Tuesday 7 July 2020

This Is Us - Season Four (2019 Dan Fogelman)

Randall goes to therapy - his analyst turns out to be Pamela Adlon. In a bizarre episode, he imagines two completely different scenarios if Jack hadn't died. Unfortunately, despite seeming to have had a breakthrough, all this therapy means he forces his mom into taking part in a clinical trial which no one else thinks is a good idea, and he and Kevin fall out badly.

Fogelman himself writes the last episode, where we again meet some new characters and wonder 'Who the hell are they?' Girl taming horse is a great moment.

It's all very cleverly balanced. For example, Randall's infectious good moods at home in the morning, masking his underlying tension. The flashbacks showing he really did look after his Mom after the fire. But then, he doesn't see Kevin's day out with her, how she needs him to be fun, but how he doesn't miss the doctor's appointment, hasn't understood how much he has helped Uncle Nicky. On the anniversary of Kevin's sobriety, all he gets from Randall is 'Congrats'...

Bringing back the pilot's nice paediatric doctor, and 'Blue Skies' is a nice touch. Also I love the strength of Beth's character (played by Susan Kelechi Watson, and Rachel Hilson when younger).

Eboni Freeman's the story editor (an essential job in such a sprawling series), who also wrote one of the episodes - she says that all the writers draw on their own experiences to use in the stories. Other writers are Isaac Aataper, Elizabeth Berger, Vera Herbert, Julia Brownell, Casey Johnson, David Windsor, Kevin Falls, Kay Oyegun, Elan Mastai, K.J. Steinberg, Jon Dorsey, Danielle Bowman and Vera Herbert

Yasu Tanida is the photographer again who gives us clear, strong and beautiful images, and the music obviously is still written by Siddhartha Khosla.

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