Being There: This Is Us "I've Got This"/"One Small Step"

 

"I've Got This"

As Kevin and Madison take on parenting twins at home, later on, Kevin invites Kate and Toby to have a get-together dinner. But for Toby he's waiting on word about the job interview that turned out unsuccessful. 

Soon, when Kevin learns about Toby's job situation, he tries to offer financial assistance but rejects the offer. But after the tensions cool down, Toby apologizes to Kevin. On the other hand, later on, Kate called Rebecca, thanking her and asking her how she did it raising three kids while Jack wasn't making much. 

We learn in a flashback when Jack was at a dinner about a promotion; he had to cover the expensive spread. Later on, Rebecca decides to manage the family finances. 

After their conversation, Kate talks to Toby and thanks him for being a great provider and a wonderful father. She tells him that she will be working to help with the finances.

Meanwhile, tensions grew at Randall's house. As Carol has been staying for a while, Beth tries to make a goodbye family dinner before she goes. That is until things took a turn from Tess's romantic relationship with her friend Alex to Malik's baby mama wanting to come back to their child's life. 

Beth talks to Carol about how she judges her with how things she is to her. Beth realizes that her mother misses the domestic activity of a family and invites her to stay. Sorry, Randall!

Randall talks to Deja about what's been going on with Malik, who knows about the situation. And soon, the two bonded and tried to stalk Malik's baby mama on Instagram. 

The episode ends with Kevin and Madison getting a surprise visit from Uncle Nicky.

"I've Got This" was an excellent episode. Kevin and Toby were good but, at times, anxious when finances were discussed between Kevin and Toby. The Beth and Carol storyline was terrific, and Beth took her mother in after Randall had brought his family in the past. And I couldn't get enough of Deja and Randall's chat. 

Overall, I give this episode an 8/10.

"One Small Step"

Picking up where the previous episode left off, we see Nicky at Kevin's front door, coming to see the twins. Soon after, we go back to 1969 when Nicky, Jack, and their family watched the first moon landing. In that time frame, we see Nicky falling in love with a colleague, Sally, and soon, the two bonded while observing the moon.

Later on, Sally invites Nicky to go to Woodstock and soon move to California. As he accepts her offer, he stands her up because of not being there to protect his mother from his father. 

After the war, Nicky gets invited to celebrate a war buddy's engagement at a bar in Erie, Indiana. While Jack is there, getting marriage advice, Nicky sees him but never enters or approaches him. 

Coming back to the present, just as Nicky gets an invite to Nick and Franny's baptism, he gets Cassidy's help to prepare for his first flight since the war. Nicky makes handcrafted snow globals but gets destroyed at the airport security. But as he arrives, Nicky gets second thoughts and calls Cassidy, who tells him that if Jack had still been alive, she believes he would have forgiven Nicky. 

As Nicky is at Kevin's home, Nicky sneaks in to see the twins and talks to them about the second gift from the airport he had brought and even talks a bit about his past. Later on the following day, Kevin walks in to see Nicky with a photo of him and Jack taken by Sally after a family dinner. 

"One Small Step"  is a brilliant episode and one of my favorites of the season. This episode just made me love Uncle Nicky a lot more, even though I had already loved him before. Watching this character get the courage to take his first flight in 50 years and confront his nephew and niece was heartwarming. 

Man, I was heartbroken when those two snow globals got destroyed. I do blame the airport security for that. And even Nicky's first love and what he did to her. It might have been for the right reason. Like Cassidy told Nicky, I do believe that Jack would be proud of him and forgive him.

Excellent writing, along with the performance from  Giffin Dunne. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

What did you think of these episodes? Leave a comment!

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.