That Was Us
Discovering Their Roots | A Philadelphia Story (302) with special guest Ryan Michelle Bathe
Tue, 06 May 2025
On this week’s episode of That Was Us, we’re diving into Season 3, Episode 2: A Philadelphia Story, and the incredible Ryan Michelle Bathe joins us! As Randall sets out to make a difference in the neighborhood his father once called home, Kevin searches for deeper meaning in Jack’s past. Kate and Toby ask their family for support (not their opinions) as they move forward with fertility treatment. Mandy, Chris, and Sterling reflect on it all and chat about their favorite childhood breakfasts, who’s most (or least) like their This Is Us character, and so much more! Support Our Sponsors: - Build the best summer ever with KiwiCo! Get $15 off on your Summer Adventure Series at kiwico.com/TWU. - Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan today by texting TWU to 64000. - For a limited time, go to SpotandTango.com/twu and use code twu to get 50% off your first order. - For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from Quince. Go to Quince.com/TWU for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order. That Was Us is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith. Follow That Was Us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, and X! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the main topic of this episode?
On today's episode of That Was Us, we're diving into Season 3, Episode 2 of Philadelphia Story. Rebecca searches for a new home while navigating the kids' looming college decisions. Kate begins her IVF journey, which sparks some family tension. Randall becomes more involved in his father's old community. And the entire Pearson family comes together for Kevin's big movie premiere.
Mandy, Chris, how the hell are you guys doing today? Well, how are you?
We're doing very well. Today on the podcast, we're joined by a co-host of the Smash Hit podcast, we don't always agree, Ryan Michelle Bathé and Sterling K. Brown.
Yes! Yay! Hi, guys. Thank you for having me. Welcome to our set, Bird. It's very sweet and cute.
It's so awesome. Real true story. The wife threw me a little birthday party last night.
It was a get-together.
It was a get-together. A casual hang. A casual hang of sorts.
That happened miraculously.
And while I was watching episodes and whatnot, she was straightening up the kitchen, doing all these wonderful things to keep our house in pristine order. For the record, I don't want to feign it. I do love you. I love you a great deal.
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Chapter 2: What childhood memories do the hosts share?
Where we feel like we, you know, where I question certain things and should I say something?
What is your place?
Well, I'm not Yvette.
No, but still, I mean, like, does Yvette just chime in unsolicited?
A little bit. Very much so. But I think, I feel like in Yvette's situation, and you know it's funny because I'm very much down this rabbit hole of like adoptees and like how to do an adoptee-centered adoption and like all of, just, just... how the rhetoric is shifting around adoption based on people who have actually been adopted, you know?
And like you really get a sense of like how we talk about adoption actually from the point of view of more so the parents. Even the parents who gave up a child for adoption or the people who adopted the parents. But it's not always from the child's perspective. So it's been really interesting to me. And I think that Yvette knew you or knew Randall.
Randall had come over and introduced himself.
A couple. The idea is that he had built this relationship with the children and these people. That was why he chose to go to that particular pool. Because he knew his friends would be there. Right. And so I feel like she felt, in my mind, Yvette felt empowered to speak on behalf of the child and not just this random family that she didn't know. She did have a relationship.
Yeah, there was a relationship there. I totally agree. Even if it wasn't with Rebecca. The mother. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I agree.
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Chapter 3: How did Ryan Michelle Bathe feel about her first day on set?
I think four years of being able to just figure out who you are, make mistakes without the world watching, without having that sort of adult responsibilities. That to me sounds really alluring.
Did you feel... Older than what you were?
Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That makes sense.
There was no way around that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're thrust in an adult world with all of those responsibilities. Like I was always still allowed to be a kid too.
Sure.
I could go to the mall. I could go to the Beverly Center and go to CPK with my friends and like see a movie or something. But it was still, yeah, I was then, you know, you put on the work hat. I got you.
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Chapter 4: What challenges do the characters face in their family dynamics?
I love you, I love you. I love you guys! I started off the whole thing saying I love Ryan too. Go ahead. It's on record. It was early. It was just too early.
Just getting started now. Veering to the left. I don't, you know, I think what Randall would have been able to experience is a diaspora of Black people.
Sure.
And I think he would have understood how the... I mean, he probably wouldn't have been the only transracial adoptee at Howard, for sure. He wouldn't have been the only person to have grown up... I'm sure there would have been biracial people who would have grown up solely around white.
I mean, he would have seen... Because I thought that was what was so interesting when I got to Stanford, was how so many of... Not so many, but a lot of my Black peers didn't... they thought they were the only people who have had that, whatever their experience was, they thought that was the only experience.
Because they had been so accustomed to be one of the few or one of the only in most of the environments that they'd been in before.
Right, or even one of many. I mean, you said when you went to Stanford, you thought everybody was going to be like you. Well, this is a funny story.
Because you said that too. And what did we mean by this? Like, tell them what you, tell them.
I think we meant it in sort of more economic terms.
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Chapter 5: How do acceptance letters shape the characters' futures?
I think it was scripted, but you can definitely see that I was having a real hard time delivering it. Do you remember that day? I do, I do. I couldn't turn to everybody in the room with a straight face and go, I'm a heroin addict. It was like I caught the giggles.
Taylor wasn't even watching and he watched that part and he just like burst out laughing. I was like, that's silly.
Because it was such like economical writing. I'm a heroin addict. Yeah. And you can see it on my face. Like if you know me, like that is the only take that was usable.
Yeah.
Because it was the only one I didn't laugh in. Because also, John and I do this sliding across with each other. And we're getting our supporting actor moment. And so the secret is out. And now the family's concern over Kate and Toby going down this IVF road becomes contentious.
You guys are in the car headed to the premiere and Rebecca's very vocal and very vocal because she has a friend that went through it just last year, right? You want to talk a little bit about that one?
Really good writing.
Really good writing. Really good writing.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm trying to remember. I don't remember shooting this episode. Do you ever have like holes where? Sure, sure. This is one of them where I was watching it thinking, wow, I don't remember being on set with the heroine. I don't remember any of this.
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