In the third and final episode focused on the Pearson siblings, we follow Randall as he revisits childhood memories, feels the impact of having Deja in his life, and contemplates how his life might have changed if just one thing had happened differently. Sterling chats about all the scenes from this episode that made him emotional, while Mandy and Chris discuss how the show made them think about how their life could’ve taken many different turns. Plus, the talented Niles Fitch, AKA 17-year-old Randall, stops by for a chat! 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 themes are explored in season 2, episode 10?
On today's episode of That Was Us, we will be discussing season two, episode 10, number three. Randall and Beth are faced with a hard choice when unexpected news impacts their journey fostering Deja. Jack takes Randall on a college tour. Hello, friends.
What up, guys? How's it going?
How are ya?
The third episode in the second trilogy?
No, the first trilogy. The first trilogy. End of the first trilogy in season two, because we've already gone through Kevin's. We've seen Kate dealing with the miscarriage, and now we're seeing what's going on in the life of Randall. All in the same day. From Randall's perspective.
And I love, of course, that Randall didn't just walk, but he also was talking.
He was talking a little bit, too. Yeah.
Jack and Rebecca were like, wait, wait, did he just, what did he just say?
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Chapter 2: How does Randall's relationship with Deja evolve?
Did you say table? Table. Not surprising.
Overachiever from the jungle.
Sterling worked with that actor.
I did indeed. I was like, let's make it real, big guy. Let's make it real.
Let's take it again.
So we start off this episode, what I kind of really enjoyed about it is that you just see him in dad mode, right? Hanging out with his girls, you know, helping with homework, et cetera, et cetera. And then he goes and he talking to Deja.
And you see they've been working on this project together with the plants and seeing like what other things besides just, you know, water, whatever, affect plants, playing music, making cheesy jokes about Beyonce and lemonade. I think he had a dad joke with Faith and Tess about, you know, why did the something go to the dentist that had Bluetooth? I can't remember all. He's so dumb.
And so delightfully dumb and just enjoys being a dad, right? Yes. And I can say that those are points of synchronicity between myself and him. And we're upstairs talking to Deja and then we hear a bit of a kerfuffle.
Outside, yeah.
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Chapter 3: What emotional moments stood out in this episode?
Did you not find that heartbreaking?
Very much so.
Yeah. I just was like, oh.
Very much so.
A child being asked to like parent the parent.
Yeah. Yeah.
You understand their dynamic. It's like, oh, this is the way it always is.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And the girls go, is everything okay? And he's like, no, just, you know, it's Deja's mom coming and everybody's just trying to do what's best for her. I can't remember all the lines, but that's the gist. Debra Jo Rupp comes back as Linda.
Yep.
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Chapter 4: How do the Pearson siblings' challenges connect?
I just wasn't ready for it, right? He has a memory to when William was alive and he just had his breakdown in season one. And he's like, man, that was a lot. I didn't know that that was something that you had to deal with. And he's like, you know, I'm not actually, oh no, it was after Thanksgiving. Yeah. It was after Thanksgiving, excuse me. I know Thanksgiving was a big deal.
It was a lot to go through. And he's like, you know, I'm not ready for small talk right now. And he's like, okay, I got you. They're just laying on lawn chairs, going through it. And he said, how many times have you met my mom? And he said, twice, you know, once when you were newly born and she just kind of wanted to connect and see me, et cetera.
And then once when you were about nine and she told me you were doing really well and I got myself cleaned up and I was doing much better. And I got really excited at the prospect that she might allow me to be a part of your life. And so I'm getting myself together and she ghosted. And we remember that from previous episodes. What we didn't realize is that he followed her, right?
And I was like, oh man, like I'm like remembering these things as they come to me too, because I was like, oh yeah, that's right, he did follow her. He only had $20, and he asked the cabbie to go as far as he could, hoping that he had enough money. He thankfully did.
We see Rebecca going to the house, and we see young William walk up to the house, knock on the door, and Jack and Rebecca let him in, right? And he gets a chance to meet young Randall, and he's like, I didn't know if I was going to be a part of everything, but maybe just sort of like the bigger moments, right?
Birthday party, you see they're celebrating his birthday, and he's standing in the background just smiling. Yep. Happiest can be graduation from high school or whatnot. You see William there. Now we obviously know that this didn't happen, but we're just seeing it play out what would have been, what could have been. And then you see him standing at the door and he says, but I saw
These three bikes. And they said, one, two, three. And I realized I didn't know which bike was yours. That there's this history, these nicknames that you guys had already assigned to one another. A whole life that had transpired that I had absolutely nothing to do with. Who am I to inject myself into that and disrupt the equilibrium of what your life is right now?
Sure.
And so he decided not to. And so you flash back to Randall in the car, just kind of being like, hmm. He decides then to go check out Joy's apartment. And he sees Shawna, played by Joy Brunson, who I absolutely love. And you see her smiling, talking to neighbors. She's got new clothes that she's got for Deja and whatnot. And it's like, sort of like in a good frame of mind, right?
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Chapter 5: What impact does the past have on Randall's present?
They did? Well, because he goes through it and he's sort of breaking it down. And he says, you know, you're like Sisyphus. You're just going and you're doing the same thing over and over again, just trying to gobble up these dots and avoid the ghost. But eventually the ghost catch up to you or whatnot. And Beth is sitting there listening to it. She's like, baby, what are you talking about?
I said, I don't know. But maybe that's kind of like what life is and that they're supposed to catch up to you and that's the beautiful part of it.
It's the whole kind of reinterpretation of the Sisyphus myth is Sisyphus smiles. Yeah. Is that the one thing we don't realize about that story is that Sisyphus loves the rock.
Is happy. Yeah. Sisyphus loves the push. Right.
Sisyphus loves the... Yeah.
And so that's, they leave it there, but recognizing that, you know, I think of William and like, I don't know if he says that in this, does he say... Like, well, he doesn't say this, but you understand that, like, my mom made a choice with regards to my life and keeping me from him. And listen, we've only been a part of her life for a hot second.
Like, we're actually the ones that are disrupting what was. And if she wants to be there, like, who are we to keep her from that, right? And Brown got a little teary and they're standing in the back of the classroom and she's doing her presentation.
Presentation of her science project.
And she's talking about one particular aspect of the project and she goes, my foster dad helped me with that. And I'm telling you, it's, okay, a couple of things. Let me get anecdotal for just a second and we'll jump into the past storyline as well. I got two boys. Love these little boys. And I think God slash the universe has blessed me in television many times to just have these girls.
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Chapter 6: What insights do the hosts share about parenting?
They be sprinkling. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was a sprinkle, but it was a diversion sprinkle.
It's a diversion sprinkle. Yeah. So that's where that storyline ends up. So, okay. Chris, what's on your mind?
No, I just, the, the montage and the longing that young William had imagining how something might have gone. Not immediately, not as I was watching, but in the days following, and I don't know if you guys have ever experienced this. I had a, like a visceral, it was almost like a memory of what my life would have been if I never moved to New York.
Oh, wow.
And the important part is it was great. Like I had this, because of the way I was thinking about these episodes and the way, literally the way the show was structured, I had this, memory of Rachel and I's life together in Chicago as a theater actor, as a working theater actor, living in our home and like the children in the schools.
And I could picture the schools, cause I've seen them and the neighborhoods and like all these things. And that never happened to me before in my life ever.
And you think it was a direct, like, the correlation between this episode.
Because I was really sad for young William that he didn't get to have that. Yeah. I hear you. And it was one thing to imagine it, and it was another thing to, like, see it. And it really fucked with me. And I was kind of blown away that it evoked like a positive version of that for myself.
Like, it's not that I regret anything that has ever happened, but there was this weird medicinal, like sliding door thing that happened. And it was, yeah, it was a lot. I was sitting there, I was sitting in the car. I was like, it was like a whole, like a whole nother life had been revealed to me.
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Chapter 7: How does the episode reflect on choices and regrets?
That's interesting. Because like, if I take, I mean, true to that, I was like, if I take care of myself first, I'm better able to take care of everybody else. You're not incorrect.
You're not incorrect.
That is not incorrect.
That is not incorrect. That's what I'm saying is like, I feel like I'm at this juncture of my life where that doesn't feel as feasible.
Sure. No, I understand that.
But maybe a couple of years removed, I'll be like, yes. But it does like come to a head because sometimes then you reach that point where you're like, if I don't have a moment to breathe for myself, like I will not be able to fill my cup and therefore be as present as I need to be for my family.
I've also been listening to this incredible podcast called We Don't Always Agree. And I know that if one of the co-hosts, her name's Ryan Michelle Beth, if she were sitting here, she would say, of course you get the chance to take care of yourself. Because somebody else is taking care of everything else.
I hope she hears that because she would laugh so hard because it's exactly what she would say.
She would feel validated. Well done. But as long as you come back around and take care of people, taking care of yourself is never a problem.
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Chapter 8: What significance does the Vietnam Memorial hold for Jack and Randall?
Today.
Right now.
Let's do it. So we'll be right back with more That Was Us.
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Ladies and gentlemen, everyone, we are back with more That Was Us. We have a special guest with us, as we referred to. The linchpin, I consider, of Randall, because there's the younger version, then there's the older version, but the one, the tie that binds, that brings it all together. That's right. My main man. The cornerstone. Niles Field!
Oh, Niles. What up, homie?
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