This Is Us Season 1, Episode 8: “Pilgrim Rick” Recap
In This Is Us “Pilgrim Rick,” Jack, Rebecca, and the three kids make their way to Rebecca’s parents’ house for their traditional Thanksgiving holiday, an unforeseen detour occurs. Kate makes two drastic life-changing decisions. Kevin brings Olivia to Randall’s house for Thanksgiving. Randall’s heart is broken when he learns about a lifelong secret his mother has kept from him.
I’ve been late to the This Is Us bandwagon, as I’ve only watched a handful of episodes. With an opportunity to watch the Thanksgiving episode “Pilgrim Rick,” I can confidently say the show deserves all the awards and praises it’s been receiving. Even the recap of the previous episode is emotional!
We begin in the past, as Jack and Rebecca are preparing for Thanksgiving at Rebecca’s parents’ house. From Rebecca’s demeanor, one gets the sense this family tradition is a source of anxiety for her.
In the present, Kate breaks the news to Toby that he isn’t invited over for Thanksgiving, and she wants to take a break. Toby’s decision to quit his diet has had a negative impact on Kate, as she’s started snacking on donuts again. This is one of the instances where you can tell how much she cares about Toby but has to look out for her own well-being.
Kevin steps up to the plate and invites Olivia over for dinner. Her response is classic, as she wrongfully assumes Kevin comes from “Wonderbread” i.e. perfect parents. He breaks the news to her that his father is dead, his mother is married to his father’s best friend, his sister has a weight problem, and his adoptive brother’s real father is dying.
The Pearson family dinner is being held at Randall’s house, and he is one excited individual. He’s in the holiday spirit, waking everyone in the house up and hitting the kitchen to cook. Rebecca arrives with Miguel, her husband and former best friend of Jack that Kevin referenced earlier. Beth gets Rebecca alone to confront her on a secret she’s been keeping from Randall — that she’s known William, Randall’s real father, the entire time. Beth wants Rebecca to come clean to Randall before the night is over.
We skip back to the past, and the family heading to Rebecca’s parents’ house when they get a flat tire and crash the car through a fence. They ditch the car and start hiking to a local gas station. This hike inspires a family tradition where the Pearson’s all get together to do a 3.4-mile hike before watching a movie.
Kevin arrives with Olivia, who isn’t the biggest fan of Thanksgiving. It brings back bad memories of the holiday with her family. Randall learns that William used to spend Thanksgiving listening to old musical tapes, so he takes a two-hour trek to William’s apartment to retrieve them.
During the family’s hike to the gas station in the past, the kids admit to not liking Thanksgiving. They’ve noticed Rebecca acts differently around her family, which means she doesn’t do a good job keeping it cool.
Back at Randall’s house, Miguel asks if he can wear the Pilgrim Rick hat this year. It’s a family tradition, but Kevin shuts Miguel request down. Randall and Kevin take turns wearing their dad’s hat. This tension seems to get the most of Olivia, as she leaves overwhelmed.
In the past, the family makes it to the gas station, where Rebecca calls her mom to tell her what’s happened. They get in a fight, and Rebecca finally stands up to her mother and tells her they won’t be coming over for dinner this year. It’s time they started their own family tradition at the Pinewood Lodge, where the legend of Pilgrim Rick is born, along with watching Police Academy 3 and making homemade corndogs.
Before Olivia leaves, she runs into William on the front porch. She asks him how does it feel to be dying? He gives a heart filled answer, where he describes it as pieces of happiness flying by while he’s in slow-motion. He recommends that she catch the moments of her life before she turns around and is an old man like him.
Kate finally makes her flight to New York, where they experience bad turbulence and her aisle-mate ends up grabbing her hand for support. They lock eyes, and the woman admits to her husband cheating on her with the kids all grown and out the house. This near-death experience triggers her to not be miserable any longer.
Randall finds William’s tapes, and just before he leaves, he uncovers a letter that Rebecca sent to William decades ago. Now the secret is out in the world, and it will rock Randall to his core.
Back home, Kevin relinquishes the Pilgrim Rick hat to Miguel just as Randall makes it back. During dinner, everyone goes around the table to say what they have to be grateful, and Randall chooses this moment to reveal William and Rebecca’s secret. Randall can’t even stand to look at Rebecca. If he hadn’t searched for William on his own, would Rebecca have even admitted to knowing who his true father is?
Kate finally makes her arrival as Randall storms out the kitchen. She’s got an announcement of her own — she’s going to have gastric bypass surgery.
We end on a heartbreaking flashback of a young Randall and Rebecca cuddled together in bed. Randall says he wants to have Thanksgiving again and wants to spend it just like this, with his family for the rest of his life.
If there’s one Thanksgiving episode of a television series to see this holiday season, This is Us‘s “Pilgrim Rick” is it.
Timdogg
#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE
