'This Is Us' Season 4 Episode 16 Review: After Randall and Kevin's clash, is Rebecca's decision for the best?
Spoiler alert for 'This Is Us' Season 4 Episode 16: 'New York, New York, New York'
There is no right or wrong in love. There is just care and a little too much care, and sometimes, that can lead to clashing opinions.
Can two people have totally different opinions and still be right? Yes. That is precisely the case with Randall Pearson (Sterling K Brown) and Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley) as they try to do the best for their mom, Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore). Of course, Randall wants the best for her and Kevin wants her to have fun while she still can. But aren't both of them taking too many responsibilities while trying to parent her?
Directed by Ken Olin and written by Julia Brownell, the episode melds the past, present and the future with so much intricacy that you would simply marvel at the tale. The episode begins with Kevin and Kate Pearson (Chrissy Metz) waiting for Randall's mysterious Code Red call. Soon, he tells them that the three need to team up to convince Rebecca to go for a clinical trial at Washington University in St Louis for nine months.
While Kate gives her the green light, Kev is confused but Randall is in no mood to listen. He says he wants them to trust him on this one.
Jack and his magical carriage ride
One of the biggest joys while watching 'This Is Us' is when Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) comes to spread cheer for his family's sake. "My little Pearson spawns," he calls the kids and asks them to pick one activity for the day. Since the beginning, Kevin and Randall can't stop fighting and the subject of their argument is 'Home Alone'. Kev picks a big toy store visit, Randall wants to go to a museum and Kate goes for a fancy hotel.
The plan brings back fond childhood memories for Rebecca. She remembers how her father used to make it magical and they even called New York city, dad city. "What would you like to do?" Jack asks Rebecca and her face lights up like a baby. It is Mandy Moore's performance that knits every piece of the tale together. From her young days to her old age, she acts so effortlessly and brings out a natural feel in her character.
She says she wants to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Later, when Jack gets lost on the way and opens up about his insecurity with her dad's "fancy" trips, she tells him how he also knew how to throw a screaming fit when he didn't get parking. "I don't want those trips. I want our trip," she lovingly tells him.
The kids are too tired and Rebecca says they could skip the Mets, but Jack chips in to say no. He asks her to head out while he takes care of the three maniacs. In the end, however, she isn't able to reach on time. Right then, Jack has a wonderful idea. He asks everyone to get ready as he takes them for a carriage ride. And of course, there are chocolate-covered nuts too.
Kevin sets up Rebecca with Kirby
In the later years, Rebecca accompanies Kevin and Sophie for his acting class along with teen Randall and Beth. There are still cheeky exchanges between Randall and Kev. Right from his teenage days, Randall is the responsible one. He carries all the luggage and asks for car keys to drive them to the city.
At the acting class, they meet Kirby (Dave Annable), his acting coach. Rebecca and Kirby have a pleasant meeting after which he leaves. At lunch, Kirby joins the group. Kevin gushes over his "young" mom. The two adults suddenly leave to go to the Mets. It seems like Kevin has set up the two.
Randall is quite irked at Kevin's gesture and tells him, "My God, she is a grown woman. Who made you decide whether or not she is ready to date?" Always showing off the burden of his responsibility, Randall snaps, "When was the last time you called her?" But Kev doesn't back down. "She deserves to have some fun," he says.
Soon, Kirby comes to accompany her and while the two have a heart-to-heart conversation, Rebecca spots a carriage on the way. When she asks him if he ever went on one, he says he doesn't like it because it is not good for the horses. Something snaps inside her and she pulls out of the plan and walks away. Sigh, memories of Jack will never leave Rebecca.
A big night and a big fight
"You flew me first class and now the Plaza Hotel. You are really spoiling me," Rebecca joyfully tells Kevin as she gets out of her car. Randall walks through the streets of New York with the file of the clinical trial in his hand. Kevin, however, asks Randall to not bring it up that night and he agrees.
Rebecca is ecstatic at the red carpet as Kevin introduces the paparazzi and celebrities to her. Randall looks at her with a smile. Sterling K Brown fills the scene with his charm and it is not hard to see how much Randall loves his mom. At the premiere night, Kevin, Rebecca and Randall have a good time. When Kev steps out to meet his co-star, the manager asks Rebecca where they are staying. At that moment, it totally slips out of her mind.
That's when Randall notices the relapse and helps her bring back to her feet again. Seeing how upset she is, Randall slips off the clinical trial right then and there. He breaks the promise and when Kevin notices, he is furious.
The two have an ugly spat. When Kevin blames Randall for "trying to push forward his agenda", Randall accuses him of abandoning them for his Hollywood friends. Rebecca leaves to get some air while the two try to sort it out. "I've been taking care of mom for 20 years," Randall tells him. Kevin, however, argues, "Wrap your brain around the fact that maybe, just maybe, I actually know what's good for our mother." Randall pushes it way too forward with his "facts" about Kev's carelessness and Kevin says something he shouldn't. "This whole acting career. This is what would help pay for mom's illness."
The two brothers realize their mom is missing and try to look for her. They spot her staring at a painting. When they both come to her, she tells them the story of how she once found a woman who looked at the painting for hours. Fascinated by her, she wanted to do the same. Finally, Rebecca makes a decision for herself. "I wanna spend however many years I have with my family. I wanna try new things... like walking on a red carpet."
Later, Kevin and Randall try to talk out their differences again. That's when Randall confesses how he keeps thinking about the day their dad died. "Every day, I keep thinking if I could have saved dad. Don't you ever think what would have happened if dad hadn't gone to get the dog?" Randall asks Kev.
Kevin walks away while Randall replays the memory where he is saving his dad. "Dad, if you go inside that house, I will go to the front porch and get you out myself," he threatens and Jack stops there. Just one dialogue could have changed the course of their lives but it didn't. And here they are, living their miserable lives. And now they must learn to live with it.
While every scene will fill your heart with the right emotions, the last scene will make you turn on the waterworks. Grab those tissues and hope that Randall and Kevin can help see one another's point of view too (at least in the future).