“If you can only watch one American drama this year, I suggest you give up the premiere of Western World or the finale of Game of Power and turn to “This is us”. You can’t miss the premiere of This Is Us. Many American Theatre Critics even think that with the quality of this episode, it is not the Emmy Award that should be attended, but the Oscar. ”
Most people recommend it for “touching” and “tearing” since it seems to be the expectation of a family play. But look at the score, the acceptance rate of this show is more convincing when compared with mere words. This TV show has won so many hearts, but it has a shocking beginning. The 40-minute narrative of the first episode has always been regarded as a masterpiece.
Of course, after you have watched this TV series personally, you will know that this evaluation is not excessive.
At the beginning of the story, the camera focuses on four people who celebrate their 36th birthday on the same day: Jack, Kevin, Kate, and Randall. On the day of their birth, Jack and Rebecca’s triplets rushed to earth. Unfortunately, Jack and his wife’s triplet Jack died.
Father Jack Pearson is the soul of the family. After growing up in Vietnam, he planned to steal some money to change his life on his 28th birthday. In fact, he did change his fate because he met the beautiful Rebecca on this day. This encounter initiates the entire imperfect but beautiful story in this TV Series.
Kevin, the eldest of the three children, is the healthiest one in the family and very good looking. When he grows up, he becomes a third-tier actor who was still showing off his body in his late forties. The sitcom Grandpa made his famous, but also put his career at a standstill. As he grew older, Kevin’s voice of self-doubt grew stronger and stronger. Finally, at the age of 36, he broke out in the performance scene, loudly criticizing the vulgarity of “Grandpa” and the bad taste of the audience. Rejecting the temptation to be complacent, he came to New York to transform himself into a theatre actor. Ironically, he was hired solely for his role in Grandpa. After proving his ability, he finally stopped rejecting the shadow of success.
Sister Kate suffers from weight problems. From childhood, she was alienated by her friends because of her stature, and even in middle age, she was inferior to herself. Because of her figure, she dared not sing in public even though she inherited her mother’s wonderful voice. Her inferiority complex makes her sensitive and defensive in her small world. She was jealous of her mother’s figure and a better singing voice. Kevin’s brilliance made her even gloomier. She refused to open her heart to her lover Toby. Also, at the age of 36, encouraged by Toby’s love, she decided to regain her dream of singing.
Adopted son Randall is a perfectionist. In middle age, he became an enviable middle class, with a good life, a happy family, and kindness to others. When he was young, he showed a super high IQ. Not wanting to be too prominent and alienated from the twins, he deliberately scored low on the test. Only when he stayed with black people did Randall feel like a fish out of water, so every time he made a black friend, he drew a line on his notebook. It was not until he was 36 that he finally found his father, William.No matter how much his adoptive parents loved him, it was only through William’s blood relationship that he could truly identify himself and fill the biggest gap in his life.
Randall is a fine White Collar Citizen. William is an artist with poetry temperament. When they met, there was no revenge or abuse from their sons and no infinite remorse or self-pity from their fathers. But by this time William had cancer and had only a few months to live. When the chemotherapy was no longer able to stop the pain of the body, Randall could not bear it and could only stop the chemotherapy for him. He taught his son to drive, drink his favorite drink, listen to his favorite music, and spend a day living the life he had always dreamed of. On his deathbed, William said to Randall: The two best things in life are the people who appear at the beginning of his life (mother) and the people who accompany him at the end of his life (son).
Adoptions, homosexuality, obesity, this is a more real family life that can happen in any country. Like Kevin, Kate, and Randall, they are in the same stage of life, but they are on different paths. Everyone has their own life to live. Countless obstacles are waiting for us in our lifetime. Thankfully, we are always accompanied by the people around us.
(To learn more about this TV series, please click here）