This story contains spoilers for This Is Us’ Season 6 episode “Family Meeting.”
Rebecca Pearson had a plan in place for what was to happen when the time came for the Big Three to make decisions regarding her well-being. In a classic This Is Us Thanksgiving speech, the matriarch told her three children that they were not to make their lives smaller for her, and if Miguel was not around, the responsibility would fall to Kate to make the choices. We sadly said goodbye to Miguel last week, so “Family Meeting” put Kevin, Kate, and Randall in the painful position of deciding what’s next. In the end, Kate did make a decision, but the circumstances had actress Chrissy Metz “pissed” on her character’s behalf.
When the Big Three gathered to talk about how to care for Rebecca after Miguel’s passing, of course they didn’t agree. Randall wanted to move his mother to Philadelphia. Kevin wanted to keep her in the house he’d built and have them all take turns visiting. Kate’s decision was to move Rebecca to Los Angeles to live with her and Phillip; however, Kevin called an audible, saying that he, Sophie, Madison, and Elijah would all move to the East Coast so their mom could stay in her house and be cared for full time by family. Chrissy Metz told People how she felt about Kate being outshined by her brother — again:
I was pissed. Kate’s made a decision, she’s adamant about it. She knows what she’s doing, and then she’s like, ‘Really, guys? I finally feel confident, and then you’re going to overstep?’ But I think that because Madison and Elijah, and Edie and Nicky, and obviously Sophie and Kevin being there, they have this whole other journey of life that they want to take together. You can’t get in the way of what’s best. Any parent will want to have all of their children involved. Kate has to just remind herself it’s not about her. It’s really about the greater good for Rebecca.
With Kevin’s entire wing of the family being willing to relocate, and with Nicky, Edie, Randall, and Beth already being on the East Coast, Kevin’s idea really does seem like what is best for Rebecca. It was still frustrating to see Kate finally find her voice with her brothers, just to be overruled. Chrissy Metz said her character just had to remember that it was about doing right by Kate’s beloved mother, not her pride.
Speaking to Kate’s pride, however, it was nice to see the support she had from the other men in her life — Phillip and Toby. Her ex-husband gave her some straight talk (in the most loving way) about how she acted around Kevin and Randall, while “Big Phil” stood up to Beth and Sophie for making light of the Big Three’s melodrama.
Next week brings fans to the series’ penultimate episode, with the script that caused Mandy Moore to throw up after reading it. Are we ready for this? I don’t think we’re ready for this. This Is Us returns with “The Train” at 9 p.m. ET next Tuesday, May 17, on NBC. See our full spring finale schedule here, and be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering soon.
