If you know anything about the NBC show This Is Us, you’ll know that it’s an acclaimed tearjerker. I’m slightly embarrassed that even I, who rarely cries during a movie or show, cry constantly when I watch this show. Somehow, it surpasses the level of corniness often associated with emotional dramas and actually touches something real, coming from a genuine place no matter how far-fetched the premise might be. Because ultimately, yes, it is about a specific family (hence the title) – exceedingly unique, and yet, surprisingly relatable. The fact of the matter is that all families are flawed, and This Is Us is a show that maintains no matter how much love there is within one, there will always be imperfections and pain and trauma; strained relationships and loss, only to circle right back to love again. It’s the rawness of the show that really hits you in the feels – it never glorifies or glamorizes. It deals with very real issues, and very real loss, with a vulnerability that is not always seen in many other shows. It is never afraid to absolutely devastate its viewers. Its also not afraid to go to the other side – to make you so happy that you feel you could burst.
Without giving away too many spoilers – since this show is all about the unfolding components of the Pearson family’s lives, past and present – here is the basic premise of the show. In the past, we see the relationship of Rebecca and Jack Pearson evolve, marrying and becoming pregnant with triplets. However, after going into labour, the Pearsons sadly find out that one of their babies was a stillborn. Devastated, Jack discovers that there has been a baby delivered to the hospital – an infant who was abandoned at a fire station that very same night. Jack tells Rebecca that they should adopt this child; convinced it was fate that brought this abandoned baby to them the same night they lost their third child. Rebecca agrees, and This Is Us continues to highlight the lives of Rebecca and Jack as well as their three children: Kate, Kevin, and Randall. Different timelines, different perspectives, with the past and present being mirrored artfully alongside each other in each episode.
Honestly, I can’t even begin to go into the specifics even if I wanted to. This Is Us is one of the most layered shows I’ve seen, both in its layout – bouncing back and forth in timeline – and content. What makes this show so fascinating is its visible focus on the highs and lows of familial relationships. When it’s high, it’s high: heartfelt, genuine, perhaps a little bit sappy. But when it’s low, boy is it low (seriously, you’re going to want to keep tissues with you throughout this whole show): This Is Us is not afraid to hit you hard in the emotional feels with its deep, painful sadness. Topics of untimely death, loss, and trauma are pivotal to this show, and are often dealt with in the most candid of ways. Though it focuses specifically on the family being portrayed onscreen, the writers do an amazing job at making the material relatable. In it we see the way traumatic experiences can filter down through generations, the feeling of belonging and loneliness and being an outsider even when you have a loving family. It is about holding onto the memories of loved ones, even long after they are gone – especially when they have been taken too soon.
As adults, they all have their issues. Kate Pearson struggles with her weight and relationship with food, as she has her whole life. Kevin Pearson is a highly successful sitcom actor, who deals with his own unhappiness and inability to find real, grounded love. Randall Pearson, a highly successful businessman who now has his own beautiful family, has struggled his whole life wondering about his birth parents, as well as his blackness in contrast to his family’s whiteness – a factor that has always made him feel separated from them. And before anyone jumps to the accusation that Randall’s presence only perpetuates racial tokenism, both within a white family and within a mainstream television show, I assure you that this very concept is explored at length within the show itself. Questions of racism and intolerance within Randall’s community, his extended family, and even within his own self by extension of not knowing his biological roots, create a major foundation within the show.
Ultimately, we as viewers get to see heartbreakingly intimate insights into each Pearson child – their respective lenses of their childhood, carried through into adulthood. Lastly, we see beautifully imperfect evolution of Jack and Rebecca’s relationship; tumultuous, hard, yet fiercely loving through and through. Essentially, this show somehow has the ability to make you cry in essentially every episode, somehow without making it come across too corny. Even as a viewer who is not completely up to date on the show, I already know that no matter what route it takes, it will always continue to simultaneously break my heart and lift me up. Seeing a mainstream television show that emphasizes family and familial relationships – not in a highly dysfunctional way, or an unrealistic way, but simply a unique way – is incredibly refreshing, making This Is Us to be one of the best shows out there.
~ Z ~
Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash
