This Is Us Review: The Pool (Season 1 Episode 4)
This week’s This Is Us has beautiful character explorations throughout the hour, but perhaps none are as poignant as the story told through young Kevin’s eyes.
On This Is Us Season 1 Episode 4, the family’s trip to a public pool in the 1980s proves to be overwhelming, but helps us get a sense of the dynamics at play. In many ways, “The Pool” perfectly represents the Big Three’s roles within the family (as kids at least).
There’s Randall, the smart one, who is ostensibly different from the rest and merits extra protection from Mom and Dad.
There’s Kate, Mom and Dad’s only daughter, who garners their worry and concern because she is sadly an easy target for bullying.
Then there’s Kevin — The seemingly normal one. The one who doesn’t overtly have issues that would warrant Mom and Dad’s complete and immediate focus. The one who was overlooked because Mom and Dad fussed about his siblings more.
The scene at the pool makes me wonder: How many of us haven’t made a desperate plea for our parents’ attention?
Kevin nearly drowning while his parents were too busy looking after Kate and Randall to notice is disheartening and dispiriting, but rings authentically true to how some of us may have felt with our own families.
Through Kevin, the show captured a feeling of insignificance, of not feeling important. It’s a feeling that Kevin likely carried with him into his adulthood. It would also explain why he’s seeking change now — because all this time he’s been playing it safe for not feeling good enough, for settling as the “Manny.”
It’d be interesting to see how his relationship with Randall supports this idea, especially given that Randall seems like the golden boy.
I had been looking forward to a Kevin-heavy episode for a while now, especially since most of his scenes are played for laughs. Case-in-point, Kevin’s audition in New York, which was admittedly funny, but Justin Hartley deserves credit for expressing a sadness in Kevin even through the humor. Suffice to say, I’m very, very intrigued by this character.
Other characters have breakout moments, too.
Toby reveals his own difficult past to Kate, including being suicidal after his wife left him. While Kate has battled with her weight all her life, Toby lost control to depression. It’s a really interesting thing to learn about Toby, and it’s a fascinating layer to him that I hope plays into future stories.
Randall and William also have a storyline that brings race into the conversation more directly than it has before. When white neighbors call security on William after seeing him “loiter” around the neighborhood, Randall clears up the misunderstanding and apologizes to the guard. This incident causes an awkwardness between Randall and William.
Later, Randall explains to William that he has worked hard to be where he is. He and Beth try to give their daughter the best life they can, and that just because he grew up in a white family, doesn’t mean he hasn’t faced the same prejudices any black man would face in the world.
William then gives one of the episode’s most heartfelt lines, telling Randall that he’s doing everything right after apologizing for doing Randall wrong.
It’s a great moment of openness and understanding that arrives after a tense episode for the two of them.
I’ve been saying this every week, but I continue to be really impressed by how This Is Us attentively adds dimension to these characters by fleshing out their histories. While some of us may have worried about the functionality of the dual timeliness, I think “The Pool” is an example of how the technique works remarkably well.
- Randall, Beth, and William doing the girls’ hair is legit the cutest scene. It’s also a nice tie into Randall’s childhood, and on how Mom realized he needs a new barber.
- I kept referring to them as Mom and Dad, but Jack and Rebecca deserve a shout out of their own. From their perspective, they’re doing their best. It’s hard to fault them for it.
- I liked the woman who Rebecca meets at the pool and eventually befriends. Catch that she’s in a family picture at Randall’s house?
- When asked if he still has family in Pittsburgh, Kevin almost ruefully admits no, furthering the mystery of where Jack is present day.
- Speaking of Jack, I’m so in love with Jack’s spirit. He’s an imperfect, goofy, and warmhearted dad. Loving and wonderful, but has a complicated, dark side. He kind of reminds me of my own father.
- Young Kate also had a tough episode, and she deserves more than a lame afterthought in this review, but focusing on one sad kid is enough torture. Her chat with Jack was amazing, though.
- “You’re so busy making sure Kate’s not eating too much and Randall’s not too adopted. And, meanwhile, where’s Kevin? Oh, guess what, he’s dead!” — such a great line and excellent delivery.
What did you think of this episode of This Is Us? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9/8c onNBC.
Shabnaj Chowdhury
Shabnaj is a pop-culture enthusiast who spends much of her time enabling her coffee addiction and thinking about Jon Snow's hair. Some of her favorite shows include Friday Night Lights, The Leftovers, and Game of Thrones. Shabnaj also loves to write creative non-fiction.