Text Review
Show: This is Us season 3
This is Us is a show about the Pearson family and goes back and forth between the past, present and the future of their lives. The family is composed of Mom (Rebecca), Dad (Jack), a daughter (Kate), a son (Kevin) and an adopted son (Randall). Randall was left at a fire station and taken to the same hospital where Jack and Rebecca were after having just had triplets and losing one of the babies. Rebecca and Jack saw Randall and felt as though it was meant to be and decided to adopt him. An important part of the story is the fact that Randall is black and grew up surrounded by all white people. This aspect introduces a lot of conversations about racism, power and identity.
Throughout the show there are many examples of racism and lots of open discussions about race in general. The viewers see how being the only black person in this family affected Randall as a child as well as an adult. One example from the show of when Randall experienced racism was by his own grandmother. The grandparents had never been supportive of Rebecca and Jack adopting Randall and when the grandmother came to visit she brought gifts for all the children. She bought Randall a basketball assuming because of the color of his skin he would play basketball. This is just one of the examples of how Randall experienced racism and was treated differently than his siblings.
Randall not only experiences racism, but he struggles a lot with his identity. This was a topic we focused on this semester. I noticed how Randall compares to Deming/Daniel from The Leavers by Lisa Ko. Both Deming and Randall experienced a transracial adoption, and were not only adopted but surrounded by people of a different race. We see in This is Us and The Leavers how a transracial adoption can cause an identity crisis and confusion for a person. In Season 3, when Randall is an adult he admits to his brother that he has always been trying to find where he fits in. Randall feels he doesn’t fit in with his all white family, but also feels like he doesn’t fit in with his black friends since he comes from a white family.
I would highly recommend this show due to its open and honest conversations. This is Us brings up the topics of racism, power, and identity in a very relatable and effective way. I think the creator of this show wants the audience to question how they are living their life and what racism or power people may project onto others without even knowing it. The creators also make the audience question how to end racism and what we can do to make everyone considered equal.
Thanks for your thoughtful review of “This is Us” Season 3! Your exploration of the Pearson family dynamics, especially Randall’s challenges as an adopted black son, adds depth to the series. The show’s nuanced portrayal of racism, power, and identity, including specific instances like Randall’s experience with his grandmother, makes it a compelling watch. I have to complete the task for my college project and watched interesting review at https://www.youtube.com/@PaperDon-ex1hf that can be of the great help. Your comparison to “The Leavers” enhances the understanding of transracial adoption and identity struggles. I appreciate your recommendation for the show’s open conversations on these important themes. Your review effectively captures the essence of “This is Us” and encourages reflection.