This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4 Review: Don’t Let

    Date:

    One of the hardest things anyone can ever go through is losing a parent, and it’s doubly difficult if you find out too late that you weren’t part of their life.

    This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4 focused exclusively on Jack’s journey to Ohio for the funeral and everything he learned.

    It was moving and emotional, but how did this story fit into the final season’s overall theme?

    Back to Ohio / Tall - This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4

    Jack insisted on taking this journey himself, but ultimately, he needed his family.

    Maybe that was the point of this painful trip down memory lane. As Jack said in his rambling, not-quite-memorial-like eulogy, his wife and kids gave him a new home just like Mike and Debby gave his mother one.

    Rebecca showed up with the kids at just the right moment, giving Jack the strength to continue his eulogy. It was as much a tribute to his new family as it was to the mother he never knew.

    One of the overarching themes of the season, if not the entire series, seems to be that families are imperfect, but they do their best for each other, and that love transcends death.

    Camryn Manheim As Debby - This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4

    I couldn’t help thinking that it would be only a few short years before Jack was the one who was gone too soon. He made more of an effort to be part of his kids’ lives, but they didn’t fully know him either.

    After all, Kevin idealizes Jack to this day, holding himself to an impossible standard as a father, and Jack isn’t here to straighten him out about that.

    Jack: I can’t remember my mom smiling a lot. She was always on high alert around my dad.
    Mike: Right. Well, you were her hero. You got her out of there. And there was nothing she looked forward to more than your Sunday night calls.
    Jack: I’m gonna call it a night. I didn’t know anything about her or her life. Thanks for the beer and the photographs.

    But this was Jack’s story, and I guess it was meant to give him closure with his relationship with his mother. But instead, it hammered home how little he knew about her life.

    Jack Faces His Past - This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4

    Throughout the hour, he kept reiterating that point.

    There were a ton of emotional scenes, as you’d expect when there’s a funeral, but one of the strongest was when Mike invited Jack to sit and toast to his mother with them.

    Everyone else was sharing stories about Marilyn, and Jack had to sit there, nursing his drink with no stories to tell except for that time when he was a little boy, and she hid his broken sled so his father wouldn’t find out about it.

    Those close-ups of Jack and his drink said it all. He wasn’t part of Marilyn’s family anymore. He was her son, but he was the outsider looking in.

    Mike Hugs The Kids - This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4

    The hour featured two interesting new characters that we likely will never meet again.

    Camryn Manheim’s Debby was so protective of Marilyn’s memory and so disappointed that Jack had stayed away all these years that if she hadn’t made it clear she was Marilyn’s cousin, I would have assumed that they were lovers.

    She was a strong, assertive woman whose way of protecting Marilyn’s memory often came across as blunt and uncaring, but in the end, she bonded with Jack and the kids.

    Mike was also an interesting person. He was the stereotypical Ohio biker bar dude, except he was anything but.

    Happy New Mother - This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4

    Mike’s story of how he met Marilyn was cute, and he loved her and made her happy. It was parallel to Miguel and Rebecca’s love story in some ways.

    Like Rebecca, Marilyn had been married before to a very different type of man. Of course, Marilyn’s first marriage wasn’t happy, while Rebecca would have still been with Jack if he’d survived the fire.

    But both women managed to pick up the pieces of their lives and find joy with a new partner even though it wasn’t what they’d planned.

    Although this was a moving story, it felt out of place on This Is Us.

    Jack Holding One of the Big Three - This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4

    Jack’s past was interesting, but his relationship with his mother and these new people didn’t do enough to carry the hour.

    That was especially frustrating because this is the last season of This Is Us, so there’s no time for episodes that don’t lead directly to the wrap-up of the series.

    All hour long, I expected a surprise flash-forward to Rebecca’s deathbed, somehow tied into the kids’ memories of visiting Ohio after Marilyn’s death.

    That didn’t happen, making this story seem superfluous.

    Also, where was Nicky during Jack’s childhood memories?

    The funeral likely took place when Nicky was presumed dead, but he should have been living in the house with Jack and Marilyn. That omission was strange and distracting.

    Nevertheless, Jack’s decision to make hot dogs and tomato soup in memory of his mother and his subsequent breakdown were the strongest part of the hour.

    There’s always a moment where it hits you that the person you loved is gone forever. Even though Jack’s relationship with Marilyn mainly consisted of brief phone calls in which they told each other nothing of importance, Marilyn’s death still left a hole in his life.

    Thank goodness Rebecca had come to Ohio, after all, to be there for Jack when his grief hit him.

    Your turn, This Is Us fanatics. Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know what you thought of this Jack-centered episode of This Is Us.

    You can watch This Is Us online right here on TV Fanatic if you missed the episode.

    This Is Us airs on NBC on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST/PST.

    Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.

    Read The Full Article Here

    Popular Posts

    More like this
    Related

    Kenan Thompson Says to ‘Investigate More’ After ‘Quiet on Set’ Doc – Hollywood Life

    View gallery Kenan Thompson opened up about his thoughts on...

    Consequence Crossword: “Enter the Matrix”

    Tumble down the rabbit hole of the Consequence...

    HBO’s Follow-Up True Crime Doc ‘The Jinx – Part Two’ Teaser Trailer

    HBO's Follow-Up True Crime Doc 'The Jinx -...
    Kenan Thompson Says to ‘Investigate More’ After ‘Quiet on Set’ Doc – Hollywood Life
    Diddy’s Former Backup Dancer Says She Avoided Him ‘At All Costs’
    Kristen Stewart and Fiancee Dylan Meyer Froze Their Eggs – Hollywood Life
    Bryce Harper, Wife Kayla Varner’s Relationship Timeline
    Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Movie Review
    Imaginary Movie Review
    Who Should Win the Oscar in Each Category
    Dune: Part Two Movie Review
    Sarah Hyland Confirms Love Island Exit Upset How News Revealed
    The Jinx, Which Transformed the True Crime Landscape, Returns with More Robert Durst
    John Mayer Denies Any Intimate Involvement With Scheana Shay
    Grey’s Anatomy Round Table: Are They Running Out of Things to Do With Amelia Shepherd?
    Consequence Crossword: “Enter the Matrix”
    Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show Review: A Brutally Honest Doc
    DHS Used “Military-Level Force” in Raid
    Lars Ulrich, Chad Smith, Fran Drescher Cast in Spinal Tap Sequel
    Must Read: 'The Hollywood Reporter' Unveils 2024 Most Powerful Stylists, Marine Serre Is Pitti Immagine Uomo's Next Guest Designer
    Kalki showcases Inara collection at Lakme Fashion Week in India
    Global Secondhand Apparel Market to Hit $350 Billion by 2028, According to New Report
    LG MoodUP & designer duo Gauri & Nainika partner for LFW India
    This Italian Horror Will Make You Want to Call Your Mom (Seriously)
    HalloweenCostumes.com Official Sponsor of FEAR VILLAGE Haunted Attraction
    A Cold Grave Movie Review
    New Poster for BOATYARD featuring Mike Ferguson
    HBO’s Follow-Up True Crime Doc ‘The Jinx – Part Two’ Teaser Trailer
    PRABHAS UPCOMING MOVIES #ytshorts #prabhas #salaar2 #kgf3 #kannappa #shorts #bahubali3 #salaarpart2
    ‘Kinds of Kindness’ Teaser Trailer
    Captain Miller (2023) Movie Hindi Dubbed Release Date Update | Dhanush New Movie | South Movie
    Rihanna – We Found Love ft. Calvin Harris
    Lauren Daigle – Hold On To Me (Official Music Video)
    for KING + COUNTRY – For God Is With Us (Official Music Video)
    42 DUGG – Go Again (Official Video)