Well I was hooked as soon as I saw that Milo Ventimiglia got his own TV show. I fell in love with him years ago for his part as Jess Mariano on Gilmore Girls, and adding Mandy Moore to the mix only heightened my excitement for “This is Us.” Like many others, I sat on my couch, glued to the TV as the first episode aired. I met Kevin and Kate, worried for Jack and Rebecca, and admired Randall’s family. Then I loudly gasped and started freaking out for the last minute of the first episode. And the last few minutes of the last episode for that matter.

Now, while I defend this show like a mama bear, I have to acknowledge some weaknesses. As of where the show has left off, the show is very family oriented. While I love the family interactions and the connections thereof, it also means that we do not get a lot of the character’s personal experiences. We only see Kate at her new job one day with her encounter with her employer’s daughter, then never again. Does Kevin have other friends? I haven’t seen any besides Kate thus far. Rebecca doesn’t have too much back story either, besides a brief look at her trying to get back into singing.

With all that, I still have to admire the plot given thus far. SPOILER ALERT. While I abhor that they kill Jack off in the future time frame, I guess I also have to admire the move. It definitely sets the show apart from others as it is not afraid to scare its audience off by killing its favorite characters. And along those lines, let’s address the Toby issues.

They can’t kill Toby. They can’t. RIGHT?!?!?

My best friend and I sat down with my sister, who is studying to be a nurse, and pointed out all of his symptoms and asked what happened to him and whether he would pull through. As much as I love the show, I might hate it if they kill him. Honestly, he is one of the biggest pros of the show. His affection for Kate is heartwarming, his lack of self-consciousness is admirable, his humor is infectious, and he is altogether lovable.

If we are talking characters, then I have to say Kevin is one of the weaknesses of the show. His character is annoying more often than not. His hopping between those two girls is irritating and lowers my esteem of him. We get that he is an actor, but he doesn’t have to be stupid. His plot doesn’t make you care for him, and his character makes you want to pull Kate away from that kind of influence.

I love watching the relationship between Jack and Rebecca, and that is definitely a major pro for the show. Their ups and downs show us that everything is not all roses and fun all the time, but they still make it through. It depicts life in a real way, and that makes us love those characters all the more. However, in that plot line the rivalry between Kevin and Randall is a little heavy handed. Every episode just has to show them attacking each other in some way or another, and Kate is just trying to eat fruit all the time. The children are funny and are not an entire con for the show, but their plot leaves something to be desired.

Honestly, Randall’s plot is almost perfect. He and Beth are relationship goals. They also have unique personalities that we easily fall in love with. Then the plot with William is interesting and keeps adding twists that keep us loving the family and pre-mourning William’s death with them. I have to say, while I thought Milo was going to carry the show, I think it is really Randall’s plot that is carrying it right now, as it is the biggest pro in my opinion.

So overall, a lovely show that I can’t stop watching and that everyone should watch. Most of the characters are relatable in a variety of ways, and while some of their personalities are a little flat, it is still early in the show and I can see where the show could easily use what we have now as a foundation for different aspects of their personalities to emerge. So either binge watch them all to get the full experience of the Pearson family, or continue to watch it as it returns to TV next Tuesday. I guarantee I will be riveted and yelling at my TV Tuesday night.

Oh, and if you don’t hate Miguel you are very wrong.