This Is Us (2016–…): Season 6, Episode 7 - Taboo - full transcript
Rebecca has a big announcement to make at Thanksgiving dinner.
Previously on This Is Us...
Hey, I picked up the turkey
for our three-day brine.
I-I love a good brine.
You know,
you're welcome to join us.
- Kate, you just need to relax.
- Okay?
- Really? What you needed to do
was put him to bed at 3:00
like I asked you to.
Build me that house.
The house
he was gonna build for me.
♪
♪
A-Aren't you having a piece?
No.
We have to watch ourselves,
Rebecca.
♪
Hey, do you think your dad's
actually gonna let me carve?
Yeah. Of course.
- This is our Thanksgiving.
- Mm.
I mean, the sugar pie might
not turn out exactly right,
but that's only because my mom
refuses to reveal
the secret ingredient.
- Mm.
- But it doesn't matter.
Today, Rebecca Malone
is in charge.
- Yes, she is.
And soon to be Rebecca Pearson.
- Mm-hmm. Mm, yeah.
- Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
- Mmm. Hey. Do you know
what time it is?
- Mmm. Yeah.
Because I want to be sure
to clean up
- before they...
- ...get here.
- Yep.
- Uh, okay,
let me put this in the oven.
Okay.
'Kay.
So, Mom, you nervous
about your boyfriend
coming to Thanksgiving dinner?
I'm okay.
I just hope the boys
don't feel threatened
- by Matt.
- Mm.
I am excited
to meet Miguel's girlfriend.
She's French.
Marguerite.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
Remember making this pie
when you were a little girl?
You loved being my sous chef.
Here.
Taste.
Mm.
You want to try and guess
the secret ingredient
like you used to?
Oh, I think it's the massive
amounts of butter and sugar
that make it taste so good.
♪ And Anna begin ♪
Mm. Eh.
♪ And Anna begin ♪
No. No, no, no.
♪ And Anna begins... ♪
Okay...
What are you doing?
I am writing down the sugar pie
recipe, in case I forget.
Oh. You mean in case I forget.
Well, you don't need to worry,
because these recipes
live deep inside.
Besides,
I don't know if I'm ready
to reveal the secret ingredient
quite yet.
- Here.
Let my grandson lick that.
- Ooh!
- Mm-hmm.
Jack, do you want to try
Grandma's pie?
You want to try?
You want to taste it?
- What do you think?
- Good.
- Is it good?
Would you like some more?
- Yeah.
Okay, let's-let's not go
sugar crazy.
He's already got sugary cereal,
- so...
- Um, actually,
his cereal's whole grain.
Are you sure?
'Cause it tastes frosted.
Yeah, no, I'm positive. Yeah.
You would know if you went
on our grocery runs with us.
Hey, I said I was willing to go
on the weekends,
but you said
you wanted to go with your mom.
- So...
- You know what?
It's Thanksgiving.
Can we just let our son
enjoy it?
Fine.
Yeah.
♪ My twins are in Reseda ♪
♪ On this Turkey Day ♪
♪ I wish I was with them ♪
♪ But Elijah got his way ♪
♪ Even Uncle Nicky's
got a girlfriend ♪
♪ He's in Topeka with her now ♪
I guess I'll just be alone.
Till my tin heart goes...
...ka-plow.
I just made that up on the fly.
Um, has anyone heard
from Randall?
♪ Call me Al ♪
♪ Call me Al. ♪
Come on, man.
What's going on?
Hey, I'm trying
to get my gobble on, Jae-won.
This better be of the utmost.
Sorry, I know. But I figured
this was worth the interruption.
Senator Gamble's office
keeps calling.
He saw the article
in The Philadelphia Local
and sends his regards.
Huh.
Tell the senator
I have to call the old fart back
after the holiday.
Today's a family day.
I'll polish up the language
and pass it on.
You the man. Gobble, gobble.
- Gobble, gobble.
- We're so cute.
I know. All right, later.
- Later.
My man.
- Brushing off the senator.
- Pshh.
No more work calls, no emails.
The only thing
I'm using this phone for
is to record every memory
of this epic Pearson holiday.
I want the girls to spend
some quality time with my mom.
Hey, ladies.
Girls.
Girls...!
- Yeah.
- What? What?
- Are we there?
Ladies,
I would like to make a request,
all right?
That you put your phones away
for today.
No Instagram, no TikTok.
Deja, do you think
you can refrain
for one day
from texting with Malik?
Well, that shouldn't be
a problem.
He's acting so weird.
He hasn't texted all morning.
Huh.
Okay.
All right, you guys
can go back to...
Yeah, exactly what you're doing
right now.
Great.
Anyway,
it's gonna be a rewarding
and drama-free Thanksgiving.
Aw, baby.
- I love your heart.
- Mm.
- Dig your ambition.
- Thank you.
But the Pearson epitaph
will read,
"Lovely people,
"cried a lot,
traumatic-as-hell
Thanksgivings."
We're here.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
- Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.
Sophie and I broke up.
Beer?
Uh, nah, man, it's-it's
only noon, so I'm good.
Yeah, he cheated on her,
like a freakin' idiot.
What? Want to say something?
Oh, no, n-- uh, nothing,
it's just good to see my sis.
- Ah.
- Hey.
All of my babies are here.
- Hey, Mom, how you doing?
- Oh...
- Hi. Happy Thanksgiving.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving, sweetheart.
Hi.
Oh, you guys, thank you so much
for being supportive today.
I know it might feel
a little weird, but...
Matt's a, he's a really
great guy, I promise.
Well, that was nice to hear.
- Oh. Hi.
- Sorry, the door was open.
It's okay, come on in.
Good to see you.
- Happy Thanksgiving. Hi.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
Um, these are my kids.
- Well, uh, you know
Kevin and Kate.
- Yeah, good to see you.
And then this is my son Randall
and his girlfriend Beth.
Nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
- Matt.
Firm handshake.
You own your own house?
I mean,
it's a town house.
- Oh, man,
this is gonna be a good one.
Hey!
- Happy Thanksgiving.
Hello, family.
The Black Pearsons have arrived
for Thanksgiving.
So good to see you.
Hi. Oh...
- Ah.
- Mwah. Hi, I'm Marguerite.
I've been waiting
an eternity to meet you.
- You are stunning.
- Oh.
Miguel talks about you
all the time.
Oh, come on in. Hi, thank you.
- Hi. Hey.
- Hi.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
Come in, come in.
- Right on.
- Oh, you remember Matt, right?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah. Hey. Hey, Miguel. Yeah.
- Hey. Good to see you.
Hmm.
Um...
- That was awkward, right?
- Yeah, there's a lot
going on here.
- Mm-hmm.
Hey, Kate.
Yeah.
Tell the story of Mom making us
those homemade turkey costumes.
Oh, my gosh, okay,
they were so cute,
but there were so many ruffles.
Like, you couldn't even
move your arms.
- Hey, guys?
Um, so after dinner, I'd love
to have a little family talk.
Just the four of us and Miguel.
It's so rare that we're all
together like this.
It's nothing bad, I just...
I want to go over
a few things, okay?
- Okay.
- Yeah, of course, Mom.
- Of course. Yeah, yeah.
- You got it.
- Cool. Yep.
Yep. It's gonna be a hell
of a Thanksgiving.
♪
Okay.
Ooh.
Did you add
the secret ingredient?
I did not, 'cause you didn't
tell me what it is.
- I didn't?
- No.
- You did not, and you know that.
- Ah. Well...
So, have you found
your wedding dress?
'Cause I can dig through
my closet for mine.
I'm okay. I think
I'm gonna go with something
flowy, less traditional.
Well, you know, the months
leading up to the wedding
are so stressful.
- Uh-huh...
- My advice:
starve yourself early on,
and it'll give you a buffer
for bad decisions later.
You know what, Mom?
I think I look just fine.
You think they're gonna
kill each other?
Oh, it's quite, quite possible.
So, how is the gravy coming?
Ooh, you didn't strain it.
Look, see all the lumps?
Yeah, okay, Mom,
I'm just getting started...
- Yeah, okay. Yeah.
- ...so give me a chance.
Sorry I'm-I'm not more help.
I'm a horrible cook.
When I'm in the kitchen,
it's like,
- "Houston, we have a problem."
Um, where-where
is the-the toilet?
Oh, this way. I'll show you.
- You need some help with that?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, that'd be great.
- All right.
Yeah, it's, uh, it's Pinot noir.
It's, uh, Rebecca's favorite.
- Oh, yeah? Oh, wow.
- Yeah.
- Uh, let's see. There we go.
- All right.
Is it okay?
Sure.
I-I just want this to go well.
I want the kids
to like me, you know?
I'm hoping to stick around for
as long as Rebecca will have me.
- Yeah? Yeah. Oh.
- Yeah.
Dan Marino thinks
it's a blitz...
Why do you keep
looking at Kate, man?
She's just gained
a lot of weight.
Of course she has.
Think about her life, man.
She lives with Mom,
she's got the worst ex-boyfriend
of all time,
she thinks her dog
killed our dad.
I can totally tell when
they're talking about me.
Randall was shocked
when he saw how big I've gotten.
Hey, everybody gains
the freshman 15 at college.
Yeah, well,
I gained the freshman 40
and I'm not even in college.
All right, everybody.
So, this is it, this is the land
that will eventually become
the Pearson family mecca.
Soak it in, people.
Hey.
So, this talk.
You think Mom's gonna
tell us she needs
to have her driver's license
taken away?
Or what if she lost all
her money to online scammers?
Or maybe she and Miguel
want to become a throuple.
Oh, Lord. Man-- Kate?
- What?
- It could be anything.
- Kate, what do you think?
I just think that we should
trust Mom, you know?
Let her share
what she wants to share.
- Yeah.
Hey, Kate?
I'm-I'm at my wit's end.
I had to strap him
into the stroller,
'cause he-he w-- he just--
he won't walk with his cane,
and when I pick him up,
he goes nuclear.
Have you tried narrating to him?
Like, the colors of the birds
or the trees?
He just gets really frustrated
when he doesn't know
the full picture.
Yeah, I-I know what he likes,
it's just hard to narrate
a David Attenborough documentary
when he's losing his mind
because he's had too much sugar.
Seriously?
Yeah, seriously.
You know, guys, when I-- um,
if Jack's upset
at home sometimes,
I'll just, I'll sing to him.
Oh, Jack likes music?
Toby.
- Wow. Thanks, Kev.
Hey, can you just,
can you help me
- instead of instructing me?
- Yeah, Tobe, I can.
They're like that
all the time lately.
Yeah, baby stage is rough.
Beth and I used to have
these intense wordless fights.
You ever had a woman
scream at you with her eyes?
- Oh, stop the presses,
ladies and gentlemen.
The Pearson girls are teaching
Grandma how to floss.
Aww, snap.
Get it, Rebecca.
All right, everybody, come on.
Gather around, let's go.
Come on. I want to show you
what's up.
So, uh, all right, I know
it's just flags for now, right?
But, um, I'm following
Dad's sketch to a T.
And, uh, okay, so we got Randall
right behind you.
That right there, that is your
family wing, that whole thing.
whoa, whoa, whoa!
You know? And then, uh,
Kate, your family wing
is gonna be right there.
That whole thing right there,
and then, uh, uh, well...
- Mom.
- Mm-hmm?
The primary suite, for you.
Right-right in the center.
Wow.
- Yeah. Yeah--
And I haven't decided
what we're gonna do
with this area quite yet.
But, you know, I was tinkering
around a couple of ideas.
Bocce ball court,
I thought, maybe?
- That'd be fun.
- Hey. Guys.
Pearsons, Damons, Rivases,
let's do a family photo.
- All right.
- Oh.
You all right?
Yeah, I'm just, uh,
taking everything...
- taking everything in.
- All right.
Let me ask you
a question, Kevin. Um...
Do you have any plans
for a guesthouse,
maybe for people
outside of the family?
Oh, uh...
Well, you know, it's a, it's a,
it's a family compound, Miguel,
so it really wasn't on the top
of my priority list.
- And I know that you're
Mr. Construction Guy,
- and all that-- No, I mean,
I get it, I get it.
- I'm just...
- But-but I-I...
- Amigos, por favor.
Family photo time.
Yeah. All right.
Come on.
Huddle for the Miami Dolphins.
Mom. The plates are fine. Stop.
Great.
- You think I should go in there?
- No.
No, no, no.
I think you should stay
right here with me
and Tom Collins.
You see, Jack,
the relationship between
mothers and daughters
is very complicated,
and it is a dynamic
that us men
will never understand.
They live
in a perpetual hellscape...
Dinner is ready.
Ooh.
- Wow. That looks wonderful.
- Ah.
Okay, time to carve.
Oh, no. Jack is gonna
carve, right?
Yeah.
- Yep.
Carve that turkey, son.
It's the only way
we all get out of here alive.
Ah...
- Hey.
Hi.
I know this is anti-feminist,
but can you please
carve the turkey?
- Of course. Yeah.
- Thank you.
Oh, have you had a chance
to chat with Matt yet?
Uh, yes.
He is very nice.
Uh, he is no sommelier,
but he is nice.
Oh, like that matters to me.
He is really great, though, huh?
- He's so sweet.
- Yeah, he is the sweetest.
I mean, he's not the sweetest,
he is the perfect amount
of sweet.
Not too sweet, not too sour,
just right down the middle.
Yeah.
Oh, um, and Marguerite
is really beautiful.
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah.
I have to admit, though,
I-I thought,
with her accent, she might be
a little more... worldly?
But she's-she's actually
remarkably normal.
- Uh-- Is she?
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah, very normal.
♪ Anna begin... ♪
Nope.
♪ Be... ♪ Ugh... Begin... ♪
There she is,
the Thanksgiving Queen.
Good, right?
What should I do first,
should I use the knife
to stab Randall's iPhone
or slice Kevin's guitar strings?
Hey, Kevin, you want to take
a break from that guitar
- for a little while?
- Oh, so sorry,
is it bothering you
that I'm playing? The--
Is it a bigger faux pas
than me not building a...
extra wing
on our family compound
for your fishing buddies?
♪
I'm telling you, Matt,
Y2K is real.
I mean, I-I'm gonna put
all of my money in a mattress
because I am freaked out
about Y2K.
Here you go.
Whoa-- Oh.
- Uh...
- Uh-oh.
Houston, we have a problem.
She likes that line, huh?
Big Apollo 13 fan?
Oh, no, we just have this
inside joke going on right now.
- Yeah.
- Oh.
Hmm.
Mmm.
You know, if you two want
to get married at the club,
we've got to put
your names in soon.
Can we hold off on the wedding
talk for now, please?
- Thank you.
- Ah.
♪ I don't find this stuff
amusing anymore ♪
♪ If you'll be my bodyguard ♪
♪ I can be your
long-lost pal... ♪
Hey, Kate.
Uh, I know it probably
gets quiet here
with just you and Mom.
You should come visit Beth and I
at Carnegie Mellon more.
Maybe audit a class.
Check out a party?
So good.
♪ A man walks
down the street... ♪
Uh, easy, easy.
You know what, Mom?
I'm actually gonna eat
the food that I cooked
because I am hungry and Jack
loves me just the way I am.
Mmm.
Mmm...
♪ Now that my role model
is gone, gone... ♪
♪ So if you'll be my bodyguard ♪
♪ I can be
your long-lost pal... ♪
And we're not gonna get married
at your stuffy country club,
and none of your friends
are invited because the day
is about us, right?
Not about the silly women
that you play bridge with
that you secretly hate.
Oh, the pie.
The famous sugar pie. Mom.
What is the secret ingredient,
huh?
What is it? Is it, um--
hmm, let me see.
Is it... is it baloney?
Because you haven't had
a slice of this in 20 years.
Rebecca...
♪ A man walks down
the street... ♪
♪ It's a street... ♪
It's everything I say.
- Honey...
- Everything.
Yeah...
♪ Doesn't speak
the language... ♪
- Fill her up.
- There you-- Boom.
- All right, so,
you excited for Thanksgiving?
- Yeah.
Yeah, you want to feel this?
T-This is the Pilgrim Rick hat.
It celebrates the creepy
roadside motel clerk
of Pearson lore.
Every year, one special person
gets to wear it,
and this year,
it's Daddy's turn.
Let me get you-- oop, yeah.
Let's just get these out
of the way, yeah, all right...
- Seriously, Tobe?
- Hmm?
What are you afraid of?
Just say it. Are you worried
that Jack's gonna get fat?
Um, am I not allowed
to have any opinion
about what we feed
our son at all?
Yeah, you can have a say,
but you're criticizing.
And you always do that.
It's like you're
a one-man tribunal, okay?
I am here with them every day
- doing the hard work.
- I did that work
when I was unemployed, Kate.
What do you want me to do?
Just not have any opinions
about our kids because
you're overly sensitive
about everything I say?
Hey, Tobe.
Come on, man, just...
maybe take it easy?
You know, if I want advice
from a 41-year-old man-child
sleeping on my couch,
I'll let you know.
Kate, I support our family.
All right? I-I am not, uh,
some absentee father
- throwing parties
in San Francisco.
You can't treat me
like a bystander
in our children's lives.
And yes, I am worried
that we are overfeeding
Jack a little,
and I think, I think
we would be insane
not to acknowledge
our genetics here.
Toby, take off the hat.
What?
Take off the hat.
I swear,
every year with this family.
Um...
You don't know how many weeks
she worked on tonight's dinner.
I mea-- Studying family recipes.
She really just wanted it
to be perfect for you.
You know, she-she used
to want to be just like me.
Dave used to call her my shadow.
Listen, um, Dave and I,
we're moving to Connecticut.
Dave got a new job, and...
I can barely get her
to visit me here.
Do you really think
she's gonna drive eight hours?
Yeah, she will.
I promise, Janet, we will.
You know, just--
Give me ten minutes.
Smile. Face.
- Uh...
Um, oh.
It's-it's my, uh,
sixth favorite thing about you.
My dimples.
Aww, that was it?
- That's sweet.
Okay, Marguerite.
- All right, here we go.
- Oh...
Um, I wish I could
say it in French.
Uh, what-what is the word
for nourriture? Um...
Um... apples.
- Uh, orange. Um...
- What kind of...
Eating.
Bell-- uh, stomach ache.
- No, no, no, no.
Tummy ache.
- Oh, no.
Um, it is a place
with colorful flowers.
- Can't say "flowers."
Okay.
Take us home.
Come on, old guys, we got this.
All right, Rebecca,
let's get some points.
Okay, this is kind of similar
to a turtle, but not...
- Uh, a tortoise.
- No, not a tortoise.
Oh, Miguel, you had
two of these growing up,
- named Lucy and Desi.
- Oh, lizards.
- Yes! Okay.
- Lizards.
How did you even remember that?
- All right.
Um...
Oh, uh, okay, you and Jack
once went to Froggy's,
you saw "Mean" Joe Greene,
- you got his...
- Autograph.
- Yes.
- Yes.
- Um...
You used to call me Mary Tyler
Moore because I wore a...
- A beret.
- Yes!
This is so fun. Um...
Okay, you were chased
by one of these one year
at the Lundy family picnic,
you had to escape
by jumping in a kiddie pool.
The bumblebee.
Yeah, that was not
my finest moment.
Oh, I thought
it was really cute.
- Um...
Oh, your biggest fear in life.
Balding. Going bald.
- Okay, okay, okay, okay...
Uh, okay, this is the greatest
Billy Joel song of all time.
Uh, ♪ She's always a woman. ♪
Okay, but another word
for the last word of that song.
Uh, uh, girl?
- Not girl, not girl.
But, um...
Oh, uh, okay.
Um, Susan Dey from L.A. Law.
- You always say
she's one beautiful...
- Female!
Female, yes! I love you, Miguel!
Time's up, time's up,
time's up, guys.
All right.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Aww. Look at this.
So much love.
I hate to be the bearer
of bad news,
but I've been sent
to confiscate your phone.
What? "Sent"?
By whom?
Damn near everybody.
- Have I been that annoying?
- Yes.
The girls know
and love your mom.
I know.
I feel disconnected from her.
She used to live
30 minutes away from us.
The girls are used to her
just popping over.
Now she lives
on a whole other coast.
Kev is building her a house.
She's practically raising
all these babies with them.
And I'm happy for them, I am,
I just...
I miss her.
I know.
But I am gonna need
to take the phone.
- Your mom was pretty adamant
about it.
- Okay.
We just keep having the same
argument over and over again.
I know.
You're upset that I'm not
around more.
I'm sensitive about that.
Pointed jabs, rinse and repeat.
I know.
But in this...
...specific argument,
I want to say...
...we were both fat kids.
And it was hell.
And Jack has our genes.
So if I can help him
to eat healthy
and to avoid any of that pain,
I'm gonna do it.
Do you remember
the song "Kiss Me"?
It played during the
makeover/transformation scene
from She's All That.
Freddie Prinze Jr. is standing
at the bottom of the stairs,
and the formerly
nerdy girl Laney Boggs
walks down the stairs
in this incredible red dress,
and she's so gorgeous
that he's completely floored.
♪ Kiss me, out of
the bearded barley... ♪
Do you remember the scene?
I don't think
that the makeover scene
from She's All That is the piece
of cinematic history
- that you think it is.
- Okay.
After my dad died and I started
gaining all the weight,
I would stop myself from eating
by singing "Kiss Me."
♪ Swing, swing,
swing the spinning step... ♪
I would imagine myself
at Kate 2.0
walking down the stairs
thin and beautiful.
Like I was meant to be.
Until I would eat something bad
or too much of it.
You know, and then, I just saw
Kate 2.0 slipping away.
And the shame would
keep building
and I'd keep binging and...
my entire life has been
a cycle of just...
...dieting and binging.
I mean, food has always had
this intense power over me.
And I don't want it to have
that power over our kids.
I want them
to enjoy Thanksgiving
without having shame about it.
Toby...
I need you to know
that I've put a lot of thought
into what I feed our children.
A lot of thought.
And I...
I just don't know
how you don't know that.
Sorry to interrupt. Um...
Kate, are you ready
for that talk?
Yeah. Yeah.
Okay.
I can't stand her, Jack.
Every single word that comes
out of her mouth,
- every word i-is just...
- I-I-- I know.
I know, she just...
She-she feels like
she's losing you.
And she knows
she's driving you crazy...
If someone knows
they're acting crazy
and never stops,
that is crazy, right?
Look, I just, I think
things are heightened right now.
I mean, with the holiday,
the wedding, them moving.
Who's moving?
You're moving to Connecticut?
Yes.
Your father finally got
his dream job.
Two years before retirement.
We're moving right after
the holidays.
Mom.
I'm gonna miss you so much.
My baby girl.
Aww.
Rebecca, your dinner
was very good.
- It was.
- No, no, the turkey was dry.
I cannot believe
you're gonna be so far away.
I need you here
for my wedding, Mom.
Aww. Jack, why did you
tell her like that?
You weren't supposed
to just blurt it out.
Yeah, my mom told you
- in confidence, Jack.
- Yeah.
What the hell?
Seems like I've been focusing
on the wrong guy all day, huh?
I'm sorry, what?
I did something terrible.
To Sophie.
You know, I blew it.
And I can literally
hear him sometimes.
I can hear his voice.
You know,
h-his disappointment in me,
in my choices and...
things I should have
had a handle on.
You ever get that feeling?
Uh, I'm not sure I get anything
you're saying right now, Kevin.
You should drink some water.
You were his best friend, man.
So...
if you're even considering
acting on whatever the hell
is going on with my mom...
Just know when you feel
the Earth
rumbling beneath your feet,
it's him.
Turning over in his grave.
I'm a little nervous,
so I wrote down some notes.
Um...
There is no easy way
to start this.
Um...
When Dad died, it was a shock.
Right? And we were
all left scrambling,
trying to figure out
our roles and how to move on.
Um...
And the one silver lining
of this awful disease
is that I have the opportunity
to make a plan.
To try and ease
some of the burden, so...
First things first, um,
no matter how this thing goes,
no matter how slow or fast,
if decisions need
to be made for me,
Miguel is the captain
of that ship.
- We have talked through
every sad scenario...
- Mm-hmm.
...and the last thing
he needs to deal with
are disagreements about my care.
So I need to hear you all
agree to that.
We agree.
- Of course.
- Yes.
Yeah?
- Great.
Thank you.
Um, and Kev, Miguel wasn't
asking about the guesthouse
for fishing buddies.
If we are really doing this,
if this incredibly
generous thing you're doing
for all of us is real, then...
...at some point,
I'm probably gonna need
permanent care,
and they're gonna need
a place to stay.
But hopefully, we are
a very, very long way away
from that. Um...
But in the event that, uh,
Miguel, God forbid,
is not here to make
those decisions for me,
I'm gonna need one of you
to stand in for him.
And I've thought long and hard
about who that should be.
I just, I don't want there
to be any confusion or fights.
There are a lot of reasons
for my decision.
I just, I hope that
the three of you can respect it.
Kate, I want it to be you.
Hmm.
Believe it or not,
that was the easy part
of the family meeting. Um...
My last request is, um,
less a request and
more of a demand, actually.
Um...
This disease is a real bastard.
And it-it's set me on a road
that's gonna have a lot
of ugly twists and turns,
and I'm afraid
it's gonna be a lot...
...harder on all of you
than it will be on me
and I hate knowing that.
I hate it.
But what I don't want,
I don't want every holiday
for the camera
to be focused on me.
So I need you all
to hear my voice right now,
your mother's voice,
with all of her faculties.
You will not make your lives
smaller because of me.
This thing
that's happening to me
will not be the thing
that holds you back.
So... take the risks.
Make the big moves,
even if they're small moves.
Forge ahead with your lives
in any and every direction
that moves you.
I am your mother, and I'm sick.
And I'm asking you be fearless.
And if that seems like a tall
order, well, guess what? It is.
But...
The only acceptable response
is a resounding "Yes, ma'am."
Yes, ma'am.
Okay, I will call you tomorrow
to go over everything.
Dress, food, venues.
- All of it.
- Oh, I can't wait.
Oh. There you are.
- Thanks for helping me clean up.
- Oh, ye-- of course.
You know, I'm always,
uh, happy to help.
He thought it was "Piano Man."
Huh?
Billy Joel's, uh, best song?
Yeah, remember, we argued
about it all night at Froggy's?
Uh, Jack was for "Piano Man"
and I was for
"She's Always a Woman."
Yeah, I do remember that. Yeah.
Yeah.
Earlier, um, my jabs at Matt...
...they weren't harmless.
And they weren't accidental.
Not were mine, at her.
These past two years, Miguel,
you have been so good to me,
to us, and...
...I-I just think somewhere
along the way, I just...
I'm moving to Houston.
I got, I got a job offer there
a few months back.
It's-it's... It's near my kids.
And it's why she was making
Houston jokes tonight.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
I-I'm sorry to tell you
like this.
I feel like I've been
staying around,
you know, because I, um...
It's-- It's just,
it's time, Rebecca.
Now that you're back up
on your feet, um...
It's time for me to go.
It's just, I don't, I don't--
I don't know what else to do.
You're my favorite person.
Oh, Captain, my captain.
Uh...
I got the plans here.
You know, I was thinking, um,
maybe we could
go over them together.
Maybe tomorrow,
we could walk the property,
just you and me,
and you tell me what I missed.
I'd like that very much.
- Um...
- Kevin.
Really is a hell of a thing
that you're doing.
Back at you, Cap.
Back at you.
I don't know what to do, guys.
She's still crying.
You can't do anything.
You can't just
fix people, Randall.
This house is too sad.
Hey, where are you going?
I heard the pool closed down.
The one we went to growing up.
I just want to check it out
before it disappears.
Kev, right now's probably
not the right...
Don't follow me. I'm not 12.
He's moving to Houston.
I got to ask.
Why me?
What?
You are my daughter
and my best friend.
It's okay.
It was always you, Kate.
Oh...
I'll tell you one day, baby.
But not yet.
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH
Hey, I picked up the turkey
for our three-day brine.
I-I love a good brine.
You know,
you're welcome to join us.
- Kate, you just need to relax.
- Okay?
- Really? What you needed to do
was put him to bed at 3:00
like I asked you to.
Build me that house.
The house
he was gonna build for me.
♪
♪
A-Aren't you having a piece?
No.
We have to watch ourselves,
Rebecca.
♪
Hey, do you think your dad's
actually gonna let me carve?
Yeah. Of course.
- This is our Thanksgiving.
- Mm.
I mean, the sugar pie might
not turn out exactly right,
but that's only because my mom
refuses to reveal
the secret ingredient.
- Mm.
- But it doesn't matter.
Today, Rebecca Malone
is in charge.
- Yes, she is.
And soon to be Rebecca Pearson.
- Mm-hmm. Mm, yeah.
- Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
- Mmm. Hey. Do you know
what time it is?
- Mmm. Yeah.
Because I want to be sure
to clean up
- before they...
- ...get here.
- Yep.
- Uh, okay,
let me put this in the oven.
Okay.
'Kay.
So, Mom, you nervous
about your boyfriend
coming to Thanksgiving dinner?
I'm okay.
I just hope the boys
don't feel threatened
- by Matt.
- Mm.
I am excited
to meet Miguel's girlfriend.
She's French.
Marguerite.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
Remember making this pie
when you were a little girl?
You loved being my sous chef.
Here.
Taste.
Mm.
You want to try and guess
the secret ingredient
like you used to?
Oh, I think it's the massive
amounts of butter and sugar
that make it taste so good.
♪ And Anna begin ♪
Mm. Eh.
♪ And Anna begin ♪
No. No, no, no.
♪ And Anna begins... ♪
Okay...
What are you doing?
I am writing down the sugar pie
recipe, in case I forget.
Oh. You mean in case I forget.
Well, you don't need to worry,
because these recipes
live deep inside.
Besides,
I don't know if I'm ready
to reveal the secret ingredient
quite yet.
- Here.
Let my grandson lick that.
- Ooh!
- Mm-hmm.
Jack, do you want to try
Grandma's pie?
You want to try?
You want to taste it?
- What do you think?
- Good.
- Is it good?
Would you like some more?
- Yeah.
Okay, let's-let's not go
sugar crazy.
He's already got sugary cereal,
- so...
- Um, actually,
his cereal's whole grain.
Are you sure?
'Cause it tastes frosted.
Yeah, no, I'm positive. Yeah.
You would know if you went
on our grocery runs with us.
Hey, I said I was willing to go
on the weekends,
but you said
you wanted to go with your mom.
- So...
- You know what?
It's Thanksgiving.
Can we just let our son
enjoy it?
Fine.
Yeah.
♪ My twins are in Reseda ♪
♪ On this Turkey Day ♪
♪ I wish I was with them ♪
♪ But Elijah got his way ♪
♪ Even Uncle Nicky's
got a girlfriend ♪
♪ He's in Topeka with her now ♪
I guess I'll just be alone.
Till my tin heart goes...
...ka-plow.
I just made that up on the fly.
Um, has anyone heard
from Randall?
♪ Call me Al ♪
♪ Call me Al. ♪
Come on, man.
What's going on?
Hey, I'm trying
to get my gobble on, Jae-won.
This better be of the utmost.
Sorry, I know. But I figured
this was worth the interruption.
Senator Gamble's office
keeps calling.
He saw the article
in The Philadelphia Local
and sends his regards.
Huh.
Tell the senator
I have to call the old fart back
after the holiday.
Today's a family day.
I'll polish up the language
and pass it on.
You the man. Gobble, gobble.
- Gobble, gobble.
- We're so cute.
I know. All right, later.
- Later.
My man.
- Brushing off the senator.
- Pshh.
No more work calls, no emails.
The only thing
I'm using this phone for
is to record every memory
of this epic Pearson holiday.
I want the girls to spend
some quality time with my mom.
Hey, ladies.
Girls.
Girls...!
- Yeah.
- What? What?
- Are we there?
Ladies,
I would like to make a request,
all right?
That you put your phones away
for today.
No Instagram, no TikTok.
Deja, do you think
you can refrain
for one day
from texting with Malik?
Well, that shouldn't be
a problem.
He's acting so weird.
He hasn't texted all morning.
Huh.
Okay.
All right, you guys
can go back to...
Yeah, exactly what you're doing
right now.
Great.
Anyway,
it's gonna be a rewarding
and drama-free Thanksgiving.
Aw, baby.
- I love your heart.
- Mm.
- Dig your ambition.
- Thank you.
But the Pearson epitaph
will read,
"Lovely people,
"cried a lot,
traumatic-as-hell
Thanksgivings."
We're here.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
- Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.
Sophie and I broke up.
Beer?
Uh, nah, man, it's-it's
only noon, so I'm good.
Yeah, he cheated on her,
like a freakin' idiot.
What? Want to say something?
Oh, no, n-- uh, nothing,
it's just good to see my sis.
- Ah.
- Hey.
All of my babies are here.
- Hey, Mom, how you doing?
- Oh...
- Hi. Happy Thanksgiving.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving, sweetheart.
Hi.
Oh, you guys, thank you so much
for being supportive today.
I know it might feel
a little weird, but...
Matt's a, he's a really
great guy, I promise.
Well, that was nice to hear.
- Oh. Hi.
- Sorry, the door was open.
It's okay, come on in.
Good to see you.
- Happy Thanksgiving. Hi.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
Um, these are my kids.
- Well, uh, you know
Kevin and Kate.
- Yeah, good to see you.
And then this is my son Randall
and his girlfriend Beth.
Nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
- Matt.
Firm handshake.
You own your own house?
I mean,
it's a town house.
- Oh, man,
this is gonna be a good one.
Hey!
- Happy Thanksgiving.
Hello, family.
The Black Pearsons have arrived
for Thanksgiving.
So good to see you.
Hi. Oh...
- Ah.
- Mwah. Hi, I'm Marguerite.
I've been waiting
an eternity to meet you.
- You are stunning.
- Oh.
Miguel talks about you
all the time.
Oh, come on in. Hi, thank you.
- Hi. Hey.
- Hi.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
- Happy Thanksgiving.
Come in, come in.
- Right on.
- Oh, you remember Matt, right?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah. Hey. Hey, Miguel. Yeah.
- Hey. Good to see you.
Hmm.
Um...
- That was awkward, right?
- Yeah, there's a lot
going on here.
- Mm-hmm.
Hey, Kate.
Yeah.
Tell the story of Mom making us
those homemade turkey costumes.
Oh, my gosh, okay,
they were so cute,
but there were so many ruffles.
Like, you couldn't even
move your arms.
- Hey, guys?
Um, so after dinner, I'd love
to have a little family talk.
Just the four of us and Miguel.
It's so rare that we're all
together like this.
It's nothing bad, I just...
I want to go over
a few things, okay?
- Okay.
- Yeah, of course, Mom.
- Of course. Yeah, yeah.
- You got it.
- Cool. Yep.
Yep. It's gonna be a hell
of a Thanksgiving.
♪
Okay.
Ooh.
Did you add
the secret ingredient?
I did not, 'cause you didn't
tell me what it is.
- I didn't?
- No.
- You did not, and you know that.
- Ah. Well...
So, have you found
your wedding dress?
'Cause I can dig through
my closet for mine.
I'm okay. I think
I'm gonna go with something
flowy, less traditional.
Well, you know, the months
leading up to the wedding
are so stressful.
- Uh-huh...
- My advice:
starve yourself early on,
and it'll give you a buffer
for bad decisions later.
You know what, Mom?
I think I look just fine.
You think they're gonna
kill each other?
Oh, it's quite, quite possible.
So, how is the gravy coming?
Ooh, you didn't strain it.
Look, see all the lumps?
Yeah, okay, Mom,
I'm just getting started...
- Yeah, okay. Yeah.
- ...so give me a chance.
Sorry I'm-I'm not more help.
I'm a horrible cook.
When I'm in the kitchen,
it's like,
- "Houston, we have a problem."
Um, where-where
is the-the toilet?
Oh, this way. I'll show you.
- You need some help with that?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, that'd be great.
- All right.
Yeah, it's, uh, it's Pinot noir.
It's, uh, Rebecca's favorite.
- Oh, yeah? Oh, wow.
- Yeah.
- Uh, let's see. There we go.
- All right.
Is it okay?
Sure.
I-I just want this to go well.
I want the kids
to like me, you know?
I'm hoping to stick around for
as long as Rebecca will have me.
- Yeah? Yeah. Oh.
- Yeah.
Dan Marino thinks
it's a blitz...
Why do you keep
looking at Kate, man?
She's just gained
a lot of weight.
Of course she has.
Think about her life, man.
She lives with Mom,
she's got the worst ex-boyfriend
of all time,
she thinks her dog
killed our dad.
I can totally tell when
they're talking about me.
Randall was shocked
when he saw how big I've gotten.
Hey, everybody gains
the freshman 15 at college.
Yeah, well,
I gained the freshman 40
and I'm not even in college.
All right, everybody.
So, this is it, this is the land
that will eventually become
the Pearson family mecca.
Soak it in, people.
Hey.
So, this talk.
You think Mom's gonna
tell us she needs
to have her driver's license
taken away?
Or what if she lost all
her money to online scammers?
Or maybe she and Miguel
want to become a throuple.
Oh, Lord. Man-- Kate?
- What?
- It could be anything.
- Kate, what do you think?
I just think that we should
trust Mom, you know?
Let her share
what she wants to share.
- Yeah.
Hey, Kate?
I'm-I'm at my wit's end.
I had to strap him
into the stroller,
'cause he-he w-- he just--
he won't walk with his cane,
and when I pick him up,
he goes nuclear.
Have you tried narrating to him?
Like, the colors of the birds
or the trees?
He just gets really frustrated
when he doesn't know
the full picture.
Yeah, I-I know what he likes,
it's just hard to narrate
a David Attenborough documentary
when he's losing his mind
because he's had too much sugar.
Seriously?
Yeah, seriously.
You know, guys, when I-- um,
if Jack's upset
at home sometimes,
I'll just, I'll sing to him.
Oh, Jack likes music?
Toby.
- Wow. Thanks, Kev.
Hey, can you just,
can you help me
- instead of instructing me?
- Yeah, Tobe, I can.
They're like that
all the time lately.
Yeah, baby stage is rough.
Beth and I used to have
these intense wordless fights.
You ever had a woman
scream at you with her eyes?
- Oh, stop the presses,
ladies and gentlemen.
The Pearson girls are teaching
Grandma how to floss.
Aww, snap.
Get it, Rebecca.
All right, everybody, come on.
Gather around, let's go.
Come on. I want to show you
what's up.
So, uh, all right, I know
it's just flags for now, right?
But, um, I'm following
Dad's sketch to a T.
And, uh, okay, so we got Randall
right behind you.
That right there, that is your
family wing, that whole thing.
whoa, whoa, whoa!
You know? And then, uh,
Kate, your family wing
is gonna be right there.
That whole thing right there,
and then, uh, uh, well...
- Mom.
- Mm-hmm?
The primary suite, for you.
Right-right in the center.
Wow.
- Yeah. Yeah--
And I haven't decided
what we're gonna do
with this area quite yet.
But, you know, I was tinkering
around a couple of ideas.
Bocce ball court,
I thought, maybe?
- That'd be fun.
- Hey. Guys.
Pearsons, Damons, Rivases,
let's do a family photo.
- All right.
- Oh.
You all right?
Yeah, I'm just, uh,
taking everything...
- taking everything in.
- All right.
Let me ask you
a question, Kevin. Um...
Do you have any plans
for a guesthouse,
maybe for people
outside of the family?
Oh, uh...
Well, you know, it's a, it's a,
it's a family compound, Miguel,
so it really wasn't on the top
of my priority list.
- And I know that you're
Mr. Construction Guy,
- and all that-- No, I mean,
I get it, I get it.
- I'm just...
- But-but I-I...
- Amigos, por favor.
Family photo time.
Yeah. All right.
Come on.
Huddle for the Miami Dolphins.
Mom. The plates are fine. Stop.
Great.
- You think I should go in there?
- No.
No, no, no.
I think you should stay
right here with me
and Tom Collins.
You see, Jack,
the relationship between
mothers and daughters
is very complicated,
and it is a dynamic
that us men
will never understand.
They live
in a perpetual hellscape...
Dinner is ready.
Ooh.
- Wow. That looks wonderful.
- Ah.
Okay, time to carve.
Oh, no. Jack is gonna
carve, right?
Yeah.
- Yep.
Carve that turkey, son.
It's the only way
we all get out of here alive.
Ah...
- Hey.
Hi.
I know this is anti-feminist,
but can you please
carve the turkey?
- Of course. Yeah.
- Thank you.
Oh, have you had a chance
to chat with Matt yet?
Uh, yes.
He is very nice.
Uh, he is no sommelier,
but he is nice.
Oh, like that matters to me.
He is really great, though, huh?
- He's so sweet.
- Yeah, he is the sweetest.
I mean, he's not the sweetest,
he is the perfect amount
of sweet.
Not too sweet, not too sour,
just right down the middle.
Yeah.
Oh, um, and Marguerite
is really beautiful.
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah.
I have to admit, though,
I-I thought,
with her accent, she might be
a little more... worldly?
But she's-she's actually
remarkably normal.
- Uh-- Is she?
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah, very normal.
♪ Anna begin... ♪
Nope.
♪ Be... ♪ Ugh... Begin... ♪
There she is,
the Thanksgiving Queen.
Good, right?
What should I do first,
should I use the knife
to stab Randall's iPhone
or slice Kevin's guitar strings?
Hey, Kevin, you want to take
a break from that guitar
- for a little while?
- Oh, so sorry,
is it bothering you
that I'm playing? The--
Is it a bigger faux pas
than me not building a...
extra wing
on our family compound
for your fishing buddies?
♪
I'm telling you, Matt,
Y2K is real.
I mean, I-I'm gonna put
all of my money in a mattress
because I am freaked out
about Y2K.
Here you go.
Whoa-- Oh.
- Uh...
- Uh-oh.
Houston, we have a problem.
She likes that line, huh?
Big Apollo 13 fan?
Oh, no, we just have this
inside joke going on right now.
- Yeah.
- Oh.
Hmm.
Mmm.
You know, if you two want
to get married at the club,
we've got to put
your names in soon.
Can we hold off on the wedding
talk for now, please?
- Thank you.
- Ah.
♪ I don't find this stuff
amusing anymore ♪
♪ If you'll be my bodyguard ♪
♪ I can be your
long-lost pal... ♪
Hey, Kate.
Uh, I know it probably
gets quiet here
with just you and Mom.
You should come visit Beth and I
at Carnegie Mellon more.
Maybe audit a class.
Check out a party?
So good.
♪ A man walks
down the street... ♪
Uh, easy, easy.
You know what, Mom?
I'm actually gonna eat
the food that I cooked
because I am hungry and Jack
loves me just the way I am.
Mmm.
Mmm...
♪ Now that my role model
is gone, gone... ♪
♪ So if you'll be my bodyguard ♪
♪ I can be
your long-lost pal... ♪
And we're not gonna get married
at your stuffy country club,
and none of your friends
are invited because the day
is about us, right?
Not about the silly women
that you play bridge with
that you secretly hate.
Oh, the pie.
The famous sugar pie. Mom.
What is the secret ingredient,
huh?
What is it? Is it, um--
hmm, let me see.
Is it... is it baloney?
Because you haven't had
a slice of this in 20 years.
Rebecca...
♪ A man walks down
the street... ♪
♪ It's a street... ♪
It's everything I say.
- Honey...
- Everything.
Yeah...
♪ Doesn't speak
the language... ♪
- Fill her up.
- There you-- Boom.
- All right, so,
you excited for Thanksgiving?
- Yeah.
Yeah, you want to feel this?
T-This is the Pilgrim Rick hat.
It celebrates the creepy
roadside motel clerk
of Pearson lore.
Every year, one special person
gets to wear it,
and this year,
it's Daddy's turn.
Let me get you-- oop, yeah.
Let's just get these out
of the way, yeah, all right...
- Seriously, Tobe?
- Hmm?
What are you afraid of?
Just say it. Are you worried
that Jack's gonna get fat?
Um, am I not allowed
to have any opinion
about what we feed
our son at all?
Yeah, you can have a say,
but you're criticizing.
And you always do that.
It's like you're
a one-man tribunal, okay?
I am here with them every day
- doing the hard work.
- I did that work
when I was unemployed, Kate.
What do you want me to do?
Just not have any opinions
about our kids because
you're overly sensitive
about everything I say?
Hey, Tobe.
Come on, man, just...
maybe take it easy?
You know, if I want advice
from a 41-year-old man-child
sleeping on my couch,
I'll let you know.
Kate, I support our family.
All right? I-I am not, uh,
some absentee father
- throwing parties
in San Francisco.
You can't treat me
like a bystander
in our children's lives.
And yes, I am worried
that we are overfeeding
Jack a little,
and I think, I think
we would be insane
not to acknowledge
our genetics here.
Toby, take off the hat.
What?
Take off the hat.
I swear,
every year with this family.
Um...
You don't know how many weeks
she worked on tonight's dinner.
I mea-- Studying family recipes.
She really just wanted it
to be perfect for you.
You know, she-she used
to want to be just like me.
Dave used to call her my shadow.
Listen, um, Dave and I,
we're moving to Connecticut.
Dave got a new job, and...
I can barely get her
to visit me here.
Do you really think
she's gonna drive eight hours?
Yeah, she will.
I promise, Janet, we will.
You know, just--
Give me ten minutes.
Smile. Face.
- Uh...
Um, oh.
It's-it's my, uh,
sixth favorite thing about you.
My dimples.
Aww, that was it?
- That's sweet.
Okay, Marguerite.
- All right, here we go.
- Oh...
Um, I wish I could
say it in French.
Uh, what-what is the word
for nourriture? Um...
Um... apples.
- Uh, orange. Um...
- What kind of...
Eating.
Bell-- uh, stomach ache.
- No, no, no, no.
Tummy ache.
- Oh, no.
Um, it is a place
with colorful flowers.
- Can't say "flowers."
Okay.
Take us home.
Come on, old guys, we got this.
All right, Rebecca,
let's get some points.
Okay, this is kind of similar
to a turtle, but not...
- Uh, a tortoise.
- No, not a tortoise.
Oh, Miguel, you had
two of these growing up,
- named Lucy and Desi.
- Oh, lizards.
- Yes! Okay.
- Lizards.
How did you even remember that?
- All right.
Um...
Oh, uh, okay, you and Jack
once went to Froggy's,
you saw "Mean" Joe Greene,
- you got his...
- Autograph.
- Yes.
- Yes.
- Um...
You used to call me Mary Tyler
Moore because I wore a...
- A beret.
- Yes!
This is so fun. Um...
Okay, you were chased
by one of these one year
at the Lundy family picnic,
you had to escape
by jumping in a kiddie pool.
The bumblebee.
Yeah, that was not
my finest moment.
Oh, I thought
it was really cute.
- Um...
Oh, your biggest fear in life.
Balding. Going bald.
- Okay, okay, okay, okay...
Uh, okay, this is the greatest
Billy Joel song of all time.
Uh, ♪ She's always a woman. ♪
Okay, but another word
for the last word of that song.
Uh, uh, girl?
- Not girl, not girl.
But, um...
Oh, uh, okay.
Um, Susan Dey from L.A. Law.
- You always say
she's one beautiful...
- Female!
Female, yes! I love you, Miguel!
Time's up, time's up,
time's up, guys.
All right.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Aww. Look at this.
So much love.
I hate to be the bearer
of bad news,
but I've been sent
to confiscate your phone.
What? "Sent"?
By whom?
Damn near everybody.
- Have I been that annoying?
- Yes.
The girls know
and love your mom.
I know.
I feel disconnected from her.
She used to live
30 minutes away from us.
The girls are used to her
just popping over.
Now she lives
on a whole other coast.
Kev is building her a house.
She's practically raising
all these babies with them.
And I'm happy for them, I am,
I just...
I miss her.
I know.
But I am gonna need
to take the phone.
- Your mom was pretty adamant
about it.
- Okay.
We just keep having the same
argument over and over again.
I know.
You're upset that I'm not
around more.
I'm sensitive about that.
Pointed jabs, rinse and repeat.
I know.
But in this...
...specific argument,
I want to say...
...we were both fat kids.
And it was hell.
And Jack has our genes.
So if I can help him
to eat healthy
and to avoid any of that pain,
I'm gonna do it.
Do you remember
the song "Kiss Me"?
It played during the
makeover/transformation scene
from She's All That.
Freddie Prinze Jr. is standing
at the bottom of the stairs,
and the formerly
nerdy girl Laney Boggs
walks down the stairs
in this incredible red dress,
and she's so gorgeous
that he's completely floored.
♪ Kiss me, out of
the bearded barley... ♪
Do you remember the scene?
I don't think
that the makeover scene
from She's All That is the piece
of cinematic history
- that you think it is.
- Okay.
After my dad died and I started
gaining all the weight,
I would stop myself from eating
by singing "Kiss Me."
♪ Swing, swing,
swing the spinning step... ♪
I would imagine myself
at Kate 2.0
walking down the stairs
thin and beautiful.
Like I was meant to be.
Until I would eat something bad
or too much of it.
You know, and then, I just saw
Kate 2.0 slipping away.
And the shame would
keep building
and I'd keep binging and...
my entire life has been
a cycle of just...
...dieting and binging.
I mean, food has always had
this intense power over me.
And I don't want it to have
that power over our kids.
I want them
to enjoy Thanksgiving
without having shame about it.
Toby...
I need you to know
that I've put a lot of thought
into what I feed our children.
A lot of thought.
And I...
I just don't know
how you don't know that.
Sorry to interrupt. Um...
Kate, are you ready
for that talk?
Yeah. Yeah.
Okay.
I can't stand her, Jack.
Every single word that comes
out of her mouth,
- every word i-is just...
- I-I-- I know.
I know, she just...
She-she feels like
she's losing you.
And she knows
she's driving you crazy...
If someone knows
they're acting crazy
and never stops,
that is crazy, right?
Look, I just, I think
things are heightened right now.
I mean, with the holiday,
the wedding, them moving.
Who's moving?
You're moving to Connecticut?
Yes.
Your father finally got
his dream job.
Two years before retirement.
We're moving right after
the holidays.
Mom.
I'm gonna miss you so much.
My baby girl.
Aww.
Rebecca, your dinner
was very good.
- It was.
- No, no, the turkey was dry.
I cannot believe
you're gonna be so far away.
I need you here
for my wedding, Mom.
Aww. Jack, why did you
tell her like that?
You weren't supposed
to just blurt it out.
Yeah, my mom told you
- in confidence, Jack.
- Yeah.
What the hell?
Seems like I've been focusing
on the wrong guy all day, huh?
I'm sorry, what?
I did something terrible.
To Sophie.
You know, I blew it.
And I can literally
hear him sometimes.
I can hear his voice.
You know,
h-his disappointment in me,
in my choices and...
things I should have
had a handle on.
You ever get that feeling?
Uh, I'm not sure I get anything
you're saying right now, Kevin.
You should drink some water.
You were his best friend, man.
So...
if you're even considering
acting on whatever the hell
is going on with my mom...
Just know when you feel
the Earth
rumbling beneath your feet,
it's him.
Turning over in his grave.
I'm a little nervous,
so I wrote down some notes.
Um...
There is no easy way
to start this.
Um...
When Dad died, it was a shock.
Right? And we were
all left scrambling,
trying to figure out
our roles and how to move on.
Um...
And the one silver lining
of this awful disease
is that I have the opportunity
to make a plan.
To try and ease
some of the burden, so...
First things first, um,
no matter how this thing goes,
no matter how slow or fast,
if decisions need
to be made for me,
Miguel is the captain
of that ship.
- We have talked through
every sad scenario...
- Mm-hmm.
...and the last thing
he needs to deal with
are disagreements about my care.
So I need to hear you all
agree to that.
We agree.
- Of course.
- Yes.
Yeah?
- Great.
Thank you.
Um, and Kev, Miguel wasn't
asking about the guesthouse
for fishing buddies.
If we are really doing this,
if this incredibly
generous thing you're doing
for all of us is real, then...
...at some point,
I'm probably gonna need
permanent care,
and they're gonna need
a place to stay.
But hopefully, we are
a very, very long way away
from that. Um...
But in the event that, uh,
Miguel, God forbid,
is not here to make
those decisions for me,
I'm gonna need one of you
to stand in for him.
And I've thought long and hard
about who that should be.
I just, I don't want there
to be any confusion or fights.
There are a lot of reasons
for my decision.
I just, I hope that
the three of you can respect it.
Kate, I want it to be you.
Hmm.
Believe it or not,
that was the easy part
of the family meeting. Um...
My last request is, um,
less a request and
more of a demand, actually.
Um...
This disease is a real bastard.
And it-it's set me on a road
that's gonna have a lot
of ugly twists and turns,
and I'm afraid
it's gonna be a lot...
...harder on all of you
than it will be on me
and I hate knowing that.
I hate it.
But what I don't want,
I don't want every holiday
for the camera
to be focused on me.
So I need you all
to hear my voice right now,
your mother's voice,
with all of her faculties.
You will not make your lives
smaller because of me.
This thing
that's happening to me
will not be the thing
that holds you back.
So... take the risks.
Make the big moves,
even if they're small moves.
Forge ahead with your lives
in any and every direction
that moves you.
I am your mother, and I'm sick.
And I'm asking you be fearless.
And if that seems like a tall
order, well, guess what? It is.
But...
The only acceptable response
is a resounding "Yes, ma'am."
Yes, ma'am.
Okay, I will call you tomorrow
to go over everything.
Dress, food, venues.
- All of it.
- Oh, I can't wait.
Oh. There you are.
- Thanks for helping me clean up.
- Oh, ye-- of course.
You know, I'm always,
uh, happy to help.
He thought it was "Piano Man."
Huh?
Billy Joel's, uh, best song?
Yeah, remember, we argued
about it all night at Froggy's?
Uh, Jack was for "Piano Man"
and I was for
"She's Always a Woman."
Yeah, I do remember that. Yeah.
Yeah.
Earlier, um, my jabs at Matt...
...they weren't harmless.
And they weren't accidental.
Not were mine, at her.
These past two years, Miguel,
you have been so good to me,
to us, and...
...I-I just think somewhere
along the way, I just...
I'm moving to Houston.
I got, I got a job offer there
a few months back.
It's-it's... It's near my kids.
And it's why she was making
Houston jokes tonight.
Oh.
I'm sorry.
I-I'm sorry to tell you
like this.
I feel like I've been
staying around,
you know, because I, um...
It's-- It's just,
it's time, Rebecca.
Now that you're back up
on your feet, um...
It's time for me to go.
It's just, I don't, I don't--
I don't know what else to do.
You're my favorite person.
Oh, Captain, my captain.
Uh...
I got the plans here.
You know, I was thinking, um,
maybe we could
go over them together.
Maybe tomorrow,
we could walk the property,
just you and me,
and you tell me what I missed.
I'd like that very much.
- Um...
- Kevin.
Really is a hell of a thing
that you're doing.
Back at you, Cap.
Back at you.
I don't know what to do, guys.
She's still crying.
You can't do anything.
You can't just
fix people, Randall.
This house is too sad.
Hey, where are you going?
I heard the pool closed down.
The one we went to growing up.
I just want to check it out
before it disappears.
Kev, right now's probably
not the right...
Don't follow me. I'm not 12.
He's moving to Houston.
I got to ask.
Why me?
What?
You are my daughter
and my best friend.
It's okay.
It was always you, Kate.
Oh...
I'll tell you one day, baby.
But not yet.
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH