This Is Us

​A few months ago one of my sons told me about a new show that I might like. I couldn’t remember why exactly he thought I’d like it, but one detail I recalled was that there were several timelines to the story that showed how previous generation impacted newer ones. I ordered the first season from the library and forgot about it. The queue was pretty long. In the meantime, I started watching two other series on Hulu. When the library informed me that a set of DVDs I’d ordered had became available for pickup, I couldn’t remember what they were. But I wanted to give them a try, since someone had apparently told me I’d like the show (I couldn’t remember anymore who’d recommended it).

As I watched the first episode, Spencer sat nearby working on his computer. I kept asking him, “Was it you who told me about this? Didn’t you say there were a bunch of timelines or something?” The show wasn’t anything like I’d expected. Wasn’t it supposed to be a WWII show or something? Time travel? He said he didn’t know what I was talking about. I texted Pierce to ask him if there was a show he said I should watch about different timelines, but I couldn’t remember. He didn’t text back right away. I kept asking Spencer. He kept playing dumb. Meanwhile, I kept watching the pilot. I really started to like it. Well, mostly. Some hospital things bothered me. Obviously, I connected to the couple having triplets, though I kept moaning at the TV and telling the doctor not to let her go through labor and do a C-section already! Everyone knows these days you have to do a C-section with higher multiples. Then of course something went wrong and I yelled at them “I told you so!” Finally, at the end of the pilot, with the huge “ah-ha!” moment, I figured it all out. It was amazing! Wonderful storytelling! Spencer confessed. He’d just not wanted to ruin anything for me, especially after I'd forgotten everything he’d told me—even that it was about triplets.
 
With several bad fibromyalgia days lately, I’ve had time to binge-watch “This Is Us,” which turned out to be really cool because of the timing. Here’s one reason. My quadruplets just turned twenty-five on Sunday. Three of them were home, so we had a little luncheon party. Unlike other years, this year I just made one half cake. I baked one cake round, cut it in half, and stacked it to make a half a cake. They didn’t seem to mind. Who needs that much sugar anyway? We stuck in three candles, one in each of their colors. (It was weird to be missing one color. It was only the second time we weren’t all together for their birthday. The other time was when Molly was in London for a semester.) After our little party, with a growing snowstorm breaking us up early, I dropped on the couch and settled in to watch another episode of “This Is Us.” And just coincidently, the next episode was about the “This Is Us” triplets’ birthdays over the years. I found it quite fun to see; it reminded me a lot of our birthday parties over the years, something already on my mind because of it being our special day. I used to make four cakes, and we sang happy birthday four times, and we tried to not shortchange our kids since they already had to share the day—just like in “This Is Us,” when Mandy Moore made a whole lot of cakes too, year after year, and they let each triplet have their own party. The timing was perfect, to get to watch another higher multiple family celebrate over the years as I reminisced myself about all of our many multiples birthday parties.

Though the “This Is Us” family has many complex problems and issues that I don’t specifically share, there are so many things I can relate to. Watching it is very emotional and satisfying. You don’t have to have all that drama, or even have to have higher multiples, to connect with the characters on the show. The actors really act. I FEEL along with them. When they cry, they have real tears. (I'm so tired of when actors cry but they don't shed any tears! I'm thinking, no tears, not real, and miss out on the story, distracted by the awful faces the actors are pulling while trying not to blink so their eyes will well up.) This show is well done!

Last night, the most recent episode of “This Is Us” aired, and since I’d watched the last episode just yesterday morning, I was ready to watch with everyone else who still watches broadcast TV. I’ve been getting so frustrated with all of their foreshadowing, alluding, and, frankly as I see it, baiting and switching. We all know, we who watch it, that something terrible happened, but no one wants to talk about it. At least not on the show. About ten episodes ago, I was so sure we were finally going to see the big scene. Then NO, they changed to a completely different storyline. I yelled at the TV some more. 

In about the last three minutes of last night's episode, it all finally started. It was intense. Then the credits rolled and they said to tune in after the Super Bowl and all our questions will be answered. Dang! I don’t want to wait! After all my recent binging, I’m used to immediate gratification (except for the stringing-me-along bit with hints but no clear answers!). With the Vikings out of the running, I won’t be worried about or interested in the Super Bowl. So I’m going to be waiting, impatiently, for the game to finish so I can finally get all my questions answered.

If you haven’t yet gotten hooked to “This Is Us,” now might be the right time, now when they’re about to answer all of our questions. You can binge, or do a little at a time. Your choice. But if you are watching too, good luck waiting over the next twelve days for the big episode.