Have you ever had an expectation, and when it wasn’t met, you just felt deflated? The most common is probably when someone suggests a movie that they just loved, and you go and see it and you end up feeling like you just lost two hours of your life, and $20, that you’ll never get back. That was my fear for tonight’s sophomore season premiere for This is Us. I love this show, and each episode is so good . . . which only pushes the bar up higher. So how can these writers keep creating such great work? I mean, at some point, the goodness has to stop, right? I was excited for tonight, but also nervous that my expectations wouldn’t be met.

Yeah. I was wrong. Really really wrong. If you have not seen it yet, don’t let me spoil it for you. Let me just put this little buzz in your ear . . . it’s great.

I’m going to go off topic for a minute. Stick with me because I’ll tie it in. I feel like we see so much hatred in the media right now. The news is depressing, and Facebook posts are just outrageous. People are fighting with each other and saying such cruel, horrible things to each other because they happen to have a different opinions. Politically, I’m just exhausted. I have my own beliefs and opinions and my friends have some that are the same and some that are different. Somehow we are able to get along still. Fancy that. Yet I keep reading such mean things about others. I believe in taking a stand j. . . for not backing down from what you believe to be right and true. I also believe in kindness, and I believe we can stand for what we believe to be right and true while being respectful. In the long run, kindness, hope, love, and some good education/knowledge will always win.

My deeper hope is that This is Us will continue doing what is has been doing: Offering Hope.

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This is Us is just a TV show. Jack and Rebecca are just characters who struggle to make their marriage work. Kate, Kevin, and Randall are just characters who are siblings and have grown up to battle their own demons. Kate struggles with weight. Kevin struggles with finding true meaning in life. And Randall struggles with his own identity. The Pearson family is fictional and is just a story.

But. It is more. This show has made an impact on America. There’s a reason, and good one, that Sterling K Brown won his Emmy. There’s a reason everyone’s been posting on Facebook today about how excited they are for the season premiere. This fictional story has struck a harmonious chord with people because these stories are pieces of each of us.

  • The mother who has lost a child
  • The father who tries to make ends meet
  • The mother who feels lost and tries to find herself again
  • The adoptive family
  • The transracial family
  • The woman who struggles with weight
  • The man who constantly feels inadequate
  • The perfectionist
  • The kid with the abusive father
  • The birth mother and father

And these are just a few ways we could feel connected. These characters connect with our hearts because pieces of them are who we are . . . what made us.

In this first episode, we see plots getting more necessary depth. If you saw Season 1, you know Jack will die . . . but we’re still waiting to get all the details. In this first episode in Season 2, we do see the end, but how it gets to that point, we’ll just have to keep watching. In the meantime, I’m confident we’ll fall more in love with Jack and Rebecca’s love story. I’m totally interested in Kevin and Sophie. I mean, who doesn’t love love? And Kevin. Brother. Make good choices, okay? Kate and Toby. I love TOBY! And Kate, my heart goes out to her in a real way. I want her to win and win big. Randall and Beth. Oooooo my adoption peeps. You’ve got a treat coming to you this season!!! I LOVE what they’ve chosen to highlight.

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Let this season remind us that we each are characters with a muddled past and are just trying to make it the best we can.

My hope for this season is for some great entertainment. That will happen. So we’ll just check that off now. My deeper hope is that This is Us will continue doing what is has been doing: Offering Hope. Humanity. Goodness. Perspective Shifts. This show, no matter how bad things get, seems to end on a hopeful note. The message is clear that nothing is lost. Even when we are in our depths of pain or sadness, all is not lost. In a time when we are filled with so much frustration with our neighbors, this show gives us a glimpse into life and reminds us of some of the everyday problems that we all face. It reminds us that there is always hope. I often feel more love and compassion for others after watching. It makes me think.

My hope is that this simple show that so many people love will be a means of uniting us – that this season will get people posting about the show and the topics they present, and not about how stupid ______ is for believing that ______ is the answer to ______. No. I don’t need more of that. What I need more of is human kindness and respect for each of our own true stories – the ones each of us are living. Let this season remind us that we each are characters with a muddled past and are just trying to make it the best we can. Maybe if we remember that, we’ll love each other a little more and remember that there is always hope, even when we think all is lost.

Oh, and I hope that the writers have been messing with us this whole time and Jack doesn’t really die.