If a Pearson ever invites you over for dinner, think twice before accepting.
Or at least brace yourself for a hearty helping of tension.
Across the country at another dinner table in another Pearson household, emotions were running hot.
NBC
Better set another place at the dinner table.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:This Is Usis known for its fair share of uncomfortable family dinners.
We get two more in this episode.
What appealed to you about telling the latest chapter of the Pearsons in this manner?
CASEY JOHNSON:We always knew we wanted to get to these two dinners that simultaneously explode.
From a writing standpoint, it was really interesting.
We’re becoming known as the difficult dinner scene writers.
[Laughs] I don’t know why that’s happening.
We’ll look out for that.
Did Kevin accidentally trip a double wire with his generosity and movie-star privilege?
He’s realizing that family really is important.
And it’s an interesting conflict for Kate.
“I’m so close to my brother, but I’m No.
1 with my husband as well.”
KEN OLIN:I particularly love when our show de-sanctifies itself.
People know different kinds of families where your original family is the priority.
And other people don’t experience family that way: “No, wait a minute I’myour family.”
That is the family and will always be the family.
Someone like Toby does not have that experience.
I think those moments are really important to keep this show from becoming just self-referential.
There are different sides to this.
And these things would have come up one way or the other.
We’re talking about money.
Like Kate says in the kitchen, “Money.
It’s huge in families.
Toby ultimately assured Kate that he was cool with it.
He also has struggled with depression…
OLIN:I’d be surprised if it wasn’t something.
[Laughs] We still have a long ways to go.
It’s a role reversal now, and Toby will be the one home with the kids.
How did that feel for both of them?
OLIN:We have all sorts of dynamics in our writers' families.
For my generation, that was really complicated.
There’s still traditional role models, but also there’s self-esteem issues.
And we’ve seen for Toby just in this episode, it’s complicated.
I mean, he does take pride in his professional achievements, and that’s shifting.
So that’s going to be another area that’s going to be complicated.
And we’re going to go there really soon.
And how that shifts and how she got that encouragement from her mom.
Because of that phone call, she’s able to take a leap and try something different.
Jack was under a lot of pressure to support his new family.
How much of that pressure is also proving something to his dad as well as Rebecca’s dad?
And this is the beginning of that and watching that be uncomfortable for him.
It was a very vulnerable moment for Jack, and it was fun to write.
JOHNSON:I liked seeing the beginning of the path where Jack realized the responsibility he had.
This was kind of the origin of that part of the story.
We’ll learn more about why he’s there, but how is Nicky doing these days?
JOHNSON:I will say the next episode is Uncle Nicky-centric.
Whether that was an easy journey or not, we’ll see next week.
WINDSOR:I think that one might be under wraps.
What’s one cryptic clue about next week’s Nicky-centric episode that you’re free to drop?
OLIN:Nicky is not a virgin.
[Laughs]
WINDSOR:Snow globes.
That’s our Rosebud.
JOHNSON:We’re going to see Nicky in the weeks leading up to the trip.
Kevin is consumed with the idea of creating this idyllic full-extended-family compound.
Does that very cool house in the flash-forwardsomewhatfulfill maybe a partial version of what he was pining for?
JOHNSON:It’s not going to be as simple as Kevin is envisioning it now.
I think that’s part of what this episode starts.
It takes its own path.
Let’s head over to Beth and Randall’s house.
How does the family dynamic start to shift in coming weeks?
Being a small-business owner and trying to balance everything in her life.
And this episode was a nice opening into getting into more of her stories.
Her kids are older, they’re doing more for themselves.
What’s her role going forward?
We’re going to get into a little of that.
Are we about to meet Jennifer?
And what kind of pressure might that put on Deja’s relationship with Malik?
[Laughs] And yet the two of them handle it in a very mature poised way.
We’re so lucky to have Lyric and Asante play these very interesting, complex, mature kids.
You’re still, at the end of the day, a 15-year-old in love with a boy.
I forget about that because you’re so mature.”
I think that dynamic of their relationship will continue to create good, meaty stories for us.
WINDSOR:It’s not reallyThis Is Us.
It’s going to be calledThis Is Madness.
JOHNSON:There was even a little bit more with his basil that we had to cut for time!
So maybe we just do an episode about Randall and his basil.
I’ll pitch it.
