#The Pearsons Adjust to Parenting Life in ‘I’ve Got This’ (RECAP)

This Is Us is in the throes of early parenthood as the Pearsons adjust to their lives with new babies, both past and present.

In the episode, “I’ve Got This,” some tensions flare, while others remain calm, cool, and collected under the pressures of day-to-day life with a new family member in the mix. And no matter how old you get, the parenting never ends — or the feelings of judgement over your own parenting — which is what Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) feels when her mother Carol (Phylicia Rashad) makes herself at home in Philly.

Below, we break down all of the family drama and speculate over what’s to come after some interesting developments.

Battle of the Brothers (In-Law)

(Credit: NBC)

As a new father, Kevin (Justin Hartley) is floating on cloud nine as he enjoys spending time with new twins Nick and Franny. But it’s clear he and Madison (Caitlin Thompson) need some adult time too, so he calls up Kate (Chrissy Metz) and invites her and Toby (Chris Sullivan) over for a dinner.

Kate is picking up baby Jack at the local music school where he takes lessons at the time she gets the call from Kevin. Before departing, one of the faculty mentions how much they miss her helping out, since stepping away to care for new baby Hailey. Meanwhile, back at home, Toby is on one of his many virtual job interviews while watching over the newborn.

Feeling pretty hopeless after some fumbles, the possible employer tells Toby he’s a top candidate, which he then shares with Kate. She promises not to mention his work situation when they go over to Kevin’s house. Once there though, Kevin begins showing off all of the freebie gifts he and Madison have gotten from famous friends, as their nanny takes care of baby Jack and Hailey.

Moments after entering the house, Toby gets a text that he didn’t get the job he interviewed for earlier, and that sets a dark tone. Following Kevin out to the backyard, they talk about dad life, and the actor gets swept up in the idea of their kids growing up together. When Kevin floats the idea of buying a Malibu compound together for the whole Pearson gang, Toby isn’t on board.

(Credit: NBC)

Once it’s time to sit down for dinner, Toby can’t help but notice the expensive sushi spread as Kate and Madison chat about being moms. When Kevin offers to get Kate and Toby a special baby rocker, Toby accuses Kate of spilling the beans to Kevin about his being out of work. Things get awkward when Toby realizes this isn’t the case, and then Kevin offers to help them.

While they assure Kevin they don’t need help, Kate learns that Toby didn’t get the job he talked up to her earlier and she offers to go back to work. Toby counters that even that wouldn’t keep them afloat and if she goes back to work they’d have to pay for childcare. Madison offers to lend childcare to them, but it sends Toby over the edge and he asks Kevin to stop trying to take care of his family when he can.

Later as Kevin cleans up for the night, Kate promises she’ll let him know if she ever needs help, but that money is just a sore subject right now. Toby apologizes to Kevin before they leave and says they’re cool despite the tensions at dinner.

That evening, Kate tells Toby she is going to take a job at the music school and promises that they’ll be okay, and she calls Rebecca (Mandy Moore) to thank her for always making money troubles seem invisible when she was growing up. And over at Kevin’s place, he and Madison talk about their future before a visitor shows up at their front door. It happens to be Uncle Nicky (Griffin Dunne) who arrives, complaining that Kevin only named one of his babies after him. We wonder how long he’ll stay?

Beth’s Mom Stays Over

(Credit: NBC)

While Beth and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) were away in New Orleans, her mother Carol came to stay with Déjà (Lyric Ross), Tess (Eris Baker), and Annie (Faithe Herman). Needless to say, it’s getting a tad stuffy indoors for Randall who finds peace out on the back porch of his Philly home. Beth joins him there and mentions how Carol is lingering and how she plans to cook a meal to prove to her mother, once and for all, that she’s an adequate mom herself.

Inside the house, the girls are watching TV and are on phones between Zoom classes, and while Beth tries her best to make the girls step away from the electronics, it’s Carol’s commanding tone that gets them to move. When Randall asks about when Carol’s picking up her train, she reveals she’s extending her trip by an extra week, which is the opposite of what Randall and Beth want to hear.

When Beth begins cooking a curry for her family in the kitchen, Carol warns to not add too much pepper to the mix, critiquing Beth’s every move, including her inability to use the right pronouns for Tess’ friend Alex who identifies as they/their. Just before dinner, Malik (Asante Blackk) shows up and seeks out Randall for advice on whether he should allow his baby Janell’s mother Jennifer back into their lives since Randall has experience on birth mothers.

Randall suggests allowing Janell to have a relationship with her mother, which makes him nervous for the impending conversation with his own parents who aren’t fans of Jennifer. Once it’s dinner time, they sit and begin eating, but Carol is quick to say that there aren’t enough peppers in the curry.

(Credit: NBC)

Next, Tess is upset about not being allowed to see Alex and turns to texting. When Carol begins to drum up a fuss, Beth attempts to shut down the chaos by collecting phones, but things only blow up from there when Tess reveals that she and Alex are a couple and that Carol knew. Hurt by this, Beth tries to dig for answers but is disrupted by Déjà who questions Malik about his texts from Jennifer. Malik reveals what he shared with Randall and tells Déjà that he was talking to her father about the predicament.

As the night dissolves into pure tension, Beth tells Carol that she feels as though she’s keeping a list of everything she does wrong, and this is when Randall asks any remaining table members to leave. Carol begins packing her things, feeling unwelcome. Beth goes to apologize to her mother for lashing out, but is honest about how she feels under Carol’s gaze.

Carol admits that she misses the chaos and so-called mess as Beth refers to raising her family, and while they chat, Déjà complains to Randall that he’s supposed to be on her team, he’s her day one, and she wants him to share things like Malik’s baby mama drama to her. He agrees to do so, and is taken off guard when Beth reveals that her mother is staying… indefinitely. Before he can say much, Beth counters by saying that Randall’s family has often stayed with them and she never complained, and now it’s her turn. We can’t lie, the possibility of more Phylicia Rashad already pleases us!

Jack’s Dinner Blunder

(Credit: NBC)

Back in the past, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) attends a work dinner with Miguel (Jon Huertas) and two other colleagues in an attempt to impress and possibly earn a raise. While he walks the walk and talks the talk, it’s clear that the lavish meal isn’t Jack’s forte. When the men suggest doing credit card roulette, letting the waitress pick which card will be charged, Jack steps up to the plate and agrees to participate despite having three newborns at home. Of course, his card is chosen and it leads to a tense conversation with Rebecca. Ultimately they agree that she’ll handle finances from here on out, and the rest was history.

This Is Us, Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC