You’re not sure you can take the emotional ups and down when it’s on, but the second it’s gone you find yourself wondering when does This Is Us return?
If you’ve already recovered enough emotionally from the This Is Us season 2 midseason finale, we have two things to tell you: one, you’re a stronger person than we are; and, two, you’re not going to have to wait too long to have the NBC hit show tear your heart apart all over again.
Where did the This Is Us season 2 midseason finale leave things?
You know by now that the tissue box needs its own designated spot on the side table by your couch specifically for This Is Us episodes. Luckily, the This Is Us season 2 midseason finale, though as heart-rending as many past episodes of the hit NBC show, didn’t end on an unbearable cliffhanger like the midseason finale for season one.
NOTE: If you plan on doing some catching up on This Is Us season 2, skip over the next part to the bottom. We’ll answer the question when does This Is Us return, and you’ll miss spoilers.
The This Is Us season 2 midseason finale was also the last installment in a trilogy of episodes focusing on the big three characters in the series. Each of these episodes followed one member of the Pearson family and centered on two different time periods in their lives: as teenagers when Kevin injured his knee and when they’re adults grappling with major issues in the lead up to Thanksgiving.
“Number Three” focused on Randall (Sterling K. Brown). The episode touches on the family’s current struggle as their foster daughter’s (Déjà) future with them is unsure. A social worker has recommended that she be returned to her biological mother, who was just released from prison. But scattered throughout the episodes are scenes of Randall’s own struggle with identity. He’s learning about his dad’s past and considers what his life could be at Howard University.
The two story lines harken back to a previous episode in season 2 when Randall tries to bond with his foster daughter by opening up about his own struggle to find himself and his place in the world when he was younger.
“Number Three” also included a tremendously sad look at what could have been for Randall and his father, William. A flashback reveals William sharing that when Randall’s mom Rebecca (Mandy Moore) tracked him down for a second time, he followed her to their home. He stopped just shy at knocking on the door because he realized that Randall already had a life without him.
The episode ends in Randall convincing his wife Beth that the two of them need to relent and let Déjà have a life with her biological mother. We’re guessing there was not a dry eye watching the episode unfold on the small screen when the three said their goodbyes.
A smaller point in the episode well worth mentioning was that Kevin insisted on driving home — with Randall’s daughter Tess in the car — after ingesting quite a bit of vodka. Luckily, Tess survived the car ride without injury, but as The Washington Post hypothesized “Kevin getting arrested for a DUI may finally be the wake-up call the show writers have been teasing all season.”
But we know what you’re wondering more than anything: Did we get any more information or clues about how Jack dies? Not a one. You’ll just have to keep hoping that they share a little bit more when the show returns.
So, when does This Is Us return and maybe, finally, hopefully answer some lingering questions?
When does This Is Us return?
Get ready to transition from the hope and festivities of kicking off a new year straight into all the tear-jerking drama of new This Is Us episodes. The midseason hiatus ends on Tuesday, January 9 at 9:00 p.m. EST with This Is Us season 2 episode 11 on NBC.
