This Is Us season 2, episode 2 recap: ‘A Manny-Splendored Thing’
By Reed Gaudens
Can Jack and Rebecca make it through Papa Pearson’s demons on This Is Us? Let’s dive deeper into ‘A Manny-Splendored Thing.’
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How does television’s highest rated drama series follow up a jaw-dropping season premiere? One would assume This Is Us would continue to chip away at the mystery surrounding Jack’s death, but the series blazes past the house fire that reduced millions of fans to tears. Rather than fueling the fan theory fire, we’re digging deeper into the demons that plague Papa Pearson.
“A Manny-Splendored Thing” journeys through two different decades to tackle Jack Pearson’s struggle to kick his drinking habit. This Is Us reveals that the first time he told Rebecca he’d drop the drink, the turkey might have been a touch warmer than he let on. Meanwhile, the Big Three come together at a special taping of Kevin’s guest spot on The Man-ny, but they each battle their own demons, much like their father. Randall faces down his fear, Kate faces up to her mother, and Kevin checks his pride at the door in the name of having some fun. Of course, the episode made us laugh, but it made us cry even harder. Join our official post-This Is Us support group, and let’s talk about the latest episode. Warning: It’s about to get real spoilery up in here!
Kate
We’re only two episodes into the second season, and This Is Us has already delivered the mother-daughter drama we have been waiting for. Don’t ever say this show doesn’t give you anything but puffy eyes. While Toby looks forward to eating pigs in a blanket with his fave Miguel, Kate worries about having her mother over to their apartment. While that meeting goes well, the pair butt heads at Kate’s singing gig, and it gets real.
A house band welcomes Kate to their stage for the evening, but they invite her back because her cover of “Landslide” deserves an encore. However, Kate’s unexpected guest — Rebecca — offers congratulations that sound a lot like unwarranted constructive criticism to Kate. Back when she was a kid, Kate prepared to sing in a talent show and reveled in her mother’s help. But she overhears Rebecca singing in the shower and opts out of the school show. In present day, Kate snaps at her mother for her overcompensation, which Rebecca thankfully learns from.
Kevin
Oh, Kevin… We could start talking about Kevin’s stories with an “Oh, Kevin” every week, couldn’t we? This week, Kevin’s self-doubt is on full display as he pokes at his abs in the mirror, self-conscious of his big return to the sitcom that he chewed up and spit out, The Man-ny. He admits to Sophie that he wants to be as loved as George Clooney returning for his guest spot on E.R. (the second E.R. reference in This Is Us), to which she graciously rebuts. Anyone else discover a newfound love for Sophie in this episode?
As if Sophie didn’t give us enough to love, she makes Kevin reenact his on-set meltdown, and his former boss of course catches him in the act. An awkward Kevin Pearson is the best Kevin Pearson. Due to a last-minute revision, Kevin must wear nothing but an oversized diaper for his final scene, and per Sophie’s loving support, he gives it his all despite his reservations. Here’s where we worry about Kevin and Sophie: She’s currently giving up a whole lot (i.e. time with her sick mother) to be Kevin’s cheerleader. It was okay when they were little, but is it okay now?
Randall
Everyone in Randall’s household is excited to hop on a plane to watch Kevin film his episode of The Man-ny, save for Beth who doesn’t think her brother-in-law is funny. (She’s probably still salty for providing him room and board for so long, and who can blame her?) When they grab their seats at the soundstage, Beth takes on the role of pushing Randall to fill out his fostering paperwork. He’s avoiding the next steps as much as Beth had been avoiding the concept of adoption. But why doesn’t he want to sign the paperwork?
Beth and Randall argue on the backlot (which has probably brings the This Is Us versions of New York and Pittsburgh to life), and Randall confesses that he’s hesitant to foster a child who has been exposed to abuse and drugs. Because Tess and Annie were a relative cinch to raise, Randall worries that they are “biting off more than they can chew.” The kicker? He calls Beth reckless for quickly deciding to go all-in. Once again, the strongest couple on the series fights, but leave it to Kevin to settle the discord and set them on the path to risk failure.
Next: This Is Us season 2 premiere recap: How did Jack Pearson die?
Jack & Rebecca
Although the episode doesn’t pick up in the aftermath of the fire, it does pick up with Jack and Rebecca pulling into the driveway after Rebecca’s “get in the car” monologue. It’s time for the husband and wife to have the difficult conversation about Jack’s alcoholism, and Rebecca learns that Jack’s habit didn’t have the speedy end date she once thought it had. In flashbacks, Jack drinks from a mug at work, buys the storied moon necklace, and bails on AA. Come on, Jack.
Jack visits Kate at school instead of dealing with his demons, and in her own eight-year-old way, she inspires him to throw away his hidden bottle. In response, he attends a boxing gym to release his pent up aggression, including but not limited to his time in the Vietnam War. But while he kept this fight with sobriety to himself, he takes a different approach in the ’90s, coming clean to teen Kate about his battle. As she did when she was a youngster, she holds his face to reassure her father. This time, it seems, he knows what’s at stake and Rebecca drives him to AA.
What do you think, This Is Us fans? Will Beth and Randall keep their cool with this new challenge? Can Kevin and Sophie sustain their situation? Have Kate and Rebecca finally buried the hatchet? And was Jack’s war trauma the answer all along? Sound off in the comments, and keep the conversation going on Twitter at @thisisuscrying!
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.