THIS IS US S6E17 THE TRAIN 🤩

Like a bunch of Jenga blocks, the pieces of THIS IS US’s penultimate episode precariously fit together. The train has left the station metaphorically and physically for the end of a show that still has more life in it than anything currently on network TV. The results? It is “splendid against the night.”

THE TRAIN is one of the best episodes of THIS IS US. TV shows have difficulty sticking the landing, yet the creator, Dan Fogelman, and his team of writers are killing it. And just like life, he has made a “big giant spectacular messy thing” that will tug at the audience’s heartstrings.

They say that art imitates life, and the creators have used their intimate experiences to share the story of Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) goodbye. That personalization is what makes it a demanding hour of TV. But, by the end of the 😭 worthy episode, audiences, just like Rebecca, will “have earned a rest.” 

The cast of THIS IS US took to Twitter before this episode aired and said to grab a loved one while watching. I was fortunate enough to have my mom, wife, and newborn son all in the room. And yes, we all cried. In Randall’s words, it was the “dichotomy” of it all that moved us to tears. So if you can, grab a loved one, trust the process, drink a vesper, and ugly cry with your family instead of being alone. 

THIS IS US finale airs next week on NBC/Peacock. I’m still trying to remind myself that, “if something makes you sad when it ends, it must have been pretty wonderful when it was happening.” 😢