Toby (Chris Sullivan) and Kate (Chrissy Metz) are trying to have a baby on "This Is Us." (Photo: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Spoiler alert! The following contains details from the Season 3 premiere of "This Is Us."
Welcome back, Pearsons.
"This Is Us" returned for its third season on NBC Tuesday night in true form, with crying, hugging and more twists and mysteries than it really needs. Yes, the writers added layers to the existing puzzle-box storylines (Who are Randall and Tess visiting in the future? What happened to Jack in Vietnam?) and created new ones (Who is the man kissing Rebecca?). All this, plus at least one emotional monologue designed to get you sniffling.
The series is remarkably consistent in its good and bad parts. The premiere had great narrative arcs, and reminded viewers why they love this family so much. But some aspects of the show are starting to grate. The obfuscation of the past, present and future is a "This Is Us" trademark but also increasingly annoying the further the series goes. The mysteries feel less exciting and more gimmicky now, since we know the characters well enough to be invested without bells and whistles.
Still, there are moments in the premiere, entitled "Nine Bucks," where "Us" subverts its audience's expectations in a good way, particularly when it comes to Deja, whose story has, so far, never veered into the cliche. If only the rest of the Pearson clan could stay the same.
The upbeat and fast-paced premiere mostly focused on the Big Three in the present, while checking in with Jack and Rebecca's first date in the past. And, because this show's writers never miss a chance to go over the top, we also check in with legendary football player Franco Harris, who gets a "This Is Us"-style back story for his "Immaculate Reception" in the 1972 Steelers versus Raiders football game. The event provides the literal backdrop for Jack and Rebecca's date, and more thematically, Kate, Randall and Kevin's struggles in the present.
The episode kicks off with a quick check-in with the siblings' summer vacations. Randall and Beth aren't having much luck with Deja's attitude problems, Kevin is secretly sleeping with Beth's cousin Zoey and Kate and Toby are having fertility problems.
As is tradition, the episode mostly takes place on the siblings' birthday, with Kevin celebrating with Randall on the East Coast and Kate celebrating with Toby and her friends in LA. Just before Kate's party, she and Toby visit an IVF specialist, who turns Kate down as a patient because of her weight, a move that appears to be partially based in medicine but also in bias and discrimination.
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