This Is Us Review: Four Fathers (Season 6 Episode 3)

This Is Us Season 6 Episode 3, “Four Fathers,” reveals itself to be the strongest installment of this season yet.

This dad-filled episode offers us an array of drama served on the simple platter of fatherhood. This Is Us is always at its best when it can take one utterly mundane topic and cough up a dozen complementary storylines.

It’s appealing to see this episode rekindle that smooth flow to its formula, a flow that complements its fatherly figures and the agenda that graciously humbles them.

There’s a common theme throughout this episode, and it’s that these Pearson fathers try their darndest, but they are still lost without their significant others. That allows all players to thrive within this male-centric episode.

Teamwork makes the dream work, and so does writing your kid’s contact info inside of his shoe because the chance of your husband misplacing him is incredibly high.

There’s a humility in seeing these four fathers try their hardest to connect with their kids across long work hours, uncomfortable sex talks, and disabilities that tip the scale of this episode from mediocre to melancholy.

We love a good Jack Pearson redemption arc, and we love off-duty weekend Jack Pearson, so combining those two personas is much appreciated.

It’s safe to say this successful episode features many fantastic Jack and Rebecca moments (it’s likely why it is so successful). Any conflict that resolves with Jack pulling off a grand gesture of sundaes and movie marathons is good conflict.

And with the reveal that Jack’s mother has passed, it looks like This Is Us will use Milo Ventimiglia as much as humanly possible this season. It’s a smart move because Moore and Ventimiglia are the keys to anchoring whatever this weird smoker storyline is.

It’s rewarding to see the rest of the fathers match Jack’s adorableness with fleshed-out episodic arcs.

Kevin and Madison continue to prove, even in resentment, this co-parenting setup is far more beneficial to viewers than their half-assed marriage storyline ever was. They also set up critical dialogue for the losses Kate and Toby will suffer in their divorce.

If it’s said enough, let me say it again. Deja and Randall’s father-daughter relationship is magic.

They have such a fun, chaotic rapport that brings out a refreshing side to the more no-nonsense Pearson members. Malik sexting Deja over speakerphone headlines their outing, but Beth bounces lots of top-tier banter off Randall as he spirals deeper into the pit of sex-talk despair.

Even Toby has decisive moments with Kate and Baby Jack that exemplify everything we have come to enjoy about this difunctional coupling over the years.

Unfortunately, the sentiment that it’s too little too late is something This Is Us is keen to double down on.

“Four Fathers” walks an interesting line when setting up for Kate and Toby’s demise.

Future Jack smelling smoke and declaring it takes him back to the “incident” is the cruelest clink-bait This Is Us could have orchestrated. It could be the spice this mellow season needs, or it could be a cheap bid to manipulate us.

One devastating smoke-related incident should be enough for this show, yet here we are purchasing smokers.

It is bizarre that Toby would go all-in on fancy barbeque. It is even stranger that This Is Us would hinder this marriage on one “blow up” when Kate and Toby have plenty of grievances to blame the divorce on.

Moving forward, I do hope the show refrains from using this Superbowl Sunday rehash as the only foundation for the couple’s demise. Unfortunately, we still need those red flags and canceled plans to make the end result work.

This fatherly outing is proof that returning to a show’s roots can be both a blessing and a curse.

This Is Us displays its most powerful storytelling when it carefully threads one cohesive topic across multiple timelines. That formula has been with the series since the pilot, and it’s what allows such ordinary family drama to transcend the more outlandish drama tropes.

The future storyline continues to be the weakest link of the series and more of a plot tool than an organic addition to these timeline juggling episodes. That has never been more true than with this smoker reveal.

The final season is beginning to show its cards, but only time will tell if this devastating origin story for Jack and Kevin’s call to Cassidy will be the higher-stakes drama this family needs to sweep us off our feet.

—

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

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

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

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Shadow and Bone Cast Welcomes New Characters Into the Fold