Spoilers ahead for Episode 8 of This Is Us Season 6, called “The Guitar Man.”
This Is Us kicked off the final Big Three Trilogy of the series with an episode centered on Kevin. His goal of proving himself as a father by taking the twins to the cabin after they were off-screen with Madison during the emotional Thanksgiving episode quickly became complicated, and not just because he was flying a pair of babies across the country by himself. A nice night with Cassidy, Nicky, Edie (who will marry Nicky eventually), and Cassidy’s son Matty took a dark turn due to a car crash, but the end result was a shift in Kevin’s focus for the better.
Kevin was initially upset at Cassidy when he arrived to check on the construction process, only to discover that there had been some mistakes laying the foundation that meant it had to be torn up. He learned that Cassidy had hired veterans to do the job, but – having just flown across the country with the twins – was in no mood to be reasonable or sympathetic. He did ultimately apologize, and everybody had a wonderful night that couldn’t be spoiled by Monopoly bickering or Kevin’s attempts to play the guitar.
The visit took a turn when Cassidy went for a drive in the middle of the night and crashed into a pole. Kevin’s immediate reaction at learning that she wasn’t driving under the influence was relief, but Nicky realized that Cassidy must have hit the pole deliberately out of desperation and pain from the memories that have been haunting her. Luckily, Kevin and Nicky found a way to be there for Cassidy, and she even agreed to counseling with somebody Nicky could vouch for.
By the end of the hour, Kevin learned more about the veterans who Cassidy had hired to build the cabin and realized the scope of their experiences, including building schools in war zones. This led Kevin to a pretty wonderful conclusion: he would fulfill Jack’s dream of Big Three Homes and start a construction company, which would employ veterans. He flew back home, doing a much better job calming the twins this time around, and calmer himself after settling on a goal that he was proud of, and Jack would have been proud of.
Justin Hartley, who of course has been playing Kevin Pearson from the beginning, shared how this Big Three Homes company will change his character’s focus in what remains of the sixth season, telling EW:
I think it becomes obvious that it's his passion, it's his project, and he's funding it. To start out with, he's using his acting money to fund the whole thing. And then he can raise money. It's a non-for-profit so he can raise money from private parties. It becomes pretty clear that it's his thing. It's not really a family thing… necessarily? It was inspired by the family and his dad, but he's running it and it's his thing and it's his passion. It's what he focuses on — his kids and his nonprofit. That's what he's doing.
Who would have guessed that the guy best known for The Manny would go on to found a construction company that would honor his father’s dream and employ veterans? Although Kevin never served himself, he has seen firsthand with his dad, his uncle, and Cassidy just how war can affect people even after they come home, and this construction company could be a great culmination for his character in the series. Plus, he’s getting better with his kids and even realized that he’s not destined to become a master guitarist.
Of course, it may be a few weeks before fans learn much – if any – more about Kevin and his goal of building Big Three Homes. There are still the Kate and Randall episodes of the Big Three Trilogy, and the promo for next week reveals that Kate is up next. She and Toby appear to be enjoying each other’s company on a little weekend trip, but it’s safe to say that any joy isn’t going to be enough to overcome all of their issues, with divorce on the way. Take a look:
Tune in to NBC on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET to catch the final new episodes of This Is Us. The end for the smash hit series will come in May, but some of the stars already have new projects in the works that could bring them back to TV, including an ABC drama pilot for Milo Ventimiglia that would definitely not involve him playing Jack Pearson 2.0, and an ABC comedy pilot for Chris Sullivan. For some more viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule.
