This Is Us S2 Episode 7 Recap: 8 Can’t Miss Moments From ‘The Most Disappointed Man’

NBC’s This Is Us never ceases to surprise fans with just how much they can pack into a one hour episode, and season two’s seventh episode “The Most Disappointed Man” did not disappoint. While it wasn’t full of any surprising twists, it had some very important plot details when it comes to the stories of all the characters past and present and even included a new time in the Big Three’s life — being one-year-old! The episode was heavy and emotional, and had a lot for fans take in, so follow along as we break it down with these 8 can’t miss moments from the fantastic episode:

8. Judge Bradley

A lot of the episode took fans back to the time when Rebecca and Jack were trying to legally adopt Randall with the Big Three at one-year-old. Having already raised him as their son for a year, the pair didn’t expect there to be any problems, but that was until they faced Judge Bradley, an African-American judge who made it clear to them he didn’t think a black child should be raised in a white family. Following the lecture given to them, they were told they had to come back in three weeks, but with Bradley on the case it seemed unlikely he would approve the adoption which devastated Jack and Rebecca.

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7. William’s Change

Much of the focus of “The Most Disappointed Man” was on courthouses, jails and lawyers, and another paralleled flashback to that of Randall’s adoption had to do with his birth father, William. Unknowingly to the Pearsons or Williamat the very same time they were going through the same courthouse, but for William it was after he got busted for drugs. In another parallel, he was up against a white judge who told him he had to put him in jail and William responded emotionally explaining that drugs were the only thing the outside world had left to offer him after he lost his mother, girlfriend and son and told the judge he was “the most disappointed man” in the world. William’s speech greatly impacted the judge however, and in a heavy moment he asked to speak with William one-on-one before his sentencing where he explained to him that every day that he put people away for 5, 10, 15 years he knew that the ending of their story wasn’t a good one and if William was “the most disappointed man in the world” then he was a “close second.” The judge then told William he was going to let him go if William could promise him he would remember his face every time he went down the path towards a bad ending, and William made that promise meaning he was walking away from drugs.

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6. Kate and Toby Tell Kevin

With a lot of sad emotions dominating the stories of many of the characters, Kate and Toby made audiences smile with their pure happiness and love. The adorable pair made the decision to finally tell Kevin about Kate’s pregnancy and planned the whole thing out. They donned shirts with Kate’s reading “Baby” and an arrow pointing to her belly and Toby wearing a shirt that reads “Baby” as well with an arrow pointing at Kate. Kevin didn’t get it at first, but couldn’t have been happier for his sister despite the inner turmoil he was going through.

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5. Deja’s Mom

After Beth and Randall had finally made strides with their foster daughter Deja, things became tense when Randall had to take Deja to the jail for a court-mandated visit with her mother, Shauna. Deja was very excited about the visit, but things quickly turned disappointing when Deja’s caseworker explained to Randall that Shauna had opted out of the visit, leaving Randall to break the news to Deja. The move by Shauna infuriated both Randall and Beth, and Randall made the decision to go back and visit with Shauna alone to lecture her on the damage she had done and was still doing to her daughter. Upon seeing her however, Shauna revealed she cancelled the visit because she had been jumped and didn’t want Deja to see her bloody and bruised face. The pair ended up having a very difficult and tense conversation in which Randall tried to convince Shauna he and his family were what was best for Deja but Shauna told him as soon as she was out of jail she was coming for her daughter. In response Randall said, “You’re gonna have to go through me,” and Shauna ended it with, “I’ve been through worse.”

(Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)

4. The Connection

It is nothing new to This Is Us fans that the show has one of the most intricate plots and tells its story in a way not often seen on TV, and yet again they took it to another level with this episode. After paralleling Randall and William’s story in the beginning with the Pearsons fighting for Randall’s adoption while William fought for his freedom and made the promise to be sober, the episode brought us back to the very first episode. Many years later, William is seen being told his cancer had progressed and was terminal within a few months to a year, and is next seen at his apartment getting ready to do drugs for the first time in decades since making his promise to that judge. Right before he did the drugs, though, Randall shows up at his door and introduced himself — which is what fans saw in the pilot. For the first time, fans found out that Randall ended up saving his biological father from relapsing that day.

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3. Kevin Spirals

This season has seen a lot of character development for Kevin Pearson, but unfortunately just as quickly as things seemed to be getting better for him, he is now spiraling out of control. After hints of his addiction problems, the episode saw Kevin right in the midst of his battle which was not only have a terrible impact on him, but  also on his relationship with Sophie. After buying three engagement rings in an effort to make a big romantic gesture, Kevin showed up to the hospital where she works only to find she wasn’t there. While waiting he dreamed about their future which showed him being a deadbeat, addicted dad, so when he showed up on her doorstep later in what was supposed to be his big romantic moment, he broke up with her instead. He told Sophie that when he thinks of their future it is a “nightmare” because he is an “empty shell” with nothing to give and explained breaking up with her now would save her from 40 years of disappointment. Naturally, Sophie was devastated and slammed the door in his face.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

2. Toby’s Talk and Proposal

After breaking the news of the pregnancy to Kevin, Toby and Kate had the much more difficult task of telling Toby’s mother, a staunch Catholic. After she cried about them moving in together, they knew she would not be accepting of them having a baby out of wedlock, so they decided to save time and money and just do a courthouse wedding. After retrieving their marriage license however, Toby questioned whether it was what Kate really wanted, or if she was just saying it was okay. In an incredible “classic Toby” moment, he turned to Jack’s ashes for advice and had a very adorable and emotional one-sided talk where he determined Kate deserved the big wedding she had dreamed of. As the “King of romantic gestures,” Toby then had several sweaters made that read “Will you marry me?” as he unzipped them and proposed to Kate while telling her he had a talk with her dad and it is what he would have wanted.

Ron Batzdorff/NBC

1. Rebecca’s Letter

In true Pearson fashion, Jack and Rebecca were not going to let Judge Bradley derail their family because of his own beliefs, so Rebecca sent him a passionate letter. She explained they were never going to give up adopting Randall because he was their son, “Randall is my son, whether you approve or not or sign a paper or not,” she penned in the document, along with a photo of their family portrait featuring baby Kevin, Kate and Randall. “And yes, some things are harder for us … The thing you need to know about us is the Pearsons keep at, we don’t stop. So I suggest you put us up on your wall. Maybe it will help you get you used to our faces because we will keep coming until you do your job,” she concluded, also writing, “Sincerely, Rebecca, Randall’s mother.” Instead of continuing his fight, Judge Bradley recused himself from their case and gave it over to Judge Shaw who without hesitation agreed the Pearsons were the best thing for Randall and granted the adoption. At the end of the episode Judge Bradley and William’s judge are seen together asking each other if they “had done anything good lately” and both responded with “I don’t know.”

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Telisa Carter

Telisa Carter

Telisa enjoys learning and writing about all things entertainment in the world of Hollywood. When she isn't catching up on her favorite TV shows, she likes to read, and obsess over all things football.

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