The Best Washing Machine in the World is the seventh episode of the first season and the 7th overall episode of This Is Us.
Short Summary[]
The dynamic of Randall and Kevin's rocky relationship is explained. Beth and William spend time together, which unexpectedly brings to light a secret William has been keeping. As Rebecca gets back to work for the first time in years, both she and Jack acknowledge that there is distance between them. Toby is caught straying from his diet regimen, throwing Kate into crisis.
Full Summary[]
A teenage Kevin and Randall fight while sharing a room. Kevin says he’s fed up and decides to move into the basement. Tension has increased between them ever since Randall joined his new school’s football team, meaning that the two of them will play against each other. On Kate’s advice, Randall tries to be more friendly with Kevin, but Kevin pushes him away. Rebecca goes out to a singing audition, while Jack stresses over making it to their football game. At the game, after Randall tackles Kevin, they break out into a fistfight. That night, Kevin complains about the washing machine making noise in his basement bedroom, prompting Rebecca to remember when Jack bought it for her, when she called it the best washing machine in the world.
Kevin and Randall make plans to have dinner together, which surprises Beth because the two of them don’t like spending time together. The dinner is tense, ending in Kevin storming out when he figures out that Randall has never watched The Man-ny. Their argument escalates when Kevin sees that they’re rebooting his show with a black lead. Kevin says he hated that Randall got special treatment because he was black and adopted, and Randall says he only ever wanted Kevin to be nice to him. Their argument escalates into a public fistfight.
Kate is frustrated because she’s barely losing any weight, but Toby is. She acts cold towards him, but when she realizes what she’s doing and visits him to apologize, she finds that he suddenly decided to stop dieting. Kate soon finds this even more upsetting when they go out to dinner and Toby orders dessert. It causes Kate to crack and buy a doughnut from a gas station.
With Randall gone, Beth and William bond together. William is in pain from the chemotherapy, so Beth bakes weed brownies to help. Beth vents about having Kevin in her space, but then William accidentally lets slip that he met Rebecca when Randall was a baby. Kevin and Randall come home to find that Beth moved Kevin out of her office into the basement. But this time, Kevin invites Randall to hang out down there with him.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson
- Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson
- Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson
- Chrissy Metz as Kate Pearson
- Justin Hartley as Kevin Pearson
- Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth Pearson
- Chris Sullivan as Toby Damon
- Ron Cephas Jones as William Hill
Guest Stars[]
- Sam Trammell as Ben
- Jon Huertas as Miguel Rivas
- Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Tanya
- Mackenzie Hancsicsak as Kate Pearson (age 9)
- Parker Bates as Kevin Pearson (age 9)
- Lonnie Chavis as Randall Pearson (age 9)
- Hannah Zeile as Kate Pearson (age 15)
- Logan Shroyer as Kevin Pearson (age 15)
- Niles Fitch as Randall Pearson (age 15)
- Faithe Herman as Annie Pearson
- Eris Baker as Tess Pearson
- A.J. Rivera as Donny Watson
- Megan West as Heather
- Terryn Westbrook as Ashley
- Nikiva Dionne as Female Trader
- Andrew Adams as NY Waiter
- Clint Jordan as Kevin's Coach
- Travis Guba as Stu
- Hollie Shay as Hot Girl Fan
- Alex Lewis as LA Waiter
Co-Starring[]
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "" |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
- This episode scored million viewers.
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
Quotes[]
See Also[]
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A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
| This Is Us Season 1 | |||||
| #01 | "Pilot" | #07 | "The Best Washing Machine in the World" | #13 | "Three Sentences" |
| #02 | "The Big Three" | #08 | "Pilgrim Rick" | #14 | "I Call Marriage" |
| #03 | "Kyle" | #09 | "The Trip" | #15 | "Jack Pearson's Son" |
| #04 | "The Pool" | #10 | "Last Christmas" | #16 | "Memphis" |
| #05 | "The Game Plan" | #11 | "The Right Thing to Do" | #17 | "What Now?" |
| #06 | "Career Days" | #12 | "The Big Day" | #18 | "Moonshadow" |