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THIS IS US Fall Finale Delivers Shocking Twists

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy.NBC

In the final moments of the season 3 fall finale of This Is Us, viewers were given several jaw-dropping moments befitting of this top-rated drama.  Along the Pearson family journey, back in time, present-day and flash-forward, fans of the series discovered: that Jack’s ‘believed to be dead’, brother, Nicky is actually very much alive.

In a key moment flashing back to the Vietnam war,  Jack finds his brother (who is stoned yet again) sitting on the pier and pretending to shoot Vietnamese villagers with his hand.  Nicky sadly informs Jack that he is not going to leave drugs behind again and clean up this act.  He announces, “I see it all when I’m clean,” and adds, “I’m not gonna complete the mission.”

At the end of that day, Jack can’t find Nicky.  Suddenly, there’s blast from the water, where it appears a boat has exploded, and one of the soldiers says there was a guy in it. Jack rushes into the river and swims toward the wreckage.  We don’t see what happens next, but the belief is that Nicky died in the explosion.

Kevin, who has been in Vietnam trying to learn what happened to Jack and Nicky in the war and about the mysterious woman in the photograph, feels he has zero answers to what happened during the war.   As he and Zoe prepare to leave, Kevin’s tour guide mentions that he’d searched an online database of the Vietnam War Memorial for Nicholas Pearson, but came up short.  The guide says Nicky didn’t die in the war.

Courtesy/NBC

Next, the show cuts to a bespectacled man (Griffin Dunne, who now takes over the role) living in an a trailer home. There is a piece of mail on his table addressed to Nicholas Pearson, 2125 Songbird Rd., Bradford, PA 16701.  This would mean that NIcky has lived there for a long time – and a three-hour drive from  Pittsburgh, where Jack and his family lived and were raised!

In other plot developments, the all-important  …Who is “Her?” flash-forward mystery was answered and we learn it is Rebecca.  She is still alive, and we see Beth in present day without her wedding ring to Randall, and seemingly running a ballet studio, getting set to meet up with Randall and adult Tess.  In a key moment Beth tells her employee: “We’re all going to see Randall’s mother .., oh, did you bring the Pin the Tail on the Donkey from the office? I promised I bring it.”  The Pearson Pin the Tail on the Donkey game has been a through-line for the years with the Big Three.

Courtesy/NBC

The fall finale gave a look into the future that Randall and Beth’s marriage may not have survived and it could have started with the fact that Randall would not drop out of the political race he was in, even after promising Beth he would, if things were not looking good for him as a candidate.  We also learn that Tess like girls and sorta came out to Randall and Beth, but did to her grandmother, Rebecca.

And, Toby and Kate learned that they are having a boy after cutting the cake to reveal its gender.

This Is Us EP, Dan Fogelman told EW.com about what to look for in the second half of the season when the show returns with all-new episodes starting on January 13th: “Now, it’s time — for a little while, and we will catch little glimpses — to focus on the present-day storylines that help you get there. There are many questions. Where are Kate and Toby in that period? Where is their relationship? Do they have children? Has Kevin figured out his love life? If so, with whom? Have Randall and Beth made it through as we hope Randall and Beth make it through? What has come of their respective careers? And what kind of shape or state is Rebecca in when we’re meeting her and they’re all going to visit her? In order to get to the future and to get more answers there, you need a little bit more present story in the back half of the season. So, I would say that should be the focus right now.”

So, what did you think of the fall finale of This Is Us? What were you most shocked to find out? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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My favorite show! Each character is perfectly cast. I am so excited to watch the finale!

I am stunned that Nicky is alive. I assumed his death was one of the reasons Jack would not talk about Vietnam. What if during the explosion we saw Tuesday, Jack somehow helped Nicky escape the Army and go into hiding? Several episodes ago, Jack said something like, “My one job in life is taking care of my brother.” Nicky was being destroyed by that horrible war. This may have been Jack’s way of protecting him.

I am heartsick about Randall and Beth. I don’t want them to break up. I get Beth’s point. Randall told her he’d drop out the race if she wasn’t “100% on board” with his campaign. Their lives have revolved around his plans and needs. He brought William and Deja into their lives. It was his idea to buy the apartment house. Continuing this apparently hopeless campaign may be the last straw for Beth.

I am so happy for Kate and Toby. But. like Kate, I don’t want to get my hopes too high. They are in a very high risk situation on multiple levels.

It will be a very long and difficult wait until January. I love THIS IS US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve watched since episode 1, but this season 3 is not working for me. The Vietnam tale has dragged on too long and whiny Randall’s story (and family) make my nerves rattle. If it weren’t for the Kate & Toby pregnancy, I’d probably have given up. Sadly, the show has lost its charm and drive and just seems intent on depressing the audience.

Soaphound, I am not a fan of the Vietnam storyline either…

such a great show a beautifully written narrative that continues to surprise and deliver!The cast is stellar

I dont know what happened because I fell asleep right in the middle of the show.How about more of Kevin?I love Justin Hartely.

This Is Us, is powerful.
I read the ratings have been dropping, this season.
But- still, it’s a winner. I look forward to the next episode and that tells- it’s good.
Now we wait for the upcoming episodes 🙁

Recaps

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now

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Bill and Katie

The future isn’t looking so bright for longtime loves Katie Logan (Heather Tom) and Bill Spencer (Don Diamont), when on the Wednesday, November 11 episode Katie wants Bill to leave and give her some space, and to stay away from her!

Katie explains she wanted none of this, but now her insecurity and fear of Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Bill has made it impossible. Bill pleads his case, “I was just trying to help” by speaking with Brooke. Katie tells him, well he didn’t, far from it, it’s all backfired in his face.

Bill insists to Katie that everything he did was for her and her sisters. Katie isn’t buying it. In her mind, Bill has always wanted to stick it to the Forresters. So what changed? She then asks him point blank, if he is still attracted to Brooke? Bill says “no,” but Katie said she wishes she could believe him. He tries to explain that him getting together with Brooke was to broker peace between the Logan sisters.

Katie

Courtesy/CBS

THE TRUST IS BROKEN

Katie speaks to how she is building her own company, making something of herself, and Bill says to her, “You don’t have to lose the people that you love to prove that you can win.”

Next, Katie is convinced Bill was flirting with Brooke because he texted Brooke a Stallion emoji (she has a point, no?). That reminded Katie of the worst time in her life when he was having an affair with her sister!

She points out how Brooke destroyed her life and took Will away from her and he was sent to boarding school, so why shouldn’t she strike back? Bill tries to point out again, that Katie is going to lose her sisters. But, a defiant Katie fires back, “If they can’t accept me for who I am … so be it!”

Next, Bill says he doesn’t buy it and becomes very emotional calling his wife, “my Katie”.  However, now in a puddle of tears, Katie says those words can’t fix everything. Seeing he is not getting anywhere, Bill walks towards the door and says, “I will hate being apart from you, but I’ll do it for you.”

He vows to never stop fighting for them. Katie’s says, “Goodbye, Bill.”  The music swells, Bill exits, and Katie crawls into a ball on the couch in a dramatic overhead shot to end the episode.

Photo: JPI

WEDDING BELLS?

In the same episode, it should be noted that Taylor (Rebecca Budig) asked Deacon (Sean Kanan) to re-propose to her, and this time she accepted.

It looks like Taylor or Deacon are headed down the aisle at some point, but not so fast, because Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) was flirting with Deacon, and she won’t take this news lying down.

Check out the emotional scenes featuring Heather Tom and Don Diamont below.

Now weigh-in: were you touched by the moments when Bill left his house to give Katie the space she says she needed over her feelings of betrayal by her husband and her sister, Brooke? How does this all end? Will Katie end up destroying everything in the process on her way to the top? Will she have a mental or physical crisis in days to come? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section.

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Dancing with the Stars

DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced

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In what could only be the stunner of this season of Dancing with the Stars, the Tuesday night, November 1o episode saw one of the heavy favorites Jenna Dewan and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy eliminated right before next week’s all-important semi-finals for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

Week 9 was Grammy night, where the contestants performed routines related to the Grammy Awards with songs that have either won or been nominated for the music industry’s highest prize.

After each couple performed their usual routine, they had to dance a second time vs, another couple doing the same dance style. Only Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson earned immunity from having to participate in it.

Dancing with the Stars

Photo: ABC

THE RESULTS

When all was said and done during the results portion of the show; the following couples were deemed safe and will dance another day: Shum Jr. and Johnson, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.

That left former Y&R actress Tatyana Ali (ex-Roxanne) and Jan Ravnik and Dewan and Chmerkovskiy in the bottom two. It was then revealed that Jenna and Val would be going home. The ballroom fell silent and Dewan said her “thank you’s “in the most gracious way about her dance journey.

Dewan is a dancer, having worked professionally with the likes of Janet Jackson (who also popped up in a special message to her former back-up dancer in the episode) while currently being an actress, and appearing as a series regular on The Rookie. Chmerkovskiy has been controversial figure all season especially after being suspended one week after comments made towards judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

BREAKING THEIR SILENCE

This begs the question: did America want the couple gone, because they had an unfair advantage with Dewan’s dance prowess, or did the show want the couple booted off too?

Later, Jenna and Val broke their silence on the elimination to Extra. Chmerkovskiy shared “It’s’ definitely a sad result. I thought we had a great season.” Dewan admitted, “I know this was a particularly tough week for a lot of the online noise … but I know that we went out there and had the best time of our life.”

Val is married to pro dancer, Jenna Johnson, who remained in the top slot on the leaderboard during the competition with Harry Shum Jr. However, she also had a bad week breaking her nose in rehearsal!

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and next day on Hulu.

So were you happy, or sad to see Jenna and Val voted off of Dancing with the Stars? Of the remaining couples who do you hope make it from the semi-finals to the finals and hoists the Mirrorball Trophy? Weigh-in via the comment section.

 

 

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Recaps

‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’

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Heather Tom

Six-time Daytime Emmy winner, Heather Tom, while not taking the gold at the recent Daytime Emmys for Lead Actress, which would have been a record-breaking victory for an actress; should be prepared that in 2027, she has to be near to a lock take that award home!

In the last few months Michael Fairman TV has named her weekly performances as Power Performance of the Week, and for the week of November 2-6, she has done it again!

How did she earn the honors? Well, quite simply, this version of Katie Logan that is being written and portrayed beautifully, has given the character infused live, a backbone, a woman so tired of being put-upon and wronged, that she is firing back in such major ways that her own family doesn’t recognize her behavior.

Katherine Kelly Lang

Photo: JPI

KATIE AND BROOKE HAVE A SEISMIC SHOWDOWN

Longtime viewers of The Bold and the Beautiful can make a very compelling case that the behavior is justified. Then, on the November 4 episode, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Katie have another major confrontation. Katie is irate that Brooke phoned Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) in an effort to help Bill get through to her to back off the way she is destroying Forrester Creations, in what appears to be Katie’s poaching of the design team, and her ramped up vendetta against Brooke.

However, let’s not forget, Brooke and their sister, Donna (Jennifer Gareis) disowned Katie from the family just a few months ago too! Now in this showdown, Katie rips into Brooke after Brooke attempts to reason with her. Brooke even pulls out the “Stormy” card, reminding viewers that Katie has Storm’s heart. She snipes, “Do you really think he’d be proud of you right now?”

In that moment, Katie chokes up and is struck by that statement, but defends her actions and says Storm would be proud of her. Brooke goes in on if Storm would approve of the way she has gone about building her Logan fashion house design team, which to many seem like cutthroat tactics, Brooke even tells her “Bill is worried.”

Katie snaps after that comment and begins to show her disgust and emotional wounds from how Brooke slept with Bill years ago, especially when she goes in on the the text message Brooke sent to Bill and the use of a stallion emoji. Brooke claims it meant nothing, but Katie shuts her down and shuts her up! Reminding her sister, how she destroyed everything.

Heather Tom

Photo: JPI

KATIE NEVER FORGOT HOW BROOKE SLEPT WITH BILL

Brooke reminds Katie that she had postpartum depression at the time, and she “pushed” her and Bill together. Katie begins to cry, “How could you not know something was profoundly wrong?”

Katie says while she was suffering, Brooke was off in Aspen having sex with Bill. She says of her sister, “You take what you want, and it doesn’t matter who gets hurt and whose life gets destroyed.” She then snipes what was her sister’s excuse the second time?

Then, in the masterful moment in the performance, as sister Donna walks into the showdown, Katie warns Brooke to not EVER talk to her again about morality, or ever accuse her of stealing anything from her, when “You are the master!”

BROOKE’S PAST WILL ALWAYS BE THROWN IN HER FACE

Next, Katie throws down the line Stephanie Forrester called Brooke all the years of their feud, “You are just a slut from the valley.” She punctuated it to both her sister, “We all know she’d sell her soul for a little male attention.'”

Katie tells Brooke she will never apologize to Bill, adding, “And I will never forgive you for this. I am so done with you, and if you’re going to stand next to her (aimed at Donna), then I am done with you too.” As the scene came to its conclusion, Katie told Brooke and Katie to, “stay away from me, stay away from my family, and stay away from Bill.”

Throughout all the scenes, Heather Tom displayed why she is one of the fiercest actresses in daytime drama. This storyline has afforded Tom the opportunity to show all of Katie’s inner rage built over years as she finally lets it out on those who wronged her. For anyone who has been made to feel the weaker sibling in a family, Tom is showing the cause and effect of what can happen to someone after years of feeling put down.

For all the reasons stated above, Michael Fairman TV names Heather Tom our selection for Power Performance of the Week. You can check out part of Heather’s emotional turn in the video clip below.

Now let us know, do you agree with our pick of Heather Tom for the Power Performance of the Week? What do  you think about how Katie is being written in this storyline? Do you think Heather has secured the Lead Actress Emmy in 2027? Weigh-in via the comment section.

 

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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