More like Jack every day. Kevin (Justin Hartley) took a big leap during the Tuesday, March 15, episode of This Is Us, titled “The Guitar Man” and directed by Milo Ventimiglia.
Kevin traveled to the cabin with the twins without the help of a nanny. There he found Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison) hard at work alongside a crew of veterans who were building Kevin’s new house. He scolded Cassidy when he discovered that construction was behind because the workers poured the foundation incorrectly. However, Kevin later apologized after Nicky (Griffin Dunne) informed him that Cassidy was under a lot of stress with the project and her personal issues as a veteran and single mother.
At the cabin, Kevin, Cassidy, Nicky, his girlfriend, Edie (Vanessa Bell Calloway), Cassidy’s son, Matty (Noah Salsbury Lipson), and the twins bonded. That night, Kevin received a phone call that Cassidy, who was supposed to be staying at the cabin with Matty, had been in a car accident. He and Nicky learned at the hospital that Cassidy broke her clavicle and her arm after hitting a pole. Kevin assumed she would be fine, but Nicky speculated that the weight of Cassidy’s experiences in Afghanistan had gotten to her.
Kevin decided to stay at the hospital overnight until he could visit Cassidy. He wondered whether he was doing the right thing because it was the right thing to do or whether he was just acting like he was the kind of person who did the right thing. The next morning, Cassidy explained that she didn’t sleep well and often went for drives to clear her head. She felt happy when they were all at the cabin and didn’t want the night to end, but she didn’t stop driving or fight sleep when she realized she was getting tired. Instead, Cassidy drove faster, seemingly attempting suicide behind the wheel of the car.
Cassidy ultimately returned to the cabin to recuperate, and Nicky put her in touch with a readjustment counselor at the VA. Kevin, meanwhile, decided that the trio should hire more veterans to build houses and launch the company that Jack never had the time to start, Big Three Homes.
In a flashback to Kevin’s (Kaz Womack) childhood elsewhere in the episode, he wanted to go in the deep end of the community pool, but Jack (Ventimiglia) told him he had to learn how to swim first. Kevin grew impatient with the lesson because he wanted to use the diving board. Rebecca (Mandy Moore) later told Kevin that Jack was trying to build his son’s character. Kevin remarked that he was not like his dad, to which Rebecca replied that he was exactly like Jack.
In a separate flashback, Kevin (Logan Shroyer) went to the pool after cheating on Sophie (Amanda Leighton). It was drained because it had been shut down, so he finally sat in the empty deep end. Kevin told Kate (Hannah Zeile) and Randall (Niles Fitch) that he didn’t have what it took to make it in the deep end because he was shallow without a firm foundation. He considered quitting acting to stay in Pittsburgh and go into construction like Jack because their late father was solid. Kate assured Kevin that while he was currently a screw-up, someday he would figure it out.
This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
