This Is Us 4x02 "The Pool: Part Two" Episode Review
Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.
This was a true This Is Us premiere. While last week’s episode wasn’t terrible, this episode was bringing us back for that soft reboot while also reminding us why we love this show. The show is clearly going to leave season three in the rear view mirror and focus on the literal future. However, this second episode does go back to that Public Pool they visited during season one.
The kids have grown up into seventh-graders. Kevin, Kate, and Randall are all growing up in front of Jack and Rebecca. The adults try to recreate that magic from season one with the end of summer pool day, but now… the Big Three will do anything to escape the embarrassment of their parents. Randall reads to win a book-a-thon, Kevin doesn’t want his mother touching him with sunscreen, and Kate goes to hang out with two girls who clearly want to bully her.
Jack went to grab five chairs too, and none of them sit until the end of the episode. Nobody appreciates anything. This episode was effective as we reminisced alongside Jack and Rebecca about the emotional beats and moments that got us invested in the first place. The flashback episode helps enhance the Big Three’s current storylines in the present. Randall is having a hard time accepting his limits and differences, Kevin’s internal conflict about being a good person, and Kate’s ability to deal with difficulties in addition to Rebecca’s constant worry that shone through her dialogue with Toby in the present day.
The emotional bridges that bind the flashback and present day together is what I love so much about This Is Us. There are other things going on in this episode as well that track back to the premiere. Deja wants to ride the city bus, which Randall can’t handle because of what I said in the last paragraph, and after he gets around to the idea, we learn Deja just wanted to ride the bus to text Malika a picture of him. This love story is going to be amazing.
Tess gets a new haircut that Beth resists because she is projecting her own insecurities. However, like Randall, Beth comes around to it and falls in love with the new style like the rest of us. I was amazed at Tess’ new hairdo honestly. I couldn’t believe how good she looked. Supportive family is always a plus. Anyways, this family situation parallels the whole flashback as a whole because Randall and Beth also have to deal with their three girls growing up too fast.
Toby and Kate are having a rough time adjusting to Baby Jack’s blindness. Madison’s brief moments from happy to sad was perfect. I appreciate her character so much now. Everyone notices Toby’s losing weight due to the stress, but we learn later that this isn’t 100% the case. Toby is secretly going to the gym at night to relieve said stress. We might actually get a storyline that tackles Kate’s weight directly instead of being referenced as her character’s entire purpose. It never ends, honestly.
The Young Kevin-Jack and Kevin-Baby Jack scenes worked beautifully. Both scenes tackle the same core question, “Am I a good person?” Adult Jack tells Young Kevin the answer to taking care of the people they love, but only Adult Kevin is able to process this answer that lands him at Uncle Nicky’s doorstep. I’m very happy that Season Four is getting off to a great start.
Overall, a true premiere that laid out what’s in store for the Pearsons in the present day. I did appreciate last week’s episode, but I don’t watch this show for those side-characters that will become important in the future. Jennifer Morrison’s character shouldn’t be the mother of Kevin’s future son… right? I mean, it seems too obvious.