This Is Us Review: Jerry 2.0 (Season 5 Episode 15)

This Is Us Season 5 Episode 15, “Jerry 2.0,” uses the chaos of the bachelor and bachelorette parties as an excuse to introduce tons of petty relationship drama.

It is the kind of conflict that will heal your soul and make you appreciate the messiness of a couple that isn’t entirely compatible, and not entirely sure of what to do about that.

Kevin and Madison have been in a drama-free relationship since a global lockdown pushed them to label their feelings. But when faced with their own doubts in the eyes of their family and friends for the first time, these two are forced to reckon with their hasty marriage in unexpected ways.

This Is Us has the difficult task of navigating Kevin’s love life in a way that doesn’t paint him in a bad light.

Thankfully, the choice to have Kevin and Madison’s insecurities mirror each other at every turn allows for this to feel less like Kevin’s decision, and more like an honest study of their relationship from all angles.

It would make sense that Kevin and Madison have cold feet. We have been questioning the expiration date on this relationship from the beginning, it’s only right that this show has them question it too.

It’s also entirely practical that after months of delusional lockdown cuddling, Kevin and Madison’s relationship would start to unravel during their first group outing.

They’ve internalized so many of their insecurities about this marriage that the first time Nicky is honest with Kevin, he can’t help but get angry at seeing the truth for what it is.

Sometimes the best love stories aren’t meant to be, and sometimes love stories are written together.

That’s the sentiment This Is Us wants us to take from this chaotic relationship study. Love isn’t always black and white, and that uncertainty may not give us the story we want, but it certainly gives us a fulfilling episode of television.

Much of this episode is spent telling us why Kevin and Madison can’t work as a couple in a number of subtle and clever ways. It pays off when a flashback of Kevin and Sophie unravels a flaw in Kevin and Madison’s long-term relationship big enough for Kate to spot.

As fun as it must be for Sophie fans to see this fairytale fall apart, This Is Us isn’t going to allow us the smug satisfaction of returning to Kevin’s past for good.

Sure, Kevin and Madison coming to the amicable decision to stay friends would make for a rushed but satisfying episode arc, but it’s clear this season has a larger endgame in mind for them.

The decision to throw in a few last-minute wrenches, like Miguel’s idea that love is a choice we make together and Madison’s visible concern over Kevin’s response to the newlywed question, muddles the clear object of this episode but allows us to simmer in the uncertainty of a relationship that could still go either way.

It may be difficult to watch Kevin delete Sophie’s phone number (okay, try devastating!) but This Is Us is attempting to bring authenticity to a relationship that has always felt like a byproduct of Kevin’s ridiculous deadline to find a wife before he turned forty.

I only hope the season doesn’t end with Kevin and Madison’s wedding. I want to see them happy and it’s clear from the constant hammering of this episode’s plot that they are not built for long-term success, at least not yet.

Also, no one wants to sit through an entire episode dedicated to why two people are not right for each other just to see them go through with it anyways.

That said, the decision to tear a strip out of Kevin and Madison’s somewhat solid relationship is certain to make for an interesting finale.

Love them or hate them, Madison and Kevin’s relationship is the juiciest part of the show right now and as this episode demonstrates, This Is Us would be a fool not to use their uncertainty to its advantage.

The questions surrounding their final hours of engagement are creating the kind of tension and anticipation this season’s bottle episodes have lacked.

Going into the finale, I hope to see more of the group ensembles that are on display throughout this episode. The two groups spending time together may just be filler to the bigger conflict at hand, but some of the greatest moments happen around the campfire, or while discussing ghosting with a stripper in your backyard.

At the end of the day, Beth and Rebecca sharing the pain of dreams that were cut off at the knees is important because it’s a dynamic we’ve yet to see from this storyline. And the Jerry Maguire movie discussion is so outside the box, it can’t help but be endearingly funny.

Here’s to more of that — and here’s to embracing the messy drama that will always be Kevin Pearson’s romantic life!

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The season finale of This Is Us airs Tuesday, May 25 at 9/8c on NBC.

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