This Is Us Review: Pilgrim Rick (Season 1 Episode 8)

It’s a Thanksgiving reunion on This Is Us Season 1 Episode 8, “Pilgrim Rick.”

Everyone from the cast (save for Jack and Toby) are together in one room for the first time in present day, and things get rocky.

As it is Randall’s favorite holiday – a backstory that is revealed to us through the past – the entire family gathers to his home in New York to celebrate a line of traditions that Jack and Rebecca originated when the Big Three were kids.

Nostalgia is becoming a recurring theme on this show, as many of its present moments harken back to the values that Jack implemented into the family.

As the show continues to find its footing and form an identity, I’m enjoying the marriage of the two timelines a lot more. Although they are co-dependent on each other, the past always feels purposeful in informing us of who these people are.

The fact that Jack’s whimsical, spontaneous, and make-shift Thanksgiving touched Randall so much that he decides to keep the rituals alive through his own kids, goes to show how loved he felt by his adopted parents, which only made the episode’s end more upsetting.

While Randall is completely justified in being angry that Rebecca and William were in contact throughout the years without his knowledge, part of me fails to understand why he cared so much about finding his birth father when he had Jack.

From what we have seen so far, apart from a couple of hiccups, Jack was an incredible father to his kids. Randall in particular, had a special relationship with him, which certainly Kevin never quite got to share.

So, this void, this strong desire to find his “father” that seems to have existed throughout his life, feels like a slap to the face. Randall did have a dad, and he was a pretty damn good one who provided him with a pretty damn good life.

As someone who is not adopted, maybe I can’t speak to the complexities of the situation. I can’t speak to what it feels like to have that identity struggle, to want to know where I come from and not have the answers, to find out the truth about my birth.

But part of the reason why it’s hard for me to fully understand Randall’s point-of-view is because the show has already made Rebecca’s so real.

As a mother who has already lost a child, protecting her family was her priority. Randall was hers and Jacks. I don’t know about many adopted families that have visitations with the biological parents. There is a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

At the same time, Randall was stripped of a choice. Rebecca should have told him about William once he became an adult, and he has every reason to be upset about that.

Other things happened in the episode, like Kevin’s progress with Olivia, Miguel gaining some sympathy (or pity), and Kate’s epiphany.

I haven’t formed a real opinion on Olivia yet, but it feels too soon for her to fall for Kevin. We are, after all, only on the eighth episode of the first season. If we are to root for these two in the long run, I’m just a tad cautious of the pacing.

It’s weird feeling bad for Miguel, but there is something sad about him wanting to be part of the family rituals and being shot down by Kevin. The fact remains that we just don’t know much about the circumstances that led Miguel and Rebecca to become a couple. Maybe there was no foul play, and it happened years after Jack’s death.  We just don’t know yet.

Finally, Kate’s final announcement that she’s going to get gastric-bypass surgery after having near-death experience on the plane before arriving to Randall’s may prove to be an interesting development. She had a choice to make between Toby and her goal to change her life.

Here’s to hoping she chose well.

Other final thoughts:

• I loved Randall this episode. He was funny and charming and reminiscent of Jack.
• I appreciate that even though we love Jack, we’re also learning more about Rebecca with each passing episode. The idea that she had a poor relationship with her own mom may bleed into why Rebecca and Kate have issues of their own.
• The continuity about Kevin feeling like nobody pays attention to him is great. This was the first time seeing Kevin and Rebecca interact in the present day, and there does seem like a slight distance between them. The fact that she forgot the name of his play (Kevin is pretty sensitive about his family remembering things that he tells them about himself) doesn’t help matters.
• Oh, great. We’re getting apparition Jack next episode? It was the one thing I didn’t want!

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 on NBC.

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