‘This Is Us’ Season 4, Episode 10 ‘Light And Shadows’ Review: Truths And A Celebrity Hall Pass

Although the holiday decorations are still up on tonight’s episode, This Is Us welcomes us back with something a little less than merry. Rebecca (Mandy Moore) is finally facing her condition. And seeing her go through that with the dawning realization that everything she’s ever cherished will soon start slipping away is a hard watch. It also gives more weight to the episode’s flashback storyline. Meanwhile, Kate (Chrissy Metz) is also facing a hard truth in her marriage as she and Toby (Chris Sullivan) finally address the elephant in the room. And while Kate’s dealing with that marriage crisis, Kevin (Justin Hartley), on the other hand, is dealing with a very unexpected relationship crisis.

On to other juicy details, tonight’s episode of This Is Us also has some pretty sweet highlights. This includes a pretty great soundtrack, a surprise guest, a love story for the ages, and a little sinister twist. If you want to know what I’m talking about, read on. There’s a lot to catch up on in This Is Us.

Lady Kryptonite

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that Toby’s mysterious cross-fit lady friend is called Lady Kryptonite. There were already budding secrets between Toby and Kate but, this Lady Kryptonite set the sirens blaring. After their holiday in Philly, Kate finally confronts Toby about the trash-talking messages. And lucky for him, he gets off easy with an explanation that he simply needed to vent and an assurance that there was nothing between him and Lady Kryptonite.

A few days later, Kate plans out a surprise Hawaiian themed birthday party in an effort to do something nice for Toby. The surprise in the surprise is that she’s inviting all of Toby’s gym buddies most especially Lady Kryptonite. However, come to the party, Kate sees no sign of the woman. She’s also accidentally informed that Toby actually switched gyms weeks ago without telling her.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

After braving the party, Kate and Toby have another confession session. As it turns out, Toby left his previous gym because Lady Kryptonite tried to kiss him. And he didn’t tell Kate yet again because he didn’t want to fight again. Unfortunately, there’s more than just one problem hanging between them.

Aside from the secrets, Kate has also noticed Toby purposely spending less time with her and Jack. She felt him pulling away. Sadly, the issue isn’t with Kate. As Toby explains, unlike the pure and unbridled joy Kate feels when she looks at Jack, he only feels sad when he looks at his son because of his condition. And he purposely stayed away because he wanted to avoid the disappointment that was so clearly painted on Kate’s face. Hurt, Kate picks up her son and tells Toby that the gift she got him was a retreat for families like theirs. Now, that’s out of the window.

Later that night, Kate notices Jack reaching for the pineapple decor lights. That’s when she realizes that he must’ve started seeing shadows and light already. This causes momentary joy in the family. But, it still doesn’t shake off the worry that Toby and Kate are going to split soon or something like that.

Celebrity Hall Pass

On the other hand, after thanksgiving, Kevin has been going on dates trying to find his own great love story. Unfortunately, each one of them ends up a bust until he meets Lizzie. The two hit it off at once and soon, they’re sitting down in a nice cafe discussing their likes and dislikes. Sadly, it was actually Lizzie’s last day in L.A. as she was only there for a convention. So, Kevin offers to take her around town to fulfill her L.A. dreams.

Initially, Lizzie just wanted to go to Hollywood boulevard. But, Kevin had grander plans in mind. Instead, he takes her to a Hollywood bowl. And guess who walks on stage to perform for the pair? John freaking Legend! Apparently, after Lizzie told Kevin that Legend was her favorite artist, he made some calls and booked them an exclusive concert that features Legend’s latest single Conversations In The Dark. Seriously though, what in the world?! Only Kevin Pearson and only This Is Us can serve up this kind of fairytale impromptu first date. It makes you wonder how Kevin would follow this up on a second date.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Sadly, there’s not even the prospect of that. When Kevin kisses Lizzie, she pulls away and out comes tumbling the whole truth that Kevin was just actually her celebrity hall pass. And all this time, the person who’s been persistently messaging her was actually her husband and not her mother as she initially said. Shocked to his core, Kevin lets Lizzie leave without another word.

Later that night, on the set of the film he’s working on, Kevin rants about the biggest failed date in his whole life to a staff member. Then, he hands the lad his phone to free himself of any distractions. But, just as he walks away, the phone lights up with a call from another surprise person: Sophie.

A Love Story For The Ages

Now, This Is Us has a lot of amazing love stories. But, nothing seems to trump that of Jack and Rebecca’s. If you remember, the first half of this season showed Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) meeting Rebecca’s dad and the “you will never be enough for my daughter” argument that ensued. This episode picks up right on that mark.

After that disastrous golf game, Rebecca drives Jack home. And though Jack pretends that everything went fine, it’s clear that Dave Malone’s (Tim Matheson) words messed up his mind. Although Jack clearly loved Rebecca, Dave made their gap crystal clear. Rebecca was rich and Jack couldn’t even pay rent on time. So, the next time they meet, Jack breaks things off with Rebecca.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Noting her daughter’s miserable state, Mrs. Malone takes time to give Rebecca a few good words of advice. True enough, when she and Mr. Malone found that Rebecca was dating a guy with no job and no money, they were very worried. But, Mrs. Malone also recognizes that Rebecca needs to live her own life. She also reveals what Mr. Malone did to Jack. And as parting advice, Mrs. Malone tells Rebecca, “If he really is your choice, this dark complicated man, make sure he gives you a great love story, one for the ages.”

Rebecca then rushes to the mechanic shop Jack worked at. And with a meaningful speech, she declares her love for him and throws off everything that her father said about him. After a few moments of shock, Jack finally takes her into his arms while saying, “I can’t believe you actually beat me to saying I love you.” And then, they kiss with literal sparks flying in the background from one of the welding machines.

The Dreaded Results

Back in the present timeline of This Is Us, Randall gets Rebecca an appointment with one of LA’s top neurologists. And he flies out just to accompany his mom to her checkup. However, Miguel’s (Jon Huertas) not too thrilled by Randall’s presence because he feels that Randall doesn’t trust him enough to take care of Rebecca. In turn, Randall thinks Miguel failed to see the signs that something was wrong with his mom.

When the results of Rebecca’s exam come out, it’s revealed that she has mild cognitive impairment. However, without further tests, the doctor can’t pinpoint what she exactly has. As of now, they’re warned that Rebecca might soon face either the normal memory losses of aging or memory deterioration. Only time can tell.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

With the dreaded results out, Miguel confides his fears in Randall. As it is, he wasn’t actually blind to Rebecca’s changes. He was just desperately hoping that there wasn’t anything wrong with her. Understanding his fear, Randall comforts Miguel. And in turn, Miguel promises to do everything to take care of Rebecca including keeping up with her meds, doctor’s appointments, and everything else.

Later that night, Rebecca goes back to her memories of Jack. And in the process, she sheds a tear as if grieving the memories themselves. Meanwhile, Randall goes back home to Philly. After checking on his family, he comes back down for a glass of water. And there in his kitchen, he finds a stranger in a hoodie who seems to have a weapon in his hand. Then, it cuts to credits.

This Is Us continues Tuesday, January 21st, with “2:17” at 9/8c on NBC.