The final moments of the Oct. 22 episode of ‘This Is Us’ left us with so many questions. Kevin meets Cassidy’s husband, Tess opens up to Randall and Beth, and Kate’s reflection on the past presented a new mystery.
In the past, Rebecca finally decides to move into a new house after the fire and Jack’s death. She’s trying to look on the bright side of everything, including Kevin’s surprise marriage to Sophie. She’s planning a dinner for Kevin and Sophie. Kate brings up that Miguel will most definitely be attending this dinner because he’s “here all the time.” Rebecca notes how big of a help Miguel has been since they moved in.
Rebecca wants all the kids to come. In addition to Kevin and Sophie, Randall is bringing Beth. Kate is getting pretty hot and heavy with her new boyfriend, Mark. However, the family doesn’t know about him yet. The dinner starts out a little awkward. Kevin explains how he and Sophie ended up getting married. Suddenly, Mark shows up. Right off the bat, Kevin is not a fan. Randall tries to play devil’s advocate.
The kids start fighting in the kitchen and Rebecca snaps at him after she burns the dinner. This is their first night as a family together in the new house and she wants everything to go perfectly. She tells them to shut their mouths and enjoy her dinner. You go, Rebecca.
Later, Rebecca and Miguel have some quiet time. She wonders if she’s trying too hard. “Maybe this loss is too big,” Rebecca says to Miguel. He cheers her up and distracts her with a fancy bottle of wine. Back at the dinner table, Rebecca tells the story of her and Jack’s first night in their house. She reveals how a bird flew in the house right before dinner and the hilarious story that came out of that.
“We need to be able to think about him and not only be sad,” Rebecca says. “We need to be able to talk about the hot sauce. He was perfect the way that dinner was perfect. He made us so happy. And that’s all I want for you guys, for you to be happy.” To conclude dinner, Rebecca performs “Storybook Love” from The Princess Bride on the piano.
In the present day, Kate admits to Randall that she’s worried about Kevin. He’s bought a trailer in Pennsylvania. They don’t know he’s spending all this time with Nicky. Kevin begins opening up about Jack to Nicky. He also tries to get Nicky to go to a hockey game where they’re honoring vets. Cassidy will be there.
Just when he’s about to sit down for a very important meeting, Randall gets a call. Tess had a panic attack at school. He brings her home and wants to talk about what happened. Tess isn’t in the mood. “Stop saying I’m like you. I don’t want to be anything like you,” she says.
Kevin ends up getting Nicky to the hockey game. Nicky is immediately uncomfortable, especially with all the booze around. The loud noises remind him of Vietnam. He leaves and tells Kevin he wants to be alone. Cassidy’s husband, Ryan, shows up to the hockey game. Ryan and Kevin don’t exactly hit it off. Ryan doesn’t pay attention to Cassidy at all during the ceremony. He’s just looking at his phone. Ryan leaves abruptly and Kevin is not happy about it.
Randall hates that he passed on anxiety to Tess. Beth brings Tess and Randall downstairs to have an honest discussion with them. Having anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of. She wants them both to know that. Once Tess settles, she admits that’s been worrying over lying about her sexuality at school.
After the hockey game, Kevin confronts Ryan. He tells Ryan that Cassidy was excited about him showing up. Ryan talks about how he met Cassidy and admits that he couldn’t stand by and honor the thing that “broke my favorite person.” He tells Kevin to “stay the hell away” from Cassidy. That’s all Kevin needs to hear. “He still likes you,” Kevin says to Cassidy as he walks away
Kevin and Randall’s big Pearson grand gesture is the family piano. As Kate looks through old photos that Beth took of that dinner, she sees a photo of Mark. “I didn’t see what was happening,” Rebecca says to Kate, who replies, “I didn’t see it either. What happened to Mark?! This Is Us just revealed yet another new mystery.