It's no secret that "This Is Us" has been capturing attention since 2016 with issues that anyone can relate to. Not only that, but every episode has left every viewer on the edge of their seat with a massive cliffhanger, only to leave us impatiently waiting for next Tuesday. While the most recent season has the same emotional appeal as the previous two, it just doesn't seem to have the same wow factor.
Seasons 1 and 2 brought us one of the biggest mysteries in TV history: our main man Jack Pearson dies, but how? One by one, each episode brought us a clue to several unanswered questions, until one Super Bowl-themed episode answered the biggest question of all by showing Jack's painful death from saving his family from a house fire.
But, probably the most shocking revelation came during the season two finale. We are left hanging for months waiting for several answers. Why is Kevin headed to Vietnam and why is Beth's cousin sitting next to him? Why is Toby laying in bed with what looks like a huge wave of depression? And, most shockingly, Who is the "her" that future Randall and Tess are not ready to see?
We thought season 3 was gonna be full of twists and turns, but unfortunately, we were not impressed. Let's look back at this season so far, shall we? SPOILERS AHEAD:
The first half of season three brought us flashbacks to the beginning of Jack and Rebecca's relationship, but it is definitely not a huge plot line, unlike in the previous seasons. Jack's life in Vietnam is also revealed, including his rocky relationship with his "late" brother, Nicky.
Meanwhile, Kate and Toby take part in a risky treatment to try to have a baby, which ends successfully as Kate later becomes pregnant with a baby boy, at the expense of Toby's mental health.
As for Randall, season three brings a few roadblocks for his relationship with Beth while he runs for city council in Philadelphia, which he later wins.
In the most recent episode, Kevin, Kate, and Randall visit the trailer that they predicted that Nicky lived in, only to find him there, age 70. He informs the big three that Jack told them he was dead after he was involved in a boat explosion during the war that killed a Vietnamese child.
The end involved twist: they went back to find him sitting in front of a gun, implying that he is about to take his life. They take the gun away as Nicky cries about wanting to tell his brother that the child's death was an accident.
And while this show never fails to disappoint when it comes to plot, it does not have the same effect that it used to have. It has the feel of a different show. It has the same characters we all know and love, along with some new faces, but they don't seem like the same people we fell in love with.
This season brings more stories for the Big Three, but Jack makes a very little appearance, except in a few Vietnam war flashbacks. This comes as a shock since he was such a rising star during the previous two seasons.
I definitely enjoyed Jack's past is a mystery since he always said that he could never go back to the person he was before meeting Rebecca, and Kevin trying to uncover his past life in Vietnam, while it is an interesting plotline, does not fit with Jack wanting to keep that part of him a secret.
Kevin trying to figure out pieces of his father does not respect the privacy of the secrets Jack wished to keep, not to mention it does not make for a great storyline.
As much as we love the Big Three, they seem like three different people in this season than the triplets that we originally fell in love with. Randall's sudden desire to run for city council is so unlike his normal anxious character. Also, did we really need to see couples quarrels with him and Beth, aka the real power couple on the show? Their happy marriage was always consistent throughout the show, so to see them in a rough patch does not fit the latter.
As for Kate and Toby trying to conceive, Kate is oblivious to Toby's obvious deteriorating mental health during this process while her only focus is a successful pregnancy. We all know just how much Kate desires and deserves to have a baby, it should not have happened this way. Kate ignoring Toby's symptoms makes her appear selfish. That's just so un-Kate.
Overall, I don't see the same show when I watch the new season. Everyone's personalities are morphed into almost unrecognizable. Sorry NBC, but your show isn't the same as the one the whole country fell in love with. We all desperately miss the anticipation of finding out how Jack died, and now that we know, nothing remains the same.
