This Is Us Season 2, Episode 8 Recap

This episode if the first of three dedicated to the Big Three and it was a doozy of an episode. Since Kevin was the first-born Pearson child, this episode focused on him, hence the episode is named, “Number One”. I am a Kevin fan, so it was insanely depressing to watch all the downfalls Kevin had in his life and at the end ultimately hit rock bottom. However, Justin Hartley’s portrayal of Kevin was incredible and he hit me right in the heart.

The episode turns to Adult Kevin and his sweaty, Vicodin-fueled spiral, as he heads to his high school alumni-award ceremony. We see flashbacks of high school Kevin, where he was star of the football team and dating the prettiest girl in school. He knows he is a stud and because of that he turns out to be a real jerk. Kevin ended up suffering from a knee injury during a football game, which is where his highs and lows in life began.

Kevin masks the pain of his relationship with his Dad by stuffing down Vicodin and alcohol in the present day. A weary Kevin shows up to Randall’s door ready to confine in his brother until Randall stops him. Randall says he already knows what Kevin is about to tell him: Kate lost her baby….

This is NOT what I was expecting to hear at all. Can’t the Pearsons catch a break? We can assume that next week’s episode will be about Kate, unfortunately, losing her baby.