Enjoyed the episode. And I’m feeling a bit vindicated for suggesting there might be a half sibling out there.
Barbalot ??
But I get a glass of champagne when the half sibs kids show up!
I too was impressed with Chrissy Metz’s singing. It got better from the previous showings.
It has been mentioned before when William was going to NJ to Philly to feed his cat that it was a 2 hour bus trip one way, so no surprise there. I think Tobey did a good portrayal of what its like having a parent with Depression and what its like to have Depression and go off your meds. Was so happy Kate and Tobey’s IVF worked! Having 2 adopted kids with races different from my own, I am perenially impressed with Randall’s portrayal of how hard it is to struggle with identity issues and growing up in a family whose race is different than your own. He can’t ever find a place for himself with one foot in 2 different worlds. There’s a common theme among all 3 Pearson triplets re how the world sees you and how you see yourself. Very compelling. I had tears in my eyes several times during the show. Wish Rebecca would just leave Kate alone and let her find her own singing voice.
I like This is Us, in the same way that I liked Parenthood. It annoys me about something, virtually every episode, but I keep watching. A lot of it is difficult to swallow, and I agree with @surfcity that some of the storylines are cliché. I had to chuckle when Randall’s ‘free bbq’ event was a disaster. I imagine there will be some redemption and he’ll be back on track next week.
Why the need to suddenly have Beth struggling? Sometimes there is just too much angst in the show. And I don’t always like the way they write the dialogue between Beth and Randall. It’s cheesy, much of the time.
I continue to watch, though.
The Alpine thing bugged me. It is 2 hour drive without traffic. There is literally NO bus service between Alpine and Philadelphia. I think the show got itself into a bind because Randall commuted to NYC in the first season, meaning he had to live in commuting distance, but then set William in Philadelphia (not Newark or NYC). Also, apparently there was a letter from William sent to Beth that had her address as Alpine so they couldn’t change that without the family moving. North Jersey reaction:
It will be very tough for him to be a North Jersey guy running for a council seat in Philadelphia. Got to be an Eagles fan in Philly, but not sure how a Steelers fan would be seen.
I like the scene with Randall and the diner owners - explaining how the incumbent earned their support . It will be interesting to see where that goes. And Beth’s interview scene where she breaks down and is now not doing OK. But I agree that may be too much - she was the steady force the show needed.
I thought the prom scene was very well done and showed how good the young actors are. Interesting that Kevin’s response to the prom scene with Randall was to go anyway and get drunk.
It’s funny. I felt really bored by the episode this week, notwithstanding that I liked all the scenes the rest of you are talking about liking. There were some great moments in the show – the diner owners explaining their support for their incumbent councilman, Kevin’s non-girlfriend doing the dishes with her hostess (and the scene in the convenience store they were talking about), tween Toby doing Henny Youngman – but on the whole . . . nah.
The Alpine-Philadelphia thing is just ridiculous. They could have had Randall living in Princeton and made it merely strain credulity, but Alpine might just as well be Mars. Plus – people toil in the trenches and get in line for years to run for City Council, especially seats that represent districts. It’s not really something a rich person could just drop into, at least not without being prepared to spend $4-5 million on a council seat (and being willing to spend that much on a council seat would be prima faciae evidence of not being qualified ). It’s an expensive media market; no one can afford to use TV to make a name for himself among a tiny sliver of the total audience.
So I am wondering if maybe the lady in the picture with Jack could be his brother’s Vietnamese girlfriend/love interest.
I was thinking the same thing. Why not put him in Princeton or even Mendham.
FWIW, this is not the first mention of their living in Alpine. I knew that already. I’ll try to find the reference from season #1.
OK, found it. In the first season, there was a shot of a postcard William sent to Randall and Beth. The address was Alpine, NJ.
Here’s a photo of the postcard. https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Where-Does-Randall-Live-Us-44311681
Here’s some local coverage of the improbability of the geography.
https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/2018/10/24/us-randall-pearson-defies-geography-quick-commute-alpine-nj-philadelphia-pa/1750880002/
wow, that does look like a hike: Alpine to Philly once you reveal it on a map. Not plausible, but this is fiction folks. Remember STT, stretch-the -truth when trying to write an interesting story?Weren’t we all taught that?
@tx5athome - I agree with you - I think the woman in the picture is connected to Nick somehow. I don’t see her as another love interest for Jack.
Yes, it’s fiction but it’s lazy writing in an instance like this. There is no reason to place them in Alpine when a more realistic town would have worked. That isn’t stretching the truth to make a story more interesting.
It’s like on 24, when the characters would get from one end of Los Angeles to the other in ten minutes.
I have to say all this discussion about Alpine and two hours and such is making me shake my head! All the intricacies of the show and this is what is consuming viewers? Maybe someone needs to be a fly on the wall in the writer’s room…
Agreed ^^^^^^
Also, I think Toby was Rodney Dangerfield.
If you live the real map that they’re faking, it’s a real distraction, just as it would be to have cars that don’t match the decade portrayed, or the color way off and a blue sky looking pink-ish.
I can usually live with the fantasy since I probably couldn’t find Alpine, NJ on the map without looking for a whie, but living in Brooklyn, home to too many film shoots, it’s very distracting when a tv show or commercial or movie is just too ridiculous. Like all those urban car commercials, obviously shot near the Brooklyn Bridge, where there’s always a parking spot wherever you want it. Give me a break!
This location discussion reminds me of a comedian that talks about his girlfriend complaining how in the movie, Dr. Dolittle, a wife that was a lawyer defended her husband in court. His girlfriend said that was ridiculous because that would never happen. And he replied, “That is unrealistic…but you don’t have an issue with animals that can talk?”
My husband loves finding inaccuracies in shows and movies and was about to say something nit picky when This is Us was on, and I cut him off and said, “Don’t mess with this show or you will pay during Game of Thrones.” That shut him up.
Article about Chrissy Metz:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a24123882/chrissy-metz-weight-loss/
@oldmom4896 , or the insurance commercial with the Statute of Liberty in the background!
@oldmom4896, yeah, I always chuckle at the readily available parking in movies and shows. LOL. Right in front of the building!