''This Is Us'' is one of the most interesting TV series to come out in the last few years. NBC can brag about having acquired a sizeable viewership despite using a rather simple technique. At first glance, it may appear like an average soap opera, but, as viewers have discovered, the show has emerged as a game-changer in its genre.
Those raw emotional scenes popping up all over the narrative thread seem to have found a way to bond with the average viewers, creating a unique TV show that has some potential yet to be displayed. Piercing right through the TV's glass sheet, the narrative threads are like a living organism co-existing with the ultimate target, TV shows' ordinary consumer.
What ''This Is Us'' does great, is that it takes those very ordinary elements of life only to transform them into something quite unique.
Episode 11 of Season 2 must put the machine back on track
Episode 10 delivered a flurry of emotional and heartbreaking scenes. Kate and Randall are trying to figure out a way to regain the balance in their own bubble. Whether it's about Toby, Kate's fiance, or maybe about Randall's wife Beth, these characters seem able to cope better with the daily struggle.
At the other extreme sits Kevin Pearson, the sheep that lost its way away from the herd. Struggling with two addictions at the time, Kevin finds it difficult to keep himself above life. Emotionally speaking, he can be reduced to a complex cocktail driven by chemicals, alcohol, and dark thoughts from the past.
Under these circumstances, the boiling point resides.
Taking a few weeks break might help the viewer process all the information from the latest episodes. On the other side, it might be a bit tricky to reach a similar level of intensity once the show resumes in January. Therefore, Episode 11 must bring some of the good stuff to the table in order to reclaim the prior status-quo.
Kevin Pearson went off the safe zone
The emotional storm seems to have left to casualties, except for Kevin Pearson who has reached the bottom already. He ended up being arrested on DUI charges while his niece Tess had to get through a rather traumatic event for her age. She witnessed her uncle speeding while under influence of some bad factors.
Knowing how much Randall and Beth love their two daughters, their intention to punish Kevin came as a natural follow-up. Thus, the one who seemed to have had the best finish line is now barely hanging onto the surface.
Kevin Pearson enters a new perspective of his character development and, at the same time, he bears a huge burden for the episodes to come.
