This Is Us Review: New York, New York, New York (Season 4 Episode 16)

The Big Three takes on the Big Apple.

This Is Us Season 4 Episode 16, “New York, New York, New York,” makes the trip to New York to film on location and the result is a lovely location-centric episode and a steaming cup of tea for us to sip on.

However, it is the gripping three-part journey for Rebecca that makes the most of the show’s time away from home. The mother of the Big Three is once again at the center of this episode as Jack’s greatness becomes a byproduct of her resilience.

It’s Rebecca’s world and we’re just living in it.

It’s hard to believe as we take in her ambitious three-part New York adventure, that there was a time when we disliked Rebecca. Hurting from Jack’s looming demise and agitated by her bad cop attitude, it was hard to stand behind the stern parent. But now we know Rebecca is the glue that has held the Pearsons together — and this show — for years.

Being critical of the mother figure for doing what she has to is something This Is Us has been rectifying since Jack’s death and “New York, New York, New York” is the final step in solidifying Rebecca’s own greatness.

It’s rather nice to see Rebecca take on the big city with her long coats and determination. But present-day Rebecca realizes that she has spent too many years putting off what’s important to her that brings these three storylines together. In the end, Rebecca chooses to put herself first and live life while she still can — a decision viewers are happy to stand by.

Rebecca’s three timelines are mesmerizing to watch and beautiful use of her time on the streets of New York. However, there are points during this episode where the three Rebeccas and their motivations become dizzying to keep up with, especially when peppered in between Randall and Kevin’s disagreements.

The patriotic father getting his entire family lost is a staple of any family vacation. Just ask anyone and they can tell you about the time they ended up under a highway underpass because their father thought it was a short cut.

Thankfully Jack’s sour mood and poor sense of direction are dealt with swiftly by his wife, who pulls him aside and maturely asks that he not be such an egotistical man. It’s clear at this moment that while Jack will always be television’s greatest father figure, Rebecca has always had a hand in helping him achieve that greatness.

Even perfect Jack Pearson needs to be put in his place by his wife when he is wrong. That smug face on Rebecca as Jack leads his family to Queens is everything we needed to fall back in love with the rougher parts of their marriage.

Even so, their spat doesn’t feel like spat, it feels like the byproduct of an ageing relationship and one that gives the Pearson family trip to the big city to a level of realism to ground it. What would a true family vacation be without a few “disagreements”?

This New York centric episode is a dream come true for any television enthusiast thanks to prominent filming location and references — thus the reason I enjoy this episode so much.

You see, I too will plan my trip agenda entirely around plots from my favourite film or tv show. So it’s not only incredibly adorable to see Kevin eager to reenact the events of Home Alone 2 and discuss the film’s plot as they make their way through the city, but it’s also incredibly relatable.

Learning that Jack got his latest grand gesture, a magical carriage ride through central park, from the same film Kevin idolizes just puts these references over the top in the cutest way possible.

But that’s not where the fun stops for us filming location enthusiasts as this episode’s greatest scenes are encapsulated by The Met’s gorgeous artwork, Kate’s extravagant tea party location, and Randall’s trip to the Museum of Natural History a.k.a the museum at the center of the Night at the Museum — another iconic film set in New York City.

Unlike Randall’s massive fight with Beth that eclipsed most of This Is Us’ third season, Kevin and Randall’s disagreement is valid to the story and these flawed characters. This fight feels like a natural byproduct of years of repressed anger and emotion working it’s way to the surface.

We have witnessed Kevin grow into a mature man, shedding his egotistical persona and embracing the parts of himself that make his mother smile. But we’ve also watched Kevin learn to listen, a skill that has quickly made him the easiest Pearson to root for in a group of siblings too stubborn to hear the needs of others.

Kevin’s growth has secretly been leading to this fight with his brother. Randall has always seen Kevin as too unstable and immature to take care of their mother, but now that Kevin has his act together it’s become impossible for Randall to wrap his mind around someone else knowing what’s best for Rebecca.

That brilliant groundwork is what has lead to this heavy but logical spat between siblings.

This Is Us is not painting Randall as the bad guy here. He is simply representing the sibling in every family dynamic that thinks they know what’s best for their parents. While he’s being a total pill about pushing his agenda onto his reluctant siblings, this behaviour is very much a Randall we’ve come to know well.

Just as we’ve come to learn Jack does not stand alone on his pedicle, we’ve come to learn Randall’s seemingly perfect character is his downfall.

The flashbacks of this episode do their job well, illustrating a time after Jack’s death where Randall thought he needed to protect Rebecca from the world by driving her around, shielding her from potential suitors, and pushing her away from unhealthy foods. The scenes with college Randall and Kevin demonstrate their growing arguments over this issue at a young age.

But it is the final flashback to Jack on the roof of that burning house that puts everything into perspective for us. Randall thinks he could have saved his father that night and will do everything he can to save his mother from this illness.

It’s a heartbreaking look into Randall’s psyche and one that allows us to pick sides in this argument while also understanding the reason behind Randall’s less than desirable behaviour.

We’re not rooting for this overbearing Randall to get his way but we understand why he is reacting the way he is. That is ultimately why this storyline will soar while Randall’s marital problems stumbled last season.

We are living in a time where Kevin and Rebecca are the characters we most look forward to seeing on our screens. It’s a bizarre turn of events for these two developing characters and a testament to the show’s ability to write wicked redemption arcs.

Kevin and Randall’s fight has threatened to derail this season’s trailblazing momentum for weeks. Yet, in the end, the series chooses to go the more mature route with a disagreement that validates it’s characters’ flaws and does not bow to hysterical dramatics.

No one should be passing on the hot cup of tea This Is Us is serving us — not when it tastes this good.

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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