This Is Us Review: The Hill (Season 6 Episode 9)

Kate heads to the bay to be with her bae, and it goes about as good as one could expect.

There is something incredibly cathartic about This Is Us Season 6 Episode 9, “The Hill,” and its ability to give us exactly what we need — Kate and Toby taking off the gloves to brawl.

They are not happy, their up-and-down relationship struggles have made us unhappy, and it is about damn time they verbally fought each other for dominance. Skrew the grand Pearson gestures and smoker schemes; it’s time these two had words.

And words they have!

Usually, I wouldn’t root for a relationship to implode. Still, it has been so agonizingly clear for some time now that this couple has grown apart, and it’s relieving to see this episode finally do away with the pleasantries.

There is something rewarding about watching two people throw their ugliest insecurities at each other, slowly chipping away to the realization that no one person is at fault. They found happiness without each other and now have to come to that devastating conclusion.

That’s the most moving heartbreak; it hits deep even if our sympathy doesn’t always land with these two.

Given this fight had seasons of pent-up anger to unload, I am blown away by how honest it managed to be while still embracing the petty over-the-top drama this disagreement calls for.

It seems Kate and Toby are finally over the hill and into their breakup era.

And honestly, good for them! However painful it is to watch, the fallout comes with relief to know we are entering a new chapter for this couple, one where we can all be happy *eyes the smoker cautiously*.

The execution of the lead-up is slow burn perfection, pushing Kate to the brink with airport brush-offs and fantasy basketball feuds. It’s not until Kate is left standing alone in a room of strangers that you realize how exhausting this relationship is for the two to uphold.

Both participants here have faults to blame. Kate imagines fat Toby as her savior from the man who stands before her, and Toby makes a life-altering choice without talking to his family.

Yet, in the end, it is Toby who pushes the insults too far, who deflects and threatens Kate into embracing life in San Fransico.

It’s okay for This Is Us to paint Toby as the antagonist here, but it’s also okay to let this deeply flawed relationship and six seasons of material speak for itself.

“The Hill” has its highs and lows.

The collaborative approach certainly gives this episode a sentimental air with Mandy Moore directing, Chrissy Metz co-writing the script, and Chris Sullivan lending his skills as a musician. Kate and Toby’s unraveling feels like it is grounded in their passion.

The choice to recreate the old “Toby” is equally mystifying, instantly taking fans back to the first season with prosthetics and goofy jokes.

It is ironic Kate suddenly fantasizes about his past self when I distinctly remember the old Toby being just as much as a headache when it came to relationship quarrels.

Nonetheless, it is crucial Toby point out he cannot be that version of himself anymore because that person was a coping mechanism — which is a solid point, damn.

The weak link here is, unfortunately, Kate’s flashbacks.

The idea of returning to the same two pool visits for these Big Three showcases is rather fascinating. But I believe Kate’s younger years could have been used more effectively to tie together her arc in the present day.

The teenage Kate we see drowning her sorrows in self-pity at the pool and the Kate we see proud to discuss her career are on opposite sides of the growth spectrum, and it would have been valuable to thread those experiences together more.

And as great as it is to see Kate and Toby unleashing their feelings, much of the lead-up to their big fight is grounded in their relationship, not Kate per-say.

For an episode dedicated to Kate Pearson, centering the experience around her relationship with Toby speaks to the larger issues “The Hill” attempts to rectify.

As Kate stands at the top of that insanely steep hill, seizing the day and putting herself out there, I find myself rooting for her in ways I have always wanted to.

Kate has been a complex character to embrace lovingly, her self-sabotaging behavior and fear of failure fighting us every step of the way. She’s been stuck, to no fault of her own, which has made her the underdog to champion all along.

This chapter marks a crucial departure as Kate steps into the character we always knew she could be, the one that decides to jump and embrace the outcome, however ugly it may be.

For the fleeting moment looking out across San Fransico’s skyline, it seems that This Is Us is capable of giving Kate Pearson’s uphill battle the worth it deserves.

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

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