First off, let me get something off my chest. . .
Y'all, I haven't been watching This Is Us this whole time.
I tried. In fact, I tried three times.
I tried when it first came out. I couldn't do it two episodes in.
I tried to binge watch once this summer. I still couldn't do it.
I tried after watching the Super Bowl episode. . .and finally succeeded. We'll come back to this. And yes, you read that right, I started with the Super Bowl episode.
You see, while I haven't been watching I've been aware - very aware of this show. I see the updates each week of what it does to people.
However, here's my issue. I have off the charts empathy, and movie/TV feelings wreck me more than most. They have my whole life. This started with a trio of movies from my childhood - Bambi (Sidebar: I watched this as an adult, and HOW WAS THIS A CHILDREN'S FILM?!!?), The Fox and the Hound, and All Dogs Go To Heaven. Most recently, I had to stop watching Parenthood because it was impacting my emotions outside of the hour I was spending with the Bravermans. There are host of other examples, but these are the bookends of my overly emotional life.
Anyway, so I tried This Is Us so hard, and I just couldn't. However, I've been reading the summaries/spoilers the whole time. So, I can legit tell you everything that has happened, but I have watched none of it.
When Super Bowl Sunday came around, I decided to the show another go. I figured if this was the worst that it was going to get, and I knew what happened, I should start there. I'm not sure if this rationale works, but whatever.
So, then I started over. I watched them all. Feeling after feeling after feeling after feeling. Also, as I found out, there were way more feels aside from the Super Bowl episode. I totally should have seen that coming.
But wait, I have to be honest, y'all. I didn't fully engage.
I was doing other things. I wasn't fully glued to each one because I still just couldn't. Honestly, I'm not sure how people do this every week. Because even though I wasn't 100% locked in, it wrecked me. In fact, I almost quit again. Halfway through season two, it just was a lot to manage. Again, HOW DO PEOPLE DO THIS?!!?
However, I pushed through, and I'm caught up now. I'll watch the rest of season two. I won't do it in real-time because I'm still having to read those spoilers/summaries to get through.
Oh, and maybe I should mention this - I'm pretty sure I dig the show. I don't love all the ugly cries, but you know, it is what it is, I guess? I'm still confused . . .Anyway.
Oh, and two bonus cast questions/thoughts. . .
1). Does anyone else remember Justin Hartley from Passions? Because I do. He was Fox Crane. Also, I miss that show. I wish NBC would reboot that.
2). Remember when Mandy Moore made music. Here's my personal favorite jam.
And because there are too many feels up in here, I'll end with this.
"Love Always, Mandy"
