'This Is Us' Just Had the Perfect Deja Moment and I'm Crying Again
The season premiere of This Is Us kicked off in usual fashion, with the start of a new year for the Big 3. They're celebrating their 38th birthday, and as usual, the day is not without its share of drama. As they deal with new dilemmas and embrace a few pleasant surprises, we also revisit the starting point of Rebecca and Jack’s relationship, and learn that the perfect couple didn’t exactly get off on the right foot.
Zoe and Kevin’s relationship is already causing a whole lot of drama.
It was something that caught us off guard at the end of last season. After Kevin battled a serious drug addiction, confronting his demons as well as the trauma of his father's death, he found a new romance with Zoe, Beth’s cousin, at Kate and Toby’s wedding. While it’s great to see Kevin is in a new place-as well as a better look at Beth’s family on the show-I do wonder how Kevin’s white privilege will come into play in their relationship. I want these two to work because they seem super cute together, but that question remains in the back of my mind.
And as it turns out, Kevin isn’t the only one carrying baggage. In a rare sentimental moment between Beth and Kevin, after effectively chewing out the couple for “knocking boots,” she tells him Zoe doesn’t have the best dating track record, going so far to say she “chews men up and spits them out.” Already, these two make for a toxic combination. We’ll see how this works out.
Deja and Randall may finally be seeing eye to eye.
It took a long time to reach this point, but Deja is finally warming up to Randall. After numerous attempts to win her over through corny jokes and commiserations over their shared childhood pain, Randall took a step back and let her come to him. Deja had recently been in court, where her mother gave up all rights and reaffirmed that her dad wanted no part in raising her, so she was understandably very bitter. It wasn’t until Randall called her “exceptional” in passing when Deja actually believed him, even going so far to seek out her estranged father and make amends. She tells him she’s doing fine and the only thing she asks of him is to give her a new pair of sneakers to give Randall for his birthday. At first upset that Deja snuck out of the house, Randall instantly recovers when he realizes she's toting a gift for him. He does a little dance and everything.
Kate’s storyline may bring much needed attention to women with PCOS.
As someone who personally suffers from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), I was really moved to see this very common issue highlighted through Kate’s story. In this episode, she is diagnosed with the condition, then receives the news that because of the disorder and her weight, she is not an ideal candidate for IVF treatments. It’s yet another medical issue Kate must confront (so far, she’s dealt with obesity, a miscarriage, and self-esteem issues), and at this point, she's tired. Since this fateful doctor’s visit occurs on her birthday, she must then go to her party feeling shell-shocked. She eventually lashes out about her misfortune right after blowing out the candles on her cake. Ultimately, Kate and Toby later go home and convince themselves that IVF was never a good idea and maybe this is a blessing in disguise.
But in a surprising turn of events, there may be hope for Kate and Toby having a baby after all.
Just when they seem to come to terms with the reality of their situation, Kate’s doctor calls back. She tells them that despite their low chances of conceiving, she will try them for IVF and see what happens. And just like that, Kate’s faith is renewed. However, Toby was legitimately relieved to not have to go through IVF, and now, he's silently panicking. Knowing that his antidepressant meds deplete his sperm, he decides to flush them down the toilet and presumably devote his full attention to getting Kate pregnant again. But as we know from the brief preview at the end of last season, this decision takes a devastating toll on him.
Rebecca and Jack weren’t always the perfect couple.
In fact, their first date was terrible. In the flashback scenes we see more about the night Rebecca and Jack met: she’s singing in a bar and he is absolutely smitten. He convinces her to go out with him.
But as we learn throughout their night, Jack is just recently home from the Vietnam War, where he lost his brother, and he has no money. A low-key amusement park date seems like the perfect compromise-until it starts raining and he doesn't have enough money for an umbrella. Rebecca suggests playing a get-to-know-you game that also goes horribly awry when the two realize they have very different tastes. She ultimately calls it a night and he reluctantly drives her home. In the car, he confesses the war had a much greater effect on him and he doesn't have a job. He lays out all his cards and Rebecca, against her better judgement, leans in to kiss him. Though Jack found a way to save this date, quick flashbacks through these scenes with Rebecca hint he may be suffering from PTSD.
Older Randall and Tess remain a mystery.
The end of last season saw a cryptic sequence depicting an older Randall and Tess discussing going to see a mysterious "her." We come back to this scene in this episode, but we’re no closer to finding out who “her” is-except that she does, in fact, have a connection to Toby, who's currently in bed, alone, when Randall calls him. The call makes it sound like Kate might be the one who’s in the hospital, which would make for an interesting turn of events, as fans think it might be Beth or Annie who's sick. Still, the reason for "her" being in the hospital-if that’s even where she is-remains a mystery for now.
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