hccarter-92839
I have only watched the first season of This Is Us, and there was a lot to like about it. The structure of the episodes is engaging and the flashbacks are used in clever ways. The acting is good, with fairly good representation of POC that doesn't stick to all the usual stereotypes. Themes of belonging, grief, love and difficult issues around adoption and racial differences are explored, mostly effectively. There are, however some aspects of This Is Us which I think missed the mark. Firstly, This Is Us has been praised for its portrayal of Kate, played by actor Chrissy Metz. In a time where body acceptance and self-love movements are growing, despite having to fight against the continued stigmas present in Western society, I don't think This Is Us does much to add positively to this arena. Chrissy Metz is a really wonderful actor, one of the strongest in the show, but her character is almost completely based around her weight. We could applaud Hollywood for casting Metz in the first place, but what I really want to see is a confident, passionate woman with a complex character and interesting story arc, who also happens to be bigger than what Hollywood would lead us to believe is the norm. This Is Us didn't offer that. At least not in the first season. Lastly, I can't help but worry about the men in This Is Us, and I think the first season perpetuates some harmful stereotypes about men and romance. Jack Pearson, played by Milo Ventimiglia is by far the most lovely man on the show. He is loving, affectionate, communicative (mostly, although he does lie to his wife about borrowing money), and obviously cares deeply for his family. He also calls out some of his colleague's gross behaviour. Two of the other men in the show do not present such upstanding role models, but they are written as if they do. Kate's partner/fiance manipulates her, turns up unannounced at her home and at a family gathering halfway across the country (even though they were broken up at the time), follows her to a weight loss camp which she wanted to attend alone, doesn't respect the changes she is making in her life or the traditions she holds dear. Sure, Kate is shown to be initially outraged. She yells at him and reiterates her wishes (usually telling him he should leave), but in the end his disrespectful behaviour is shown to be a positive, and eventually she always relents and decides that his stalking is a sign of love. What a bunch of rubbish. Hollywood needs to stop showing us that ignoring women's explicit wishes is a sign of true love. Kate's brother, Kevin (played by Justin Hartley) displays similar behaviour. He somehow finds out where his ex-wife (of more than a decade) lives, shows up and then emotionally blackmails her into meeting with him and listening to his pathetic tale of woe (spoilers, he's a cheater and a liar, surprise surprise). In summary, This Is Us has a lot going for it. But unless the next couple of seasons give Kate a real life, and maybe kill off the stalkers, I'm not interested in watching any more.
krithikababu
Fresh and impeccable writing, well synchronised narration and screenplay, a heartwarming story and par excellent acting! This has it all!
nicky-kostov
I loved the first season, but the second got too political. There were a lot of left leaning remarks regarding Trump, racism, regarding immigrants, which totally destroyed the enjoynment of the movie for me.Dear SJW, please leave your political views outside of the entertainment realm.
