Hashtag This Is Us

I’m totally caught up in the phenomenon of ‘This Is Us’ on television. Admittedly, I’m late to the party – I had to binge watch a season and a half on iTunes to get in the groove. But once the show hooked me I was in, wholeheartedly, completely.

I love these characters – they have become part of my family. Hell, they are my family, just with different names. They are as broken, as wonderful, as loving, and as crazy as all of the people closest to me. I ‘get’ them in the same sense as I ‘get’ myself. We are all a perfectly, complicated, mess.

The premise of the show is interesting. It takes place on several plains. The characters are living this moment while looking over their shoulders to their past, where the explanation of how they became who they are exists. It’s a very cool and creative way to get to know a cast of characters.

From the very first episode we are aware that Jack, the father, has died. We learn, over a few episodes, that the kids (Kevin, Kate and Randall), were seventeen when he died. Jack appears only in flashback. But he is alive and loved in those flashbacks. Jack is perfectly flawed – we root for Jack.

The writers of this show are geniuses. The actors are amazing. Together they deliver a story that touches hearts, they connect with the audience. I’ve rarely been so immersed, so vested.

Tonight they will air the episode that tells us what happened to Jack. I, for one, am holding my breath. I have a new box of tissues strategically placed in the family room – I am ready for the waterworks. And this baffles me. I know Jack dies. I know he’s been dead for years. And I know tonight’s episode is going to break my heart. My daughters are prepared for the devastation as well, we plan to pass the Kleenex and cry together.

This is television at its finest. This is the magic of storytelling. This is Us…. and maybe a little bit you too.

#ThisIsUs #crockpotisinnocent #lotsandlotsoftears