This Is Us Reaction: Season One, Part One

As Sky previously mentioned, This Is Us came along this September and captured many of our hearts. Now that they've had enough time to process the mid-season finale, Anna and Sky have a few things to say about this season so far.

source

Anna Gensimore

I am not even sure where to begin with this to be honest. I mean, there really aren't any characters that I don't like, except for maybe Toby's ex-wife. The Pearson clan are relatable in a way that many television families simply aren't. Usually parents of adult characters aren't in the main cast, but Jack and Rebecca are just as much in focus as their children. Jack is an absolute darling. Yes, he is a deeply flawed human being, but overall he loves and supports his family to the best of his ability. Rebecca is emotionally all over the place, but most of all she wants to do right by her family. Her good intentions sometimes took the story line to places I wasn't expecting.

source

I really liked getting to see Kate's confidence and security in her identity grow as Kevin encouraged her to follow her dreams when he released her from being his manager. She learned to make decisions for herself and her own happiness, even difficult ones. Taking steps to better your health can be difficult, and it was great to see Kate realize and acknowledge that she needed a bit of help meeting her goals. Her relationship with Toby was one of the highlights of the show for me (and just Toby in general, he is a dear). They have a great dynamic, and he is such a sweetheart. Their relationship has its issues, but they both end up committing to fixing their part of it. I was thrilled to see them reunite in episode 10. (And I'm still in denial about the end of the episode.)

 

source

Randall's portion of the story keeps me on edge. I just want William to hang in there. I feel like this is going to be one of the bigger heartbreaks of the series for me.

I am shipping Kevin and Sloane so hard right now...that's all.

What I Need To See More Of

• Kate and Rebecca's relationship.

Mother daughter relationships are a slippery slope. There's a lot of hurt between these two, but seeing Rebecca attend Kate's appointment with the Bariatric surgeon seemed like a turning point. They both have responsibility in how they've interacted throughout the year,s and I'm eager to see them own up to it. I look forward to seeing Rebecca get to know her daughter as an adult and an equal.

source

• Weight loss difficulties continually portrayed realistically.

In the support group Kate attends, a person was previously scoffed at for pursuing Bariatric Surgery. If a person who is morbidly obese aims to lose weight, it can be a really wonderful tool to help them in pursuing a healthier lifestyle. Any life change causes a multitude of emotions and a decision like this is a hard one and Kate chose to pursue it. She's struggled a long time as have many other characters who are also trying to make a lifestyle change. They do a good job of portraying not only the struggle to lose weight, but also the attitudes from others and struggles that people on that journey face.

• Toby to be okay. 

I just need this to happen for reasons. I will not forgive them if they kill off another Chris Sullivan character. I just want to see he and Kate grow as a couple okay?? Toby just made the decision to fully try to commit to better choices for himself and no one else. Which is something that circles around to my last point.

• To find out what on earth happened to Jack and why Rebecca married Miguel... and where his wife and children went. 

This point is sort of self-explanatory. Jack apparently died and his best friend Miguel, previously portrayed as married with kids, is now married to Rebecca with no sign of his kids or previous wife. I guess I'm just waiting for more flashbacks because Jack Pearson is a cinnamon roll, and I am in utter agony waiting to find out what happened to him.

source

Sky Destrian

When I first saw the trailer for This Is Us, I was a bit skeptical because drama shows aren't usually my thing. And yet, here this show was, already tugging at my heartstrings. I was undecided about whether to watch it until I read a review of the first episode, which revealed that MIND-BLOWING TWIST. Of course, I had to watch it. I convinced my mom and sister to give it a try along with me, and um... we were all hooked. And we're still hooked. And now, after the winter finale, our constant refrain is this: "IS TOBY OKAY?!" 

If you ask me who my favorite characters are, I will say... all of them. I honestly cannot pick. I love them all for different reasons. I love them all like they're my family. (It's official, everyone, I wanna be a Pearson.)

I love Jack and Rebecca both for their imperfectly perfect parenting (and like Anna said, Jack is a cinnamon roll, too pure). I love Kate for her personality, resilience, and the valuable representation she provides. I love Kevin because he's so innocent and naive even though he's a celebrity, and he's just trying to do the best he can. I love Randall because of his willingness to be vulnerable with his emotions, yet his determination to get through the difficult time he finds himself in. I love Toby because... who on earth could not love Toby? (AND IS HE OKAY?) I love William more than I can express, and the episode where he was withheld from his son had me sobbing in a puddle on the floor. (Speaking of that episode, the nuances are so well done. I found myself relating to everyone in the difficult adoption scenario--I related to Rebecca, William, and Randall equally, and they each had my sympathy. No one was the bad guy. I loved them all.)

What I Need to See More Of

• Kevin and Sloane. And maybe Olivia? Is it terrible that I kind of liked her?
• Kate learning to love herself exactly as she is.
• TOBY. IS HE OKAY?
• William. Always more William. It would be great if he could be magically cured and stick around (because if he doesn't, I will sob).
• I'd love to see more of Jesse and William especially.
• Kevin being his adorable self.
• Randall and Rebecca sorting through their relationship, as well as Randall and William sorting through their relationship.
• What happened to Jack? I need more flashbacks of him, always. Maybe even more hallucinations, too.
• More of Annie and Tess, please. They're adorable.
• More of everyone.
• More of everything.
• Anything. All of it.

I kept waiting for This Is Us to stumble, but it never did. Every episode has hit exactly the right notes. From people getting high (accidentally or intentionally) to Rebecca trying to protect her family, I'm amazed by how hilarious, emotional, and evocative this show is. The amount of times it's made me cry is ridiculous, but I'm completely willing to have my heart broken by it.

(source)

This show is not afraid to tackle the hard, real issues, and it's stronger because of it. In a sea of television shows, This Is Us shines so bright. I will never be over this amazing show, and I absolutely cannot wait until it returns on January 10th.

Have you seen This Is Us? What did you think of it?