The Big Three promised they wouldn’t drift apart following the death of their beloved mother Rebecca Pearson on Tuesday during the heart-wrenching and time-traveling series finale of This Is Us on NBC.
The season six episode titled ‘Us’ showed siblings Randall Pearson [Sterling K. Brown], Kate Pearson [Chrissy Metz] and Kevin Pearson [Justin Hartley] mourning the death of their mother Rebecca [Mandy Moore].
The finale written by series creator Dan Fogelman, 46, opened with a flashback scene in the Pearson household after Rebecca was shown previously telling her second husband Miguel Rivas [Jon Huertas] that she wasn’t ready for dementia to rob her of memories of ‘regular’ moments like ‘a Saturday when the kids were little’.
Series finale: The Big Three promised they wouldn’t drift apart following the death of their beloved mother Rebecca Pearson on Tuesday during the heart-wrenching and time-traveling series finale of This Is Us on NBC.
Rebecca in the flashback was shown in bed with her first husband Jack Pearson [Milo Ventimiglia] who noticed a small facial scar for the first time.
She explained that she got the scar accidentally as a girl when her father was pushing her on a swing.
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‘He felt so bad, but I didn’t care because him pushing me in that swing was just my favorite thing in the entire world, you know?,’ Rebecca said.
She added that it was a treat for her to go the park with him, but she’d spend the entire time worrying about when her father would stop pushing her and tell her it was time to go home.
Family matriarch: Rebecca in a flashback scene was shown in bed with her first husband Jack Pearson [Milo Ventimiglia] who noticed a small facial scar for the first time
Childhood memory: ‘I really wish that I had spent more time appreciating it when it was all happening, instead of just worrying about when it would end,’ Rebecca said. ‘At least I still have the scar’
‘I really wish that I had spent more time appreciating it when it was all happening, instead of just worrying about when it would end,’ Rebecca said. ‘At least I still have the scar’.
She then informed Jack that they had a completely free Saturday and they agreed to do ‘nothing’ with their children.
A flashback showed Jack and Rebecca pushing their young children on swings, followed by a clip of their adult children pushing their own children on swings at a playground.
Free day: Rebecca then informed Jack that they had a completely free Saturday and they agreed to do ‘nothing’ with their children
The one-hour series finale was a lesson in mindfulness as flashbacks showed Rebecca and Jack appreciating the ‘free Saturday’ with their children that included a Pin The Tail On The Donkey game.
In the present, Randall worked on the eulogy for Rebecca after holding her hand as she died in the penultimate episode of the NBC melodrama.
His wife Beth [Susan Kelechi Watson] checked in on him and Randall assured her that he was ‘appropriately sad’ and ‘appropriately anxious’ about his eulogy.
Toby Damon [Chris Sullivan] at the funeral service told his ex-wife Kate that he loved her even though their marriage didn’t work out.
Funeral service: Toby Damon [Chris Sullivan] at the funeral service told his ex-wife Kate that he loved her even though their marriage didn’t work out
In a flashback, the Pearson family watched home movies with the young children performing a song for their mom declaring themselves as The Big Three.
It was a callback to the series premiere in September 2016 in which the Pearsons tucked their newborn twins Kate and Kevin and adopted son Randall into onesies reading The Big Three after one of their triplets was stillborn.
Kevin and Randall both complained about the home movie watching and stormed away.
Funeral service: Iyana Halley as Annie, Iantha Richardson as Tess, Sterling K. Brown as Randall, Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth, Justin Hartley as Kevin, and Alexandra Breckenridge as Sophie attended the funeral service
Rebecca checked on Kevin and learned that he was feeling insecure after being unable to do any pull-ups during a physical fitness test.
Jack meanwhile spoke to Randall who admitted that he got in trouble at school after being teased about the ‘fuzz’ on his face.
‘You know, not everything is gonna come easy to you. I think you’re gonna have to work pretty hard to become the person I know you can become. And it will make the big victories in life that much more special when you have to work a little harder for them,’ Rebecca told young Kevin.
Pregnant daughter: Deja told her father that she was pregnant
Boy addition: Randall was thrilled to learn that she was expecting a baby boy
Jack meanwhile started showing Randall how to shave and were soon joined by Kevin who also shaved for the first time.
The family then enjoyed a fun game of Pin The Tail On The Donkey with Katie going first.
A flashback showed Rebecca and Jack shopping and coming across a game of Pin The Tail On The Donkey that featured white children playing with a black boy on the cover.
Eulogy montage: Kate was shown during an eulogy montage
Family fun: The family in a flashback enjoyed a fun game of Pin The Tail On The Donkey with Katie going first
‘Babe, maybe there’s another family out there just like ours,’ Rebecca said.
Jack put the game back on the shelf, but Rebecca stopped him.
‘Babe. Jack, when the world puts something this obvious in front of you, you don’t just walk away from it. You could be missing out on something very important,’ Rebecca said.
Very important: ‘Babe. Jack, when the world puts something this obvious in front of you, you don’t just walk away from it. You could be missing out on something very important,’ Rebecca said
Katie was then shown blindfolded and being spun around before she successfully pinned the tail on the donkey.
Randall during the memorial service learned that his daughter was expecting a baby boy.
He was joined by Kevin and Kate as they wondered what they would do next with their lives.
Next steps: Randall was joined by Kevin and Kate as they wondered what they would do next with their lives
Kate promised that she would open up music schools for the visually impaired.
Kevin said he was going to focus on non-profit work and enjoy his home life.
Randall revealed that he was considering a move in honor of their mother.
Potential move: Randall revealed that he was considering a move in honor of their mother
‘Can I tell you guys my nightmare? We drift. With mom being gone and our busy lives, we drift,’ Kate said.
‘I’m not saying we wind up estranged or anything, but…,’ she added as Randall assured her they wouldn’t ‘drift’.
‘We could drift,’ Kate said.
Randall then shared a ‘secret’ that if someone asked him to close his eyes and picture his family, he would picture their parents and the two of them.
Personal nightmare: ‘Can I tell you guys my nightmare? We drift. With mom being gone and our busy lives, we drift,’ Kate said
‘Same,’ Kate said.
‘Same,’ Kevin said.
The siblings then repeated their Big Three song together.
Candid conversation: ‘I’m not saying we wind up estranged or anything, but…,’ she added as Randall assured her they wouldn’t ‘drift’
‘Hey, kid, if you drifted, we would drift right after you,’ Kevin told a tearful Kate.
Randall told his siblings that their mother grabbed his hand hard at the end when she died.
‘I wonder what that was,’ Randall said.
No drifting: ‘Hey, kid, if you drifted, we would drift right after you,’ Kevin told a tearful Kate
Randall in his final words to his mother asked her to tell his late dad, ‘Hey’, and in the next scene she was shown in bed saying ‘Hey’ to her late husband Jack.
‘I’ve missed that little scar,’ Jack told her.
‘Come on, you didn’t even notice it for over a decade,’ Rebecca teased him before admitting that she was scared.
Hey there: Randall in his final words to his mother asked her to tell his late dad, ‘Hey’, and in the next scene she was shown in bed saying ‘Hey’ to her late husband Jack
‘I know, but don’t be,’ Jack assured her.
A flashback showed young Kevin after shaving for the first time impersonating his father.
‘Babe, do you know how much I love you? You got to appreciate the little things, Bec,’ Kevin said as Jack smiled.
Little scar: ‘I’ve missed that little scar,’ Jack told her
‘Babe, you have said that before,’ Rebecca told Jack.
Jack and Rebecca were shown again in bed together in the afterlife.
‘Hey, babe? We did good. You …did so good,’ Jack told her.
Spot on: ‘Babe, do you know how much I love you? You got to appreciate the little things, Bec,’ Kevin said while impersonating his dad as Jack smiled
‘There was so much left I wanted to do with them,’ Rebecca said.
‘You will,’ Jack promised her
‘I mean, it’s not like I want to be there for anything weird. I don’t want to watch them shower or anything,’ Rebecca said.
‘You won’t, but you’ll be there,’ Jack said as their children were shown at Rebecca’s memorial service.
Tender moment: Nicky checked in on Kevin during the memorial service
‘Quite a thing, isn’t it? Us finding each other in that bar that night,’ Rebecca said.
‘I don’t know. I mean, when the world puts something that obvious in front of you, you don’t just walk away,’ Jack told her.
Jack asked Rebecca if she was ready and she said she didn’t want to leave them.
Nothing weird: ‘I mean, it’s not like I want to be there for anything weird. I don’t want to watch them shower or anything,’ Rebecca said
‘You don’t. You’ll see,’ Jack told her.
‘I love you,’ Jack said.
‘I love you,’ Rebecca said back with smile.
All love: ‘I love you,’ Jack told Rebecca
Randall at the memorial service smiled at his pregnant daughter and in a flashback he also smiled at his father Jack.
This Is Us premiered on September 20, 2016 on NBC.
The series has received numerous honors, including a prestigious Humanitas Prize, a Writers Guild of America award and two consecutive Screen Actors Guild awards for best ensemble cast. It drew four best drama series Emmy nods, the sole broadcast nominee in recent years amid grander and gaudier competition such as Netflix’s ‘The Crown,’ HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ and Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’
The NBC show’s stars and guest actors received multiple Emmy nominations, with Brown, Gerald McRaney and Ron Cephas Jones winning Emmys – two for Jones in the role of William Hill, birth father to Brown’s Randall.
Grandfather soon: Randall at the memorial service smiled at his pregnant daughter
Looking back: In a flashback, Randall also smiled at his late father Jack
Popular series: This Is Us premiered on September 20, 2016 on NBC
Steven Tyler is in rehab (Image: Getty Images)ByJamie RobertsShowbiz Reporter
