This week on This Is Us, the Pearsons head to New York City. In the present, they are in the city for Kevin’s movie premiere, and they reflect on past trips to NYC as a family.

Trip Number One: Middle School

The Pearson family has 24 hours in NYC before going upstate for Randall’s debate tournament. Jack tells the kids and Rebecca that they can each pick one thing to do. Kate picks having tea at a fancy hotel, Kevin chooses a toy store from Home Alone 2, Randall wants to go to the Museum of Natural History, Rebecca’s choice is going to The Met, and Jack hasn’t decided yet.

They arrive in New York and on their way to the first stop of the day, Jack makes an error on the subway and the Pearsons wind up lost in Queens. They wander around trying to get back to Manhattan but Jack refuses to listen to Rebecca’s directions. Rebecca tells Jack that she came to the city a lot as a girl and knows it pretty well. Jack relents and lets Rebecca take over the map. They make it to all the kids’ stops but the kids are tired and it’s late before they can make it to The Met. Jack takes the kids back to the hotel and Rebecca goes to The Met by herself, insisting it’s fine. Unfortunately, it’s closed when she gets there. Disappointed, Rebecca goes back to the hotel but Jack saves the night by taking the family out on a carriage ride through Central Park as his chosen activity.

Trip Number Two: College

Rebecca, Randall, and Beth are back in NYC a few years later to see Kevin in an acting showcase. Everyone praises Kevin’s performance, except Randall, who shrugs and says it was fine. This hurt Kevin more than he lets on. Kevin also introduces everyone to his acting coach Kirby, who flirts with Rebecca a little bit.

At a celebratory dinner, Kevin orders pizza and mozzarella sticks for the family. Randall objects saying Rebecca doesn’t like that. But Rebecca says it’s fine. Kevin invites Kirby over to join them and the two of them continue flirting. Suddenly, Rebecca says she has to go because she wants to visit The Met before it closes. Kirby also leaves. Randall gets mad at Kevin for trying to set up Rebecca and Kirby, arguing that Rebecca’s not ready to date since Jack died only a year ago. Kevin replies that Rebecca is a grown woman (a very valid point) and can make her own choices and that she can’t spend forever being sad about Jack’s death.

Kirby finds Rebecca outside trying, and failing, to hail a cab. The two of them get to talking about Kevin trying to set them up, Jack’s death, and Kirby’s divorce. Kirby offers to join Rebecca at The Met and she accepts. The two of them walk through the park to get there but upon seeing tourists on carriage rides, Kirby points out how lame that is and Rebecca says she’s not feeling well and leaves him. 

Trip Number Three: The Present

In the present, Kevin, Randall, and Rebecca come to NYC for Kevin’s movie premiere. Randall has been researching an Alzheimer’s clinical trial in St. Louis for Rebecca and wants her to do it. Kevin doesn’t think that’s a good idea and Kate reluctantly agrees with Randall. Randall arranges to talk to her in person in New York but Kevin begs him to wait until the next day after the premiere, after Rebecca walks the red carpet with him in a stunning dress. Kevin wants Rebecca to have one great day.

At the premiere party, Kevin’s agent asks Rebecca where she’s staying and Rebecca forgets. Embarrassed and upset, she tells Randall that she has good streaks only for them to be broken by forgetting something stupid and simple. While the audience is yelling “don’t do it” at their TV sets, Randall, of course, tells Rebecca about the trial. Kevin rejoins them and gets angry at Randall for mentioning it, even though he promised not to. They fight about Kevin’s career and Randall’s holier than thou attitude toward knowing what’s best for Rebecca. The boys fight and Rebecca leaves quietly. When Kevin and Randall stop fighting, they can’t find Rebecca but she texts them that she went to The Met.

Rebecca tells the boys about the time when she came here when she was a girl and there was a woman who stood for hours staring at one painting, which was something she always vowed to do that the next time she was in the city. Rebecca says her life has been full of “next times” and she wants that to end while she still has a few good years left. She says she doesn’t want to do the trial and wants to spend time with her family. The three of them stare at the painting together.

Outside, as Kevin and Randall say goodbye, Randall wonders if life would be different if Jack hadn’t died. Kevin says Randall couldn’t have saved Jack. When Randall asks Kevin if he wonders about if life would be different, Kevin says he doesn’t. And that’s the difference between Kevin and Randall; Kevin lives in the present whereas Randall is still stuck in the past and not completely over Jack’s death. Kevin leaves and Randall’s mind wanders back to the night of the fire but this time Randall convinces Jack to come down off the roof and not worry about the dog. 

Featured image from Entertainment Weekly