'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The final season of the highly-anticipated family drama, This Is Us, premiered today and things are getting pretty heavy for the Pearsons.
The episode, titled The Challenger, is directed by Ken Olin and written by Dan Fogelman, revolves around the Big Three and how they, as children, coped with the Challenger explosion and, as adults, dealt with Rebecca's bad news.
'This Is Us' Season 6 Episode 1: Recap
This Is Us Season 6 Episode 1 opens with the day of the Challenger disaster in 1986. It feels like just another day, seeing Rebecca and Jack sing to yet another song. The Big Three are excited and for the special day, Rebecca has prepared a jug of Tang.
All seems to be going well in This Is Us until school time. The triplets watch the Challenger explode on national television along with their peers and everyone falls silent as the teacher switches off the television.
Back at home, Rebecca and Jack are worried about the impact the disaster might have had on their kids, so they try and get them to talk about it. At first, Kevin ignores everything, making Jack think his mind is just trying to protect itself.
Randall is concerned about astronaut Christa McAuliffe’s children and if they have someone to cook dinner for them, making Rebecca worry that he is too good for the world and might face disappointment.
As for Kate, she is optimistic that the heroes were high enough to make it to heaven. This reaction seems to affect the present day's Big Three in This Is Us.
Kevin
This Is Us Season 6 premiere shows how far Kevin has come, from being a playboy bachelor to a father to twins. Kevin and Madison switched to co-parenting after their wedding was called off last season.
Kevin now lives in Madison's garage to stay closer to the kids, to the extent that he decides to join The Manny reboot. Although he is jealous of Madison's budding friendship with Elijah, her friend from the book club, he decides to move out of the garage and into Kate's house.
Randall
In This Is Us Season 6 premiere, Randall seemed relieved after finding out about the man who broke into their house in Season 4. It's Big Three's birthday, but the only thing on his mind is confronting the robber.
He shares the same with his wife Beth and she asks him to drop the situation and celebrate his birthday with his family. Despite Beth pleading otherwise, Randall chose to go to court and confront the man.
Randall then speaks with the robber and begins to empathize with him. He ends up understanding his situation of being an addict. Randall offered him a bed at a shelter and asked him to meet him there that night. He bailed David out, but David never showed up that night.
Nevertheless, Randall's arc ends with hope, just like Rebecca said. He returns home and is gifted a pair of cufflinks by Beth to replace the ones stolen in This Is Us Season 4.
Kate
The premiere of This Is Us Season 6 highlights a new journey for Kate. Things are good between her and Toby. Since he is in San Francisco due to his new job, he missed his wife's 41st birthday. But he calls and shares the plan. He tells Kate that the kids will be with Rebecca, Miguel, and Nicky. He wants her to have the day to herself and get a massage.
Later in This Is Us Season 6, Kate expresses her gratitude towards Toby. She is asked to come to the school so that the students can sing for her birthday. But before this grand gesture by the kids, Kate witnessed Phillip's breakup with his girlfriend. In This Is Us Season 6 premiere, Kate is surprised by Toby's unexpected arrival and feels her troubles melt away.
Rebecca
It's been a tough day for Rebecca on This Is Us Season 6 Episode 1. Her health is worsening and this realization hits her when she's out with Hailey and Jack on a children's train ride.
She recalls a sweet memory of her father on the train with her but forgets the word 'caboose.' This frustrates her throughout the episode of This Is Us and she blurts out the word during the Big Three’s birthday. She finally breaks the bad news to her kids about her PET scan, revealing that she has plaques building up in her brain.
The news hit the Big Three hard, making Kevin worry even more about his mother's sickness. He wishes the world would stop for her. Kate adds how far they all have come in the past five years. Despite their mother's declining health, Kate is optimistic that they will find the light again.
At the end of the This Is Us Season 6 premiere, a frustrated Rebecca tells Nicky to shut up and meet Sally because life is too short. She tells Miguel and Nicky that they will leave in the morning to drive down to Sally so that Nicky can finally stop giving her a headache.
Later, she looks at her PET scans and recalls the word 'caboose.' Jumping back to 1986, young Kate and Kevin realize that their parents will also die one day, something they learned from the Challenger disaster.
Stream the latest episode of This Is Us Season 6 on NBC, Hulu, and Hotstar.
