Tonight on NBC their new honest & provocative dramedy series This Is Us airs with an all-new Tuesday, November 14, 2017, episode and we have your This Is Us Recap below. On tonight’s This Is Us season 2 episode 8, as per the NBC synopsis, “Kevin goes back to his high school to accept an award. Jack and Rebecca get excited about their kids’ futures.”
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Tonight’s This Is Us Recap begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore) have the video camera rolling, waiting for one of the triplets to start walking. Number One (Kevin) is up, he is the first one born and the first one on his feet and walking. Jack is heard on the video asking if there is nothing Number One can’t do?
Adult Kevin (Justin Hartley) looks outside his window, as he takes more pills and downs them with a bottle of beer. He is unkempt, in track pants, unshaven, but just doesn’t seem to care about anything but his pain medications and drinking. Housekeeping, Martina (Rebecca Metz) arrives, asking if he needs service as the sign has been up all week; he jokes with her for a minute about sports and then says he doesn’t need towels but she can refill everything that is alcohol-related. Kevin picks up a call and it is Kelly, the home-coming coordinator for his old high school. She is just confirming tomorrow night, which is Alumni Honor Ceremony; he is confused but when Martina confirms the date and says if it is outside the hotel room, he should go. He raises his beer and says if they want to honor him – let’s honor him!
The teenage siblings are doing their own thing when the fuse blows in the house. Kevin tells him he is killing him as Rebecca asks him if he is really going to wear that when the coach from Pittsburgh comes over. He doesn’t think he will care as Kate mocks him saying he shouldn’t be wearing Sophie’s crop top. Rebecca made a disgusting tasting cake as she pushes Kevin to get changed, but before he leaves he asks if they can get rid of their dad’s AA stuff but the conversation is interrupted when Jack comes in and orders him to put on a collared shirt and a tie.
Kevin arrives at the Pittsburgh airport, where Manny fans want a photo with him. On the drive home, the driver offers him a drink or charger, but Kevin jokes that he is low on painkillers if he could hook him up on those. They take a detour, as Kevin gets the car to stop in front of where their old house used to be. There is a new home there but all he sees is their burnt down home. He remembers his family playing football together out front and how happy his parents were. The new owner comes out, asking Kevin if he can help him, but he gets back in the car, apologizing and leaves.
Jack announces that the Coach Waltering (Matt Riedy) is there, he goes to open the door and introduces him to Rebecca and Kevin Pearson, superstar!
Kevin stands outside McKinley High School with the banner for the Homecoming, welcoming honored alumni. He takes the last of his pills and puts the empty bottle in his bag. He sees a teenager who is excited to see him, he thinks it is Sophie but it is actually Kelly, who takes a selfie with him. He says he is okay, but she looks like so much like someone he knew when he went there. He leaves to go walk the hallways.
As Kevin walks the halls, he has flashbacks of talking to Coach Waltering and how popular she was in high school. Jack reminds Kevin of his manners during the meeting as Coach says he may not start but he could finish. Adult Kevin, looks at the trophy case in the school hallways and remembers what happened after the Coach left; Jack is furious with him that Coach Waltering offered Kevin, a C+ student, a full ride through college; but Kevin says they can do better.
Jack asks if he understands how lucky he is; Kevin says it isn’t luck – it is talent! Kevin refuses to write an apology letter because he isn’t the one in the 12-step program. Jack asks if Kevin has something he needs to say to him; Kevin says no but Jack says it was an embarrassment to watch how he behaved and Kevin says he knows that feeling well.
Kevin walks the gym, where people know him but he has no clue who they are. Charlotte Everly (Stefanie Black) stands with him and reveals she had a mad crush on him back then, making everyone want to come to school. She talks about him and Sophie getting divorced. He says they did, then reunited, then he screwed it up again. Kate (Chrissy Metz) called Kevin and he ignores her and he accidentally reveals she is pregnant but learns that Charlotte is a plastic surgeon who works mostly on burn victims. Suddenly, Kevin learns he has to do a speech as he chugs another awful cup of wine.
Kevin’s high school coach (James Read) takes the stage, talks about Kevin, who flashes to when his father talked so proudly of him for overcoming such adversity. The coach says it is a small trophy but it is for when he knew him back then, for when he knew his father, Jack; and they are all very proud of him for coming back to accept the award. As Kevin hugs the coach, he thinks he is hugging his dad. People stand and cheer, and with the spotlight in his eyes, he thanks him, saying he was a good man; but what he said was wrong.
Kevin looks at the crowd and says he isn’t strong; they shout that they love him and he orders them to stop and to not love him. He tells them to love Paul, a newspaperman, of a dying media or Dr. Everly, a woman who helps messed up kids go on and face the world. He says he isn’t worthy of this award nor any honor. He walks off the stage to a standing ovation, looking back confused.
Jack comes to see Kevin in the kitchen, in the middle of the night. Jack says Randall is going to tour a college, which means he will miss Kevin’s football game. Jack apologizes for his fuse being so short and yelling wasn’t right. He wants to know what is going on with Kev, who says he has to go write that letter and leaves the kitchen. After he hears shuffling in the kitchen, Kevin comes up from the basement to hear his father on the phone with his sponsor, talking about how “steep” it was tonight. He kneels down and says the Serenity Prayer as Kevin silently cries behind him.
Kevin comes to wish Randall well, saying he has enough fans in the stands cheering him on; Jack thanks him for his attitude adjustment and kisses Rebecca goodbye. Jack winks at Kevin before he leaves.
Kevin walks out of the auditorium into the backfield, where people are thrilled by his speech and constantly taking photos. Toby (Chris Sullivan) calls him, and he ignores the call again, while he continues to drink the horrible alcohol. He takes a walk with Charlotte, talking about his jersey and how his number was retired. He didn’t get to pick his number. He was always Number One; the firstborn, the first to walk, the first to kiss a girl, the first pick for teams. He says if he stood completely naked he thinks all people would see is him in his Number 1 jersey; she touches him and says that isn’t all she would see. He gets up and tells her not to do that and walks away with the bottle of wine.
Kevin walks into the middle of the football field, visualizing his football games. He stretches a little bit, preps himself; talking that he can’t go 4 hours without a Vicodin but everyone loves him anyway. He replays the game in his mind, he sees his entire future, his college career at Notre Dame, the Heisman Trophy, rookie of the year, Superbowl MVP. And his dad standing in the stands screaming that that is his son. Its that game that Kevin’s knee is wrecked and his career is over; Rebecca yells for Kate to find a phone and page his father.
Kevin continues to talk that he will, in fact, get up, but just in time to bury his father; and that will keep him down for good this time. But nope, he is up again, married a terrific girl and off to Hollywood, life is good. NOPE, he cheats on the girl, loses her and how is he punished? He makes millions on a sitcom and the crowd will go wild. How will he blow it? How will the universe get him back this time? It doesn’t. He wins the girl back and he gets a movie this time, and there goes the same knee and he is down again. He tries to stay strong, eating painkillers to get through it. Kevin sits down on the field with the bottle in his hand and says even when he tries to tell people how pathetic it is, they don’t hear it and just cheer! Kelly finds him, and offers him to “party.”
Kevin wakes up in bed with Charlotte beside him. She said she was shocked he walked back into the party, pointed at her and asked to get out of there. She tells him he was always nice to her in high school, he never knew her name but he always smiled and said hi to her; even rescuing her from a guy who got too handsy with her. She says it is weird the things people remember.
She asks if he is okay, as he is severely sweating, she opens the window as he goes to her bathroom. He begins to rummage through her medicine cabinet; he can’t find anything and tells her that he is fine. He uses the excuse that he hasn’t eaten and she races off to get some food. He looks through her purse but finds a prescription pad in her drawer, shoving several pages in his pocket. He sneaks out of the house while she is in the kitchen.
At the hospital, a young Kevin gets an MRI done on his knee, as Kate cries, looking at Randall. Kevin leans his head back as the doctor speaks to his parents.
Kevin goes to a pharmacy but is acting very nervous, especially when two police officers come in. He suddenly realizes his necklace is gone and rushes out. Jack comes to see Kevin in his hospital room and tells his dad to just say it. Jack tells Kevin the kind of break he has is catastrophic, and he may be able to run again but his knee will not be able to bear the stress of the physical demands of the game. Kevin insists the doctor is wrong, and he wrote Coach Waltering a nice letter like he said and if they want him to go to Pitt, he will go there instead of Notre Dame.
Kevin apologizes for being so awful to his dad. Jack calls him “bug” and says he would take this on for him, and anything else if he could. He knows Kevin has this dream and has such a beautiful talent but he knows within his gut that this isn’t the only talent he has. Jack takes off his necklace, with a charm that he got from someone very special back in Vietnam; it is a Buddhist symbol of purpose. He places it on Kevin’s neck, saying he was feeling very lost when he got that but he put it on and moved forward. He was wearing it when he was born, “my number one”. When I held you for the first time, right here in this hospital, it hit me like a bolt of lightning, you were my purpose and I promise you will find yours! Kevin cries as Jack holds him.
Kevin returns to Charlotte’s house, She calls him a bastard and tells him to screw himself. He says the necklace belonged to his father and he needs it, begging her to look for it. She says she doesn’t have his damn necklace and closes her window. He begins to cry, saying he is in pain here and gets on his knees and cries out that he just needs someone to help him.
Kevin is wheeled out of his room as he holds Kate’s hand and Randall touches his hand. The following morning, Kevin thanks Randall for taking his call. Kevin says he has to tell him something and Randall says he already knows that Kate lost the baby. Kevin stands in utter shock, as the video of Kate taking her first steps plays.
END!
