I think it was that he needed to vent, and had nobody to vent to.
Nicky and Jack werenât estranged, Nicky was presumed dead in Vietnam. It is only later that we learn he is alive.
I am surprised that for all the âfamily firstâ Jack and Rebecca preached, they did not see their own families, like ever. Is Rebecca an only child? I know her parents did not approve of her marrying Jack, but do they ever visit? It was sad when the triplets didnât even know their grandmothers apart.
Did Jackâs mom never mention a boyfriend or other things about her life?
Also, I thought this was one of the few episodes that strictly dealt with one time period and one group. A minor flashback, but everything was situated on the Pearsons circa momâs death.
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I thought Rebecca pretty much wrote off her parents after the way they treated Jack.
My new theory on Malik/Deja is that Malik wants to leave Harvard and come back to town and go to school locally. He made it clear that Harvard was hard (duh) and maybe just too hard with his parenting responsibilities.
If I remember correctly his initial plan was to attend Penn which would have made lots of things much easier.
Are you watching reruns of The Practice? You were pretty young when it was first aired!
It is only later that we learn heâs alive; Jack knew he was alive all along. He may not have known where Nicky was after the war, which would explain why he did not call Nicky to inform him of their motherâs death.
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I have actually never seen The Practice. I have seen her on Harryâs Law and Major Crimes. But TBH, I googled her a couple of years back when her son Milo was on Dancing With the Stars.
If Malik says Iâm leaving Harvard and transferring to Penn, I will spit out my diet coke. This is why parents/students have unrealistic college goals. If itâs so easy for an 18-year-old with presumed marginal grades to transfer, why canât I?
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The grass is not always greener on the other side!
Regarding Jack calling his dadâŠhe had been drinking when he made that bad decision.
Regarding Rebeccaâs parentsâŠher mother was racist.
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This last episode was just âblahâ to me. What was its point in relation to their current situations? Or am I overthinking it?
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Maybe the episode was to just answer questions like âwhy donât Jack and Rebecca ever see their parents?â??
My DC also watches the show and then we chat about it. I asked them, what was the moral of the story (for this last episode)? Haha.
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I totally agree that this episode felt awkwardly placed into the final season which is leading towards wrapping up loose ends. My thought is that it was done to give Milo significant screen time before the show ends.
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Agreed. Screen time for Milo. I just think it portrayed him very poorly. I know they have triplets but 4 hours is not a long drive. And for Rebecca to not even attend the funeral? The kids arenât babies and even if they were, you make arrangements. However, it seems like the Pearsonâs donât see their families and have no outside friends besides Miguel and his wife. Seems strange for a couple that is so âwonderfulâ.
Overall, I just found this episode very boring and rather pointless. We donât know enough about Jackâs family to really care that his mother died.
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AndâŠthis episode really showcased the make up job the artists do. Wow. Around young Jackâs eyes was completely, totally smooth and looked very natural. Older Jack has deep crowâs feet around his eyes. Amazing make up work. Milo V. is old enough to be sporting the real wrinkles so the young Milo make up job is really amazing.
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Rebecca did end up at the church with the kids. Jack kind of insisted she not go even though she wanted to. And in the end, Rebecca , strong woman, DID go.
It seemed that Jacks mom wasnât overly old. The death was pretty unexpected. You know, itâs easy to say âit was only 4 hoursâ - often we think we have time - time to fix things and get better. And then sometimes we donât. 
itâs a hard lesson but I think even here on CC many might have experienced this.
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I do think a lack of a 4 hour drive in 13 years to see a parent though indicates some issues ! We all have different experiences though and I realize estrangement is a real thing. But, total estrangement did not seem to be the issue here. He could have even gone himself if he needed to see his mom . I thought it was not a good look for Jack. But, many of the family issues have seemed off over the years and may reflect the writersâ own experiences or issues.
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The calls between Jack and his mom seemed short, stilted. and superficial â I figured neither one wanted to think about the past they shared. Jack seemed to have no indication that his mother was living a happy and fulfilled life for many years before she passed away. If he knew his mom had moved forward in such a positive way(as he did with his wife and children) I wonder if he might have been more inclined to visit.
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It really doesnât ring true to me that Jackâs mother would so look forward to her weekly calls with him, but would share absolutely nothing about her life with him during those calls and that he would never ask. That bothers me more than his never going to visit her. With young triplets, I can see how he would think it made more sense for her to travel to them, and how she might not be comfortable doing so with the fear that she might cross paths with Jackâs dad.
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If she lived there for 13 years and the triplets were only 5 or 6 when she died, why couldnât Rebecca and Jack visit her before they had the triplets? Also, not sure exactly when they bought the cabin but they managed to drive there frequently with the triplets. Rebecca kids fly across the country at the drop of a hat when she needs them. Just seems like they could have made a bit of an effort for their own parents.
Phone calls were really uncomfortable to watch. Rebecca picked up the phone and acted like she couldnât hand the phone to Jack quick enough. Why wouldnât she want to talk to his mom? Would think it would be a nice break from the kids and typically moms have a lot to talk about. They both just seemed really cold to her for no reason. I can see why the cousin seemed so cold to Jack.
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