If there's anything we’ve learned from nearly two full seasons of This is Us, it's how the show's characters are strangely yet beautifully connected—in ways we least expect. Tonight’s episode of the family drama was no exception to this remarkable fact, as we see how Deja, Beth and Randall’s part-time foster child, fits into the Pearson puzzle.
Let’s piece together what happened in the latest episode, "This Big, Amazing, Beautiful Life."
Birth is just the beginning.
Tonight’s episode is all about patterns, and it kicks off with a montage of one of the most dramatic and beautiful things a person can ever experience: birth. We’ve seen Rebecca give birth to her children in several episodes, always through a different perspective that works within the theme of that episode. Tonight, we see another glimpse of her in the hospital as she is about to welcome her children, but we see this alongside Beth giving birth, Randall’s biological mother giving birth and Shauna, Deja’s mother, giving birth. It’s a subtle story opener that packs a punch as it points to the links in the human experience right from our beginnings.
Shauna was only 16 years old when she had Deja.
We had many questions after last week’s episode, which saw Beth and Randall discover Shauna and Deja in Shauna’s car outside their old apartment, The biggest one: how did Shauna and Deja arrive to that point? Shauna was supposedly doing better, which is how she regained custody of Deja in the first place. But tonight, we went back to the beginning of the young mom and her teenage daughter’s story. In fact, Shauna herself was merely 16 when she had Deja. Until then, all she knew was homework and partying with her friends. We meet her in the hospital as she gives birth with her grandmother (played by the one and only Pam Grier!) by her side.
Reading truly is fundamental for the Pearsons.
They say there’s nothing more powerful than the written word, which is proven as we see three sets of families read Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown to their kids at bedtime. First, we see Deja’s great-grandmother reading to her, then we see Randall reading to his girls Tess and Annie, Rebecca reading to her children and, finally, we see Shauna reading to Deja—all complete with animal noises, the kids' eyes lighting up with excitement.
Shauna’s grandmother dies, leaving her to take care of Deja on her own.
Shauna’s grandmother was a major influence in Shauna’s life. She was there when Deja was born and she lived with the mother and daughter until the day she tragically took her last breath. She was a stern voice for Shauna and supported her when she needed her most, including when the young mother refused to hold her infant child after she was born. Shauna was young with many ambitions, like “going to college and hanging with her friends” and, yes, she had already become resentful of young motherhood. But her grandmother gave her tough love then, and she gave her tough love when she found young Deja home alone one evening, after Shauna decided to leave to hang out with some of her friends. Shauna wanted a different life for herself, and admittedly so did her grandmother, who understood her plight but refused to support such irresponsible behavior. But the next time we see "Gigi," as Deja called her, she has collapsed onto the floor.
Death is a poignant connection among the Pearsons.
Shared devastation is a remarkable thing, as we see how it connects the loss of Shauna’s grandmother with William losing Randall’s mother, Rebecca losing Jack and then Randall losing William. We see this in a quiet flashback scene further emphasizing the bonds the Pearsons share—for better or for worse.
Something as simple as baking becomes a sentimental moment shared by each character.
It began last week with young Kevin's surprisingly tender moment, as he whipped up his mother’s favorite meal for Rebecca and Jack’s anniversary. Tonight we see a flashback to William baking with Tess and Annie, Rebecca baking (and making a mess) in the kitchen with her kids and Deja assembling a nice culinary surprise for her mom on her birthday. But this flashback is closer to present day for Deja, as she navigates an apartment in which the water has been cut off after her mom doesn’t pay the bill. She knew about the water that morning, as she saw her mom off to work and promised to make her something special for her birthday. She thinks she can work around it—until she cuts her hand trying to open a can. Then, the water situation becomes urgent. Deja calls her mom for help, and when she doesn’t answer, she has to go to the emergency room by herself.
Deja meets Linda the social worker for the first time.
We learn how Linda, who we’ve now seen in several episodes, first came into Deja’s life. She is called into the emergency room where Deja is admitted to check on her living situation. She’s not there but a minute when Shauna bursts in, panicked, with alcohol on her breath. Linda quickly takes notice. Even though Shauna is defensive about it, Linda decides to immediately move Deja into foster care.
Foster care has not been good for Deja.
We knew from the beginning of Deja’s time in Beth and Randall’s home that she had come from a terrible foster care situation. She recoiled when Randall came near her, and had bald spots in her hair. But we didn’t know the exact circumstances surrounding this situation until tonight.
We are taken to the Millers, where Mr. Miller used to beat Deja and her foster sister Raven. He literally threatened to “punch [Raven] out that window” for any insolence, especially given her smart mouth. Raven was sadly used to Mr. Miller’s behavior, though, and made fun of him behind his back. She was just thankful to have a bed to sleep in, and she had come to rely on Deja’s friendship because they were in it together.
But when Deja tells Linda about Mr. Miller’s behavior (especially when he beats Raven hard after she steals makeup from a store), Linda immediately removes her and Raven from the home. Raven isn’t happy to be displaced yet again—she's spent her whole life swapping one bed for another. She makes Deja promise not to blow it the next time she finds a bed that’s even a little safe.
A pattern of violence and alcoholism show up when you least expect it.
Mr. Miller isn’t the only one who uses his fist to communicate. As we see in flashbacks, so did Jack’s father, and so did Jack when he became an adult. Their relationships with alcohol sadly bind each of them together—Jack’s father, Jack and Shauna, who uses it as a crutch.
There is nothing more sacred than a mother’s hug.
Fathers have played a major role on This is Us, so significant that they’ve almost eclipsed the importance of the mother. But even though Shauna's home has become an unfit environment for Deja, Shauna is still her mother, and Deja wants in her heart to be with her. Same goes for Kate’s relationship with Rebecca, who, like Shauna, always shows up on her daughter’s doorstep with arms wide open when Kate least expects it—like after she loses her baby.
But for Deja, a mother’s love isn’t enough.
It’s heartbreaking watching Deja and Shauna try and fail to build a home together. When they are together, things seem so great—until they’re not. Deja is helping her mother organize her bills and they look like a real team, despite Deja being a mere child. But Shauna brings home a new boyfriend she met in rehab, and the mother and daughter spiral once more. His name is Alonzo, and he seems okay at first—until he brings his shady friends and a gun into Shauna and Deja's home. That gun lands Shauna in jail, where we first met her all those episodes ago.
After Deja says her tearful goodbye to the Pearsons, she and her mother try to start over.
We thought—and wanted to truly believe, even though it hurt Randall—that when Shauna came to pick up Deja at the Pearsons', it would be the last time we’d see her again. As we saw a few episodes, that would not be. So what happened? Well, Shauna fell far behind on her bills (remember when Deja went to Beth and Randall for money to pay the gas bill?), and she spent the bulk of it bailing Alonzo out of jail after convincing herself she put him there in the first place. Deja is frustrated by this, but feels the mature thing to do (other than calling the Pearsons for cash) is to try to sell her own personal belongings. But it’s not enough. In fact, it’s never enough. She and Shauna are evicted and have to live in Shauna’s car, which is where Beth and Randall discovered them last week, after their Vegas trip.
Shauna says goodbye to Deja—and finally allows her to be a kid.
Yet another tearjerker moment in tonight’s episode came when both Deja and Shauna stay in Beth and Randall’s home. Despite the circumstances surrounding her return to the Pearsons', Deja’s happiness is undeniable as Tess and Annie rush to embrace her when she enters the door. They have a great dinner together as one big family and even watch a funny movie—all while Shauna feels like a burden, as she watches her daughter bask in genuine happiness, “like a kid” she later tells Beth. When it’s time to say goodnight, Deja requests that she sleep in her old room—not with her mother on the couch. She practically brushes past her on the way upstairs. In fact, it's Shauna who reminds her to say goodnight.
Deja and Randall share a moment in her room, as Deja finally comes to the realization of how they—and everyone in the world—are connected. But downstairs, Shauna confides in Beth and tells her that she’s been treating Deja like an adult since she was five. Shauna then tearfully tells Beth and Randall it's time for her to go—and she can’t take Deja with her.
