The Big Day is the twelfth episode of the first season and the 12th overall episode of This Is Us.
Short Summary[]
As the triplets birth approaches, Rebecca forgets Jack's birthday; Dr. K tries to carry on without his wife; The firefighter who delivered Randall to the hospital, fights to save his marriage.
Full Summary[]
This episode covers the events that lead up to the birth of the triplets in the pilot episode.
Earlier on the day the kids are born, Rebecca forgets that it’s Jack’s birthday and snaps at him because she's distracted by the stress of pregnancy. Miguel invites Jack out to celebrate. As soon as Jack leaves, Rebecca realizes the date and feels bad, but he’s already gone. Determined to make it up to him, she tapes flip flops to her feet, because those are the only shoes that fit, and walks to the closest store, a liquor store. She cobbles together a dessert out of what she can find there, and also buys the towel that Jack wore in the opening scene of the pilot episode. Talking to her unborn kids, she confesses that she thinks Jack will be a perfect father but she feels inadequate. Meanwhile, while golfing with Miguel, Jack decides that he wants to be with his wife even with everything that happened earlier. Jack returns and she apologizes.
Doctor Katowski struggles with grief over his recently deceased wife. He runs into an old friend Anne at the grocery store, who invites him out, but he turns her down. His son and daughter-in-law are worried he’s depressed, but he brushes them off. He visits his wife’s grave and gets a call from the hospital in the middle of talking to her. He goes to the hospital to deliver the Pearson triplets. The next day, he talks to his wife to say that he’s ready to move on from his grief.
Joe, the firefighter who found Randall, is trying to repair his marriage and quit smoking. He confesses to a priest that he bought a pack of cigarettes but stopped himself from smoking them. At the fire station, he opens the door to find baby Randall. Taking it as a sign from God, he takes Randall to his wife to adopt, as a way to fix their relationship, but she refuses. So, he takes Randall to the hospital. Returning home, his wife tells him she wants to put forth the effort to give their marriage a second chance.
The final scene shows all three stories years later, with everyone involved much happier, including Doctor Katowsky on a date with Anne.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson
- Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson
- Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson (credit only)
- Chrissy Metz as Kate Pearson (credit only)
- Justin Hartley as Kevin Pearson (credit only)
- Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth Pearson (credit only)
- Chris Sullivan as Toby Damon (credit only)
- Ron Cephas Jones as William Hill (credit only)
Guest Stars[]
- Susan Blakely as Anne
- Mike Bradecich as Peter Katowsky
- Kraig Dane as Fireman
- John Gloria as Carl
- Jon Huertas as Miguel Rivas
- Chad Morgan as Alli Katowsky
- Jermel Nakia as Young William Hill
- Stewart Skelton as Father William
- Baker Wiles as Construction Worker - 1980
Co-Starring[]
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| kola | damien jurado | the scenes from the first episode |
Notes and Trivia[]
- This episode scored million viewers.
- This is the first episode with only the past storyline.
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" |