WARNING: The following contains spoilers for This Is Us Season 6, Episode 7, "Taboo," which aired Tuesday, March 8 on NBC.
This Is Us has returned after missing a week with Season 6, Episode 7, "Taboo," which is another classic Thanksgiving episode. It begins with a throwback to a young Rebecca making a pie with her mother and her mother's casual disordered eating ideas before it jumps to Rebecca with her fiancé Jack cooking Thanksgiving dinner for her parents. Then there's the Thanksgiving teased in Episode 6 with Rebecca's new boyfriend, Matt, and the one in the present. The thread through the episode is a very special sugar pie with a secret ingredient.
In the oldest flashback, Rebecca's mom Janet asks about Rebecca's wedding planning but her advice is mostly about dieting and criticizing Rebecca's work in the kitchen. Jack and Rebecca's father watch the game and stay out of the kitchen despite Jack's desire to help Rebecca, but eventually Rebecca ends up snapping at her mother and storming away. Jack ends up going to talk to Janet to explain how much work his fiancé put in to the dinner and Janet explains that Rebecca has pulled away from her in recent years and how she doesn't feel connected to her daughter.
Jack goes to Rebecca next to try and bridge the gap and he reveals her parents are moving away, which Rebecca didn't know. This revelation brings Rebecca and Janet back together. Their relationship is complicated but they clearly love each other in their own special way. It's in this moment that Janet finally whispers the secret ingredient to the sugar pie that Rebecca has waited to learn for so long.
In the next flashback sequence, Randall and Beth show up to discover Kevin and Sophie have broken up. Next to arrive is Matt, followed by Miguel and his girlfriend Marguerite. There's clearly some awkwardness between Miguel and Matt, but Matt really tries as he's really falling for Rebecca. Randall has noticed Kate has gained weight, but they don't talk about it openly despite Randall's desire to fix everything for everyone. Later, Rebecca has Miguel carve the turkey and asks Miguel for his opinion on Matt. Miguel's assessment isn't very generous, but to be fair, neither is Rebecca's assessment of Marguerite.
After dinner the group plays a game of Taboo where it becomes clear how much shared history there is between Miguel and Rebecca. Rebecca actually says that she loves Miguel, and while everyone heard her say it, no one acknowledges it. Though later, Kevin does confront Miguel and invokes Jack's memory to try and shame Miguel, and in doing so, Kevin crosses a line from protective into cruel. When Rebecca finds Miguel later, it's clear that Kevin's words stuck with him, because when Rebecca tries to tell him she's fallen in love with him, he interrupts her to tell her he's moving away. Their feelings for each other remain unspoken, for now, but the chemistry and the love between them is palpable. Later, Kate comforts her distraught mother.
In the present Kate and Toby are fighting and the tension between them does not go unnoticed, while Kevin moans about being alone for Thanksgiving despite being with his family, including his mother and Miguel. They are waiting at the cabin for Randall and his family when Randall gets word that a Senator is interested in meeting with him. Randall asks his girls to avoid their phones for the day once they get to the cabin, which doesn't bother Deja because Malik has been acting strangely. Rebecca announces a family meeting between her, the kids and Miguel after dinner. As usual, the Pearson's are primed for a dramatic Thanksgiving holiday.
The Big Three speculate about Rebecca's big talk, but are interrupted by Toby which leads to another fight between him and Kate. Randall thinks its just new baby bickering, but Kevin isn't so sure. Kevin then lays out for everyone their future family home while Randall records it all and insists on a family photo. Miguel tries to make a suggestion about the house, but Kevin shoots him down. Despite all the progress these two have made over the course of the series, there is still tension between them.
Kate and Toby continue to fight at the dinner table and Kevin jumps in, which only makes things worse. Toby ends up body shaming Kate and their children so Kevin demands Toby take off the sacred Pilgrim Rick hat that carries extreme sentimental value for the family. There really isn't much of a follow-up to this high tension moment as the episode cuts to commercial without revealing if Toby took the hat off or not. Randall escapes to the porch to look at his photos from the day and Beth joins him to take his phone away. It causes him to admit that he's feeling disconnected from his ailing mother.
Kate and Toby reconvene to talk about how often they're fighting. Specifically though, Toby wants to talk about trying to help Jack avoid being a larger kid like both he and Kate were. This leads to Kate admitting her history of disordered eating and she wants her kids to avoid the same shame cycle she suffered through. They both want what's best for their kids, but can't seem to get on the same page about what that actually is. They're conversation is broken up by Rebecca's family meeting.
Rebecca's meeting is about her mortality as she is trying to avoid leaving her family in chaos in the way they were after Jack's death. She announces that Miguel will have the final say about her care and will make decisions on her behalf should that become necessary. In a surprising turn, Rebecca says that in the event Miguel is unable to perform this task, Kate will be the person to step in. The news seems to surprise all three of the kids. Most importantly, she tells her children not to allow themselves to be held back by her disease with an impassioned plea.
After the meeting, Kevin finds Miguel on the porch and brings him the house plans; his peace offering. Finally Kevin is reaching out and making room for Miguel. As always, Miguel is the bigger man. Meanwhile Kate asks why Rebecca put her in charge and Rebecca says it's because Kate is her best friend and whispers to her the secret sugar pie recipe which Kate promises to pass down to her own daughter one day.
The Pearsons aren't done yet. Follow the rest of their journey in the final season of This Is Us, with new episodes airing on Tuesdays.
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