Is Kevin’s painting monologue the most underrated scene in This Is Us?

There are so many incredible moments in This Is Us, it’s easy to forget some of those that occurred at the start of the season.

Some of the early moments of the show — like Kevin’s painting monologue in episode 5 — can be easily forgotten in light of the powerhouse run of episodes This Is Us ended on. Luckily, the cast are doing their part to remind us of those gems (and make us want to watch the whole season again).

One such scene is Kevin’s painting monologue. After horribly botching an explanation of death to his nieces — featuring such lines as “everyone dies, including you two and mommy and daddy” — Kevin comes to their room later with a painting. He admits he paints something each time he reads a script and this is what his play reminded me of.

It’s a doozy of a monologue, which you can relive below.

Apparently, the cast was also truly affected by it. Speaking to Deadline in an Emmy roundtable that covered the impact of the show and the cast’s takeaway moments, both Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley spoke about the scene.

Metz listed the monologue as one of her takeaway moments, saying:

"The painting episode with the most moving monologue featuring Justin Hartley just cracked me wide open. We were sobbing at the table read."

And Hartley said:

"That monologue about the painting; even though he was trying to explain it to his niece, it was the first time that Kevin realized what he was saying. He was learning as he was saying; that changed his approach from that point forward. He took the play more seriously. When he explains the moment to his nieces, it sets him on a path where he feels better; this is how he wants to live his life."

Kevin is a sneaky great character and it will be wonderful to see the ways the writers develop his story line, particularly as it relates to his history with ex-wife Sophie and his father’s death, when the show comes back in September.