This Is Us loves its fakes — remember when we all thought the series premiere storylines would all take place in the present? — but there’s a chance this week’s episode will alert us to Randall’s ultimate goals in the Oval Office.
“Every Version of You,” which comes after Kevin and Kate’s parts of this season’s Big 3 trilogy, focuses on Randall as he and Rebecca take a brief road trip to Boston, for reasons we’ll get to in a moment. The short and unexpected stretch of journey allows for a little reminiscence and a lot of emotional processing, both about Rebecca’s announcement after Thanksgiving and her progressing Alzheimer’s disease. In doing so, we learn that there is a “strategy” at work in Randall’s professional life that could lead him to Washington, DC in the not-too-distant future.
Read on for the highlights of Episode 10.
A LONG POOL DAY COMES TO AN END | In the flashback, Kevin is about to drown and Kate refuses to be in the water, but little Randall proudly marches to the deep end to take his swim test. Of course he made it, and of course nobody in his family really pays attention to the achievement. But by being silly with Kevin, Randall gets his brother in the pool (at the shallow end)…and Kate and Jack follow…and by the end of the episode, all the Pearsons are splashing and frolicking. Bottom line: Rebecca really wanted her whole family to be able to swim together, and Randall made it happen because he lives to make Rebecca happy. This becomes a recurring theme throughout the lesson.
RANDALL SAVES THE DAY! | In the flashback, when Randall, Kate and Kevin are stuck at the community pool after hours, the brothers are trying to lure a reluctant Kate over the fence when a police car pulls up demanding to know what they’re doing. Kate and Kevin fear they will be arrested for illegal trespassing and underage drinking, but Randall calmly approaches the car and asks to speak to the officer. A few minutes later he releases the trio with a warning.
Kate suggests they go to the (closed for the night) diner where she works and have a cup of coffee, taking advantage of the fact that she has the keys to the place. They do, but Randall makes sure to call Rebecca to let her know they’re fine and will be home later. As they talk, he comforts her about Miguel and cheers her up by leading her to his backpack, where he has hidden some smiley face cookies like the ones he and she used to enjoy as a little boy. “Thank you,” she says, touched. “I needed this.”
Back in the dressing room, Kev and Kate harass Randall about what he said to get them out of trouble. He just giggles and says the cop was a reasonable guy. But in flashback, we see Randall’s soft but impassioned plea that the family is at a breaking point and a trio of arrests will hurt the Pearsons in ways they may not recover from. “There’s a very real chance we won’t make it,” Randall says, convincing the officer. When it’s clear they’re out of harm’s way, Randall even goes so far as to joke, “Oh, and maybe one day I’ll be president, so I really can’t be arrested.”
Or is it a joke? Read on and we’ll discuss.
SIDE TRIP! | In the present, Randall reels from Rebecca’s announcement that Kate will be her healthcare representative. As Beth helps him process it, Déja comes down the stairs angrily: Malik broke up with her, and she blames Randall for telling him. “I literally hate you,” she hisses. Thanks to Randall’s already tense emotional state, their argument quickly gets out of hand; At one point, he says she’s his daughter, and she replies, “No, I’m not. Tess and Annie are your daughters. I’m just a girl you took from her mother.” OUCH. The next morning Déja is gone.
Tess finally confesses that her sister left the night before and is making her way to Massachusetts to convince Malik that they should get back together. Randall grabs his bag and heads to the car to chase after her, but Rebecca tells him to catch his breath. “Or maybe we should just leave it to Kate because she’s handling all the big stuff now?” he snaps. The outburst seems to cement something in Rebecca, and she announces that she’s coming with him.
On the drive they talk about first love and things relax a bit between them. But when she brings up his comment about Kate, Randall quickly shuts down the discussion, saying his vitriol was just a silly joke. Rebecca knows better, but doesn’t push. Instead, she asks for a lunch break so she can eat before taking her medication.
Even if the circumstances are far from ideal, Rebecca seems to be really enjoying the time with her son; She keeps remembering when he was very young and they had a lot of interests in common that Kate, Kev and Jack didn’t have. When Beth calls and says she heard from Déja, who made it safely to Cambridge, Rebecca asks Randall if maybe they could give the teenager some leeway and not rush straight away to get her. He reluctantly agrees, and they spend the meantime having drinks at a nearby bar and then spending the night at a motel.
REBECCA EXPLAINS HER CHOICE | During their extended meeting, Rebecca reveals that she carries with her a snippet of an article “Five Facts About Randall Pearson” that appeared in some publication. Later that evening, after Randall reschedule a meeting with the senator who has been trying to get in touch with him for several episodes, Rebecca asks him what’s going on. He tells her that the item in her purse is “part of a larger strategy” and that he’s been getting calls from the Democratic National Committee about his interest in possibly running as a replacement for the politician in question. “Oh my god, Randall, you’re going to be a senator?!” She cries, but he dampens her excitement: With “so much uncertainty in the family,” he doesn’t know if it’s wise to make an important life decision.
The next morning, as they leave, Rebecca asks him to join her at the motel’s pool, which is closed for the season. Realizing that her illness has “especially” taken its toll on him, she apologizes for over-relying on him after Jack died. “And that’s why I couldn’t make you executor, because you and I both know that you would move heaven and earth to see me get better and you would give up your whole life for me,” he says she. “And I can’t let you do this anymore.” They both start crying and the scene only gets sultry from here.
Once they’ve both recovered a bit, he acknowledges his hubris, but “If I do this, I’ll win, Mom. If I run, I will win. And if I win, I can’t even imagine where this thing is going to end.” She smiles at him and says, “I can. I can see it very clearly.”
Does that mean Randall is heading to the highest office in the country? He is not / wasn’t President in the flashback to Rebecca’s deathbed; otherwise there would be Secret Service agents around him, right? Or are they there and we just haven’t seen them? Please fill out the comments with your thoughts on whether this is a foreshadowing or just Dan Fogelman kidding us.
WHERE WE FINALLY FIND | Randall and Rebecca drive to Massachusetts and pick up Déja, who is devastated. Malik isn’t much better. Randall softens to the young man and tells him, “You know, these things have a way of getting around, Malik, if they’re supposed to be like this…sometimes the door opens again.” Malik thanks him for being a mentor is, and they shake hands while Randall tells him, “You’re a very good boy.” He is! Ah, sad Malik.
In the car, Déja apologizes for her mean words in the cabin. “I don’t want to talk about it much now, but you’re my dad,” she says softly. “You’re the only one I’ve ever had.”
Before Rebecca and Miguel return, she has Randall sign the article, which ends up in a box labeled “Randall” at Rebecca’s house. Then we see in snippets from all storylines: Randall tells Jae-Won to go ahead and set up a meeting with the senator; Kevin brings the twins back to Madison; and Kate tells Toby that she’s not ready to move to San Francisco, “not where we are right now.”
Now it is your turn. Hit the comments with all your thoughts!