SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read if you haven’t seen “Katoby,” the April 12 episode of NBC’s This Is Us.
Wednesday’s episode of This Is Us marked the official end for Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan), during which she officially threw in the towel after he made a harsh comment about her late father. (Full synopsis here!) Instead of answering, Kate was interrupted by her screaming son, and when she came back she told Toby it was over.
But that wasn’t originally the plan.
“I had a whole monologue to refute his remarks. That dinner scene where they’re both trying to rekindle the romance and trying to understand where the other is coming from — it’s those little nicks you cut in your significant other that eventually just start to bleed,” Metz told Variety. “There was a whole monologue where she said, ‘I’ve been that person before. You could have blamed my father and my relationship with him, but you can’t do that anymore and I won’t let you. She went for him and I said, ‘Damn, I wish they’d kept that.’ But it wasn’t necessary because he said what he had to say, but it’s hard because you break up and you can understand both sides.”
Metz went on to explain that “no one’s ever going to match Jack,” which has always been known.
“Toby feels insecure about it and then throws it back in her face, it feels like a simple smack but it’s also obviously embedded very deeply,” she notes, adding that it’s devastating to see Kate and Toby break up . “They really tried. I think that’s the hardest part – knowing that. They never gave up trying if it became really difficult to go into therapy and communicate and talk about their feelings. You really tried. She absolutely adored and loved him, but she never really put herself first.”
During the episode, a flash-forward to Kate’s wedding anniversary reveals that she and Toby are in a positive place as they have decided to be parents together as much as possible.
“I think there will always be a true love for each other that will never die. When you love someone, I don’t think you stop loving them if you really love them,” she says. “He’s definitely in the Pearsons’ lives, he’s definitely still there and supporting them and is still something of a sounding board for them.”
Chris Geere as Phillip and Chrissy Metz as Kate. Ron Batzdorff/NBC
Since Kate and Phillip (Chris Geere) started out as colleagues and friends, their marriage will be very different than hers to Toby — especially since they’ve both been openly and brutally honest from day one. And thanks to the woman Toby encouraged Kate to be, she’s in a better place for this marriage.
“I love that she drew the line after the first date. She says, ‘I need to know what’s going on. You have to let me know what you’re doing to me.’ It’s so hard to say that in a relationship. We all want to be validated, loved and liked,” says Metz. “She’s so much more confident and confident than ever and Toby is such a big part of that, it’s so bittersweet.”
Looking ahead to the next episode, comes Kate’s second wedding anniversary, which – like most episodes of This Is Us – is filled with both “very beautiful” and some heartbreaking moments.
“There’s those fun moments, but also when we see Rebecca’s demise, it gets really tricky and emotional, especially around a wedding,” Metz teases, before adding that Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge) could turn up to be the big one Day. “Kate and she have rekindled our friendship which is so fun and amazing. She’s definitely invited. We’ll see who she brings when she comes.”
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