‘This Is Us’: Should Randall and Kevin’s Fight Worry Fans? The Puzzle Pieces Are Right in Front of Us
The rift between Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) has been worrying fans since This Is Us revealed the Pearson brothers weren’t speaking in the season 4 fall finale. Since the detail was presented on the Big Three’s upcoming 40th birthday, it’s likely we’ll find out what happens by the This Is Us Season 5 premiere. Now, with four episodes left within the fourth season, viewers are starting to wonder how concerned they should be about Randall and Kevin’s feud. And although we’ll watch as the storyline unfolds, it seems the end result is staring at us right in the face.
[Spoiler alert: This Is Us Season 4, Episode 14.]
‘This Is Us’ builds tension between Randall and Kevin
As mentioned the fight between Kevin and Randall is introduced in the This Is Us Season 4 fall finale. The episode, titled “So Long, Marianne,” included a flash-forward sequence set nine months in the future from the present-day Thanksgiving party.
Rebecca (Mandy Moore), who is experiencing lapses in her memory, arrives at the Pearson family cabin to celebrate her children’s birthday. Kevin, Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Miguel (Jon Huertas) are all present. However, Randall is missing. So naturally, Rebecca asks about her son. “We’re not speaking, remember?” Kevin says.
For the next few episodes, This Is Us doesn’t touch on the alarming line about Kevin and Randall. But in the Feb. 18 episode, titled “The Cabin,” the NBC series builds some tension between the two brothers as the truth starts to come out.
At this point in the season, Kevin is the only one who doesn’t know about Rebecca’s mild cognitive impairment diagnosis. But when Randall accidentally lets it slip that he stopped by Los Angeles — which was for Rebecca’s neurologist appointment — Kevin presses his brother.
Randall and Kate tell Kevin about their mother’s diagnosis. Then when Kevin says he wants to find a specialist, Randall admits they’ve already gone through the first steps. Realizing he is the last to know, Kevin storms off. He’s hurt by Randall, Rebecca, and Kate’s decision to leave him out of the loop.
Later, Randall breaks the ice by convincing his siblings to dig up the time capsule the Pearsons made when they were kids. Once unearthed, fans see that Randall placed a missing piece from the family portrait puzzle inside the capsule. And when Kate asks what made her brother decide on the puzzle piece, Randall responds, “I didn’t.”
As it turns out, the puzzle piece was Kevin’s idea. When they were kids, Randall had trouble choosing what to place inside. His anxiety took over and he wanted to give up. Then Kevin stepped in and chose the piece for his brother.
Back in the present, Randall admits he has been struggling with his anxiety and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) has told him to see a therapist. “Maybe you should,” Kevin suggests. And once again, Kevin’s ability to bring Randall out of his episodes is highlighted.
Justin Hartley says ‘This Is Us’ fans should worry about Kevin and Randall
On Feb. 4, Entertainment Tonight released an interview with Hartley. The actor opened up about Randall and Kevin’s feud in This Is Us Season 4. However, his comments won’t exactly calm you down.
“It’s big,” Hartley said. Then he clarified, “No, it’s big, big.”
He then added the fight between the Pearson brothers isn’t just about a misunderstanding. Rather, it goes deeper into who Randall and Kevin are as people.
“I think it’s a philosophy,” Harltey said. “It’s like, ‘This is how you handle your life and this is how you deal with things and this is what you think. I go about my business a different way,’ and they just can’t [see eye to eye].”
He continued: “This one’s for real. This is not like we’re going to argue about something. This is two men, two brothers each taking a stand that suggests that if they don’t bend, the other one will not be in their life. I mean, it is a big deal. It just gives them… it’s a big deal.”
Sterling K. Brown hints Kevin and Randall will be fine in the future
Meanwhile, when speaking with People on Feb. 18, Brown confirmed fans will find Kevin and Randall’s storyline “heartbreaking,” particularly because of the supportive nature of their relationship.
“There’s harmony to come from the siblings, from these two brothers,” Brown said. “But that’s what makes the fact that you know they’re not speaking to each other within a year all the more heartbreaking.”
That said, the actor shared there are still “good times to come” within the next few episodes. However, the feud will “kind of plays itself out during the finale of the season.”
But even with the rift looming over This Is Us fans as the fourth season nears its 18-episode cap, Brown reminded viewers have seen glimpses of the far future. So it’s likely Kevin and Randall are able to repair whatever is broken by the Big Three’s 40th birthday. He said:
We know in the ultimate future we are at Kevin’s house when we see Rebecca and we see Kevin’s son, so we know that, while there’s going to be tough times ahead, this family, whatever happens in the future, finds its way back to one another. In the course of the show, you will see the light and the dark, but you will always finish in the light, always.
Read more: ‘This Is Us’: Fans Cannot Stop Swooning Over Older Kevin’s George Clooney-Esque Look
