This is Us Season 6 Episode 4 review: Jack discovers who his mom Marilyn truly is

3.5/5

Story: Jack heads to Ohio for the funeral of his mother, whom he has not seen in 13 years. Estranged from Jack’s abusive father, Stanley, Marilyn has been living a life of happiness with her cousin Debbie, boyfriend Mick and cat called Cat Benatar.

Review: We get it that the writers of This is Us have at least 18 episodes to wrap up all the story arcs and give the show a befitting end, but two of the first four have literally done nothing to propel the narrative forward. Well, okay, Nicky met his wife at the end of episode 2, but this week got us nowhere. Yes, everyone loves Papa Pearson – Jack – and our hearts bleed as the man grieves his loss. His mother, of whom we know precious little, has passed away and as it turns out, Jack didn’t know her all that well either. And that’s the excuse, my friends, for this week’s episode, which gives us a peek into the happy life Marilyn led after she left Jack’s abusive father Stanley years ago.

Just as much as this is a revelation for us, it is for Jack too, whose connect with Marilyn was limited to a weekly call of bare minimum niceties. He doesn’t understand why she won’t visit him more often, even though he still lives in the same city as Stanley; Jack, after all, has successfully avoided running into his father for years. Even when she did visit once when the Big Three were still babies, it seemed that Marilyn was still in mortal fear of Stanley.

Upon Marilyn’s passing, Jack finally makes it to Ohio, where she’s been living with her cousin Debbie for 13 years. In the two days before the funeral, arrangements for which Marilyn had taken care of earlier, Jack realizes just how fun-loving his mother really was, that she liked poetry and cats and that she had a boyfriend with a fancy for WWE. It’s a side of his mother that he never knew existed, which is also why Jack struggles with writing a eulogy.

Verdict: Over the years, This is Us has had several tear-jerking moments and this episode was no different. Who didn’t dab away a tear when Jack finally broke down following his mother’s demise? This season is going to be a rough ride, Kate has to leave Toby, and we’ve got to prepare with the rest of the Pearson’s to bid farewell to Rebecca. It seems that the writers are gently easing us into the final goodbye. 

PS: Next week kicks up the action with the Big Three again, or at least with Kevin and Randall. Check out the promo below