this is coffee culture
Season Two of the Emmy winning This Is Us aired last night, September 26, 2017. This season, I’ll be looking at each episode the day after and cartographizing the conversations and topics occurring in the spaces and over the things that are coffee culture.
Let’s begin. William, Ron Cephas Jones, who plays Randall’s biological father, narrates the entire first episode of season two which occurs on the birthday of the big three. This first episode tackles Randall’s desire to adopt a child – a son – and his wife’s reluctance to entirely go down this road with him, unless he makes it even more meaningful by considering adopting an older child.
Kate, the sister in the big three, played by Chrissy Metz and affectionately called Buck veers into auditioning amidst turning another year while grappling with the anals of insecurity during auditions and her parents temporary separation.
Kevin, played by Justin Hartley, is seen in his younger teenage years in the phase of kisses, hickey’s and a broken leg. Meanwhile while in his adult years he’s taking on heavier roles in acting and making his first love work.
In the context of these story lines, the parents Rebecca, Mandy Moore and Jack, Milo Ventimiglia who have temporarily separated, – these days feel like forever, look at teenage Kate’s face – deal with the anguish of that space and then an even greater anguish is felt by us all, when we see the first glimpse of the aftermath and cause of the patriarch Jack. There are lumps, there are tears, there are #Icant-even-deals. But wait, can I hashtag and dash at the same time? Just did, this is a webzine after all.
In the Diner.
Jack and Rebecca share the impetus for their days of separation citing the inappropriateness of Ben, a bandmate to Rebecca while she was on the road. As Bec tells the story, Jack clutches his coffee mug.
In the Living Room
“She has MS Kevin, she’s never good. ”
This Is Us
A tea cup sits adjacent to Sophie, as she tells Kevin about her mother who has MS which prevents her from being with him on his birthday.
In the Kitchen
Two coffee mugs sit turned upside down in the view of Randall and his wife. They are looking at the computer considering adoption options as Randall’s father’s advice is “Its better to have loved and lost surely, but try not to lose it all. ”
Images screen grabbed from NBC’s Episode 1. See you next Tuesday for Episode Two on ABC, 9/8 c.