The promo for “Family Meeting” teases a tough and emotional confrontation between the three Pearson siblings, with each of them having their own ideas about what is best for their mother. The episode will also feature some flashbacks to Rebecca in her younger years, as well as a conversation between one of the Big Three and a surprising confidant. Here is everything we learned from the promo for This Is Us Season 6 episode 16, “Family Meeting."
Is there a This Is Us Season 6 episode 16 promo preview?
The opening shot of the promo for “Family Meeting” shows a young and melancholy Rebecca sitting in a nursery, staring into a crib. It then shifts to an elderly Rebecca walking with Kate down a tree-lined path as a voiceover from Randall (Sterling K. Brown) tells us, “My mother was magic. We need to pay her back for everything she did.” “I think we need to have a family meeting,” he tells his siblings. “I think they should move in with me.” “This is the opposite of what she wanted,” Kevin (Justin Hartley) shoots back, sitting across from him, and beside Kate, at Rebecca’s kitchen table. “I’m going to honor her wishes if it kills me.” “I can’t decide what’s best,” Kate tells someone on the phone, who is quickly revealed to be Toby (Chris Sullivan)! Although the couple is now divorced and Kate is remarried, it would seem that they’re now in a place where she can reach out to her ex-husband for advice and commiseration. It makes sense, considering her second husband Philip (Chris Geere) only got to know Rebecca once her disease was fairly advanced, while Toby knew her before her mind started to get cloudy, and was there on the day that she asked Kate to serve as her executor. “Your mom chose you for a reason,” Toby assures her, as we see a quick flashback of Rebecca cradling a tiny baby. “A decision must be made,” cards on the screen tell us (as if it wasn’t evident already). “You two have got to be able to look at her,” Kate tells her brothers. “We look at her all the time,” Randall insists. “No, you don’t, Randall,” Kate pushes back. This is a similar sentiment to what Rebecca expressed back when she explained her decision to Kate, telling her daughter that she’s always understood her in a way her sons have not. This is why Kate was chosen to be their mother’s caretaker; she has always “seen” Rebecca, and her ability to see her mother as her own person rather than as simply her mom will be more important than ever as the Pearsons navigate the end of Rebecca’s life.
What happened last week on This Is Us Season 6 episode 15?
Episode 15, “Miguel,” took us through the entire life of Rebecca‘s steadfast second husband and Jack’s (Milo Ventimiglia) best friend, from his childhood in Puerto Rico, through his first marriage, friendship with Jack, marriage to Rebecca, and eventual death. For the first time, we got to meet Miguel‘s family, learning that his mother spent most of her adult life as the caretaker for her chronically ill sister, and that his father struggled with Miguel’s desire to embrace American culture in pursuit of the American dream. For his part, Miguel always felt torn between multiple worlds, never quite feeling like he met his parents’ expectations for their son, his first wife’s expectations for her husband, or his children’s expectations for their father. After his father’s death eight years after Miguel moved to Houston, and after an honest heart-to-heart with his mother in which he admitted that he didn’t think he was capable of the type of love she exhibited in her own life, it was Miguel‘s decision to reestablish contact with Rebecca after walking away from her two years after Jack’s death. What began as Facebook small talk quickly evolved into regular texts and phone calls, until a business trip to Pittsburgh finally allowed the two of them to admit their long-simmering feelings for one another, and their relationship blossomed into a romance. We got to see the Big Three react to the news that their mother had found love again at another family Thanksgiving shortly after Randall’s daughter Tess was born. While Randall and Kate tried to be tentatively supportive of their mother, Kevin wanted no part of it, showing that Miguel‘s battle for acceptance into the Pearson family would be steeply uphill. Still, that didn’t dissuade Rebecca and Miguel from getting married shortly thereafter, and over time, even Kevin warmed up to his mother’s new husband. After Kate’s second wedding, we got to see Miguel caring for Rebecca in the cabin that Kevin built for them (based on Jack’s design), until it becomes clear to the Big Three that Miguel‘s health is declining too, and that they both need permanent care. While Miguel initially resists the idea of help, thinking that it would mean he’s not honoring his vows to care for Rebecca, it is Randall who eventually gets through to him, giving him the affirmation he has yearned for so long: he is loved and appreciated by Jack and Rebecca‘s children, and they want nothing more than to help him and their mother. It’s unclear how long Miguel lives after that, as Kevin steps in to assist with some of the daily tasks, along with the couple’s live-in nurse, but eventually, the Big Three have to face the truth that Miguel‘s doctors have been concerned about for quite some time: his health is declining, and his heart could fail soon. At that point, Kevin goes to visit Miguel‘s estranged son, telling him that his father probably doesn’t have much time left and that if Kevin were in his shoes, he’d want to know. Although Miguel’s son is initially resistant to Kevin’s visit, we see that he comes to reconsider. During a future Christmas, as the Big Three gather with their spouses and kids at Rebecca and Miguel‘s cabin, Miguel’s son and daughter and their families are also present, with all of his grandchildren and step-grandchildren finally getting to play together for the first time. Some time after that, Miguel passes away off-screen, and his children and stepchildren gather together one last time to spread his ashes, both at his home in Pennsylvania, and his first home in Puerto Rico.
Are there any spoilers for This Is Us Season 6 episode 16, “Family Meeting?”
As we get into the last few episodes of This Is Us, there aren’t many spoilers floating around about what to expect, which seems reasonable considering that the series will surely want to keep surprising viewers in its last three episodes. While we can assume that Rebecca’s death is imminent, we don’t know which episode will finally show it, although many This Is Us viewers are placing their bets on episode 17, titled “The Train.” (The series finale will be titled simply, “Us.") In December 2021, Chrissy Metz told EW, “People are going to be on the edge of their seats with characters’ health issues. Also, what it means for the family and decisions that have to be made—the dynamic of children in the family. Two very important characters, we will see the end of their journey and that’s always just so difficult. It’s going to be a lot.” One of those, we now know, is Miguel, who bid farewell in Episode 15. We can only assume the other is Rebecca, and that the family decisions Metz was referring to will take center stage in “Family Meeting.” However, Huertas has said that he may still appear in the final three episodes, telling Variety, “You can never count Miguel out. He might make an appearance.” Next, everything we know about a possible This Is Us movie after the series ends!
