It was one of the most viewed trailers for a new show this season. This Is Us has finally premiered, and from what critics and others have said about it, it's worth watching.
The story surrounds three pairs: a married couple that are about to become parents to triplets, a TV star brother and his overweight sister, and a son who's looking for his biological father. Each struggles with life's challenges with the good, bad, and the ugly. But these three are connected somehow, and that's the most brilliant secret in this pilot.
Let's start with the married couple: Jack and Rebecca. They look to be the happiest couple in the world. They're also expecting twins, and when it's Jack's birthday, the kids are ready to be born. While waiting to meet their doctor, they get another one, Dr. Katowsky, as the other one is having his surgery. Jack seems so optimistic about everything that he doesn't take to listen to Dr. K about the possibilities of something going south. During the birth, as the first child is out (a boy), things turn for the worse, and the doctor boots Jack out to do his thing. When Dr. K comes out, he walks to Jack with a long look of sadness and tells him first that Rebecca is fine and resting and got the second baby out, too, but the third child didn't make it as it was stillborn. Jack is in shock and keeps asking about his wife. Dr. K repeated what happened and also sat down with him and gave him a nice chat.
The brother and sister: Kevin and Kate: Kevin is a TV star in what happens to be the most extensive series on television, and yet it seems like the stupidest series on television called The Manny. Not only does he turn 36, but he reflects on his life and what he was doing. He felt the series wasn't doing him anything good except making him look sexy. So after doing one great dramatic take, the writer wanted him to do a lighter take with his shirt off, and soon Kevin blows, and it's the internet quick.
Kate is Kevin's twin sister, and she's having trouble with weight problems. She's joined a Weight Watchers program where they talk about their struggles. There, she meets with Toby, another overweight person who likes her, and the two go out. But soon, she was happy being around him, and after Kevin ruined part of the night, it was still a great night.
And for Randell: It's also his birthday, too, 36, and he's the boss of a major corporation. He soon gets an email about his biological father and that he's alive. He talks to his wife as they watch their two daughters playing soccer about it. He may not want to meet him at first, but he does and at first gives him the "I'm Randell, your biological son, and you left me at the fire station 36 years ago," etc. After his father asks if he wants to come in, he does and soon brings him to his home to meet the kids and his wife. Later, Randell learns that his father is dying and doesn't have much time, so he offers, or should I say, to make him stay with them for a while.
Now, since I've been waiting until now to write this, I think I can tell what the big twist of this story is so no one can yell at me about spoiling it. The connection between all of these characters is they're one family. Jack and Rebecca are the mother and father to Kevin, Kate, and Randell.
It's one of the most beautifully structured pilots I've seen on television. Dan Fogelman has done something special with this, and I can't wait to see what comes in future episodes. It does have that feel of "Parenthood" with that realistic-raw emotional feel that'll either make you feel sad, sound, or maybe hate (someone who'd watched it with me didn't quite like how Kate acts with Toby and Kevin about her weight).
The cast is astonishing, as each plays to a significant amount of emotion and humor. The one person I would say that stole the entire pilot is not even a cast member, but a guest star as the man who played Dr. Katowsky (Gerald McRaney); he gave a tremendous performance in scenes with Rebecca and Jack but also with Jack after the babies were born.
I give this episode a 9.5/10.
You can catch "This Is Us" on Tuesdays at 10/9c (soon to be moving to 9/8c on Oct. 11) on NBC.
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