Kate and Toby deal with financial struggles on This Is Us Season 5, Episode 10

Spoilers ahead for Season 5, Episode 10 of This Is Us

Parenting is hard. If Season 5, Episode 10 of This Is Us is any indication, you’re constantly wondering if you’re doing enough to provide for your children or comparing yourself to other parents that seem to have it all together.

It’s a battle that we’d see a young Jack Pearson and Kate and Toby fight this week. So how did things turn out? Let’s talk about This Is Us Season 5, Episode 10

Jack Pearson plays credit card roulette on This Is Us

At the beginning of this episode’s flashback, Jack, then a father to newborns, prepared for dinner with his boss. He’d be nervous, telling Rebecca that he hoped the dinner would lead to a promotion, something that he desperately needed to be able to pay the bills.

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At dinner, Jack sat nervously as his boss and coworkers, including Miguel, talked shop. However, the conversation quickly turned to baseball, and Miguel, sensing Jack’s unease, suggested he tell the story of a chance encounter with Pirates left fielder and first baseman, Willie Stargell.

Although the story broke the ice, Jack quickly found himself back on shaky ground when the check came along, and his boss suggested they play credit card roulette, a game in which everyone puts their cards on the table, and whoever’s card the waitress takes pays for the meal. While Miguel suggested that Jack shouldn’t get forced to pay on his first outing, Jack nevertheless forked over his Mastercard.

Unfortunately, the waitress would end up picking his card, leaving him with the $230 bill, a mistake that, given their money troubles, Rebecca would be none too pleased to hear about later that night. She would tell Jack that she would handle their finances and put 10% of his paycheck into finances. Jack agreed with no fuss.

One rejection too many leads to a confrontation between Toby and Kevin

Speaking of money troubles, after getting laid off in the last episode, we’d find Toby in a rough spot this week as he found himself on his 30th virtual job interview.

After his backdrop collapsed behind him, Toby, who was rocking Hailey next to him with a nine iron, would cut to the chase, asking the interviewer Terrence if he had a shot. Terrence, who seemed to appreciate the honesty, would tell him that he was the top candidate for the position.

While this was a bit of good news, Toby didn’t let himself get too excited even as he discussed job perks with Kate. As they drove to Kevin and Madison’s house for dinner, Toby asked Kate not to mention that he lost his job, wanting to have another lined up first.

It makes sense that Toby is embarrassed about not providing for his family, and from the minute they walk in the door, Kevin gives Toby good reason to feel insecure. As Kevin rattled off a list of celebrities that have sent him and Madison baby gifts, a reminder of Kevin’s status and wealth, Toby would check his phone to find an email from Terrence who told him that after much consideration, the position had been given to someone else.

Later, Toby is in a daze as Kevin tells him his dreams for the future, which include a communal Malibu beach home for their families, as they sit smoking cigars in the backyard. At dinner, a lovely sushi spread gets laid out. Dinner gets off to a pleasant start with the talk of a fancy bassinet that helps babies sleep.

However, when Kevin finds out that Kate and Toby aren’t planning to buy one for Hailey, it quickly gets revealed that Toby lost his job. After Kevin offers to pay for a bassinet and daycare for Jack and Hailey, citing that he makes a “stupid amount of money,” Toby went off on him, making jabs at Kevin and Madison’s unconventional Hollywood life in the process.

Later that night, Kate apologized for Toby’s outburst, and Kevin and Kate discussed their parents’ ability to give them a good life despite not being well-off, prompting Kevin to tell Kate that she must always let him know if she and Toby are financially struggling, a deal that I could foresee causing problems between Kate and Toby down the line.

Then Toby appeared to let Kate know that both Jack and Hailey were asleep, an optimal time for them to head home. However, before they left, he apologized to Kevin.

When they got home, Kate called to thank Rebecca for ensuring The Big Three never carried the burden of their parents’ finances while giving them everything they needed even after Jack died.

When Kate tells her that she didn’t think she could handle that kind of curveball, Rebecca tells her that whenever she feels like she can’t do something, Kate should remember the things she’s already done.

Following the phone call, Kate would head into her and Toby’s bedroom and reassure him that he’s a great father and that she’ll always be on his side.

However, in a manner reminiscent of Rebecca, she would tell him she was taking a job at Jack’s school, a music school for the blind, that had gotten offered to her, and would say that no matter what, they’d get through this.

What did you think of this week’s episode of This Is Us? Will Kate and Toby make it through this or will Kate lean on Kevin, leading to a rift between KaToby

This Is Us returns on Tuesday, March 23 at 9/8c on NBC.