This Is Us Review: A Hell of a Week: Part Three (Season 4 Episode 13)

This Is Us proves that prince-charmings are fleeting. The bond between mothers and daughters, however, are forever.

This Is Us Season 4 Episode 13, “A Hell of a Week: Part Three,” is an unexpected and beautiful conclusion to the Big Three trilogy that sacrifices its juicer relationship plotlines to showcase the powerful dynamic between Kate and Rebecca instead.

The promotional material and dark undertones of Kate’s story had lead many of us to believe Kate’s momentous episode would very much be about Marc — and how he’s practically tripping over all his red flags.

So to see the series put in the extra work to bring us stories of love and empowerment, rather than abuse and self-entitlement, feels like the best kind of plot twist we could receive from the drama.

Jack Pearson’s bedtime saga concludes with an epic fairytale that flips the script on a father-daughter bonding session bursting with adorableness.

Witnessing Prince Jack carry Kate through a fantasy meadow as they search for her true love is enough to warm even the coldest of hearts.

Yet finding out that Kate has been searching for her mother, not her prince, is the perfect send-off for this late-night adventure.

There are two really great messages buried in this fable as Kate demonstrates the love she has always had for her mother and Jack reminds her that not everything is safe to love.

This Is Us brilliantly mirrors Jack’s advice for Kevin to learn to love new things with his advice to Kate’s to know not everything you love is good for you.

With three consecutive episodes of wholesome Jack wisdom, we may have to start paying This Is Us for these therapy sessions.

The best aspect of this trilogy also happens to be the saddest because we will never again get to experience the pure joy this innocent storyline brought us.

Jack’s death still hangs over the series and it’s nice to experience a mundane moment with him and the Little Three where he is entirely and unequivocally alive again.

Jack may have bedtime on lock but it’s Rebecca who has to carry the weight of Kate’s past and present.

And Mandy Moore does so beautifully as she allows the audience someone to root for throughout Marc and Kate’s interactions. Just having her present as an authority figure of sorts and an unbias third party makes these toxic displays of affection much easier to sit with.

But let’s not kid ourselves — present-day Rebecca is everything.

Ever since she learned of her diagnosis, Rebecca is living life to the fullest and shouting incredibly empowering things like, “You’re fat. I’m ancient. We’re gorgeous”. This is exactly the kind of energy we need with Toby sulking in the wings.

Rebecca’s ability to be both a strong crutch and honest critic for her daughter allows us to move past all the uncertain wallowing of Kate’s storyline and actually accomplish something.

This episode doesn’t necessarily reveal anything new about our Kate. We learn the reason why her parents call her Bug and yes, it’s just as cute as we could hope for.

This third part of the trilogy is very much about giving us new Kate content we can relate to and enjoy in the wake of another all-consuming fight with Toby.

One day, when this is all over, the pool scene with Kate and Rebecca will be one of those moments that stands out in our minds as being stellar. The dialogue is rich with genuine human interactions anyone can relate to and is heightened by the grounded performances of Moore and Metz.

Not to be left out, Gregory quickly reminds us who we should stan when it comes to men in Kate’s life. His role as the supportive walking buddy has continued to age well as we learn he buys Jack Jr. sensory toys now and calls Kate for regular updates on her life.

I should feel bad seeing the sadness that crosses Kate’s face when she realizes Rebecca thinks it’s Toby on the phone and not Gregory. However, the thought of these two becoming the unlikeliest of friends just makes me want to smile more than anything.

This Big Three trilogy feels like it could have been a feature-length film. A film that is meant to be consumed in one sitting and thought about long after you’ve left the theatre.

To look at Kate’s “Week of Hell” as an individual work instead of the piece to a larger puzzle would be doing this momentous event of television a disservice. Sure, we could pick and prod at this episode until we find something bad to say about it, but at the end of the day, this episode accomplishes what it needs to.

As a conclusion to the Big Three’s week of hell, this episode beautifully weaves Kate’s stories into the gaps the other two episodes left behind and yet still manages to surprise us with its trajectory.

And most importantly, this episode leaves us wanting more — a lot more.

This was one hell of a feat to accomplish, especially after last season’s trilogy blunder. Thankfully the Big Three deliver strong individual episodes that make for a perfect viewing experience when they finally come together.

Marc does not deserve an entire episode dedicated to how terrible he is and I’m glad This Is Us recognizes this. More importantly, I’m glad the series chose to focus on a relationship that genuinely deserves the air time.

The level of dedication This Is Us devotes to each and every detail of this trilogy is what makes these three episodes some of the strongest of the series in its entirety.

This is the show we fell in love with demonstrating that there is still so much story left to tell — and good stories at that.

“A Hell of a Week: Part Three” is the perfect ending to a groundbreaking trilogy of episodes that only gets better with each passing part.

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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