‘This Is Us’: Four new developments from Season 3, Episode 3

Screenshot+from+This+Is+Us+Season+3%2C+Episode+3.

Screenshot from “This Is Us” Season 3, Episode 3.

Did you catch this week’s episode of “This is Us”? If you didn’t, make sure you watch before you read, or beware there are major spoilers ahead. We get a glimpse of Jack’s life after the war, as well as Kate’s battle with inner demons because of her body image. We also learn who the man is that shows up at Rebecca’s doorstep. Here are four major developments from the third episode of this season:

Past: Rebecca’s ex-boyfriend shows up asking for her to take him back.

There is no surprise from this, as it had to be a current or ex-boyfriend who shows up at her door with flowers and kisses her. We see how Alan, the ex-boyfriend in question, and Rebecca met when they were young. The two dated for many years, and ended abruptly when he moved to London and she did not want to go with him.

Alan comes back in hopes of winning Rebecca back. While she is not interested originally, he wows her with his words and she decides to give him another chance. She goes to lunch with him and his parents, where she talks about how she wants to go to L.A. to pursue her music career with a record label. He immediately shuts down the idea of L.A. and offers her New York instead, as he is moving there and tells her there is plenty of music opportunity there. She agrees to move with him, until she runs into Jack at the grocery store, which changes everything. Jack’s words to Rebecca give her a gut feeling that she needs to see this through with him rather than settle for Alan. Rebecca goes to Jack’s house later that day, confirming her and Alan were over. She asks him if he wants to take a road trip to L.A., he says yes, and Rebecca knows she has made the right choice.

Present: Kate’s surgery is a success.

Kate goes into surgery for her IVF treatment, where they surgically remove her eggs for her to try to become pregnant. This is an extremely risky surgery for someone her size, with the worst case scenario being fatal. Kevin, Randall, Rebecca, and the entire family are worried about her going into surgery, making Kate more nervous. Randall even flies to L.A. to be with her when she wakes up. While it takes longer than normal for her to wake up from the surgery, she dreams about herself as a child and teenager. Her father appears in her dream as well. Her teenage self, played by Hannah Zeile, tries to convince her to not wake up, to stay with them and Jack. In past episodes, we have seen how Kate still struggles with the loss of her father and how she blames herself for his death. We have also seen her struggle with weight, which makes this surgery more difficult for her. While she is still dreaming, she debates if she even wants to wake up, as she continues to encounter one complication after another. Yet, she eventually wakes up, and her doctor tells her they got eight eggs out during surgery and can continue the IVF process.

Present: Will Randall take matters into his own hands and run for public office?

While Randall is in L.A. with Kate, he receives a phone call learning that Chichi’s daughter Sky was violently beaten near the rec center. This is not the first problem that the area has seen, and Randall has tried in the past to fix the problems. What makes Randall so angry is that Councilman Brown has not done anything to fix the problems in that area, as he said he would. He promises Chichi he is going to do something about it, and goes home and tells Beth that he is going to run against the Councilman.

Beth stops Randall from saying anything else, as she breaks the news that she was fired from her job that she was at for 12 years. A variety of emotions spreads across his face, not knowing what he is going to say next, but he says nothing. Things are about to get complicated for the two of them.

Present: Kevin will go digging into his father’s past.

After Kevin’s movie becomes a huge success, he goes in for interviews about the film, one being a radio show with NPR’s Terry Gross (who guest-stars in this week’s episode). She asks him many questions about his father’s time in Vietnam. Kevin tries to remember if his father had ever told him about his time in Vietnam, only remembering a moment when he was a child that Jack did not allow him to buy a toy gun. He tells Zoe that “it’s weird, I wouldn’t ask him any questions at all.”

This bothers him, and next thing we know he is putting together the pieces of his father’s service from artifacts that were left from the fire, eager to learn more. Zoe is on board to help Kevin, telling him she is “very curious.”

What is in store for next week? Will we get our first glimpse into Jack’s time at Vietnam? We’ll have to wait to find out.

“This is Us” airs every Tuesday on NBC at 9/8c.

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