We don’t talk enough about what These are U.S– The first years Rebecca spent.
Let’s think about the series premiere for a minute. After carrying three babies for many months, Rebecca had an extremely traumatic delivery and an emergency C-section. And when she woke up later, she had to learn that one of her children had not survived the terrible ordeal.
Yes, the Pearsons’ immediate decision to adopt Randall was a moving one (if not a lifetime problem). And yes, babies are cute and can have an extraordinary ability to make you feel better when you are depressed. But this week’s episode begins to show how little Kyle’s loss is not easily concealed, especially in the state of physical pain and sleep deprivation in which Rebecca finds herself on the way home from the hospital. And although I focus on the new mom, it’s not like Jack has a lot of fun here: as we see on Tuesday, he’s also sad. And their demons are so close that they are practically assembling a shotgun all the way back to the house.
This trip between the hospital and the home is the focus of all the stories this week. So, let’s see how it goes for Madison and Kevin; Toby, Kate and Ellie; Randall and Beth; and the aforementioned Pearson parents. Oh, and did someone say FLASH-FORWARD? Read the highlights of “The Ride”. (And then make sure to dig deep with our detailed guide to Rebecca-centered flash-forward and listen to what series star Jon Huertas had to say about directing this week’s episode.)
‘WE HAVE A FAMILY’ | Jack and Rebecca prepare to bring Kevin, Kate and Randall home from the hospital. Jack is trying his best to inject some youthfulness into the day, but Rebecca looks overwhelmed and sad … probably because she is overwhelmed and sad. Jack’s bravado wears off the minute he realizes that a) he had to install three car seats and has no idea how, and b) he can be even more like his father than he imagined.
This latest revelation unfolds while they are in transit. Rebecca is in a mess of anxiety from not being able to see the babies in the back seat. Children start to cry. And an impatient and reckless driver honks his horn for Jack to go faster, then speeds up and stops him the moment the two vehicles enter a gas station. Jack has to stop to avoid an accident, and that’s it.
He runs out of the car and starts shouting at the other driver, who doesn’t regret what just happened. Jack even reaches out the open window to grab the guy’s shirt, but Rebecca’s screams of anger keep him from doing anything more violent / stupid. Inside, when Jack pays for gas, he also buys – and drinks quickly – a sip of whiskey. Then he asks Rebecca to drive home, saying that he can turn around more easily in his seat to keep an eye on the children.
When they arrive, the three babies are asleep. So Jack and Rebecca decide to sit in the car until that changes. She mentions that her mother had a miscarriage when Rebecca was a child, and her sadness lasted for a while. “What if I can’t be a great mom because I’ve been very sad for a long time?” she worries out loud. Jack reassures her that it won’t be the case, he confesses about his sip in the middle of the trip. “I was feeling very overwhelmed with everything that happened and was just trying to control myself,” he says. Then he remembers how terrible his father was and how drunk he was; every night when he returned from work, “all the air was sucked out of the room.” Jack is concerned about ending the same way. “You don’t suck the air out of the room. You we are the air, ”Rebecca says, propelling him. He kisses her hand, Bread’s “Everything I Own” plays on the radio and the mood is lighter. “We have a family,” she says, smiling.
FIRST PAPARAZZI MEETING FOR BABIES | Likewise, Kevin is having a lot of thoughts and feelings as he and Madison prepare to bring Nicky and Franny home. And all these fervent emotions explode when he realizes that there is a paparazzo following them. He stops and yells at the guy, who is unmoved by Kevin’s threats and Madison’s attempts to bond with him on a human level. So Mads – who deals with things like a boss throughout this episode, I might add – quietly negotiates a deal: if he leaves them alone, she’ll let you know when Kevin runs out on Tuesdays, and he can get some shots then. Of course, she has to agree that Kev is “shirtless” and “in tight shorts, so I can see his package”, but everything ends well. Back in the car, she slides into the driver’s seat and lovingly tells Kevin that she would like him to take a nap the rest of the way home. “I’m going to need you at your best,” she points out, “and aggro, Liam Neeson Kevin’s movie is not your best.”
While he sleeps, Kevin dreams that Jack is holding Franny and Nicky. “Do them a favor: stop living with me. I was afraid of being like my father and you were afraid of not being like yours ”, says Grandpa Jack. “Close your eyes, decide what you want, and then go and get it, son.” Kevin wakes up alone in the car, gets in and does what he does best: make a big gesture based solely on emotion, without thinking too much about its ramifications. He meets Madison at the house and says that although they have been engaged for a while, he really wants to date. “I really want you to be my wife. I want to be a family, ”he says, sliding the hospital bracelet on his wrist instead of a ring. She looks touched and says yes, so they kiss.
ELLIE IS OUT | Toby greets Kate and her new daughter outside the hospital with a huge sign that says, “Hi Hailey, I am your father!” Then they transport Ellie home, with Kate talking about future dates and such. But Ellie barely gets involved, until suddenly and in tears she announces that she no longer wants to participate in an open adoption. Yes, Hailey is still Kate and Toby. But Ellie doesn’t feel good emotionally about being part of the girl’s life. Kate presses a little, confused, but Toby gently tells her to back off.
Later, at home, Kate is upset: Randall’s adoption was so secretive, she says, and it caused a lot of pain for him and his family. “I promised myself it wouldn’t be like that for Hailey,” she says. Toby says that they will always let their daughter know exactly where she came from. And once the crisis is over, Toby throws another one on the court: he was fired that morning. Kate does not despair, saying that they will find out about the work the next day. “We are just going to be a family today.”
TWO BLIZZARDS AND A NOTICE | While Beth and Randall leave the hospital after Annie’s birth, they are feeling very good about how well everything is going. Annie is a calm and smiling baby angel. They have packed their bags in a way that is prepared for any small needs that arise on the way home. And Beth will receive the Dairy Queen Blizzard that Randall promised her while she was in labor. Everything is going well until Randall does not stop raising the idea of having a third child so that they can “have a boy”.
Beth – much nicer than I would be, if I was probably sitting on a donut pillow on the way home – says no … and then, hell, not when your husband doesn’t understand the hint. As she burns a little bit of anger asking for the ice cream, Randall tells his new daughter that he is so happy that she looks like him because he grew up without looking like anyone in his family. Then he meditates a little on his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Beth comes back with two blizzards. She is no longer angry, and the pair jokes and smiles. But Randall, I same I wouldn’t bring it all up again.
BACK TO THE FUTURE | Especially as, as we know – and as illustrated in the episode’s flash-forward – Randall eventually does having the three children he wanted.
But let’s go back a second. Throughout the episode, we watched a medical intern (I think – if these are residents we’re looking at, someone please scream) receives an orientation for the hospital delivery and delivery department. But she doesn’t like it and asks one of her colleagues to cover her while she runs away.
Outside the hospital, she is picked up by another young woman. There’s a big screen in your car near the driver’s console, which was my first tip that we would be in the future. The driver gives the doctor a giraffe that gives Sophie’s teeth: It turns out that the intern is pregnant, although she hasn’t told anyone yet.
They drive and finally arrive at Kevin’s cabin. Tess leaves to greet them, and then we realize that the driver is Annie and the doctor is Deja. When old Randall joins them outside, they ask how he’s doing. He replies that he is better now that they are there. Everyone starts to enter, but Randall and Deja are held up when they notice the arrival of another car. (We don’t see who’s inside). He asks her how the journey went and she replies that she is fine: “It always goes faster than you think”. (And for a deeper dive in this flash-forward, be sure to check out our ongoing investigation.)
Now it is your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!