WARNING: This post contains spoilers from Tuesday’s episode ofThis Is Us.
This Is Ustook fans through one “Hell of a Week,” starting with Randall Pearson, for the first of three episodes focused on the Big Three.
After returning home from Los Angeles, where he helped matriarch Rebecca (Mandy Moore) with hermild cognitive impairmentbehind his siblings’ back, Randall was confronted with a break-in at his Philadelphia home while his wife Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) and their daughters were sound asleep upstairs. Then, in the following days, the aftermath of the burglary heavily affected Randall’s mental well-being, specifically his anxiety and panic attacks, as the councilman’s psyche unraveled due to stress and a debilitating desire to be perfect at all times.
Core memories from Randall’s childhood and adolescence dove deeper into how he has deflected his traumas. Speaking to PEOPLE,Sterling K. Brownbreaks down his character’s meltdown and unabashedly opens up about his own self-care — something his on-screen persona arguably should take note of.
Brown, 43, also explains why his character is “a bit of a control freak,” a quality that has made Randall too proud to seek help, even after Beth and Darnell (Omar Epps) advise him to speak with a professional.
“Randall has always struck me as the kind of guy who’s sort of an open book. He’s fairly emotional, he has no shame associated with sharing his feelings or whatnot. But if you pay close attention to it, it’s usually on terms in which he is able to be in control,” theRhythm Sectionstar says. “While he is emotional, he’s also a bit of a control freak. So the idea of sharing his emotions on someone else’s terms, who’s driving the car and dictating where we’re going, is something that he’s not 100 percent comfortable with.”
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
From missing a session of grief group in college to only confiding in his brother Kevin (Justin Hartley) during emergency situations, Randall has avoided seeking help. In the meantime, he uses running as a coping mechanism and literally runs away from his problems.
TheKipo and the Age of Wonderbeastsstar also notes that Randall’s running has ironically become an unhealthy habit.
“He has fallen into a bit of, not a trap, but a routine. When he finds himself getting anxious or a panic attack coming, he knows that he can run and he knows that running soothes him. It allows him to get out the excess energy and allows him to feel the endorphin rush,” Brown says. “He’s able to settle himself in a way that he can continue forward with his life. It sort of kept him from seeking help outside of himself that might have even been more beneficial, if he had taken the time to explore it.”
So what would Brown recommend if he were in Randall’s shoes?
“Me, who attends therapy with regularity and has no shame in saying so, hopes that Randall is able to let go of whatever it is that’s keeping him from moving forward and recognize that there are benefits in talking to someone about what’s going on in your life,” he says.
In the end, Brown says the biggest takeaway from the episode is to do the opposite of his character.
“What I hope is that no one’s ego is so big that they don’t think that they can explore help outside of themselves,” he urges. “Randall would be able to find out that he’s not the only person living with [anxiety]. They are strategies and groups that he can connect with so he doesn’t feel so isolated.”
This Is Usairs Tuesdays (9 p.m. ET) on NBC.
source: people.com
