I think the reference to the Challenger thing is a clue that this all takes place 3 years ago. That also makes it easier on the writers if they want to skip time a little, which is often helpful when you're telling a story (like, they can skip ahead a year and we can see whether the actor brother is now working at Chippendale's because his career has been crushed).

I like Milo Ventimiglia a lot, so I hope he continues to feature heavily. If not, he can come hang out at my house. Anytime. I know it's not Thursday yet, but IHT.

Anonymous wrote:I fell asleep during it last night. Can someone give me the spoiler. Don't have time to watch.

***********************WARNING: SPOILER***************************





At the very end of the show, at the black guy's house, the doorbell rings, the kids go to answer it and scream "Grandma and Grandpa are here!" The addict dad immediately says "I'm going to my room" and heads off to hide, and the black brother guy goes to the door. He says, "Hi Mom, Hi Luis" or whatever the name is of the guy who is the triplet's dad's best friend who sat at the bar with him and was like "You've got a great, hot wife, why are you sitting at a bar drinking your third drink?" And then he called the triplets dad to say "Sorry I apologize if I overstepped my bounds there,"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watched last night. Loved. Really like the brother/sister dynamic and her budding romance, and loved the twist. (Also couldn't believe she wouldn't have a section but figured tv was asking us to suspend our disbelief.) Figured it out when the guy said a baby had been left at the fire station and then lit a cigarette, but had no idea before that.

Tough thing for me to buy: the birth dad is so well spoken and lovely, which seems odd for an addict who spent much of his life on the streets. Will this part go another direction as well? Maybe they'll tell us how he pulled himself up or something? Sort of weird.

I disagree. Real people have dimension. We still don't know what the father's background was before he started using. Plenty of people with "normal" lives end up as addicts.

Absolutely. Especially these days with addiction frequently stemming from prescriptions. But in the 70s, drug addiction and life on the streets probably didn't affect educated adults that frequently, no? I admit little understanding of the addictive drug culture before 80s coke, so I could be totally off base. I'm just thinking that whatever killed the guy's mom and left his dad homeless wasn't your 70s pot/LSD. Maybe I'm way off base.

My brothers were teens in the 70's. Everyone did a lot of drugs. Some people graduated to harder core drugs as they became available. My brothers had friends that became real coke addicts. I think there were a lot of "nice" kids in the late '70s and early '80's that got addicted quickly without really realizing it could happen. The character on the show said his mom was addicted to crack but I think the timing is off for that. I don't think crack was a thing until the mid-80's and into the '90s.

My DD's mother has a masters degree and knows more "big" words than I do. She will smoke or snort anything you offer her, and is an alcoholic.

If you give the spoiler can you please preface with something like:

**************WARNING SPOILER*******************

before you type. I haven't watched yet but plan to tomorrow.

I fell asleep during it last night. Can someone give me the spoiler. Don't have time to watch.

PP above, I even remember that I had half day K class and walking home excited to see it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually didn't find the ending a huge surprise - I had guessed it probably 2/3rds of the way in, mainly because there was SO much speculation in the previews about how the characters were linked that I was on alert for clues during the whole episode. SPOILER sentence next.

I don't think the time frames match up quite right (the triplets current age plus the reference to the Challenger explosion and their then age plus the parents looking so hippyish when they were born), but I am prepared to give the show some poetic license because I did enjoy it!

+1
I didn't find the "surprise" to be that surprising - I guessed what it was within the first 15 min. or so. Also agree about the clothing for the parents - it wouldn't have been quite so hippyish, more early 80's blandness. I love the character of Kate - she's such a natural.

Wasn't the twin brother (Kevin?) on "Revenge"?

I turned 36 a couple weeks ago so clearly this drew me in! The space explosion didn't ring true to me, because my memory of it was vivid and I was wondering if I was off somehow. Being that I am supposed to be basically the exact same age as them (turning 36 in late summer/early fall since we saw its soccer season!). January 1986 makes us all 5 at the time (I didn't turn 6 until very end of August). That means kindergarten not 2nd grade. My memory of it is sitting in front of my grandma's tv, W-sitting (I don't know why I remember but I do because I always did!), close to her console TV (remember the kind that were encased in wood on the ground like a giant piece of furniture?!) and watching it over and over and over again, I had just gotten home from kindergarten because my grandma used to watch me. I don't know if what I saw was live or shortly after and just all the news replays but it was vivd other than that.

BUT, whatever, its a story and I give them license to run with it. I liked the show so far!

Anonymous wrote:Some parts are super cheesy.

First came me, and dad said, "gee"!

Not really. Seems like that could be a family inside mantra...especially to help bond them.

I'm the OP and still liking it. No guns, nothing blows up, just real people who are somewhat intriguing. This is staying on my DVR.

Some parts are super cheesy.

First came me, and dad said, "gee"!

Full season order confirmed: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/09/27/this-is-us-gets-full-season-order-at-nbc/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused about the Challenger. Wouldn't he have been six in 1986? In second grade you are almost that old.

I caught the space shuttle line too, and thought they must've been born around 1978...but then the math still didn't add up for them being 36 in 2016 and watching the space shuttle blow up in 2nd grade. Other than that, I loved the concept. I hope the acting gets better among the three siblings...it at times felt so forced. Mandy More and her hubby and Gerald McRaney are the best!

i spoiled before watching and i was in 7th grade sis was 2nd when space shuttle exploded. she just turned 38. but like some have said maybe "present day" is 2014? i loved the show. watched on demand to see if hubby might like and watched w/him and was met w/approval.

told a friend of mine that loved the manny character as adam on Y&R that i think this one makes it and they need to start looking for a new adam.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused about the Challenger. Wouldn't he have been six in 1986? In second grade you are almost that old.

I caught the space shuttle line too, and thought they must've been born around 1978...but then the math still didn't add up for them being 36 in 2016 and watching the space shuttle blow up in 2nd grade. Other than that, I loved the concept. I hope the acting gets better among the three siblings...it at times felt so forced. Mandy More and her hubby and Gerald McRaney are the best!

We didn't ever see all three of them together did we?

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused about the Challenger. Wouldn't he have been six in 1986? In second grade you are almost that old.

I caught the space shuttle line too, and thought they must've been born around 1978...but then the math still didn't add up for them being 36 in 2016 and watching the space shuttle blow up in 2nd grade. Other than that, I loved the concept. I hope the acting gets better among the three siblings...it at times felt so forced. Mandy More and her hubby and Gerald McRaney are the best!

Anonymous wrote:I actually didn't find the ending a huge surprise - I had guessed it probably 2/3rds of the way in, mainly because there was SO much speculation in the previews about how the characters were linked that I was on alert for clues during the whole episode. SPOILER sentence next.

I don't think the time frames match up quite right (the triplets current age plus the reference to the Challenger explosion and their then age plus the parents looking so hippyish when they were born), but I am prepared to give the show some poetic license because I did enjoy it!

+1
I didn't find the "surprise" to be that surprising - I guessed what it was within the first 15 min. or so. Also agree about the clothing for the parents - it wouldn't have been quite so hippyish, more early 80's blandness. I love the character of Kate - she's such a natural.

Wasn't the twin brother (Kevin?) on "Revenge"?