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An Evaluation of the Characters from 'This Is Us'

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An Evaluation of the Characters from 'This Is Us'
slate.com

This past September, NBC launched its brand new show "This Is Us." For you "One Tree Hill" fans, this new series holds just as many heart-wrenching moments and jaw-dropping drama as good ole’ "One Tree Hill" did. Hands down, though, the best part of the show is its dynamic characters and how different each of their stories is, producing a whirlwind of emotions from the average viewer. When you’re not crying over Jack and Rebecca’s swooning fairytale love, you’re probably clenching your teeth at Kevin’s idiotic move of the day. I know we’re all thinking pretty similarly when it comes to their strengths and weaknesses, so let’s just go ahead and finally address them, shall we?

JACK

Appropriately America's ultimate heartthrob, Jack shows us what being a loving husband and father truly means. If you think chivalry is dead, you obviously haven't seen how Jack treats Rebecca. He also has an infectious personality that brightens up everyone's days (especially when he tried to cheer up little Kate by dancing like Madonna, ugh). I haven't decided if his fate is sealed by alcoholism, a plane crash or a heart problem, but regardless, the episode Jack dies I'm hiding in my darkened room and never believing in true love ever again.

KATE

Kate is an iffy character. The loyalty she shows her family is something we should all strive to show our own. But exactly why does she have to act like such a brat all the time? Besides being exaggeratedly emotional about everything under the sun, she has no problem with confrontation. In fact, she's really not one to "let it go and move on." She yelled at Duke, who feeds off of anger, told off that lady who employed Kate as her assistant and, of course, has spit fire at Toby, who will do anything to make her happy, numerous times. Then again, if I went through half the shit she's gone through, maybe I'd be overly defensive, too.

REBECCA

I didn’t think it was possible for any human to quite reach perfection until we met this living angel. Spontaneously adopting an abandoned child without thinking twice, constantly ensuring her overweight daughter gets the respect and confidence she deserves, and being pretty much the best wife on the planet doesn’t even do her justice. Not to mention, she’s talented, caring, and absolutely stunning. The only questionable move on her part was hiding vital information regarding Randall’s biological father. She maybe could’ve told him, ya know, anytime before he went off to school, moved out, got married, had kids, etc.

RANDALL

Undoubtedly the most emotionally unstable character on the show, Randall has this scary ability to pass on his anxiety to the viewer watching. The fact that he ruined Thanksgiving for the entire family isn’t enough to convey his spitefulness, but making his elderly mother cry sure did the trick. Even to the point where his own kids are afraid to talk to him. I understand that he has deeper issues than just a competition at work, but can’t he just be thankful for getting assigned a partner to lessen his workload in this difficult time? Also, he needs to just be grateful for having this relationship with his father and stop pushing everyone away.

TOBY

God bless this man’s soul for dealing with quite possibly the most high-maintenance woman on the planet. A red carpet, limo and paparazzi attention within the first few weeks of dating and Kate still had a bad attitude. Hell, I’m happy when I get flowers. Toby’s vulnerability and kind gestures are more than any girl could ever want, and his contagious, subtle sense of humor provides comic relief for any sort of situation (even immediately following a heart attack, which is slightly inappropriate but whatevs). Not gonna lie, though, it is kind of concerning that he makes little to no effort in taking care of his own health. C'mon dude, you almost just died.

KEVIN

Is it just me, or is Kevin not as selfish as the other characters think? Actually, he’s a pretty compassionate person if you think about it. Not only did he ditch his play’s opening night to console his brother, but he also calms Kate down on the phone practically every single episode. At the same time, though, he’s not afraid to voice his opinion, even if it’s the harsh truth (my personal fave, when he called Olivia an empty human shell). This dreamboat has his flaws, unfortunately. Like, what drove him to date Sloane basically out of pity? And why the hell did it take him 12 years to chase down his ex-wife?

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