This wasn’t the most groundbreaking episode, but it offered much-needed insight into the minds of two beloved supporting characters.
First up, Vegas, Baby is a great showcase for Susan Kelechi Watson who gets a lot to do as Beth Pearson. The character is often relegated to the sidelines, so watching her butt heads with Randall as well as Kate was a real eye-opener. It might seem a bit out of character to watch Beth explode at Randall, but after being such a huge support when it comes to his anxiety, it was only normal to see all her stress come to a head. Equally affecting was her heart-to-heart with Kate, as the two women finally put everything on the table after spending a total of “seven minutes” together their entire lives. Not only did Kate get to finally accept a strong woman in her life, but Beth got to express her love for Deja and prove that she’s far from” detached”. Can we please get more screen-time between these two in the future?
This is also an insightful hour for Toby, who we discover has a pretty unlikable brother. As a result, he tries very hard to bond with Randall and Kevin who are far too consumed by their own problems. Chris Sullivan is his usual hysterical self throughout the hour, but he then brings in the required emotion when he has to give the Pearson brothers a timely pep-talk. It’s not the most gripping of subplots, but it’s thoroughly engaging across the board.
The flashbacks this week are especially heartwarming as The Big Three (led by Kevin) try to spoil their parents on their anniversary. There’s a nice exploration of Jack’s “grand gestures”, but I was even more intrigued by the Kevin-as-a-chef subplot. Could the show run with this if he decides that acting isn’t for him? Or am I reading too much into this? Lots of potential here if you ask me!
Heartwarming Bits
– The fact that Deja comes to Randall and Beth for 84 dollars is just heartbreaking. But the real bombshell is the episode’s final sequence with the Pearsons stumbling onto Deja sleeping in a car with her mom. Uh oh.
– Mandy Moore looks darn good with those long extensions in the bowling alley flashbacks. And that surprise dance was pretty cute too.
– Madison calling Toby “Toblerone” downright killed me. Funnily enough, he then calls Randall “Randy”.
– Joint belly rubs: hilarious!
– Kevin asking the hotel maid to count the alcohol (and generously tipping her) was a nice little touch. Sadly his whole ordeal with being cut from the movie didn’t really amount to much. I guess the whole point was to show that he didn’t drown his sorrows in alcohol?
– Loved Rebecca’s lingo: “de-jackng” and complementing her hubby for “creating mini versions” of himself.
Triplet Talk
Toby; The Brothers Pearson are all mine this weekend. I got one scoop of dark chocolate Pearson, and one scoop of creamy vanilla Pearson, and I’m gonna be the ruddy strawberry that brings it all together, baby.
Randall: Kate, I was a straight, black teenage boy. Do you really think I liked watching Sex and the City that much?
Conclusion
It’s not too memorable, but Vegas, Baby is still a lighthearted and entertaining episode.
Nad Rating
B+
I do wonder like you if Kevin may consider being a chef if he finds that acting isn’t up for him. I don’t see it happening this season since there is enough time left to organically build up to the change. But perhaps next season.
BTW how many seasons do you see this show is going for? I think it running for several seasons may be pushing the show past its breaking point.
Well I do know the show was renewed for seasons 2 and 3 but yeah I have a feeling they are going to drag this out until it’s practically unrecognizable. Such is TV nowadays. So sad!
Let’s hope the creators have the guts to end the show before it gets to that point. Perhaps the show was renewed for a second and third season to impose a limit to how far they are going to take the story.
hmm hope so!