So I’m sure everyone’s timelines have been buzzing about a newer NBC show titled “This Is Us.” Every Tuesday fans hop on their phones, computers, and tablets and talk about how amazing the show is and the endless amount of tears it brings. I am one of those people and don’t feel bad about it. If a show can make me cry then I love it!
If you know me, then you know I’m a sucker for good television and movies. I’ve been fascinated by words since I was little, and seeing them placed into fantastic scripts and acted out gives me so much life. I think that media holds so much power and can be influential, hence why I like to write about topics I find important. Also, why I am drawn to shows like such as this one.
This Is Us is one of those shows I love because the writers touch on SO many topics that we as viewers can relate to. It reminds me of Parenthood, another NBC show that left me in tears week after week. I was so unbelievably sad when that show ended but excited to see what This Is Us was going to be about. We are now in the second season and in my opinion, it started off a bit slow but man, has it been great lately.
I won’t post too many spoilers for those of you who are not all caught up or haven’t started the show yet. There are some though so you’ve been warned!!
I wanted to post five of my favorite things about this show…
So here we go:
- “Interracial Adoption” I have a very curious mind and love when shows get me thinking and asking questions about other walks of life. We know that people all over adopt children that are of different races, but we never get to see how it “plays out” if you will. One of my favorite things about this show is Randalls story line. Nobody is denying the fact that he was adopted into a super loving, supportive family, but it does make me wonder what it is like to raise a child of a different race and ethnicity. As we saw in the first season Randall longed to be around people that looked like him and we can’t be mad at that. He was a little kid and wanted to belong. One of the scenes that always sticks out to me is when their mother, Rebecca thinks he has a rash, on his neck, but we find out it is a razor burn from the barber. A black mother at the pool points it out and tells them they need to find a barber that knows how to cut black hair. Another show that touches on this is Modern Family. There is an episode where Gloria asks Cam and Mitchell about Lily’s heritage and they have no idea. I love this theme in the show because it shows the raw emotion everyone in that situation deals with. Everyone just wants to be loved, accepted and understood. No matter how much they love each other there are just some things that won’t be fully understood due to their difference in race. It is really a fascinating storyline to me and I would love to do actual research on this topic. Although we can’t all relate to this exact scenario we can be empathetic to the fact that there are people who do. I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with someone recently who relates to this in real life and all I can say is..thank goodness for this show for giving a voice for this audience.
- Discussions about weight and weight loss. I LOVE Kate’s character and how open and vulnerable she is. We all know that no matter how hard we try weight plays a huge role in the way people are perceived and it is very unfortunate. I have struggled with self-image issues and know how it feels to look in the mirror and not like what you see. I think that many of us have had that issue at times. I really appreciate that the show is open about the road to losing weight not always being an easy one. No matter what someone weighs they have feelings and should be respected, and this show touches on that quite a bit. Not to mention Toby, who I absolutely adore! What a sweet and thoughtful guy. I love him and Kate’s storyline together. I am excited to see what is in store for both of these characters.
- Black Love! You may see this hashtags and post at times and not really get what it means or why it’s a thing, but it is. Far too often the media likes to represent black women as “baby mommas” and black men as deadbeats, thugs, etc. We can easily turn on the tv and see couples of other races represented pretty often. Example: Out of all of the Real Housewives franchises, Atlanta which has an all-black cast has the most single, and soon to be divorced women, and one husband(soon to be ex) is in prison with his two kids at home with their mom. There are very few shows around right now that show black love being real and it is very much a thing and I LOVE it. Beth and Randall are relationship goals for me y’all. As a black female, there is something really special about seeing beautiful black couples on screen. If you think back to some years ago we had The Cosby Show, Living Single, A Different World, etc. All shows that depicted beautiful healthy relationships between black couples. I’m all about people dating/marrying who they want to. You can’t help who you fall in love with, but it is nice to see a beautiful black family on TV doing positive things. Anyone who uses #blacklove will agree!
- Family is important! I won’t spoil this last episode, but if you watched it we all saw how excited and happy Randall was to meet some of his family. The smile on his face made me laugh, smile and cry all at the same time. Randall, Kate, and Kevin have this bond that will never be broken and it’s fun to watch. Kevin and Kate have this super cool twin thing going on, and if there is one thing we know, it is the fact that they will always be there for one another. Williams’s relationship with Randall develops in such a beautiful way and it is truly touching to watch. I think we can all agree that from a young age William wanted nothing but the best for his son, even when he was not around. Jack is an all-around fantastic father and the love he has for his family is evident in each scene we see. They have their issues like any other family, but when it comes down to it the love is there and they have each other’s backs no matter what.
- Mental illness on mainstream media!!!! You have NO idea how happy I am about this. If you keep up with my writing you know that mental health is near and dear to my heart. My thesis is on this topic and this show has helped my research so much. I am looking at the way mental illness, specifically anxiety and depression are depicted in media and among different racial groups. The biggest issue I have had lately is finding films and shows that have characters of color dealing with these illnesses. Which kind of proves my point that mental illness is another topic not wildly represented amongst different groups in media. The last couple of episodes were extra special to me for so many reasons. The way the writers depicted panic attacks and anxiety was beautifully and brilliantly done. Especially, when a panic attack is anything but a beautiful thing. We learned that Randall began dealing with this at an early age, and once again we see Jack being a fantastic father helping his son.
I could probably write more than 5 things about this show, but who knows when I would stop. This Is Us is taking topics that we do not see represented a lot and giving them a platform. It is causing a much-needed dialogue that many of us need. In a time where this country seems so disgustingly divided, it is great to see a show bring us together. Yes, I believe media has the power to do that. We writers are amazing, the actors are phenomenal and this show deserves some awards in the near future. Representation matters and we need more shows and movies that give different groups of people a platform and a way to share their stories.
If you have not gotten a chance to watch it, I obviously recommend it. You can catch This Is Us Tuesday nights on NBC at 9/8