This Is Us Season 1, Episode 10: “The Last Christmas” Recap

This Is Us: “The Last Christmas” — The Pearson family finds themselves at the hospital on Christmas Eve after little Kate comes down with appendicitis. When they run into Dr. K, who is alone at the hospital, they realize they need to be there for him as much as he was once there for them. Presently, Kevin celebrates Hanukkah with Sloane and her family, Kate continues to pursue her big surgery and someone from William’s past reappears in his life.

Ho ho ho Merry Christmas! We begin this week’s This Is Us in the past, as young Kate has come down with a bout of appendicitis. She’s scared about the surgery but Rebecca promises her that nothing bad ever happens on Christmas Eve.

As Kate’s being taken to her waiting room, Rebecca comes across Dr. K, who helped deliver Kate and Kevin nine years ago. It seems he had a car accident that’s left him with hemorrhaging between the lung and heart. Jack tries being positive about his upcoming surgery. Dr. K quips back at her, “Are you waxing poetic? You need to wax that mustache off your face.” I like him lol.

While waiting for Kate’s surgery, young Randall buys Kate a snow globe, and Kevin becomes interested in nativity scenes. He asks a nurse what the appropriate prayer is, and she replies any of them will work. It’s sweet to see Kevin concerned for his twin sister. Randall ends up giving the snow globe to Dr. K, who asks Randall that when he grows up, he shows the same kindness his parents showed to him.

We leap frog to the present, where Kevin’s play has been canceled because Olivia, the lead actress, pulled out. The play writer, Sloane, recruits Kevin to attend her family’s Hannukah dinner. It seems she might have told her family that they were dating. At dinner, Sloane tells the story of Hannukah and shows off her acting and storytelling skills. After watching her performance, Kevin suggests she be the lead and they fund the play themselves.

Kate brings Rebecca with her to a briefing for her gastric bypass surgery. To give an example of what Kate’s stomach will look like post-surgery, the doctor displays an egg on her desk. The doctor runs down many of the risks associated with the surgery, and asks Kate a few questions that leave Rebecca shocked. Rebecca learns that Kate is on Prozac and has binged-eating. On the way home, Rebecca asks if she did this to Kate? Kate isn’t sure.

Next, we catch up with William at a rehab meeting. He thanks the group for their support, and then we see a man named Jesse give his confession. They speak afterward and it seems like the two men share some type of history with one another. Is Jesse a former flame of William?

This Is Us - Season 1 -- Ep. 110
THIS IS US — “Last Christmas” Episode 110 — Pictured: (l-r) Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth, Eris Baker as Tess Pearson, Sterling K. Brown as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)

Randall and Beth attend an office Christmas party hosted by Tyler, Randall’s boss. He throws these parties every year since he has no family of his own. I, for one, would hate to have to attend a work function on Christmas eve. We learn that when Randall is depressed, he buys things. And he’s bought himself a boat from a coworker named Andy. Beth chastises Randall for this, so he goes to try and give the boat back. Randall finds Andy near a balcony, and it looks like he’s contemplating suicide. He cheated on his wife and let his daughter down. Randall tries to talk some sense into Andy when Beth comes looking for him. He starts yelling for Beth not to come closer, and when he turns around Andy isn’t there. It looks like he jumped! Not quite, as we see Andy walking back into the party. Did Randall have another mushroom-induced hallucination?

All of the Pearson’s make their way to Randall’s for Christmas. Even Randall and Rebecca are civil to one another. Perhaps Randall has had a change of heart after his crazy incident earlier? Kevin arrives with Sloane (who’s not his date), Toby shows up as Santa Claus, and William brings Jesse. Toby tells Kate that he’s back on a diet, not for her, but for him. Okay maybe a little bit for her, so she’ll take him back. They even find time to have sex upstairs, with Beth catching them afterward with Toby’s shirt missing buttons.

We see Jesse massaging William’s back as he plays the piano, and Randall asks Beth what the deal is. One of his daughter chimes in that their kinda like a kid at her school with two Dads. Randall acts confused, so she spells it out for him — “Grandpa’s gay. Or at least bi.” Well then!

All the happiness quickly comes to an end when Toby passes out in the living room. Did Kate sex him to death?? Scenes of Toby in surgery are intercut with Dr. K’s surgery in the past, which turns out to be a success. He wakes up to see the Pearson’s waiting for him. Even he’s surprised he survived.

As far as the outcome for Toby, we have to wait until This Is Us returns on January 10, 2017.

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE