‘This Is Us’ Season 4, Episode 9 ‘So Long, Marianne’ Review: Thanksgiving Change

By this point, the heartbreak is already a tradition for fans of This Is Us. You just can’t get This Is Us without it. And in tonight’s Thanksgiving episode titled ‘So Long, Marianne,’ we’re getting plenty of answers. The thing is, there are plenty more between those answers and now. So, there’s plenty to keep us all buzzing while the show goes on hiatus.

Much like any big family event with the Pearsons, this Thanksgiving episode of This Is Us is complete with all the usual joy, laughter, triumph, and of course the proverbial heartbreak. In the last episode, we got a taste of Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) future. But now, we know just how hard it’ll be exactly to watch. On the other hand, we also have hints as to where Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Kate (Chrissy Metz) are headed in the next few months of their lives. And from everything this episode revealed, the next half of this season of This Is Us seems to be ready to tear our emotions to shreds. It’s a strange thing to look forward to. But, I’m nevertheless ready to get hurt more. Here’s everything ‘So Long, Marianne’ left us with.

Thanksgiving Shrimp

As kids, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Nicky (Michael Angarano) always had their parents quarreling on  Thanksgiving. It doesn’t change many years later into adulthood. But one Thanksgiving, before Nicky gets drafted, the brothers decide to skip out on the family gathering and spend the day by themselves. Given that he’s a week away from being sent to war, Nicky goes all out and bets big on a football game. Luckily, he wins and receives a fat wad of cash for it.

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To celebrate, Nicky and Jack head to a fancy restaurant where they happily spend their fortune on five pounds of shrimp. Later on, they settle at the back of Jack’s pickup truck with some drinks while listening to Leonard Cohen’s ‘So Long, Marianne.’ As the song goes on, Nicky explains the deep meaning behind the lyrics.

Holiday Worries

In the present, the Pearsons are off to a tense holiday morning. Deja’s (Lyric Ross) fussing about her clothes for her mom. And Beth’s praying with all her life that Shauna (Joy Brunson) shows up ok for her. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s being icy towards Randall (Sterling K. Brown) after their argument. And instead of facing the issue, Rebecca goes out for a walk.

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A little bit later, Kevin and Nicky (Griffin Dunne) arrive to warm greetings. As that goes on, Nicky looks around the Pearson family photos. And with each photo, his absence grows more and more painfully obvious. When Randall announces that he’s going back to their old house to pick up some tradition stuff like Jack’s pilgrim hat, Nicky volunteers to accompany him and Annie (Faithe Herman).

As they head out, Kevin checks up on his other niece, Tess (Eris Baker). And he discovers that the reason she wasn’t part of the welcoming party was that she was caught up with this meme going around school about posting a picture of their celebrity crush. Since she wasn’t out with her schoolmates yet, Tess is torn with what to do. She could post nothing and be left out. Or she could post a picture of her real crush Zendaya and reveal the truth.

Coming Out

In a plan to cheer Tess up, Kevin takes her out for some pre-turkey snacks. Then, at the drive-thru, Kevin explains how they take one step at a time at AA meetings. Inspired by that, Kevin encourages Tess to try coming out to one person at a time even if its a stranger like a guy on the intercom. Although hesitant at first, Tess does it. And the sheer joy on her face afterward just spells out how freeing it was for her.

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Back at home, Shauna arrives early. And as it turns out, Beth was worried for nothing. Shauna now has a front desk job at a hospital and she’s doing really great for herself. When Deja comes down, she and her mother have quite the heartwarming reunion. Then, they shuffle on to catching up like no time has passed. From the corner of the room, Beth watches as the pair bond over little things like Deja’s dancing video and some inside jokes with a little bit of jealousy.

On the other hand, while en route to Philly, Toby’s (Chris Sullivan) phone is blowing up with messages from his Crossfit buddies. According to him, they’re all going crazy over baby Jack’s solid food video. Then, for some absurd reason, Kate feels the need to tell Toby the truth about Jack’s first avocado. Toby gets snippy about it. But, in the end, they manage to smooth it out and arrive free of angst, in Toby’s case at least.

Kate and Beth’s Evil Feelings

While Beth and Kate continue cooking, everybody else settles in the living room. There, Toby’s trying to get Miguel hooked on his new weight loss lifestyle while Deja and Shauna are bonding. Soon enough, Beth and Kate notice each other’s troubled looks over to that area. And they silently agree to get out.

Outside, Beth confesses “I hate that Shauna’s doing so well.” And damn, that is bad but, she does justify why. Deja has a close relationship with her mother. And the only father figure she’s known is Randall. So, it leaves Beth feeling out of place in her daughter’s life.

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As for Kate, she confesses “I hate Crossfit Toby.” Before they had Jack, they promised each other that they’d lose the weight together. But now that Kate’s stuck at home and Toby has gone off and lost the weight alone, Kate couldn’t help but feel left behind. Beth advises Kate to talk to Toby about it. Because as she warns, only venting out to other people about their marriage problems is dangerous territory. Kate does try later. But, seeing Toby’s joy at feeding his son, she balks and simply greets him happy thanksgiving.

On the other hand, As Shauna discusses how great her new life is doing, something dawns on Deja. As she excuses herself to her room, Beth follows. Deja’s really happy for her mother. But, at the same time, she’s hurt that her mother couldn’t do as well with her when they were together. So, Beth takes her in her arms. Knowing how much Deja loves her mom, Beth tells her not to forget the times when Shauna was perfect to her even when she didn’t get the best version of her when they were together.

Nicky Was Never Absent

Meanwhile, on the ride back to Randall’s old home, Annie asks Nicky “You’re grandpa Jack’s brother right? So, why haven’t we met before?” To this, Nicky bitterly answers “Because your grandfather erased me.” From the family pictures up to that moment, Nicky’s frustration of being absent in Jack’s family’s life has been growing more and more. But, as the new owner of Randall’s home appears, Nicky packs up his emotions again.

After retrieving their things and a CD folder they left behind, Nicky pops on Leonard Cohen’s CD on the car stereo and they listen to ‘So Long, Marianne.’ As the music fills the car, Randall recounts how Jack always explained the song’s meaning to them. And as he explains it to Nicky, Nicky realizes it’s the very same explanation he gave Jack years ago on their little Thanksgiving.

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Realizing that Jack never really erased from his life, Nicky’s eyes well with tears. And he tries his hardest to keep them in as he looks out the window. After pulling himself together, Nicky requests they make a quick stop before they head home.

At home, Nicky shares that little Thanksgiving story of him and Jack with everybody. Back then, Jack told him that they’d keep having Thanksgivings like that year after year after year. But, as it may, life got in the way. Now, Nicky picks it back up and reveals the five pounds of Thanksgiving shrimp he bought. “It’s for Jack, my brother,” he says. “And to new family traditions.” In a little snippet to the future, we see that baby Jack has picked up the same tradition as well.

The Plans After

After Nicky’s speech, he and Kevin have a moment alone. Earlier, Kevin told Nicky that he’ll probably stay with him for a while longer. And it’s probably because Kevin doesn’t know where to go now that Nicky’s ok. But, this time, Nicky tells him to go back to LA to live his own life. If he ever needs someone, Nicky’s just a call away. After a moment, Kevin agrees and Nicky affectionately puts a hand on his cheek.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all the picture taking, Kate accidentally reads an exchange of messages from Toby’s Crossfit group chat. Toby’s message reads “Trying to get past it, but it’s hard.” However, the response is much harsher. “Don’t let her bring you down. Here for you.” Whether that’s referring to the future of Kate’s marriage, we’ll have to wait to know.

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On the other hand, Tess goes on ahead and posts a picture of Zendaya in response to the meme. To her utter surprise, her post blows up with messages of support on her coming out. And she excitedly shares the news with her dad and her uncle. As Kevin and Randall watch her go, Randall asks what’s Kevin’s plans from here on out. Surprisingly, Kevin responds that he’s ready to settle.

Later on, Rebecca comes back from her walk much to Randall’s relief. When they finally have a moment to themselves, Randall apologizes for their argument. Much to his surprise though, Rebecca admits that her memory problems aren’t normal. And she agrees that she needs to see a doctor.

Nine Months Later on This Is Us

Speaking of Rebecca, we get quite the snippet of her condition nine months after that Thanksgiving. While out on a walk, she mistakes another guy for William. She calls after him. But, when he turns around, Rebecca realizes her mistake. So, she asks him for directions to a bakeshop instead since she also needed to pick up a cake from there. When they part, however, Rebecca seems to be confused and doesn’t know where she is.

Somehow though, her mind seems to clear up and Rebecca arrives at the store with the bakery. As she passes a stand of flowers though, she gets distracted and picks up a bouquet. Then, once again, she pauses before heading to the counter. Unfortunately, in all the fuss of getting her wallet, she forgets her phone.

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Afterward, she heads to a Chinese restaurant to get a bite. After finishing her food, she remembers to call her son. And that’s when she realizes her phone is missing. She tries to ask for help. But, soon, the confusion and the panic leads her to a mini-meltdown. Somehow, she ends up on a ride with some cops. And they take her back home to the cabin where Kevin and Kate are celebrating their 40th birthday.

As Rebecca explains where she’s been, everybody in the room including Kate, Kevin, and Miguel shares a look of worry. And while Kate signs the police form, Kevin lets it slip that his fiance is resting out her morning sickness at the bedroom. When Rebecca asks about Randall, Kevin reminds her that he’s not coming because apparently, they’re not on speaking terms.

All that happens within 9 months’ time in This Is Us. And now, we’re left with two months to try and guess how it all ended up like that. What’s certain is that this Thanksgiving really marked a change for the Pearsons.

This Is Us continues Tuesday, January 14th at 9/8c on NBC.