This Is Us Season Finale Review: Her (Season 3 Episode 18)

This Is Us Season 3 Episode 18, “Her,” perfectly sums up this season’s greatest triumphs and it’s greatest weaknesses with a conclusion on the cusp of something exciting.

It’s a season finale that leaves little to be answered but plenty to question until This Is Us comes back — and quite honestly, we wouldn’t want it any other way.

There’s nothing quite like this show on television and this episode is a perfect example of the excellence the Pearsons can achieve with their backs against the wall.

We’d be kidding ourselves if we didn’t admit we jumped on the Jack bandwagon moments into the series pilot. The man has this likeability and charm to him that easily makes him a fan favourite — even in this episode with only a few pieces of dialogue to wow us with, Jack does so with ease.

But it is Mandy Moore’s Rebecca and her determination to finally win the audience over that has truly wowed us this season.

Going into the first Jack postmortem season, much of the story would lay on Rebecca’s shoulders as she stepped out from Jack’s shadow. Since doing so, Rebecca has proven she can be just as integral to the story on her own with her beautiful portrayal of grief and strength.

Which is why it’s is so admirable to see this episode and it’s character take a step back and marvel in the magic that has been Rebecca Pearson this season. It’s even more adorable to see how much she is cared for by her kids and husband — something we don’t always get to see.

It may have taken us longer to see this character’s full worth but it is clear Rebecca has become the glue that has holds This Is Us together in it’s bleakest of moments past, present, and future.

A majority of this season’s success comes from the moments spent in the past and this episode is no different as the young Pearsons continue to thrive in the spotlight.

Rebecca’s car accident may hold little merit considering she’s alive and well in the present, but one can’t help but wince at the site of Jack Pearson back in that hospital. It is captivating to see how much Jack struggles with briefly losing Rebecca and even more endearing to see how concerned the Big Three are for their mother in her absence.

The whole storyline, from preteen Kevin hitting on a nurse to Jack giving a winning speech about his wife being the engine of the family, makes me want more of this adorably dysfunctional family every time they come on screen.

This Is Us might be giving us this flashy future to look forward to but it is still very much the past that is worth holding on to. Unfortunately, with a memorable past and promising future, this finale highlights that fact that the present day storylines have been the ones to fall short this season.

Yes, those last 4 minutes of the season finale are jaw-dropping.

I mean Kevin actually has a kid, Toby and Kate are clearly going through something nasty, and Nick is — well he is something, that’s for sure!

This Is Us has a clever way of holding everything close to the chest and so we come to expect a certain level of secrecy. But every once in a while this show throws these moments bursting with shocking revelations at us without mercy. I personally love these small but exhilarating moments where dramatic gasps are absolutely called for.

This flash-forward really does a beautiful job of transitioning from the present to the future.

Seeing Beth and Randall rekindle their relationship in the present and then again in the future with Beth’s ring still present on her finger gives a sigh of relief. Even seeing closure in Kevin’s love life as he says goodbye to Zoe is euphoric when you get to meet his child minutes later. 

There’s no denying the flash-forward works brilliantly during those last 4 minutes of the finale, but this future storyline is still one of this season’s weaker links.

In terms of consistency, we don’t see much of the her storyline and early on in the season, it is revealed that Rebecca is in fact her. That’s all we really hear of from the future Pearsons until the finale.

To end Season 2 on such a prominent note, it is disappointing to see this storyline be nothing more than a tease easily overshadow by Vietnam war stories and baby drama.

Using future teases in moderation is something we should come to expect going forward but for a season that has revolved around introducing this new world for the Pearsons, it is disappointing to see all these exciting revelations crammed into the last 4 minutes of the finale and not spread out better.

Spacing and timing is something that has certainly thrown the flow of This Is Us off this season.

After a season of feeling disconnected from the Pearsons at times, “Her” feels like the reunion we needed to reconnect with these characters.

The season finale of This Is Us gives us something new to love about each and every character, as well as something to look forward to in the future. 

After two phenomenal seasons, this show decided to take a risk and venture into the unknown of dark pasts and uncertain futures and in the end that risk gave us an emotional season unlike any that came before it.

Never stop trying to surprise us This Is Us but maybe stop giving us so much to worry about while we wait for the next season!

Other Thoughts About The Finale:

• Jack’s such an optimistic guy having complete faith in Blockbuster like that.
• Rebecca made a comment earlier in the season about Nicky having Jack’s eyes. My guess is, in sickness, she has mistaken him for her late husband.
• No, now we have to worry about Miguel too! Where is he?!
• Deja’s proving with her amazing speech skills that Randall won the lottery when she came into his life too.
• Can Milo also play baby Jack when he is older — that seems like a reasonable request.
• Beth and Randall are end-game and that is all that really matters!
• Kevin, the dating pool does not consist of Sophie, branch out and meet new people

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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 will return for a fourth season in the fall.

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