Kevin Pearson’s love life has been a topic of conversation on This Is Us for six seasons. In Episode 14, he finally found his happily ever after with…
This Is Us Season 6 Episode 14 Recap: “The Night Before The Wedding”
At the end of Episode 13, Randall asked Kevin about his night before the wedding. Through the flashback, Kevin thought about three women: Sophie, Cassidy, and Arielle (the wedding singer). Who will he choose?
Episode 14 kicks off with Sophie, or contestant number one. After Kevin learns about her missing luggage, he offers to drive her into town to pick up some clothes. After striking out at every store, Sophie cleverly enters a dry cleaner and secures an unclaimed dress. The former couple then begins to share details about their lives. Sophie is now a traveling nurse while Kevin is a family man and the head of his non-profit construction organization. When Kevin tells Sophie that he’s happy she found love, Sophie shockingly reveals she’s divorced. You can cut the sexual tension with a knife.
After a night of staring at each other from afar, Sophie and Kevin begin to passionately hook up in Kevin’s room. When Kevin makes a comment about how her hair’s smell hasn’t changed, Sophie panics, telling Kevin that she wants him to fall in love with her current self, not her teenage self. Sophie leaves the room, and Kevin is back to square one. For recapping purposes, the pink bra that Madison and Beth found the next morning belonged to Sophie. I had to say it.
Later at the hotel bar, Kevin meets Arielle, the wedding singer, who has been writing observations on things she’s seen in order to serve as future song lyrics. Arielle shares what she wrote about Kevin and how he’s longing for someone in his life. The napkin is what Madison and Beth found the next morning in Kevin’s room.
On his way back to the room, Kevin runs into Nicky, who is on an ice run for Edie as the older couple tries to… well, I’ll leave it to your imagination. As Nicky attempts to relate Kevin’s love life to a pinball machine, Cassidy interrupts and requests to speak with Kevin in private. She needs help unzipping her dress, and Kevin happily obliges. Inspired by Nicky’s words, Kevin asks Cassidy if they should be romantically together. However, Cassidy shoots his request down immediately, saying they are best friends and coworkers and that’s the way it should be. Kevin taking Ls left and right!
At the wedding, Rebecca approaches Sophie, and senses something is wrong with Kevin.* She calls her son an idiot (fair statement!) and reassures Sophie that he will one day figure it out and be a great partner. Meanwhile, with Kevin, Randall attempts to compare losing Buffalo Bills’ Super Bowl merchandise to how the world makes no sense. (I give Randall a pass on this mediocre speech because he absolutely crushed his speech to Kate.) However, he tells Kevin that his relationship with Sophie makes sense, and he needs to talk to her.
*Rebecca thinks Kevin and Sophie are 20-years-old and married.
When Kevin attempts to tell Sophie how she feels, Sophie cuts him off and tells him that it’s her turn to speak. Sophie explains how they are both the best versions of themselves at the current moment, and they need to love each other for who they are, not who they were. In one of his shortest speeches ever, Kevin pulls out a Valentine from elementary school that’s addressed to Sophie and tells her that he’s always carried her with him. The two kiss and the crowd goes wild!
I’ve been Team Sophie since Day 1 so I’m happy with this result despite having many questions about how it transpired. Did Kevin carry that Valentine while dating Madison? Anyways, some viewers might think this was rushed. It’s not exactly the shocking This Is Us twist we’ve grown accustomed to over the years.
Sometimes, you just have to play the hits. I’m a huge Billy Joel fan. Seeing Joel live is in my top 3 concerts of all time. I love lesser-known songs like Why Judy Why and Big Man On Mulberry Street, but that’s not what I want to hear at his concert. I want to hear Piano Man, Vienna, and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. Play the hits. Don’t overcomplicate things.
That same mindset applies to Kevin and Sophie. Justin Hartley and Alexandra Breckenridge have undeniable chemistry. Why fight against it in the name of shock value? I’m sure there are quite a few painful moments in the four remaining episodes (Miguel’s death? Rebecca’s death?), which is why a happy ever after a moment feels great right now.
Tune in next week when Miguel FINALLY gets a spotlight episode. I’m afraid he dies. See you next week.
What are your thoughts on this episode of This Is Us? Tweet me, at @danny_giro.
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