This Is Us recap: season 3 episode 14 “The Graduates”

This week on This Is Us “The Graduates”, the Big Three graduate high school while Rebecca struggles with her grief over Jack’s death. Kate has her own graduation party, while Kevin hides his drinking and Randall struggles with the family’s new hectic schedule.

Rebecca is looking for a new video camera in preparation for the Big Three’s graduation. She has no idea what she’s doing, but luckily Matt Dixon – single dad and only guy on the PTA – is the salesman on duty. He gives her his recommendation and asks her out for coffee. Rebecca seems singularly confused and distrubed by this. Its only been four months since Jack’s death, who asks someone out that soon after a spouse’s death?

Present day, Randall is having trouble coordinating everyone’s busy schedules. Beth adds her dance classes, making them realize just how crazy everything is going to get once Randall takes office. Randall suggests they hire someone a few days a week to drive the kids around, making Beth feel guilty for not getting a higher paying job. Randall has her back, like always, telling her that they’ll work it out. Beth leaves for her first day at work as a dance teacher, while Randall gets a disturbing phone call from Deja.

Meanwhile, its Kate’s graduation day and Toby is going all out to celebrate. Kate doesn’t even want to get out of bed, but Rebecca flew all the way across the country to surprise her. Toby tells her that they are throwing her a graduation celebration over on campus and that Kevin is coming too. But Kevin is passed out cold after what looks like a night of binge drinking. He’s still off the wagon. Zoe is supposed to be out of town at a meeting, but they rescheduled and she calls to tell him that she’s on her way over. Things are a mess though and Zoe doesn’t know he’s drinking again. He tells her to meet him at the party instead.

The Teen graduates are having their own struggle with graduation day. Randall struggles with his cap and gown, while Kate is mad at Kevin for planning to move away to New York to become an actor. She feels abandoned, especially only four months after Jack’s death. Kate refuses to go to graduation, feeling like she’ll be the object of pity and judgement.

Even now, Kate feels like she doesn’t deserve to celebrate graduating college 16 years late. Kevin arrives and Kate is glad to see him, but wonders why she hasn’t heard from him all week. He makes lame excuses about meetings, but she looks skeptical. Meanwhile, Randall finds Deja walking away from school. She had written a personal essay as an assignment – personal as in private, she thought – but the teacher published the essay in the online paper without asking her. The essay was about the time she lived in her mom’s car and now all the kids are calling her “Pontiac.”

Randall is furious and heads to school to confront the teacher. She is a really sweet woman who was just so proud of Deja that she didn’t even think about the invasion of privacy. She apologizes and takes the essay down, but poor Randall is horrified that he made the teacher cry. Deja’s caseworker recommended holding her back in seventh grade so she could catch up after all the moving around, but her teacher tells Randall that everyone agrees that Deja is ready to skip up to ninth grade. Randall is delighted and so proud.

Back at Kate’s graduation, Kate is trying to ask Kevin if he’s okay and he keeps avoiding the question. Zoe arrives and Kevin’s stories about what he’s been doing all week are immediately falling apart. Kevin shifts the attention by insisting on making an early toast. Its a nice toast, but Kevin is starting to get the shakes. He fakes an emergency meeting with Steven Soderbergh so he can take off and get a drink. Kate is increasingly suspicious.

Randall tells Deja that she could skip to ninth grade, but Deja feels like it’s just special treatment for the hard life she had with her mom. She doesn’t think it has anything to do with her own abilities or merit, and she doesn’t want to be a story like Randall – who was dropped off at a fire station and beat the odds. But there’s another reason she doesn’t want to skip a grade. She’s finally comfortable with her routine and feels safe knowing that Randall or Beth will be there to pick her up at the end of the day. This gets Randall thinking that maybe making big changes to their schedule maybe won’t be the best thing for the girls.

Back at Kate’s graduation, Kevin still hasn’t come back and the festivities are well under way. Rebecca has a moment with Kate where she tells her how proud she is of her, that everyone goes at their own pace and that this past year Kate has absolutely blown her away with her life strides. Rebecca remembers graduation day and how upset she was that Jack wasn’t there. She basically has a panic attack at Randall’s graduation. Miguel was there, just standing by as support while Rebecca collects herself. Miguel suggests grief counselling, but in end just handles the video camera so that Rebecca can focus on being there for Randall.

Kate leaves her party to check on Kevin. He’s drunk and she can see the empty mini-bar bottles collected on the table. The secret is out. He comes clean about everything and Kate wants him to tell Zoe. Kevin panics, saying that if Zoe finds out he lied to her that she’s going to leave him. Kevin convinces Kate not to tell her yet, promising he’ll tell her after he gets a week of meetings under his belt. She takes out her phone and finds a meeting that’s happening immediately and drives Kevin there. But on the way there her water breaks. She’s only 28 weeks pregnant, so this is far too early. Kevin calls Toby to tell him and has to come clean about having been drinking all day. He calls an ambulance and Toby meets them at the hospital.

Randall tells Beth what happened with Deja and asks her to put her dance on hold so that the girls can have some stability for a while. She reasonably observes that Randall gets to have his dream, but she’s the one who is supposed to make the sacrifice. Before they can continue the conversation, Rebecca calls Randall to tell him about Kate’s emergency. They’ll have to have that conversation eventually though and its gonna be a tough one unless Randall is willing to make that sacrifice for Beth.

After the Big Three’s graduation, Rebecca is left alone in the apartment while they go out to party. She tries watching a home movie but breaks down. She calls Miguel and asks him to take her to a grief support group. She can’t stay in the apartment and can’t be anywhere else. Miguel doesn’t ask for anything from Rebecca, he’s just there for her when she needs him. He takes her to the support group and tells her that he’ll be there when she’s done. Meanwhile, the graduates come together at a house party. Kevin starts to tell Kate that he’s decided to stay there with her instead of going to New York, but she tells him that he was right. Its time for him to stop protecting her. They all share some jokes and intimate moments. Randall decides he’s leaving, but before he does he promises that whatever happens in their futures, they’ll be okay as long as they are in each other’s lives.

Back at the hospital Kate has been given something to delay her labor for a few hours. Kevin is there to support her and Randall arrives soon after. They both promise Kate that everything will be okay.