'This is Us' Season 4 Episode 10 Review: Will Rebecca lose her memory and baby Jack get his eyesight back?
The review contains spoilers for 'This Is Us' Season 4 Episode 10 — 'Light and Shadows'.
It is all a matter of love. The more you love a memory, the stronger and stranger it becomes. But sometimes, there are no memories to cling on to. As NBC's beloved family drama 'This Is Us' comes back from its winter break, it's a brand new year for the Pearsons. Rebecca is struggling with her memory loss and Randall takes her to a neurologist. From Kate and Toby's marriage woes to Kevin's matchmaking dates, there is a lot at stake in this hour-long special.
The show has a unique way of spinning its way from the past to the present and future. Titled 'Light and Shadows', the new episode will fill your eyes with hope and shatter them the very next moment. Right when you're ready to give up, it will bring a new twist in its typical mindboggling manner. And while you let your heart bleed, wait for the show to take a “legendary” turn as John Legend plays his new song, 'Conversations in the Dark' on the piano.
Kate, Toby and baby Jack: 'When I look at our son, I feel sad'
Drawing focus to their growing distance, Kate finally confronts Toby about the text from a workout pal she accidentally saw on his phone. He convinces her she isn't important. But there's a twist. Eager to meet his CrossFit friends, she plans a surprise party only to find out he has changed his gym.
Later, Toby finally comes clean. "You were right about Cara. She tried to kiss me. And I stopped it," he confesses. When Kate asks him why he avoids being home with her and their son, Toby tells her how he feels about the little boy's blindness. "When you look at our son, I see pure joy. But when I look at our son, I feel sad."
At the end of every dark tunnel, there's light and so it is for the two when Kate notices Jack reaching out for the light. Joyfully, she tells Toby, "The doctor said he might start to see light and shadows!" Could little Jack have his eyesight back?
Randall and Rebecca: 'I hoped that time would stop'
Randall flies across the country to take his mom Rebecca to a neurologist. Miguel seems to be irked and keeps trying to convince him how it is just because they are "getting old". Randall, however, comes strong onto him: "I spent one day with her on Thanksgiving and could tell something was wrong. How could you not?"
While waiting for her results, Rebecca reminisces the time when Randall was a baby. "Kevin and Kate would always like to sleep till late but you were an early riser," she says. Rebecca would hold him on a rocking chair as she listened to music. "We couldn't really watch the sunset but we would watch the light changing through the curtains. I would hold your warm body against mine and hope that time would stop."
It's funny how she remembers the tiny, intricate details from her past, but starts to lose perspective of her present life. Randall's fears turn out to be true. His mother is suffering from mild cognitive impairment and needs to undergo more tests. Later, Miguel apologizes and tells Randall how the idea of anything being wrong with Rebecca scared the wits out of him but promises to take care of her.
Kevin and his dates: 'Maybe it is just not in the cards for me'
All set to get settled, Kevin goes on a couple of dates and ends up walking out on all. Tired, he decides to quit the matchmaking service. "Universe, it is up to you," he says, and guess what: there is a lovely lady right there. He goes to talk to her and she introduces herself as Lizzie. The two go on a romantic date even though she says she is flying back to Chicago the next day.
Kevin blindfolds Lizzie and takes her to the Hollywood Bowl. If that was not all, he even plans a special performance as John Legend sits by the piano and sings for her! Isn't that heartwarming? Well, turns out the texts on her phone weren't from her mom, but her husband! Yes, she just wanted to live her fantasy of dating a celebrity. Sad and forlorn, Kevin wonders, "I am desperate to have this crazy love story but maybe it is just not in the cards for me."
Flashback: 'A great love story, one for the ages'
Jack and Rebecca have a little tiff and when he tells her that they should take a break. Sorry for being just a "part-time mechanic", he says he won't turn up for her dad's birthday bash. Rebecca heads home alone. Her mom tells her how her father got into Jack's head. When her mom notices Rebecca's love, she tells her, "If he is really your choice, make sure he gives you a great love story, one for the ages."
In the end, Rebecca comes to meet Jack and tells him, "I don't care about what you can give me or not. I am in love with you, Jack." He also confesses his love for her. As the memories roll around in Rebecca's head in her present life, a tear drops from her eye.
Written by Eboni Freeman and directed by Yasu Tanida, the episode ends on a dramatic cliffhanger. When Randall reaches home, he comes face-to-face with a mystery man. Are those one of his nightmares or is his mental illness taking over his mind? There are many questions left at the end of the emotional episode and it will keep you on your toes.
