Spoilers ahead. If you haven’t had the chance to catch up on our This Is Us recaps you can do so here! 

Time to warm up those tear ducts people. The holiday break is over and This Is Us will be returning on Tuesday, January 10th to take us on another emotional roller coaster for the remaining 8 episodes of their knockout first season. Also, Sterling K. Brown, Mandy Moore, and Chrissy Metz will all be vying for Golden Globes this Sunday (NBC at 8:00 EST) and the show itself is up for Best TV Drama.

So, before we dive back into the Pearson family next week let’s take a look back at the Top 5 Moments (and of course some honorable mentions) from the first half of Season 1 that made this show an award worthy hit!

#5. Jack Pearson aka Best Dad Ever (Ep. 4 & 9)

Yes, I know that this technically isn’t a “moment” but if I didn’t lump some of his speeches together this list would basically be all videos of Jack. The two that I am choosing to highlight are “The Magic Shirt” and Jack and Randall’s push up scene, “A Father/Son Initiation.”

The show has made it very clear that Kate harbors a lot of resentment towards Rebecca for A) being so perfect and beautiful and B) always being on Kate about her weight. Jack always had a different approach with Kate and that blossomed into a special relationship between the two that we’re still digging into today. Remember that it’s Kate who ends up with Jack’s ashes. Watch below as Jack talks to Kate when he notices her feeling insecure about her body at the pool and let your heart melt.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw2XGWtuZY8[/embedyt]

 

Randall loved his adoptive parents, but that never stopped him from wanting to find his real father. So, even though it was tough for him to accept, Jack realized that Randall needed some black male role models in his life. That led them to a karate class with an emotional and poignant initiation that allowed Jack prove to Randall that no matter what he will carry him through life and raise him into a strong and great man.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r7AJ8-coTk[/embedyt]

 

Let’s hope we get to see some good Jack and Kevin scenes in the back half.

 

#4. Randall & Kevin’s Fight (Episode 7)

One of the relationships that they’ve been digging into this season is Randall and Kevin. Since Jack and Rebecca put so much time into Kate’s weight and making sure Randall felt included, Kevin tended to fall to the way side and his anger was often taken out on Randall.  No matter how much Randall tried to bond with Kevin it never quite formed into the brotherly relationship they both wanted.

The boiling point came one night when the two were forced to go out to dinner together and Randall revealed that he had never seen The Manny, which opened up a can of worms they’d both been harboring for their entire lives. Although the fight scene includes an unnecessary cameo by Seth Myers the scene definitely put into motion all of the things these two have to work out. It’s one of the lighter scenes on this list despite its heavy content.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVI2fX-1uPU[/embedyt]

 

#3. Rebecca & William’s Secret Pact (Episode 3)

A huge twist this season was finding out that Rebecca and William had met before and that she was the sole reason that William had never been involved in Randall’s life. While we have seen two encounters with them in the past this first one holds a high importance. William was still an addict at the time but he was able to help Rebecca give some identity to a struggling Randall. He told her to drop the name Kyle and give him his own name. Rebecca asked William which poet he read to Randall’s mother when they were younger so he gave her a book of poems by Dudley Randall- this book would later be the catalyst that brings this secret to light.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZSj8vKzaSY[/embedyt]

 

#2. Christmas Eve (Episode 10)

This was the final montage before the show’s winter hiatus. It had the whole Pearson clan together celebrating Christmas. In the present day everyone had found some sense of peace throughout the episode. Kevin and Sloane decided to put on her play by themselves. Randall started to make some progress with Rebecca after finding out about her betrayal. William has reconnected with a past lover and Toby surprised Kate saying that he is willing to give up anything to be with her. Throw in Dr. K making it out of a risky surgery and the Pearson family mantra of “nothing bad happens on Christmas Eve” and you’ve got yourself a cliff hanger.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIDnVI1Kbh0[/embedyt]

 

#1. The Big Three Twist (Episode 1)

The chill inducing twist at the end of the pilot episode really set the stage for how amazing this show was going to be. While This is Us was initially described as “a show depicting a group of individuals who share the same birthday” the last few minutes proved otherwise. Throughout the hour we had been introduced to twins Kate and Kevin who were both dealing with personal crises, a man named Randall who had just found his birth father, and a couple who were about to welcome triplets. Well, in the final moments of the show we discover that the couple expecting triplets, Jack and Rebecca, are in fact the parents of twins Kate and Kevin and the adopted parents of Randall (the third triplet didn’t make it). This twist changed the whole premise of the show into a one about family and how the lessons we learn from our parents affect us in our day to day lives. It was the first time I cried and certainly not the last. Ugh so many tears have been shed since this moment…and I hate that I love it.

 

Honorable Mentions:

 

Kevin’s Painting of Life

Justin Hartley is sometimes actually the “Kevin.” He is surrounded by such amazing talent that his scenes or story could often be cast aside. Kevin is actually my favorite character. I think that he has such a big heart and struggles with a lot of things that we haven’t even scraped the surface of. One of his shining moments this season was him telling his nieces about the Painting of Life and how everyone eventually goes on but we are all still connected with each other.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh-Tof_QxKU[/embedyt]

 Beth & Randall

Any scene with them. Couple goals.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVZ8YuwDRpE[/embedyt]

 Another Jack Speech

Told you – these scenes are just so heartwarming and the extra layer of emotion knowing that Jack has died makes them even more impactful. Here Jack tells Randall to embrace his differences and to be as special as he can be.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPlKtf2E5GI[/embedyt]

 William Apologizes to Randall

Randall realized that William had cleaned himself up and still never tried to find him. William finally apologizes for all the wrong he did towards Randall. It’s beautifully acted and the only thing I want is for an actual miracle to happen and William to be miraculously healed of his cancer because I cannot bare Ron Cephas Jones leaving us any time soon.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXXhD_FT5oA[/embedyt]

 

Be sure to catch This Is Us Tuesday’s on NBC at 9:00 EST. And be sure to come back to FanFest.com afterwards for recaps, previews, and more!