This Is Us Review: Taboo (Season 6 Episode 7)
Drama is always on the menu anytime the entire Pearson/Damon/Rivas clan comes together for holidays, and This Is Us Season 6 Episode 7, “Taboo,” certainly has its fair share.
This year’s Thanksgiving is four courses of Rebecca, as it should be.
Personally, I don’t think Mandy Moore gets enough credit for her performance on this show. In every timeline, she is Rebecca. No matter what age the kids are or who her husband is, it is always Mandy Moore. (This week may have been the only time another actress has played Rebecca, even in flashback.)
She really is the backbone of This Is Us. With 94 episodes behind her, “Taboo” might be a standout.
As an appetizer, we get a glimpse into Rebecca’s prim and proper childhood, which we haven’t seen a lot of before.
This is really important for a couple of reasons. Not only does it directly raise the stakes on Rebecca and Jack inviting her parents to their first Thanksgiving, but Janet serving young Rebecca a tiny sliver of pie could be the start of a behavior Rebecca would later use on Kate, as she struggles with her weight growing up.
Those of us who’ve watched every episode have been on Kate’s journey with food and the role Rebecca has played in it, even with the best of intentions. It is something Kate and Rebecca have tried to make peace with.
Dave: The relationship between mothers and daughters is very complicated…They live in a perpetual hellscape.
In Rebecca and Jack’s modest apartment, we get the meaning of this episode.
Rebecca’s father Dave says it to Jack so casually, as if now is the time to pass on the secret of eternal happiness, and Rebecca and Janet interrupting with fake cheerfulness only proves his point.
Janet (Elizabeth Perkins, who is a delight in these scenes) is always going to drive Rebecca crazy because that’s what mothers do to their daughters, but there is and always will be love there.
When Rebecca switches roles to the mother, we see that same dynamic with Kate. Even though 90s Rebecca annoys teenage Kate, Kate is still going to comfort her mom when she’s crying, because the love is there.
There have been so many episodes in the past with Kate struggling to deal with how Rebecca’s dreams for her may not exactly be lining up with reality, and there has been tremendous growth between them.
That’s why, of course, Rebecca chooses Kate to carry out the wishes of her death plan in the event Miguel is unable to. The boys would be too emotional to handle things when it comes down to it!
Rarely, on TV, do you see a scene that is as honest about something as simple as a parent telling their children about their death plan, but just because it’s simple doesn’t make it any less dramatic.
For me, the son of an aging parent who has had a similar conversation, this cut right to the feels, which is what This Is Us does best. Well, that, and make you have a weepy phone call with your parents.
This episode also brings some much-needed insight and resolution to Kevin’s chilly relationship with Miguel.
For years, Kevin has not been subtle about Miguel’s outsider status in the family, which seems to have spiked during this Thanksgiving in the 90s.
It makes perfect sense that, while Kevin is wrestling with the emotional earthquakes he feels are caused by Jack’s disappointment in his choices, he’s resentful that Miguel doesn’t appear to be as affected by the guilt of moving in on his late best friend’s widow.
In the past, Rebecca has made it clear to her children how important Miguel is to her, even more so as her mental health deteriorates. Kate and Randall have accepted that at different times.
Perhaps now it has finally sunk in with Kevin. Besides, Kevin isn’t making much progress on that cabin, and he could use the help!
As for Kate and Toby, the tension between them is clearly building to something, and with only a couple of episodes left of the season, how it resolves should be interesting. (I’m still thinking about the flash-forward of Toby in bed by himself…)
in the spirit of Thanksgiving (in March), with the finale approaching, what I’m thankful for is a show that may veer off course from time to time but manages to right itself when it comes to family.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to call my mom.
Stray Thoughts:
- Jae-won! Where have you been, man?
- Beth’s snark (in the 90s and the 20s) is unmatched.
- I can’t wait to see more of this cabin! We’ve seen bits and pieces, but I need more!
- Taboo is one of the best party games ever, and I, too, have had a run where I focused all my clues to one member of my team for an eleven-card run of all musical theater clues. Sorry, not sorry, Matt and Marguerite.
- I disagree with Toby — the makeover scene from She’s All That is a piece of cinematic history.
- But seriously, what is the secret ingredient?!
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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TJ O'Connell
TJ is a former east coaster, now residing in Los Angeles. There's a very good chance he has served your food sometime over the last twelve years. Since childhood, he has had a running IMDb in his head and is thankful to finally have an outlet for that information. He is very single and hopes to someday support a dog.