'This Is Us' Season 6 Episode 4 takeaway: NBC series sheds light on the after-effects of abuse, growing distance, and starting afresh

The new episode of This Is Us, titled 'Don't Let Me Keep You', puts Jack and his mother's battle with abuse at center.

The episode focused on the slow yet important progress Jack and Marylin made after coming out of their abusive home and building a life of their own, which eventually made them distant. The episode was directed by Jessica Yu and written by Elan Mastai.

Here are some of the takeaways from NBC's This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4.

Note: This article contains spoilers.

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Takeaway from 'This Is Us' Season 6 Episode 4

The fourth episode of This Is Us Season 6 sheds light on the after-effects of abuse, distance, and loss. It focused on Jack and his relationship with his mother, and how they went from being close to growing distant and building a life of their own.

Viewers will see Jack return to Ohio for his mother's funeral, which leads to him taking a trip down memory lane and learn how little he knew about his mother. The episode showcased the pain of losing a parent and how the regrets only hit when it's too late.

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The after-effects of abuse

Episode 4 of This Is Us focuses on how badly abuse damages a person, in this case Marilyn. Fans of the show are familiar with Jack's upbringing and the kind of house he grew up in. When he got the chance, he got out and made sure he found a secure place for his mother too. While the two may have let go of their past, the fear of the same never really left them.

Marylin, who had moved in with her cousin Debbie in Ohio, still carried her fears around with her. She feared that her husband, Stanley, would get to know about her whereabouts and would take her back. This also kept her from visiting her son Jack and his family, and when she finally did, the fear consumed her and disrupted the time she had with Jack.

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Growing distance

Although Jack promised Marylin that he would visit and they would talk every week on call, he failed to deliver. Jack never visited Ohio after he dropped her off at Debby's and had also started growing annoyed with the weekly calls. The two barely talked about anything and that made Marylin feel she was causing him trouble.

This episode of This Is Us showed the imperfect side of Jack. While he may be the ideal father and husband, he failed to be the ideal son. He did help Marylin get out of the abusive home when he could, but he fell short of his promises to her. Eventually, the two grew apart as Jack had a family of his own and a part of him did not want to keep himself tied to his old one.

When Jack drunk dials his father, he tells him that he grew apart from his mother because of Stanley's looming presence over them. He barely knew his mother or anything about her life in Ohio. The abuse had damaged the two so much that they no longer felt connected, even as a mother and son.

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Starting afresh

This episode of This Is Us also showed the positive side of growing apart. While Jack and Marylin grew distant due to the damage from the abuse, they also started afresh on their own. Marylin was finally free from Stanley. She built a life of her own in Ohio from befriending new people to adopting a cat, and she went on to do everything she wanted to.

As for Jack, he started a family of his own. He married Rebecca and then became a father to triplets. Rising from the abuse, his family helped him start afresh and build a new home. In his eulogy at Marylin's funeral, he thanked Rebecca and the kids for the same. He also thanked Debby and Mike for helping his mom build a home for herself as well.

Readers can catch the latest episode of This Is Us Season 6 streaming on NBC, Hulu, Peacock, and Hotstar.