‘This Is Us’ Viewers Break Down During ‘Don’t Let Me Keep You’: ‘One of the Best Episodes Ever’
Viewers of This Is Us found themselves on an emotional rollercoaster during “Don’t Let Me Keep You,” where Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) came to terms with the death of his mother Marilyn (Laura Niemi). After years of weekly phone calls where Jack and Marilyn quickly caught up but never really got to know one another, her sudden death became a catalyst for learning more about the woman he saved from an abusive marriage. Viewers were left crying during the episode’s final scene where Jack, in the arms of his family, comes to the realization his mother was truly gone. They agreed it was “one of the best episodes ever” of the acclaimed NBC series.
‘Don’t Let Me Keep You’ allowed fans to learn even more about the character of Jack Pearson
Jack was always a significant presence in the Pearson family after his untimely death. However, his story was never fully fleshed out. This Is Us‘ writers took fans into a deeper look at a love story between a mother and son in the episode “Don’t Let Me Keep You.”
In a series of flashbacks, the series traveled 13 years in the past as Jack took Marilyn out of the home she shared with his father, her husband Stanley (Peter Onorati). After settling Marilyn at her cousin Debbie’s (Camryn Manheim) home in Ohio, Jack appeared to keep his mother at arm’s length. As his life revolved more around Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and their three children, he seemed to be less involved in his weekly phone calls with his mother.
The series’ writers ran with this detail as they demonstrated just how much Jack did not know about his mother during her life in Ohio, where she found a new family and a happy life.
Fans called the storyline ‘one of the best episodes ever’
In the comments section of an Instagram post, fans reacted to the emotional storyline.
They called it “one of the best episodes ever” of the six-season NBC series.
“Cried my eyes out. One of the best episodes to date” wrote one follower.
“The last three minutes. To anyone that has lost a mom, it hits the most,” claimed a second viewer.
“That was so well-written and the best acting from Jack I’ve seen. Gut-wrenching, still crying thinking about it all. ‘I don’t have a mom anymore’ gutted me. This is the best show ever,” exclaimed a third Instagram user.
“Incredible episode!! Hats off to Milo Ventimiglia, Bravo! I was crying,” penned a fourth fan of This Is Us.
Will viewers learn more about Jack’s past throughout the series final season?
In an interview with People Magazine, Ventimiglia put a period on Jack’s backstory.
He explained, “I think it was just an important piece to, I don’t want to say wrap up Jack, but I don’t know if there’s much more we’re gonna learn about Jack. I think at this point; he’s still just gonna serve as a memory and as this foundation for his kids.”
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.
