9 Things That Make Jack Pearson The Greatest TV Dad/Husband on Primetime Television
"You find your soulmate, you get married, you stay together until you die, period."
I've watched a lot of TV dramas in my lifetime, but nothing quite hit me as hard as "This is Us" did. The show is centered around the Pearson family and their surprisingly rich and refreshing family drama. Jack Pearson is the father of the Pearson kids, better known as the Big Three (if you know, you know). Jack has made so many sacrifices for his family, but also made the sweetest grand gestures for his wife Rebecca. Take a look for yourself (Spoilers!):
1. He tries to love all of his kids equally.
For any parent, it's hard to show your love for your children without accidentally showing favoritism. Jack does occasionally struggle with this, but he frequently attempts to dedicate as much time as he can to each individual Pearson kid.
2. He doesn't make Rebecca do housewife things.
In a backstory, Rebecca talks about how she wants to be free to do whatever she wants and to fall in love with someone different than what she saw growing up. She didn't want to end up with someone who expected her to be a housewife and always have dinner ready and do the dishes. In a spontaneous moment, she decides to have dinner with Jack. After dinner, he rolled up his sleeves, took all the dishes and began to clean them without saying a single thing. This is when Rebecca knew he was the right man and she finally found someone who would treat her as an equal.
3. He thinks people should dance more often.
Jack is all about romance and showing out for his girl. To impress her on their first real date, he busts out his greatest moves. I'm not going to lie, I was swooning!
4. He taught Rebecca how to box.
Though it initially started an argument, Rebecca was finally willing to try to understand why it was that Jack would box on the side. She decided to put herself in his shoes and got boxing gloves, asking him to teach her. It was a very sweet moment!
5. His instinct is to protect Rebecca.
Having fought in Vietnam and just beginning to adjust to regular life, Jack was very clearly scarred. When they're at a party, there's a loud bang sound and assuming it's a gunshot or bomb, he instinctively goes to move Rebecca out of the way. It's really the little, lifesaving things.
6. He does what he has to for his kids.
When Randall wants to take karate with specifically black people to get closer to his culture, Jack doesn't hesitate to take him there. He didn't care what any of the other families thought or how they seemed. He was proud to be Randall's dad and the scene where he has to carry Randall on his back and do push-ups is so powerful. It was symbolic to see how committed a father is to his son.
7. He wanted to get better for his family.
Addiction is a difficult thing to cope with and "This is Us" highlights this very well with Jack. As perfect and amazing as Jack may be, he is still human and has his own struggles. His addiction to alcohol becomes a problem when it starts to take priority over his family. Instead of ignoring his problems, he decides to get help because he wants to be there for his family and be a good man for them.
8. He believes in love at first sight.
Only because he fell in love with Rebecca the moment he heard her singing and laid his eyes on her. He was instantly enamored and it's as cheesy (and cute) as you could ever imagine.
9. The way that he looks at Rebecca
Everyone wants to find that special someone that looks at them like this; that look that says you're everything and all that matters. Boy, Jack Pearson sure does know how to make a girl feel special.
If there's anything Jack Pearson can do right, it's love and cherishes the people most important to him. Granted, many of these things are what a decent man should do. However, it's hard to see that nowadays, especially on primetime television. "This is Us" constantly makes me fall more and more in love with Jack Pearson.