This Is Us recap: 5 things you might have missed in season 1, episode 11

Have you forgotten the smaller moments of This Is Us? Let’s rewind to Season 1, Episode 11 and recap five things you might have missed.

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Following a tumultuous trio of episodes featuring explosive Thanksgivings, trippy weekend getaways, and dramatic Christmas celebrations, things return to normal on This Is Us. And that’s to say, we circle back to crying just a fair amount rather than dumping relative waterfalls from our eyes. We’ll take the little victories while we can.

This Is Us flashes all the way back to the pre-Big Three days as Jack and Rebecca discover just how much their family will grow. As they attempt to remain afloat in the wake of the news, their ease slips from their fingertips. In present day, Toby survives his collapse, having suffered an arrhythmia that could require surgery to fix. Meanwhile, Randall struggles to make sense of his ever changing relationship with William now that Jessie’s in the mix, and Kevin walks a fragile line between Sloane and Olivia without a net. Kate says it best: The Big Three are a hot mess.

Do you remember the story of Jack and Rebecca building their family home? How about the moment that Toby and Kate unofficially get engaged at the hospital? And surely you haven’t forgotten William’s heart-wrenching announcement? Let’s rewind and revisit five things you might have missed in Season 1, Episode 11.

1. Kevin breaks BOGO hearts.

To know Kevin Pearson is to accept that his heart changes with the wind. You can’t fault him for it. He’s got such a big heart and so much love to give that he can sometimes come off as disingenuous and flippant. Well, after dropping Olivia like a bad habit and spending the holiday with Sloane, Kevin’s all in with Sloane and putting on their play together. But when Olivia returns, he turns her down, saying — within earshot of Sloane — he’s staying with Sloane because “it’s the right thing to do.” Ouch. That’s a buy one, get one broken heart right there.

2. Randall navigates William and Jessie’s relationship.

We’re not going to say that William dropped a bomb on his family when he brought Jessie to Christmas Eve and revealed his bisexuality. Sexuality isn’t a plot device. It can, however, catch people off guard as it does with Randall. (Just another reminder that assumed heterosexuality pervades our culture.) Randall realizes he’s struggling with it because they haven’t really gotten to know each other. And that hits home when William says he intends to end his chemo treatments.

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3. Jack and Rebecca’s parents weren’t/aren’t ideal.

For the first time, This Is Us gives us a glimpse into the life of young Jack. While still a teenager and living at home, his father haunts their home with physical abuse against Jack’s mother. He tries to protect his mother, and he promises that he won’t turn out like his father. Rebecca, on the other hand, deals with a passive aggressive mother who doesn’t even feign the facade of being supportive. In turn, these uphill parental battles later inform who they become.

4. Toby kind of proposes to Kate after surgery.

Following his Christmas Eve collapse, Toby walks away with an arrhythmia, a heart condition that can be fixed by medication or surgery. Of course, Toby immediately balks at the idea of undergoing surgery, which Kate doesn’t understand. She leaves his bedside, forcing him to stop and take stock of his options. Ultimately, he chooses to have the surgery, but before being wheeled into the operating room, he tells Kate he loves her. Even though she doesn’t say it back, they swap post-surgery “I love yous” and unofficially get engaged.

Next: This Is Us rewind recap: 5 things you might have missed in season 1, episode 10

5. Jack and Rebecca find out about the Big Three.

There was a period of time when Jack and Rebecca were calm and unaffected by constant stress and pressure. That all ends when their doctor informs them that they would be having triplets. Suddenly, their cost of living has tripled and their dream apartment has instantly become irrelevant.

Rebecca proposes moving in with her mother when the babies arrive, but when Jack overhears her crying, he pushes his pride aside and asks his judgmental father for money. Jack scrapes enough money together to purchase the house his company has been working on. And with that, they lived happily ever after. (For awhile at least.)

What were your favorite moments from “The Right Thing To Do”? Let us know in the comments, and keep the conversation going on Twitter!

This Is Us returns for Season 2 on Tuesday, September 26 at 9/8c on NBC. Season 1 is currently available to stream online.

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This Is Us rewind recap: 5 things you might have missed in season 1, episode 11

By Reed Gaudens | Aug 21, 2017