Marriage is tough! No one knows that better than the characters on NBC’s This Is Us, with many of them having major marital drama during the Tuesday, February 7, tearjerker of an episode. From Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) assessing their relationship strife to Kevin (Justin Hartley) atoning for cheating on the love of his life, we learned that there is no right or wrong way to be in love. Oh, and we definitely cried along the way. Watch all the highlights in the video above, and read on to find out the most emotional moments.
Miguel Is a Great (Future) Husband
The episode started off with Rebecca and Jack getting married, then being toasted at their reception by none other than Miguel (Jon Huertas). His wife, Shelly, looked on lovingly as Miguel joked that he used to think Rebecca was a friendship-wrecking “Yoko Ono,” but came around to her once his best friend started calling her a “soul mate.”
“Marriage is not something that you enter into lightly,” said the man who would become Rebecca’s husband one day. (We tried not to think about that, but it was so hard!)
Jack and Rebecca’s Marriage Woes
The next scene was a few years later, and it showed Rebecca and Jack getting ready to go out in silence, then fighting while out to dinner with Miguel and Shelly. Those two took the opportunity to announce their divorce, calling it “for the best.”
Back at home, Jack was nervous that Rebecca didn’t seem surprised by the divorce, and when she shrugged and said that people just drift apart sometimes, she had to quickly amend the statement with, “I wasn’t talking about us!”
Jack Confronts Miguel
At work later, Jack misplaced his marriage frustrations and got angry with Miguel. When he confronted him, Miguel said, “Not everyone is like you and Rebecca!”
He told the story of when he realized he and Shelly had “stopped noticing each other,” then considered whether to keep fighting or give up.
Elsewhere, Rebecca’s pianist suggested Jack might not really love her if he didn’t immediately agree she should go on a singing tour of the East Coast, causing her to spit, “My husband’s a freaking superhero, and you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Looks like Rebecca chose fighting! (Pass the tissues, someone. Please!)
Randall Has a Worse Time With Will Dying Than Will Does
Randall (Sterling K. Brown) had a dream that his dad William (Ron Cephas Jones) had died, but woke up to find his daughter Tess playing chess with William in the middle of the night. We don’t know what was more heartbreaking: Randall not knowing his kid had been enrolled in a chess tournament she needed to practice for or her begging for more time with William by saying, “You always tell us he won’t be here forever.”
The 3 a.m. escapades led Randall to look into more care for William, but at the mention of hospice, he got up and marched out. He spent the rest of the episode asking Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) if he’d done the wrong thing by allowing a dying man into his kids’ lives.
Randall Can’t Win
Because he chose to go with Beth and William to Tess’ chess tournament, Randall missed a client dinner with Sanjay. The next day at work, his biggest fear — or, at least, second-biggest fear — from the last few weeks came true: His boss told him Sanjay was getting half of his clients.
At home, he tried to drink a glass of water, but his hand was shaking too hard to grab it, which killed Us.
‘I’m Still in Love With You’
For reasons we can’t quite figure out, Sophie (Alexandra Breckinridge) agreed to meet Kevin (Justin Hartley) at the restaurant where they shared their first kiss. He got there early and persuaded an elderly couple to get out of the booth where the kiss had happened. When she arrived, she said, “I only came here today to tell you to go screw yourself,” but stopped short when she saw that he’d ordered the same food they’d eaten that day in eighth grade.
It didn’t take long for him to put his foot in his mouth, which sent her running out of the restaurant. He caught up to her, and she told him she absolutely didn’t want to relive him cheating on her. Somehow, that led to him accidentally admitting he created a fake Facebook profile to keep up with her life.
Though she was flattered, Sophie had to tell Kevin that she was finally dating a nice guy and was happy. Before she walked away, he said, “I’m still in love with you,” then told her that if she changed her mind, he’d be at their restaurant the next morning. The suspense!
Kate Isn’t the Best Girlfriend Right Now, Like, at All
Toby (Chris Sullivan) showed up to see Kate (Chrissy Metz) at her weight-loss camp. She was touched, but didn’t want him to screw up her progress again, so she sent him away. On the way out of the compound, he ran into Duke, the camp employee who had been hitting on Kate constantly.
Duke implied that he and Kate had hooked up, leaving Toby to stand there stunned. When he bought some workout clothes and came back to motivate her, Kate yelled at him for annoying her, so he revealed he’d brought his grandmother’s ring as a surprise. Then, he left. Um, we’re choking up over here!
Two Rekindlings for the Price of One!
Like Rebecca, Jack chose to fight for their relationship. He planned a surprise trip for her to their first apartment, which just so happened to be vacant and rentable for one night only. OK. Sure. Whatever. That’s not how apartments work, but we’re going to go with it because it was way too sentimental to watch them sit on the bathroom floor, reading their own vows.
Back in present day, Sophie showed up to the diner. She was there to give Kevin another chance.
Tell Us: How do you feel about Miguel?
This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
