This is us..

[cabanafrau]

I feel like because her career choice is being a singer, she is somehow being selfish. Like if she went back to her career as a nurse or a doctor or whatever career that she would have to work nights, people would be fine with it, but because it is a career in entertainment, it is somehow more of just a selfish hobby. She takes care of the kids before and after school, and he takes acre of them at night, not sure how that is unfair to Jack? They are both going to work, she just happens to have found a job that she loves.

I gave up my career 14 years ago to stay home with the kids. I haven't gone back because my Dh is in sales, works crazy hours, and travels a lot for work. Trying to juggle his career, our 3 kids, and my potential work schedule just seems impossible. Luckily we can financially afford it, but I totally get how Rebecca is feeling. My kids need me, but often now it's just for rides, running errands, or to make dinner. It's hard to feel really needed. And yet if I went back to work, it would put a huge strain on my DH and his career so I stay home. Not at all complaining, but I can totally relate to how Rebecca feels.

What's significant is that all of those other career options would have changed the financial picture of the family for the better. The bottom line is, her choice to pursue singing is of negligible value to her family's finances, and puts more strain on her husband. She is the only one with any upside to her choices.

I get how hard it is for a woman to rejoin the work world after stepping out to stay at home. I get it's more challenging when your spouse works a lot of and irregular hours. Those things were significant obstacles for me to return to work and I had to reinvent myself in the process. It's turned out reasonably well, but there are still things I would change more than a decade later if I was only considering myself. Our daughters are in college now and require very little of me in a lot of ways.

Since my husband still has the lion's share of earning power he actually returned to school to pursue a graduate degree in his late 40s and we are finally about to see that chapter end this year now that we're both in our 50s. He has received the opportunity for a full ride to pursue his doctorate and decided to turn it down because he is tired of the grind of full-time career and part-time schooling we've been living for too many years now. Even with our daughters grown the fact he is in school and has a busy career has meant I shoulder an extra load and I decided against pursuing a degree with an eye towards reinventing myself yet again at my age. I'll probably always have a little bit of regrets about that and wonder what if. It's not just about me and I have to weigh those feelings and potential regrets against what I do have, what we have. I made decisions long ago that meant it's not just all about me anymore. There was a time in my life I could have made these decisions based on what I want/need, the same as Rebecca when she was pursing singing as a single woman, with no success and apparently not a lot of happiness in her life.

 

[cabanafrau]

This episode really drove home for me exactly why a couple like Randall and Beth would have an agreement in place where "I call marriage".

 

[katie01]

Just a sort of random comment about the whole show in general, not specifically last night's episode. Wanted to say that one of the things that makes this show so unique and powerful is how they weave the past and present together, it makes you think of how our loved ones really don't leave us when they are gone, but rather the memories and experiences we have with them form who we are and stay with us for life--both the happy times that have brought us joy, and the sad or hurt times that scar us. It's one of the things I love about the show, but it also makes it pretty gut-wrenching. I feel like we are experiencing the pain of Jack's death in every single episode. Either in the future, seeing how his absence affects everyone, or in the past, knowing their happiness is soon going to be torn apart. In a "normal" show bad things happen but then the show moves forward and you're not always dwelling on the tragedy. In this case the sadness is a constant undercurrent. I love the show, but at the same time it's painful to watch.

 

[katie111]

Oh, I 100% agree.

For me, it's not about the career choice. It's the way she went about it. She was dishonest with Jack in order to do it. That's where it becomes selfish IMO. Her reason for it (he'd go "all off the rails Jack") doesn't fly with me. If you feel you need to lie to your spouse in order to get what you want there's a problem on both sides. So in that sense she put her career above her marriage.

If he'd go "off the rails" because she was working with someone she dated for 2 months, 20 years prior, then they really have issues. Huge jealousy issues. In my DH's industry, lots of people date young (or just hook up), break up and then enventually sometimes end up working together again. It's not a big deal if you are mature and feel secure in your marriage. The fact that she did not feel safe enough telling him is a huge red flag to me.

 

[wenrob]

If he'd go "off the rails" because she was working with someone she dated for 2 months, 20 years prior, then they really have issues. Huge jealousy issues. In my DH's industry, lots of people date young (or just hook up), break up and then enventually sometimes end up working together again. It's not a big deal if you are mature and feel secure in your marriage. The fact that she did not feel safe enough telling him is a huge red flag to me.

That's what I'm saying though. There are issues on both sides. To choose to lie rather than addressing the issue just made the whole situation worse. She had to know it would eventually go sideways. It was a very conscious decision on her part. I'd have a really hard time getting past that. She didn't give him the opportunity to turn that around. He may very well have had the same reaction but we'll never know because she chose what she thought was the easiest path.

 

[anniemae]

To me it was huge that this couple who we know were so much in love and have overcome a lot of obstacles together have decided to take a break. In my life, in my marriage, that would be very significant, seismic even. I suspect going forward we will see it was indeed significant for the Pearson family.

Sure it was big for their marriage, but it wasn't this huge shocking cliffhanger like the actors claimed it would be. I was expecting something truly shocking, an edge of your seat, jaw dropping twist. To me it was just like "Meh." We knew Jack had drinking issues, we knew Rebecca gave him an ultimatum in the past (the whole talk after he got drunk and she said she would not put up with it), we knew their marriage was straining, so them taking a break isn't a huge shocker to me.

 

[Vijoge]

I was very bored. I think they incorrectly hyped up this episode. All the actors kept saying how amazing the finale is and how there is a big shocker, and "not what you expect" it to be, and the twists and turns will be unbelievable, and people would be shocked etc. I think we were all waiting for something huge to happen, but nothing really happened.

The last episode is the only one of the season that I thought was really boring.

 

[kimblebee]

Wow, I love the conversation we always have after each episode. I'll miss it when we have to wait til fall.

I can see why Jack is mad/jealous that Rebecca is/was working with a guy she dated.

I wonder if he's more mad that she didn't tell him or if he's jealous of the other guy. It's a bad trait, but I don't like that my husband is still friends with a girl he dated for a while like 10 years ago. I know 100% that they're just friends ie. no subtle flirting or anything like that, but I still don't like it. I definitely would have been mad if he hid the fact from me for any length of time.

 

[sk!mom]

I love the show but this was a disappointing episode mostly because they WAY over hyped it. Every series has episodes that just advance the story- no big moments, no resolutions, just story moving forward- that's what this episode was to me. It was hyped to be so big but meh, whatever...

Honestly if every episode was like last night, I probably wouldn't be watching and DH would be totally out long ago. It was an hour long fight with a touching speech at the end. The more I think about it the more I feel cheated. They spend a week building to some huge episode and then it fizzled.

I also call BS on Jack moving out, even temporarily. I hate it when shows establish characters and then have them do something out of character. Jack is not someone who would be OK with taking a break especially as he was also stepping away from his children.

 

[wenrob]

To expand on the lying thing a bit. You know, she lied to Jack AND Randall about William. There's a pattern there. So is it that she couldn't talk to Jack or just her own insecurities that made her *think* she couldn't?

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

It was so hyped up and then..... nothing.

I was expecting something HUGE like maybe the possibility that William wasn't Randall's father! You know, something shocking and painful.

I felt like the thirty seconds with each of the BIG THREE felt rushed - like "oh no, we only have two minutes left in the show, let's fit them in somehow!"

 

[wenrob]

Wow, I love the conversation we always have after each episode. I'll miss it when we have to wait til fall.

I can see why Jack is mad/jealous that Rebecca is/was working with a guy she dated.

I wonder if he's more mad that she didn't tell him or if he's jealous of the other guy. It's a bad trait, but I don't like that my husband is still friends with a girl he dated for a while like 10 years ago. I know 100% that they're just friends ie. no subtle flirting or anything like that, but I still don't like it. I definitely would have been mad if he hid the fact from me for any length of time.

I trust my DH completely but what I don't have tolerance for is someone who doesn't respect my marriage. There have been instances where there has been a vibe from another person that my DH wouldn't even notice but I did. I can't help but thinking Jack picked up on that. I mean, he wasn't wrong. The guy tried to make a move on her.

 

[cabanafrau]

If he'd go "off the rails" because she was working with someone she dated for 2 months, 20 years prior, then they really have issues. Huge jealousy issues. In my DH's industry, lots of people date young (or just hook up), break up and then enventually sometimes end up working together again. It's not a big deal if you are mature and feel secure in your marriage. The fact that she did not feel safe enough telling him is a huge red flag to me.

That's what I'm saying though. There are issues on both sides. To choose to lie rather than addressing the issue just made the whole situation worse. She had to know it would eventually go sideways. It was a very conscious decision on her part. I'd have a really hard time getting past that. She didn't give him the opportunity to turn that around. He may very well have had the same reaction but we'll never know because she chose what she thought was the easiest path.

Wow, I love the conversation we always have after each episode. I'll miss it when we have to wait til fall.

I can see why Jack is mad/jealous that Rebecca is/was working with a guy she dated.

I wonder if he's more mad that she didn't tell him or if he's jealous of the other guy. It's a bad trait, but I don't like that my husband is still friends with a girl he dated for a while like 10 years ago. I know 100% that they're just friends ie. no subtle flirting or anything like that, but I still don't like it. I definitely would have been mad if he hid the fact from me for any length of time.

I trust my DH completely but what I don't have tolerance for is someone who doesn't respect my marriage. There have been instances where there has been a vibe from another person that my DH wouldn't even notice but I did. I can't help but thinking Jack picked up on that. I mean, he wasn't wrong. The guy tried to make a move on her.

Didn't Jack say something to her in a recent episode about Ben being interested in her and Rebecca dismissed it?

She either didn't see it or willfully ignored it because it was an obstacle to what she wanted (singing). She was unhappy and unfulfilled at home. That's not a rock solid foundation to stand on in the face of someone sharing your passion for music and making you feel special, important and in need of your singing talents in one package.

 

[katie111]

Didn't Jack say something to her in a recent episode about Ben being interested in her and Rebecca dismissed it?

She either didn't see it or willfully ignored it because it was an obstacle to what she wanted (singing). She was unhappy and unfulfilled at home. That's not a rock solid foundation to stand on in the face of someone sharing your passion for music and making you feel special, important and in need of your singing talents in one package.

But he also has a woman at work hitting on him. His wife is away, so he is not exactly feeling rock solid in the marriage either. I wonder if he will tell Rebecca about her? I think the bottom line is they both rebuffed the advances from other people. You can't always help it if someone makes a move on you but it is how you react that matters. That's why when spouses cheat & people blame the "other man/woman" it drives me crazy. Blame your spouse, that's the one that cheated on you!

 

[OhMari]

I was very bored. I think they incorrectly hyped up this episode. All the actors kept saying how amazing the finale is and how there is a big shocker, and "not what you expect" it to be, and the twists and turns will be unbelievable, and people would be shocked etc. I think we were all waiting for something huge to happen, but nothing really happened.

Milo was on every talk-show, late night talk shows, Good Morning America, etc. in the last 2 weeks promoting the end of the show-so dumb, and what a let down. I said it before-once the producers found out the show was picked up for 2 more years, they immediately changed the ending. I am betting this show was not the last show and they cancelled 'what happened to Jack' so we could watch next season. Producers-"You had us-why did you let us down."

 

[cabanafrau]

But he also has a woman at work hitting on him. His wife is away, so he is not exactly feeling rock solid in the marriage either. I wonder if he will tell Rebecca about her? I think the bottom line is they both rebuffed the advances from other people. You can't always help it if someone makes a move on you but it is how you react that matters. That's why when spouses cheat & people blame the "other man/woman" it drives me crazy. Blame your spouse, that's the one that cheated on you!

The woman who hit on Jack is not someone he's ever been involved with, merely a coworker her immediately shut down. Rebecca chose to pursue singing with someone she did engage in a relationship with in the past, a history she deliberately kept from her husband. We're not talking apples and oranges IMO.

 

[Music City Mama]

I said it before-once the producers found out the show was picked up for 2 more years, they immediately changed the ending. I am betting this show was not the last show and they cancelled 'what happened to Jack' so we could watch next season. Producers-"You had us-why did you let us down."

As soon as it ended, DH said, "So, I guess we'll find out how Jack dies at the end of the third season."

 

[anniemae]

Milo was on every talk-show, late night talk shows, Good Morning America, etc. in the last 2 weeks promoting the end of the show-so dumb, and what a let down. I said it before-once the producers found out the show was picked up for 2 more years, they immediately changed the ending. I am betting this show was not the last show and they cancelled 'what happened to Jack' so we could watch next season. Producers-"You had us-why did you let us down."

Chrissy Metz was also talking up the episode all over the place and all about the "huge twist you will never see coming."

I never thought that they could have changed the ending due to the show being picked up for 2 more seasons.

 

[wenrob]

The woman who hit on Jack is not someone he's ever been involved with, merely a coworker her immediately shut down. Rebecca chose to pursue singing with someone she did engage in a relationship with in the past, a history she deliberately kept from her husband. We're not talking apples and oranges IMO.

Not just shut her down, he was extremely offended by it too.

 

[OhMari]

Chrissy Metz was also talking up the episode all over the place and all about the "huge twist you will never see coming."

I never thought that they could have changed the ending due to the show being picked up for 2 more seasons.

I think this is why there was so much confusion-the show got pushed back, because of the Presidential speech, and this week was suppose to be the last show. So, they held up the last show and used this show as a cliff hanger and the 2nd to last show, instead of wrapping up the story lines. A show in the first year, doesn't even know if they will make it passed their "Pilot Show".