Yeeeaaah, it was a baad week for Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown).
The newly elected, ever-striving city councilman has been doing a doozy on his marriage recently.
And then… he outdid himself with a true marital facepalm.
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
Alas, she had already listened to his invective, and she was understandably pissed.
(Thats a step down from the family couch, where he was banished last time.)
You want to do this right now?
He closed the door with purpose and… end of episode.
Now we saw him dig himself in thrice as deep.
So youre seeing the moment where he kind of just loses control.
How screwed is he now?
As a viewer, you have no idea whats next for this couple.
In the flashback, we saw Randalls panicked pursuit of perfection, of choosing homework over a personal commitment.
We also know that hes prone to panic attacks and crippling anxiety.
In the present day, we see him massively overwhelmed before he loses it on Beth.
Yes, they should be worried, but also know that Randall knows that side of himself by now.
So when he likes something, its the best feeling in the world because he goes crazy for it.
And I think that makes you root for them more.
What were the different versions of the voicemail message that evolved in the writers room?
It was sort of finding that middle [ground].
Beth was taking off her jewelry, including her wedding ring, when he walked into the bedroom.
Next weeks episode takes us through the history of their relationship.
So youre going to see some really beautiful moments, some really funny moments, some really difficult moments.
Another read is that he still seems pretty lost.
Sophie tells Kevin that he always seems to get what he wants.
Its hard to walk away from seeing her and let that feeling go immediately.
Are they starting to move out of the woods?
Other characters are in it, but only in the context of Randall and Beths relationship.
