‘This Is Us’ Summary: Season 6, Episode 7 – ‘Taboo’

Everyone watching This is us with any regularity know that Rebecca Pearson has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and likely to die at the end of the current and final season of the show. But that knowledge can be hard to reconcileSo far the disease has crept into the life of the model Pearson gently.

Besides the very scary incident in which the disoriented Rebecca couldn’t find her way back to the upper cabin Big 3’s 40th birthday, her memory loss and mental decline largely existed as a sad flow, rather than a game-changing evolution, in the show’s final season. That’s not a criticism: By the way, it’s highly likely that Rebecca’s diagnosis will slowly invade her life in various small ways until something big and terrible happens. , heralds the beginning of the end.

This week’s episode doesn’t exactly go into “Everything is sad and terrible” territory, but it does give us the clearest look at the next phase we’ve had so far. By the way, the props for Mandy Moore: Her portrayal of elderly Rebecca manipulating her inner reserves to discuss end-of-life care with her children are really, really cool.

Keep reading for the highlights of the final episode of Thanksgiving, “Taboo.”

SUGAR PIE, HONEYBUNCH | When we go back to Rebecca’s childhood, we watch her help her mother prepare Thanksgiving meals. Dessert is a big deal: It’s sugar cake, made from a closely held family recipe. So, after dinner, little Rebecca feels flustered when her mother serves her a sweet portion and takes nothing for herself. “We have to watch ourselves,” said Janet.

Years later, newly engaged Rebecca and Jack are celebrating her family’s thanksgiving at their apartment. Janet is just as she always is: picky, tight-lipped, passive and aggressive. Things build up until Janet tells Rebecca to get comfortable with the marshmallow-covered sweet potato casserole, and in her rebellion, Rebecca begins eating straight from the dish being served. The whole thing disappears, with Rebecca stalking. Janet then tells Jack that she and Rebecca’s father are moving to Connecticut, the news finally pushing a tearful and cold Rebecca into her mother’s arms. Then both women asked Jack how he passed the information to his future bride, and all was well.

SWEET EXCELLENCE | Look, another flashback! This is Rebecca-like-recently widowed time. Randall and Beth come home from college to celebrate Thanksgiving with their family, and Randall is stunned by Kate’s weight gain. But in telling this story to Kevin, who you will remember drinking too much and having cheated on Sophie, Kev didn’t want to participate.

The dinner itself was rather awkward, as Rebecca’s recent suitor Matt and Miguel’s lady friend Marguerite, a) were both present and b) not really interested in their respective dates. their. A Taboo after-dinner game really highlights Miguel and Rebecca’s harmony with each other – a realization that even Drunk Kevin has late in the evening. The teen tells Miguel that Jack is floundering in his grave at the thought of Miguel acting on whatever’s going on between him and Rebecca. And his words, though terse, hit the house.

Later, when Miguel leaves, he and Rebecca confess that their little bumps in the road on each other’s dates weren’t harmless or random. And just as she was about to talk about her feelings, he revealed that he was moving to Houston, where he had a new job and would be closer to his children.

The news hurt Rebecca, whose eyes immediately filled with tears. Miguel doesn’t do much better; he barely choked, “I feel like I stayed here because… it’s time for Rebecca. Now that you’re settled on your feet, it’s time for me to go. ” She said she didn’t know how to handle these events. Finally, “You’re my favorite person,” she said. He took off, and she went inside and sobbed. bloomed on her bed, Kate found her mother so uncomfortable and there was nothing more she could do, she lay down beside her.

WE ARE TOGETHER | Get ahead of today’s Thanksgiving at the cabin, where Kate is helping Rebecca make sugar cookies. Kevin is Peak Kevin, sitting in the living room trying to learn Counting Crows’ “Anna Begins” on the guitar. Kate and Toby couldn’t stop shooting each other. Nicky is in Topeka with Edie and her family, and Randall and his parents are on their way to see the rest of the Pearsons for what he predicts will be “a rewarding and unforgiving Thanksgiving.” dramatic”. You just know Beth has something to say about it. “Aw baby, I love your heart. Dig deep into your ambitions,” she said from the passenger side as they drove. “But the Pearson epitaph would say: ‘Lovely people, cried a lot, dramatic as hell on Thanksgiving.'”

And immediately, Beth’s prediction began to bear fruit. Rebecca immediately told her grown children that she had something important to discuss with them after dinner. Then Kevin gets weird when Miguel asks if the house Kevin is building is a guest house for any non-family guests to visit. (In Kevin’s defense, the Pearsons have VERY few acquaintances outside of their family.) Meanwhile, Randall obsessively records everything on his iPhone, all the better to preserve Rebecca’s pre-illness memories. makes family gatherings so much more different.

During the meal, Kate notices Toby – who comments on the sugar content of Jack’s food all the time – scraping marshmallows on top of sweet potatoes that Kate serves to her toddler. Kate called him because she didn’t want their son to be fat. Kevin tries to get in. “If I wanted advice from the 41-year-old man sleeping in my chair, I would let you know,” Toby told his brother-in-law. (Note: A lot of people are acting inappropriately in this scene, but damn if Toby still doesn’t reach 90% of my anger.) Toby added that he thinks they’ve fed Jack too much. , “and I think we would lose our minds not to admit our genetics here. ” Kevin barked at Tobes to take off his Pilgrim Rick hat. “I swear, every year with this family,” Beth whispered to Déja Ha!

Toby then reasoned that he just wanted to protect his kids from the pain he (and Kate) felt as chubby kids. She recounted how she used to sing “Kiss Me” from She is everythingThe scene of the massive transformation in her breath to stop herself from eating tempting foods, and the way she’s offended when he doesn’t realize that her entire life has been a cycle of bingeing and dieting . “I want them to enjoy Thanksgiving without being ashamed of it,” she said, adding that she’s given a lot of thought to what she feeds their son and daughter, and how he I don’t know that?!

FEELING DOLL | That discussion Rebecca referenced earlier? It’s about her end-of-life care and who makes the decisions for her when she can’t do it herself. Rebecca made her children verbally acknowledge that Miguel was the one in charge, then explained that he was asking about a guesthouse because it was likely that Rebecca would soon need regular 24-hour care and carers. that will need a place to stay.

That news makes The Big 3 short, as does Rebecca’s assertion that if Miguel dies before she dies, Kate will be the one to make decisions about her care. Oh, and one more thing: “You’re not going to make your life small for me,” Rebecca told her sons and daughters. Everyone is crying! “I’m your mother, and I’m sick, and I ask you not to be afraid.” They agreed, but the whole thing was a very sad one.

Then Kate asked her mother, “Why me?” Rebecca replied, “You are my daughter and my best friend. Always be friends, Kate. Then she approached and whispered the secret ingredient for the sugar cake.

Now it’s your turn. What do you think about the episode? Turn off the sound in the comments!