The Feb. 11 episode of ‘This Is Us’ was all about Kate. While teen Kate found herself in a toxic relationship, adult Kate faced Toby’s uncertainties about baby Jack.
This is the final “Big Three” trilogy episode and it starts off with baby Kate coming downstairs to Jack because she can’t fall asleep. She wants to hear a story, so Jack decides to create one with Kate. In the present day, Toby is doing research after baby Jack showed some progress with his vision. “If my son could see 30 percent of me I would be ecstatic,” Toby says. Kate tells Toby that this therapy he’s looking at is not going to work for Jack. Toby says he just wants one night filled with hope.
Rebecca offers to help Kate and go on the retreat. Kate introduces her mom to Gregory before they leave. At the retreat, both Kate and Rebecca learn so much. After the day is done, Kate is on the phone with Gregory talking about everything. When it’s just Kate and Rebecca, Kate admits that Toby’s been struggling with Jack’s blindness.
Back in the past, Kate and Mark are smitten with each other. He tells Kate that he loves her and she says that she’s in love with him, too. Kate mentions her mom’s birthday dinner and he’s not so sure about it. He’s not feeling great “vibes” from her brothers but he comes around. When Kate goes to grab a candy bar, Mark fat-shames her. “You sure you want that? I just know how hard you’ve been working on your diet,” he tells her. A customer soon comes up to them with a question and Kate answers with ease. Mark gets frustrated with her.
Later, Kate is trying to figure out what she did wrong. Mark calls her “desperate” for trying to show off to the guy at the record store. They makeup and Mark tells her that she’s the “only good thing” in his life. Rebecca comes to Kate and wants to get coffee with her and Mark before the rest of the family joins for the birthday dinner. At the diner, Mark shows up late. He casually reveals that he quit his record store job and asks about the family cabin. Kate and Mark plan to go up to the cabin together and Rebecca is not pleased.
Rebecca tells Kate that she doesn’t think it’s a good idea for her and Mark to go to the cabin. Kate gets defensive. “After dad, I genuinely thought I would never be happy again,” Kate admits. Rebecca says she understands but Kate doesn’t think she has any clue. Rebecca has had guys falling over her for her entire life. “Mark loves me and he’s the first guy to ever be interested in me, the first person to ever look at me that way,” Kate says. Kate tells her mom that she’s leaving for the cabin now and not staying for the birthday dinner.
Kate and Mark drive to the cabin and he gets mad at her for not quitting her job at the record store. He begins driving erratically. When Kate gets out of the car to get some air, he tells her that he can’t even look at her “fat face” and drives off. She walks to a payphone and calls Rebecca. She apologizes for what she said earlier and confesses that everything is not OK. Mark shows up, apologizes, and Kate goes back to the car with him. But Rebecca knows that something is wrong. That’s when she rallies up Kevin and Randall to go find Kate.
In the present day, Kate and Rebecca have a heart-to-heart. Rebecca says that Kate is perfectly capable of raising Jack on her own, but she believes Toby will “find his way home.” Rebecca then confesses that she’s been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. After they’ve gotten through all the tough stuff, they go sing Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” together.
Kate returns home to Toby and asks him if he can be the man she needs him to be and the father Jack needs. Toby really wants to be both of those guys. Kevin calls right in the middle of Kate’s conversation with Toby. She comes back into the room to say she’s going to the cabin with her brothers and she’s taking Jack. Toby steps up and says he wants to keep Jack for the weekend. “I need to spend time with my son,” he tells Kate.