By Jessica Malley and Samantha Arnott
Last Tuesday, on September 25 at 9 pm, This Is Us fans were finally able to see the premiere of season 3. As cliffhangers from season 2 were tied up, this episode brought about new conflicts, relationships, and opportunities.
The opening scene of this episode foreshowed shades of an array of comebacks from multiple characters, starting off with the Pittsburgh Steelers star running back, Franco Harris, getting ready for a big game against the Oakland Raiders. Clips of the game were shown throughout the episode, which showed the deficit that the Steelers were in. At the end, we learn that Harris pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in football history, which is now known as the “immaculate reception”.
The first hardship we witnessed in this episode, was seen with Kate and Toby, revolving around their hopes of becoming parents. We know from the past season there was a setback for them due to Kate’s miscarriage. In this episode, we find out that they still wish to pursue this dream by looking at alternative options. Before Kate’s birthday brunch, her doctor informed them that the process of IVF would be risky due to her weight, which she, as well as other doctors, did not feel comfortable performing.
Kate and Toby weren’t the only ones who faced troubled times in this episode. Randall and Deja did as well. Starting off with Deja, as the audience, we sit in the courtroom with her as her mother is before a judge, giving up all parental rights. After this event, Randall takes Deja to the apartment complex where his biological father lived. Here, he tries to show the relationship between their two childhoods. Deja rejects putting Randall in the same category as herself and what she’s been through. Randall and Beth wish to adopt her, but based on her actions and words, she does not seem to wish to be a part of their family.
A minor setback faced by Kevin can be seen through his relationship with Beth’s cousin Zoey. Beth has a feeling that Kevin and Zoey are sneaking around together behind her back, which she does not approve of.
A final struggle we see is with Jack and his younger personal life. While at the bar he was supposed to rob, he caught a glimpse of the singer, Rebecca, who turns out to be the woman he marries. After having a conversation with her, he decided he wanted to take her on a date to the carnival, shedding light on the financial conflict he has. Jack has only nine dollars to his name, hence the name of the episode being “Nine Bucks”. This small amount of money begins to dwindle down when he buys the two of them tickets, a candy apple, and a hot chocolate. He comes across as cheap to Rebecca when he will not buy an umbrella for them as the rain begins to fall. Rebecca was unaware, but Jack couldn’t buy an umbrella because he was saving his final two dollars in case she wanted to play a game.
Of course, with this show, there are many ups and downs, but within the final scenes of this episode, we get to see the comebacks of all of the characters. Toby and Kate return to the doctor’s office, where they are presented with the good news that the doctor will go through with the treatment. Following the good news, we see that Deja has a change of heart and purchases sneakers for Randall’s birthday. Deja then tries to mend the relationship by asking him to sign the adoption papers. While at the birthday dinner, we see a look exchanged from Beth to Kevin that leads us to believe that she is accepting of the relationship between him and Zoey. When dropping Rebecca off, Jack opens up to her about his financial situation. To his surprise, Rebecca shows she is sympathetic by kissing him on the first date and leaving her jacket in the car so he will have to bring it back to her.
Being fans of this show and knowing how much this team has an effect on the family, we know that this story was put in this episode for a reason. We can assume that this season will be filled with many different comebacks.
