‘This Is Us’ episode 9 reaction: Show boss on Rebecca’s decision
There were of course many interesting and exciting things that took place on Tuesday night’s new episode of “This Is Us,” in between Randall getting himself some shrooms (hey, this is entitled “The Trip” for a reason) to us getting even more of a sense regarding why Rebecca decided to keep her communication with William a secret — not only from Randall, but also from Jack in part. She knew that he would be a good father to the child, and ultimately, he wanted to give Jack the best chance possible to be that dad, and to give Randall the best change at a good life at the same time.
Was the move unethical in many ways? Absolutely, but it’s hard to imagine being in that situation and trying to think in that particular moment. What we can at the very least offer you is some further explanation as to why Rebecca chose to make the move that she did in the episode. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Dan Fogelman gave a lengthy, fascinating response in opening up about his decision-making here:
“She knows how gigantic Jack’s heart is and how pure his goodness and desire to do the right thing is. So I think she knows what the outcome would be the second she told Jack. It’s not that he would overrule her; it’s that he would be saying to do the right thing, and she truly doesn’t agree that that’s necessarily the right thing for them and their family. While she’s also being selfish, she’s uneasy as well, and it’s self-serving, but it’s also protective and Mama Bear-ish. So I think at the same time she’s very much not doing the right thing by Jack from hiding from it, but I believe in her heart she believes she’s doing the right thing for him, even though he wouldn’t agree that it is the right thing. We don’t go too deep into it, and I don’t know that the story necessarily dictates or needs it, but the rules of adoption — everything was very different back then. She met this guy as a drug addict who had left a baby on a fire station doorstep. You can’t forget that, you know? And you can’t forget that she had a conversation with him back then saying, ‘This is the deal. And I will take your child and make him my own, but you can’t come back for him. I need to know that you won’t.'”
We still know that it will take some time for everyone to heal, but hopefully, we’re going to get a chance to get to that point. For the time being, we’re just going to continue to question why in the world Randall was left to his own devices at times while on some of those shrooms. Are we right?
If you want to get a preview now for the next new episode of “This Is Us,” be sure to head over to the link here! (Photo: NBC.)