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Episode 7 of This Is Us Season 5 begins with a brief glimpse of last episode’s shocking cliffhanger, as we see Kevin’s burning car and his wallet by the side of the road. Is Kevin okay? We’ll have to wait and see. In the past, Kevin prepares for his football training, practicing moves and memorizing different positions in his bedroom. After packing his things, Jack arrives and collects Kevin, who admits that he’s ready to go. Interestingly, the pressure Jack places on his son mirrors his own past, as we see Jack’s past playing baseball. Kevin is obviously nervous and ends up vomiting in his room. He’s worried, concerned over his own abilities and doubts that he’s able to live up to Jack’s high expectations. In fact, he outright admits this later that day, telling his Father he overheard him talking to Rebecca. He also breaks the news that the coach constantly calls him stupid too. Eventually Jack sits with Kevin at a bar and they discuss their past. He realizes the irony of him putting pressure on Kevin is very much like his own Father and apologizes. Spying the coach from afar, Jack calls him out in private, demanding he not call Kevin stupid anymore, and vows to watch him from now on. This obviously rattles him, as coach hurriedly leaves. In the present, Kevin practices his lines before Kate calls, thanking her brother for sending a gift over. He’s in the process of shooting with DeNiro on set… but Madison rings just before he gets there. She’s having contractions and it seems like the babies are coming. He makes a big call, deciding to give up his acting to be there for Madison. As Kevin races up to the airport, he receives numerous calls from Brian, Madison and Rebecca. It’s obviously a stressful situation and Kevin struggles to keep his eyes on the road. In the middle of all this, Randall calls and this pieces together the end of the last episode to what’s happening here. Kevin’s phone continues to ring, building up a bubbling pot of emotion that spills over into Kevin quitting the movie. However, he does receive a glimmer of hope in the wake of his upcoming flight. Unfortunately Kevin’s phone loses signal. On the way he stops, where it turs out the car we saw at the end of the last episode isn’t actually Kevin’s. He stops and helps an injured man out, saving his life and dragging him up to his car. On the way though, Kevin drops his wallet and his ID. Kevin’s detour to the hospital essentially sees him lose everything. He arrives at the airport without an ID and realizes he’s going to miss his flight. It’s a heartbreaking moment, one that sees Kevin absolutely crushed by what’s happened. While Madison starts to progress through labour, Randall phones and tells Madison that she’s family, promising to stay on the phone with her for the time being.
The Episode Review
Fate has a funny way of pushing you toward or away from something. In this episode, the onus is on Kevin racing back home as fast as he can after making a decision about his job that could change everything. The only trouble is, fate is constantly pushing him away from that. The bait-and-switch with Kevin’s car is, admittedly, a little annoying. Given we’ve had to wait several weeks for this resolution, finding out that it wasn’t actually Kevin’s car is a bit of a cheap “gotcha!” but it serves its purpose to back up the ideas of fate mentioned above. However, the episode is undoubtedly dramatic until this point with numerous instances where it seemed like Kevin was going to crash the car. Thankfully he didn’t, but there’s certainly some unnerving moments that elevate this chapter. It seems like Kevin is going to miss his flight now and, presumably, the birth of the twins too. This idea of not being good enough as a Father is echoed through the past storylines too, with Jack continuing to act like the perfect parent, which obviously puts pressure on Kevin to try and slip into his big shoes. For now though, This Is Us ends with lots of question marks over what’s going to happen next, leaving the door wide open for next week’s segment.
