‘This Is Us’ Season 4, Episode 6 ‘The Club’ Review: Golfing Settles A Lot Of Things

Randall Pearson, you are one sly fox. You definitely played us this time. Who would have thought? In this week’s episode of This Is Us, Randall (Sterling K. Brown) proves that he has enough politics running through his veins as the veterans through a game of golf. Surprisingly, the man has got a shrewd side to him enough to make him a politician. More than that though is the journey and revelation that took him there which involves the discussion of race with his white father Jack. And what I love about this is episode is that This Is Us isn’t afraid to explore the different aspects of this conversation. What’s more, this episode has some pretty solid writing from Kevin Falls that brought the parallel timelines together smoothly up to that spectacular ending.

Meanwhile, while Randall was off playing politics and golf, someone else was making less than stellar decisions on This Is Us namely Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison). With all the flirting that’s been happening between them, I don’t think it’s hard to guess what that bad decision is. And while they’re at that, Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan) are trying to revive their sex life while trying to deal with current lingering issues about weight and attraction.

Golf and Threats With Jack’s Father-in-Law

One time when Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) was still dating Rebecca (Mandy Moore), Mr. Malone (Tim Matheson) invites him to play golf. Jack hesitates at first but, at his girlfriend’s urging, he takes Mr. Malone up on his offer. Despite Mr. Malone’s surface kindness though, it doesn’t make Jack feel more comfortable and less humiliated in the situation.

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At the club, Mr. Malone buys Jack golfing clothes since his shirt and jeans just don’t cut it. He also introduces him to his buddies. One of them is coincidentally in the construction business and Mr. Malone keeps pushing Jack to work with him. In addition to all that, Jack isn’t really good at golf. So, with the stress of the situation, Jack keeps tossing back glass after glass of gin and tonic. By, the end of the game, he’s fairly drunk.

When they get home, Mr. Malone finally comes clean with his distaste of Jack and questions him if he sees himself at Rebecca’s wedding. But, Jack tosses the question back, narrating the simple but beautiful life he envisions with Rebecca and their kids. Then, he asks Mr. Malone “Do you see yourself there?” With their argument escalating, Mr. Malone tells jack that he’ll never be good enough for Rebecca. Before the two men could start throwing punches, Rebecca interrupts. Seeing that Jack’s drunk and tripping over his feet, she takes him home with Mr. Malone’s look of disapproval lingering on them.

A Father’s Misunderstanding

A little further on, in the big three’s middle school years, Jack meets Randall’s (Lonnie Chavis) teacher Mr. Lawrence (Brandon Scott). And after seeing how much Randall looked up to him, Jack grows a little jealous. When he notices Randall’s budding interest in golf because of up-and-coming golfer Tiger Woods, he takes the opportunity to bond with his son and offers to take him golfing.

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During their game, Randall opens up about his worries of making it somewhere because of his race. But, Jack misunderstands. This obviously discourages Randall. When Jack finally gives Randall a chance to elaborate, the kid lays out the obvious difference between their hardships using the club. He tells Jack, “You feel uncomfortable at a golf course and I probably wouldn’t even have been allowed on it.”

Jack tries to apologize. But, even his “When I look at you, I don’t see color. I see my son.” statement doesn’t fly by. As Randall aptly responds, “Then you don’t see me.” Admittedly, that wasn’t one of Jack’s finer moments. Later on, however, he manages to deliver a more sincere and proactive apology. And in the end, he doesn’t allow Randall to give up on golf. Also, the next time Jack sees Mr. Lawrence, he invites them over for dinner.

A Little Trouser Problem in the Bedroom

In the present time, Kate and Toby are seeking to revive their sex life. So, one weekday, they call on Rebecca and Miguel to babysit while they have a little mommy and daddy time in a hotel. Unfortunately, when they get to it, Toby experiences some problems. Afterward, Kate broaches the issue by asking if he’s still attracted to her. Toby assures her that he is and unconvincingly tells her that he just has a lot on his mind.

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After a little unconvinced “ok” from Kate, Toby finally comes clean with the real issue. Earlier on, while Toby was sorting out which of his clothes to give away, Kate stopped him from getting rid of a pair of pants that were now too big for him. And it didn’t settle well with him. To sum it up, he asks Kate “Is it because you doubt I can keep the weight off or because you’re hoping I put the weight back on?” Oof indeed. With both of them upset, they just decide to head back home.

When they get there, however, Kate heads straight to the bedroom. A few seconds later, she comes back out cutting up one of Toby’s trousers as a form of apology for what she said earlier. She also assures her husband that she believes in him wholeheartedly. And in turn, Toby assures her that he’s just as attracted to her as he was in the height of their relationship. With things set right, the couple does a little quickie before baby Jack and the grandparents get home.

One Step Forward and A Bad Decision Later

Meanwhile, Kevin’s getting a little uneasy in his uncle’s small town where there’s nothing to do. Looking for a release, he heads to the gym where he runs into Cassidy. As it turns out, she’s incredibly strong. And she loves teasing the crap out of Kevin’s love life. Although, she was surprised to hear that Kevin broke up with his past girlfriend because he wanted kids and she didn’t. Speaking of Zoe, it seems that she’s doing just as fine with a new boy in her life.

Later on, Kevin goes on a date with the girl manning the smoothie station at the gym. They find differences in future aspirations, however, they find common ground in wanting kids. Eventually, they head to Kevin’s trailer hoping for a romp but, Cassidy’s there. And Kevin immediately sends his date home.

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As it turns out, Cassidy went to talk to her husband. But, things turned sour and Cassidy was left more discouraged than ever saying that she also wouldn’t want to be with someone as screwed up as her. Comforting her, Kevin reminds her that even if she’s made mistakes, at least she’s trying. He tells her, “That doesn’t make you unlovable. It makes you human.” Probably overcome with emotions, Cassidy steps forward and kisses Kevin. Afterward, she tries to leave but, Kevin stops her and pulls her back into his arms.

Later that night, Kevin finds Uncle Nicky (Griffin Dunne) making sandwiches in his kitchen. Nicky apologizes for their earlier argument and then heads out. When Kevin opens the door to his bedroom, he reveals Cassidy in his bed having the same look of “we screwed up” on her face.

Randall Pearson The Politician

On the other hand, Randall is being frozen out by Councilman Wilkins (William Allen Young) after he skipped out on the older man the past few times. So, Randall sets out to talk to him. After overhearing their conversation about golf, Randall invites the councilman and his friends to an exclusive club in an attempt to get back to the councilman’s good graces.

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At the game, Randall is serving one bad shot after another. But, he’s a sport about it and constantly endures the laughs from the other councilmen. Later on, however, Wilkins finally takes pity on Randall and mentors him, giving him tips and tricks along the way. Seeing Randall improve, the councilman beams with pride and they eventually get chummy with each other. At lunch, Wilkins leans over to Randall and tells him to pass by his office sometime so they could discuss Randall’s grocery proposal in turn for one of Wilkin’s legislations.

At the end of the day, Randall stays behind in the club. And he continues to swing some great shots. As it turns out, when Jack took him golfing, they didn’t go home until Randall got some adequate shots in. That moment, one statement from Jack seemed to have really stuck with Randall. “Sometimes, you’ll have to play up to the competition. Sometimes you’ll have to play down to it. But, play the game.”  Randall continued playing in high school up until college and he’s actually quite good at it. And now, he’s playing the game.

This Is Us continues Tuesday, November 5th, with “The Dinner and the Date” at 9/8c on NBC.