have anything to do with Deja and Randall’s complicated relationship as foster parent and child.

But these stories of family struggles blend so seamlessly together that you completely forget how many separate stories are actually being told in one episode.

There is no feeling of jolting or annoyance when a heartfelt conversation between Kevin and Beth is cut short to circle back to Jack telling Rebecca he doesn’t have enough money to buy an umbrella. This Is Us has managed to create dozens of plots that feel equally as important to explore and gives us just enough in each scene to feel satisfied.

“Nine Bucks,” never once feels like it is depriving us of someone’s story, even for characters outside the Pearson’s immediate family.

The best moments of the episode happen in the present as a birthday celebration turns into a hilarious interrogation.

This episode deals with some heavy topics so having Beth break her promise to Oprah and confront Kevin and Zoe about their secret relationship adds the perfect amount of comedic bickering to balance everything out.

One can only hope we’ll see more of Susan Kelechi Watson and Melanie Liburd together this season as This Is Us expands beyond the Pearson siblings.

Their childhood is clearly a touchy subject but if it means we get more gems like, “Even Gayle let Oprah down sometimes,” and “I’m thinking he looks like Batman and he’s built like a truck,” then count me in.

The hope here is that This Is Us focuses on being lighter this season now that the Big Three have stopped holding their breath over Jack’s death. Giving Beth and Kevin the lighter storylines together is a good start but even they can find a way to tug on our heartstrings every once in a while.

Kevin has never been very good at staying in committed relationships with his lovers and in a heartwarming twist, Beth isn’t concerned about Kevin hurting her sister. No, Beth is almost positive Zoe will break Kevin first and she can’t have that happening to someone she loves — because yes, despite their disagreements Beth loves Kevin.

“Nine Bucks” makes you laugh hard, but it wouldn’t be a traditional This Is Us episode if it didn’t make you cry too.

There so many exceptional performances in this episode that contribute to its success as a strong season premiere. Two characters that stand out, in particular, are Jack and Deja.

Jack is the phenomenal father with an inspirational speech for every occasion and who tragically died from smoke inhalation last season after saving his family from a house fire. But thankfully Jack’s story is far from over on This Is Us and the premiere is ready to prove that with the origin story to Jack and Rebecca’s epic romance.

Not only is Jack and Rebecca’s first date a total disaster, but the day after isn’t much better as Jack watches Rebecca kiss another man on the front steps of her house.

The premise that America’s perfect couple will struggle to find each other is promising but seeing a more vulnerable Jack is new and exciting territory as well.

Milo Ventimiglia has always played Jack with a strength and integrity that is so endearing it makes his character’s death all the more devastating.

But now we are being introduced to a younger Jack who isn’t as sure about himself. He is still reeling from his own family tragedy and you can see the PTSD taking its toll in the quieter moments between him and Rebecca.

Even on the worst of first dates, Ventimiglia’s chemistry with Moore and his ability to reinvent this character once again shines brightly.

Deja left us in the season 2 finale with a baseball bat in hand and some anger issues to work through.

So one could only expect a rocky start to season 3 for her. Thankfully, Deja has worked through her problems with Randall over his smashed up car and has moved on to the devastating reality of her parents giving up custody of her.

While her storyline in this episode feels a little redundant to past arcs she has had, it’s interesting to see how Deja is adapting to her new family dynamic. And Lyric Ross plays the character with such intensity and vulnerability, you can’t help but feel for her as she confronts her father.

Just when you think the character is healing and moving on she takes another step back and that keeps viewers on their toes. Ross may be a newcomer to this show, but her ability to captivate the audience allows her story to still matter amongst all the rest.

Many strong moments came out of Deja’s complicated family last season, but “Nine Bucks” is setting her up for an interesting new journey as she struggles to find her place in the Pearsons’ world — one I personally can’t wait to see play out.

Like the season premieres that came before it, “Nine Bucks” left us with more questions than answers and a mystery that is just begging to be answered.

The lighter tone is refreshing and the new family dynamics intriguing. The fast forward holds just enough weight to keep people eager with anticipation to see who exactly the “her” Randall and Toby are talking about is.

Clearly whatever the mystery is it won’t end well for one of the brilliant women on this show.

Hopefully, this new mystery doesn’t involve another death. This Is Us has set such a high standard of television in these past two seasons and the show can be much smarter than that. This episode is a perfect example of that.

Just remember, no matter how sad this season gets This Is Us can’t kill Jack Pearson twice. At least I hope they can’t…

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

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

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