Roses are red, violets are blue. This Is Us makes Us sob — how about you? The Valentine’s Day episode of the most gut-wrenching show on television aired on Tuesday, February 14, and as usual, it did not disappoint in the drama department.
Watch the eight moments from This Is Us that will make you sob into your Valentine’s chocolates, and read on for more!
Kate Surprised Toby After Getting Kicked Out of ‘Fat Camp’
The episode kicked off with Kate (Chrissy Metz) getting unceremoniously booted from her weight-loss retreat for giving Duke (Adam Bartley) a piece of her mind, saying, “Do I have issues? Yes. But deep down, I’m awesome.… You’re gonna wander this camp alone. Probably until the day you die.” Unfortunately for Kate, Duke then revealed he’s the son of the owners of the camp! Kate later found herself at Toby’s (Chris Sullivan) hotel door, saying, “Ta-da! You’re not the only one who can plan an awkward surprise.”
Toby admitted to his fiancée that he was worried Kate might “fall for” Duke. He then revealed that they rushed things so much in their relationship that they didn’t get a proper chance to get to know each other. Kate vowed that the two of them would begin an emotional “deep dive.”
Toby Opened Up About His Suicidal Past
After asking each other a series of benign questions in an attempt to get to know each other better, Kate dropped a big bombshell, asking Toby if his postdivorce suicidal ideation was a “one-time thing.” Toby responded by being his usual candid-honest-perfect self, saying, “I have struggled with depression ever since I was a teenager … but when Josie and I split up, that was my rock bottom.” Toby continued, tugging our hearts along the way with, “I did sit around and get really drunk and count up all the painkillers I had left over from my wisdom-tooth surgery.”
He then assured Kate that after plenty of therapy, he’s now in “the best place I’ve ever been.” And boy, did the tears start flowing after that! Toby is a hero, single-handedly helping to remove mental-health stigma one TV episode at a time! On a happier note, when Kate asked Toby if he wanted kids, he responded, “Fo’ sho.” Does this mean we’ll get some Toby Jrs. in the coming seasons? We hope so!
Toby Asked Kate About Jack’s Death
After opening up to Kate about his past, Toby took the opportunity to ask his fiancée about a particular event that has been on our minds all season. Toby said, “You never really talk about your dad’s death.… You’ve told me the basics.… I was wondering if you could tell me what happened?” Our hearts nearly stopped. Is Toby speaking for all of Us? Because we’ve been screaming that exact question into a void for weeks!
Kate, unfortunately, wasn’t ready to share that info and responded, “I want to tell you about it. I’m just not quite there yet. I mean, it’s just been blocked for a really long time.” No, Kate! Tell Us! Wait, or maybe we’re not ready to learn! Either way, Jack’s death will cause Us to cry until our body literally runs out of water.
Miguel Told Kevin He Reminds Him of Jack
After having a nightmare involving guest star Katie Couric (as herself), Kevin (Justin Hartley) seemed to be overwhelmed with preshow jitters leading up to the opening night of his play. In an attempt to soothe his anxiety, Kevin stopped by his mom Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) house, only to be greeted by her husband — and Kevin’s late father’s best friend — Miguel (Jon Huertas).
At first, it was awkward between them, but eventually Miguel shocked us all when he gave Kevin a heartwarming speech, saying, “I do now what I used to do when I was nervous.… I talk to your dad. He was my person. He was the one who could steady you when the world felt like it was spinning.” Whoa. It’s clear this man has a deep admiration for Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia), but is it so deep that he had to go and marry the man’s wife?
Miguel continued, “Sometimes you remind me of him so much.… That’s why it breaks my heart that you don’t like me.… You are Jack Pearson’s son. You have him inside of you.… Think about what he’d do, and you’ll be fine.” OK, maybe Miguel isn’t so bad after all. We’ll need time to make up our minds.
Rebecca Lied to Jack About Her Past
Back in the ’90s, after showing up at his wife’s show, Jack seemed to have some reservations about Rebecca going away on tour — especially considering her crazy onstage chemistry with bandmate Ben (Sam Trammell). Miguel assured his bestie that their flirtatious onstage vibe was “just a schtick,” but Jack still seemed concerned.
After the show, Ben approached Jack and dropped a major twist. “How about Rebecca — isn’t she great out there?” Ben offered. “I remember when we were together, she said she never wanted to get married …” When it was obvious that Jack didn’t know they used to be a couple, Ben explained, “Oh, crap. I thought you knew. It was very brief.” Jack then decided to forgo his Valentine’s plans with his wife and storm home. Anytime Jack and Rebecca fight, we’re not happy.
William Talked About His Body Shutting Down
This episode was really tough on Randall (Sterling K. Brown), and we got to see firsthand how his world may be beginning to fall apart. The father of two and dedicated husband seemed overwhelmed with his flailing career and dying biological father, to the point where he could barely keep it together. Things really started to hit the fan when Randall had to leave in the middle of an important workday to confront William (Ron Cephas Jones) for kicking out his hospice nurse.
Randall lectured to his dying father, “You’re a sick old man,” and emphasized that he needed the nurse around so he won’t “die when no one’s looking.” Harsh. William then responded by pleading, “My body doesn’t work right anymore.… I can’t get warm.… I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”
Kevin Ran to Randall’s Side
After literally crying in the middle of an important meeting, Randall seemed to be fraying at the edges. His hand started to shake as he called up Kevin, who was waiting backstage for his show to start. After saying he couldn’t make the play, Kevin instantly knew something was up with his brother. Our jaws dropped to the floor when we saw the curtain open for Kevin’s play without Kevin there. He left the show to run to his brother’s side! Talk about bad actor behavior, but great brother behavior! Kevin, clearly taking Miguel’s advice to be more like his father, soothed Randall and cradled him as he descended into his emotional breakdown. Now that’s true brotherly love.
Jack Started Drinking Again
After the show, Jack finally confronted Rebecca about her secret past relationship with her bandmate. She defended herself, saying, “He’s not my ex-boyfriend — we dated for two months when I was 19 years old.” Jack seemed devastated and lashed out at Rebecca by saying she “lied” to him. Rebecca insisted, “I have put everything ahead of myself.… You and the kids.… I needed to have something for myself without you getting in the way.” This clearly stung Jack, who responded, “I never thought about myself as being in your way before.”
He then left to “get some air” and headed straight for the bar where they were supposed to eat dinner. Jack ate alone and sadly choked down a whiskey in two sips. The usually loyal and sober father clearly went back on his promise to stay away from booze for the sake of their family. Considering this part of the episode took place close to the presumed time of Jack’s mysterious death, this can’t be good.
Tell Us: What do you think of Jack returning to his old vices?
This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9pm ET.
