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Thanksgiving has been a signature holiday for This Is Us and even after a delayed airing, it managed to give its fans one last episode of the family favorite holiday.
The latest episode of the series was directed by Kevin Hooks and focused on Beth and her journey. It was a continuation of season three's 'Our Little Island Girl' episode and gave Beth's love for dance a much-needed closure.
It's now time to dive in and dissect the sixth episode of NBC's This Is Us Season 6.
Note: This article contains spoilers and reflects the writer's opinions.
'This Is Us' Season 6 Episode 6 review
The latest episode of This Is Us puts its Thanksgiving storylines to the side and places Beth's emotional journey front and center. It has been made clear that the series is scrambling to fit everything in and tie all its loose ends before it ends, and Part Two of the Beth-centric episode did a solid job at giving her an emotional arc, even while letting the other storylines flow elsewhere.
Beth's story is rather simple as her new job at the City Ballet of Philadelphia offered her another chance to reflect on the traumatazing end of her own ballet dreams. Season three's 'Our Little Island Girl' episode grappled with Beth's dance journey and her parents, while Part Two examined it through her relationship with her former teacher Vincent.
The power dynamics
Co-written by Susan Kelechi Watson and Eboni Freeman, this episode of This Is Us is very thoughtful in its dissection of the tricky power dynamics between a teacher and their students, especially in a competitive artistic field like ballet. Beth's teacher was not abusive or cruel in any way, but his dissonance with his students is what makes it unsettling.
When Beth was his star pupil, he treated her like a human being, investing deeply in her future. However we see that when she started to struggle, he tossed her to the side for another dancer, falling back on the idea that it's his job to cultivate talents and not emotionally coddle his pupils.
Making a mark
In the present day in This Is Us, Beth believes there are better and more humane ways to raise kids, especially when it comes to dancing. To her, them becoming a star is not necessary, rather one must simply belive in them.
Seeing Beth make her mark one kid at a time, especially at the end when her board is filled with pictures of her successful former students, felt emotional. Even her calling Vincent after all those years, just to express her frustration, felt justified.
The good kid
As for the "brunch beauties", the rational yet irrational behavior by Kevin, Kate, Madison, Toby, and Elijah was no less than debating with a wall. Although Madison has been trying to be supportive of the whole co-parenting thing, she still somehow does not come out as the good one.
As for Kevin, he has always been painted as a good one even with all his mistakes. He offered to leave Kate and Toby's house but still choose to ignore the obvious cue that puts him in the wrong while also allowing him to get exactly what he wanted. Even as a kid, Kevin was defined by his dual desire to prioritize his own comfort and think of himself as a good guy, which got worse when parenthood was thrown into the mix.
A rocky road
The flashback part of this episode of This Is Us also set things up for Miguel and Rebecca, who continue to lean in the "just friends" direction. The parallel featured between Kate/Kevin/Madison and Kate and Sophie's friendship helped viewers understand the dynamics Kate has shared with her brother and her best friends over the years. However, this part of the episode was mostly to set the base for the next one.
The climax of 'Our Little Island Girl: Part Two' focused on giving Beth emotional closure and a new direction in life. Like the Pearsons, she too has had to walk a rocky road to finally find her full circle of happiness. But at the same time, she made sure to make the path less rocky for the dancers who followed her footsteps.
Readers can catch the latest episode of This Is Us Season 6 on NBC, Peacock, Hulu and Hotstar.
