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That Was Us

The Truth About Laurel | "Forty: Part Two" (502)

10 Feb 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What events surround The Big Three's birth in this episode?

1.01 - 38.748 Chris Sullivan

On today's episode of That Was Us, we're diving into season five, episode 240, part two. Tensions are running high at the cabin. We continue unraveling the events surrounding the big three's birth, and we learn a surprising revelation about Randall's biological mother. Gang, how's it going? We're good. All right. It seems like another episode, but we're really just continuing.

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38.868 - 59.221 Chris Sullivan

Yeah, we're continuing. The first episode into this episode. We had a lunch break. Going well. And we're excited, right? Had a lovely conversation with Jennifer C. Holmes. And now we're sort of getting into the meat of the back half of the season five premiere. Yes. Right? We ended the episode, like before the next act break or whatever, with... Randall on his way to the cabin.

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Chapter 2: How does Randall's relationship with his biological mother evolve?

59.441 - 79.883 Chris Sullivan

On his way to the cabin. And then at the very beginning of the episode, we're at the cabin. Kevin opens the door to find Randall standing there. Kate said that she called him when she couldn't reach Kevin after discovering Rebecca was lost. So it's the first time these two brothers are seeing each other since we've seen what we saw at the end of season four.

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80.744 - 98.909 Mandy Moore

I remember it feeling that way because we didn't just have a hiatus. Right. An extended hiatus. It was extended because of the pandemic. We normally come back in July, yeah. Because we haven't seen them together, it felt like they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Yeah, it really had.

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100.091 - 117.311 Chris Sullivan

So there's a couple of things that have happened. At the end of season four, we have Randall doing some very Machiavellian sort of things to get his mom to agree to do this clinical trial. Little mustache twirling.

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Chapter 3: What humorous behind-the-scenes moments are shared from the set?

117.371 - 141.63 Chris Sullivan

Little bit, little bit. It's not his proudest moment. No, no. For sure. And what I really clocked in this beginning of this episode, this back half of the premiere, is... the judgment or the sort of frustration that he had had with regards to mom's care is sort of like the world happened.

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141.65 - 141.79 Unknown

Yeah.

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142.151 - 142.831 Chris Sullivan

Do you know what I mean?

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143.112 - 143.312 Unknown

Yeah.

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143.332 - 163.05 Chris Sullivan

And like, you see Kev sort of being like, you know, look, man, everything was fine with mom. Nothing was going wrong or whatnot. Like she's just something that happened and said, I know you did the best that you could, bro. Like this kind of thing happens. It's all good. Right. Like there's no sort of sense of judgment on the kid's behalf about like, what happened to mom.

163.09 - 165.013 Chris Sullivan

It's just like, I just want to see my mom.

Chapter 4: How do the characters navigate tensions at the cabin?

165.033 - 178.959 Chris Sullivan

Yeah. Make sure she's okay. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't know when was the next time I was going to see my mom, et cetera. And now you told me that she was lost for a second. So I just, I'm here to experience the woman that I love in the best way that I can. And you guys, I know you're doing the best you can.

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179.801 - 205.378 Mandy Moore

Right. Right. And the irony of the way the world has unfolded is that for all of the Machiavellian things that he has done, she is now not going to St. Louis. She's not going to St. Louis. And so there is a kind of a feeling of me watching it being like, all that. All that for nothing. All that for nothing. Which you actually couldn't have written.

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205.398 - 207.842 Mandy Moore

They could not have written it that way because that wouldn't have played.

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208.042 - 210.786 Chris Sullivan

It's like, you played that card. Now what happened?

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210.986 - 234.098 Mandy Moore

And now because of this thing- We detonated something massive between each other. We're right back where Kevin had left it. Right. Yeah. Right. Which I could sense a little bit of The unspoken I told you so slash embarrassment of that is in the air too, on top of everything else.

234.379 - 243.679 Chris Sullivan

Then as he's going upstairs to see mom, Kate's saying, she says something about, I can only imagine what you're going through right now and it must be hard for you, so thanks for coming.

Chapter 5: What significant revelations occur regarding Randall's family dynamics?

243.759 - 263.128 Chris Sullivan

He's like, cool, cool, cool. Yeah, yeah. She in the back? She's up here, right? Yeah. I'll catch you guys in a moment. So at the Cavins, present day, Randall's talking to Rebecca in the bedroom. And I love that he's just sitting there. He's just- Waiting. Just sitting there. I don't want to interrupt anything.

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263.488 - 282.431 Chris Sullivan

And it sort of reminds me of like, there's these times in which I go home and I see mom. And you don't want to wake somebody up. You don't want to disturb them. But you're just so happy- To be in their presence. To be there. Yeah. You know, he's just really happy to be there. And that's the sense.

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Chapter 6: How do the hosts reflect on their personal experiences related to the episode's themes?

282.451 - 285.196 Chris Sullivan

And then mom wakes up. She's like, hey, what are you doing here?

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285.737 - 292.849 Mandy Moore

Mandy got to do some excellent wake-up acting, which we talked about. We have talked about wake-up acting. There's all kinds of ways to wake up. By the way.

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292.869 - 294.072 Chris Sullivan

Very good wake-up acting.

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294.092 - 294.933 Unknown

Wow, thank you.

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294.973 - 308.655 Chris Sullivan

I was thinking about wake-up acting as I most recently watched Weapons. I didn't tell you guys this, because there's a lot of wake-ups. A lot of wake-up acting. Have you seen Weapons? I've seen half of it, and then I was like, I can't watch this before I go to bed.

308.796 - 310.358 Unknown

Yeah, it's not a bedtime story.

310.578 - 329.172 Chris Sullivan

Yeah, I was like, there was one thing where someone was on the ceiling, and I was like, ah, turn this off. I can't. Nope, nope, nope. But just so I can end on a better note, my man who plays Mark, what's his name again? Oh, Austin Abrams. Austin Abrams is in Weapons. He's very good. He's very good. Completely different character. I feel like he lost weight.

329.213 - 331.618 Chris Sullivan

I was like, because for a second, I was like, is that him?

331.838 - 332.019 Unknown

Yeah.

Chapter 7: What insights do the hosts share about mental health and family relationships?

549.484 - 566.781 Chris Sullivan

That's what happened. Oh, that happened in that episode. You know what I'm saying? Right. Because that wasn't the last episode. That was like the Thanksgiving episode. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right, right, right. Long time ago. Kate tells Kevin to fix the... This kind of got me. I actually wrote a note about this where Kate is saying like, listen...

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566.761 - 588.554 Chris Sullivan

I know this stuff is going on between you and Randall right now. It's real tense, but like, I need you to fix this. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's our brother. He's now starting to treat me a little bit strange or whatnot. And I got like, I teared up a lot in this thing, but I was just like seeing our sister being like, this doesn't work. We haven't even done the big three chant.

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588.614 - 616.123 Chris Sullivan

It's our birthday. We're 40, not just our birthday. It's a big milestone birthday. And nobody's talking to each other. Fix this shit, bruh. I was like, all right, sis, I appreciate you saying something. You know what I mean? The world is on fire. This is enough. Fix it. Toby talks to Miguel. And this was really lovely. And I'll set it up for you.

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616.143 - 629.247 Chris Sullivan

I love when John gets to have these moments, right? Absolutely. I was so excited. Where he's not just like silly Miguel. He and I sitting down, yeah. Yeah, and you're not just silly Toby. Like you guys are genuinely having a real connection and a real conversation.

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629.448 - 660.659 Mandy Moore

Yeah, and I mean, he and I got to share the screen Only a handful of times. And so I was so excited to come back and get this little scene. What do you think about it? I mean, this is the scene where I've come back to work as a father. And I just instantly was like, none of this is important. Especially everything going on in the world. Baby. And I can see it in my performance.

660.739 - 700.271 Mandy Moore

I feel so comfortable. And so there's no anxiety in me and I'm so loose. And John was the same. We just felt like so much had changed in that hiatus. And it was just a nice moment of like, what we're talking about here with my life, with John, his with Miguel and Rebecca's life, everyone's life. Yeah. Just one day at a time. Yeah, man. Let's just, everybody, slow down. Good show.

701.192 - 704.397 Mandy Moore

It's a good show. Yeah. You know what I mean? And it's all applicable.

704.637 - 709.645 Chris Sullivan

It all applies. Hot take. Is it indeed better than the original? Is the Netflix one?

709.905 - 710.626 Sterling K. Brown

I didn't see.

Chapter 8: How does the episode conclude with a surprising twist about Laurel?

1234.933 - 1241.46 Chris Sullivan

She took a little break. She rested. Everything seems to be kind of coming back to normal. Right. Yeah.

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1241.44 - 1262.588 Mandy Moore

now this is when things start to like get like i feel well yeah because randall's like all right my job is done here i'm out of here i'm gonna go home with my girls and celebrate my birthday and we'll get into the the heavy the heaviness is about to come but do you remember me trying to deliver the line butt cake to you with a straight face no but it's just like

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1262.872 - 1288.687 Mandy Moore

It came back to me when I heard the delivery. Everyone's going, and I couldn't get this line. I couldn't get the line out, but I was like, but cake. And then I'd look up at you. I couldn't, I'm like, what is, Toby is such an idiot. Like, no, brother and sister's like, please say, and Toby's like, but there's cake. You're really going to leave without cake? I couldn't.

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1288.987 - 1296.517 Mandy Moore

On the day, I remember in the shot, my back is to the camera.

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1296.577 - 1298.159 Chris Sullivan

Because you just couldn't say it without laughing?

1298.179 - 1301.744 Mandy Moore

Because my eyes are watering. Because I thought it was so funny.

1301.924 - 1303.106 Chris Sullivan

It is really funny.

1303.426 - 1306.951 Mandy Moore

That his response is, you can't leave.

1306.971 - 1308.533 Chris Sullivan

There are reasons to be here.

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