‘This Is Us’: Randall and Kevin Are Not Speaking and It’s More Detrimental Than Fans Think
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, This Is Us Season 4 continues its Big Three trilogy with Kate’s (Chrissy Metz) episode, but it seems Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) will still move their storylines forward. In the episode, titled “A Hell of a Week: Part Three,” the present-day Pearson siblings head to the family cabin to support one another as they deal with their personal struggles. Things will also take a turn for the worse, as the rift between Kevin and Randall is supposed to begin when the Sad Three reunite. And recently Hartley revealed why Kevin and Randall not speaking in This Is Us is a much greater deal than some fans previously predicted.
The reason why ‘This Is Us’ fans are concerned about Randall and Kevin
The rift between Randall and Kevin was first introduced in the This Is Us Season 4 fall finale. Throughout the episode, fans watched as Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) memory loss took center stage, creating a flash-forward no one was expecting. But by the end of the episode, viewers learned most of Rebecca’s scenes took place nine months from Thanksgiving in the present-day — on Rebecca, Randall, and Kevin’s 40th birthday.
In the flash-forward, Rebecca was escorted back to a cabin by police. Kate, Kevin, and Miguel (Jon Huertas) were waiting for the Pearson matriarch, worried about her whereabouts. However, Randall was nowhere to be seen, despite gathering for the Big Three’s birthday celebration.
“Kevin, is Randall here yet?” Rebecca asked. Kate, Kevin, and Miguel instantly froze in their tracks, appearing incredibly uncomfortable.
“No mom, Randall’s not coming. We’re not speaking, remember?” Kevin replied.
Justin Hartley says the rift between Randall and Kevin is ‘big’
On Feb. 4, Hartley spoke with Entertainment Tonight and revealed This Is Us fans should be very worried about Kevin and Randall’s relationship moving forward.
“It’s big. No, it’s big, big,” Hartley said of Kevin and Randall not speaking.
The actor then explained the heart of Randall and Kevin’s rift, hinting it goes deeper than a simple argument.
“It’s more than a misunderstanding,” Hartley said. “I think it’s a philosophy. 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.”
Now, it appears the drama between Kevin and Randall will go on for some time. Hartley confirmed the This Is Us team is still filming scenes leading up to the 40th birthday flashforward.
“We’re still shooting that. We’re still telling that story. [This] week we start to get into it,” Hartley said.
Sterling K. Brown hints Kevin and Randall will find resolve
Despite Hartley’s concerning remarks about Kevin and Randall in This Is Us Season 4, it seems likely the Pearson brothers eventually let go of their argument. As fans have already seen in the season 3 flash-forward, they’re still in each other’s lives.
Meanwhile, when speaking with The Wrap, Brown described the nature of Kevin and Randall’s relationship.
“The tension between Kevin and Randall, it’s a relationship where they love each other deeply,” Brown said. “But you see throughout history, like, they come together and they come apart, together, apart, together, apart.”
The actor also confirmed Kevin and Randall ultimately squash their feud to — at the very least — deal with their mother’s health complications.
“We know that when we get to the distant future, we are at Kevin’s house, right?” Brown said. “So we know that they ultimately come back together. And I know that the way in which they deal with their mother’s illness is part of the reason why there is friction. And that’s all I can say about that.”
Read more: ‘This Is Us’: This Kate and Marc Theory Will Have You Re-Watching the NBC Series for Clues
