Deja and Malik's Big News | "Heart and Soul" with Jon Huertas (605)

on today's episode of that was us, we're diving into season 6 episode 5, heart and soul. There's Rebecca opens herself up to life after loss, Kate and Rebecca navigate a painful shift in their relationship, Kevin, surges for the right path forward, and Randall learns how hard it is to let go of the people that you love. Hello, hello. The sweet, dulcet tones of John Whittos. So good to have you with us, buddy. So good to have you. It's great to be here. Thank you. Let me take my glasses off. So I'll look much cooler. No, you look cooler. Oh, cool. Yeah. I was going to say that. Oh, yeah. They're great. What did they say? They're a vibe. They're a vibe. I mean, I just saw myself. I guess. I did. You did. I think everyone did. Maybe take them off now. Yeah. That was my fault. That's not the glasses fault. No, you're a fault. It was my fault. Stirling is shooting, or he doesn't want to hang out with us. One of the two. In fact, I don't know what he's doing. He just said, sorry, not available. Not available. But we're like, OK, well, this is going to happen. That's how he said it. When I texted him, he was like, who's this? Yeah. I'm like, new phone. Never mind. Never mind. Can you do a podcast? Yeah. And he's like, I'm not available. Not available. I said, I haven't told you when it is. And he said, don't worry. Not available. Sounds like Sterling. Yeah. I said, fine. We'll get the person we wanted in the first place. Correct. Sorry. It was too expensive when you guys were starting to sing. Thanks for doing us a favor. How's it going, man? Good. Very good. Good. Very good. Yeah. Looking forward to doing this. You're getting into this podcast game. I am. I just saw Chris. We did a podcast together. A scripted podcast. He did. An audio series. Oh, cool. Yeah. An original audio series. A sci-fi thing. John's jumping on this game. He's leading the charge on a podcast called. It's called the McGuire incident. And it's inspired by rumored events. So just like, you know, extra terrestrial. Yes. Oh. Just like Roswell in New Mexico. There was another incident in New Jersey. That is rumored to have happened within the military community, within the community around the Air Force Base called McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. And so there's a writer director whose father was part of this police department in this town that supposedly happened. I don't want to give away too much, but. What year are we talking? 1978. Chris plays a character. He actually plays. I wouldn't say my nemesis. So we have a wife played by Jennifer Morrison, my ex-wife. Oh, what? Jennifer Morrison and Chris plays her new boyfriend. And I played the dad. And of the of the main kid who's played by a wonderful actor named Wyatt Olf. People know him from it and lots of other things. But yeah, we recorded here in LA in New York. And yeah, we're in post right now. How many episodes is this thing? It's 12 episodes. 12 episodes. The next hit podcast. How, like, how long? Each episode will be about 35 to 40 minutes. Wow. Yeah. This is so cool. I can't wait to listen, you guys. Should be good. Should be really good. Oh, my cup of tea. That's a vibe. It's a real vibe. Yeah, it's a real vibe. It's got comedy. It's Chris Sullivan. Comedy chops. It's got drama. It's got action. Got everything you want. I don't know how action plays on an audio. We'll see. I mean, it's about getting people engaged. Yeah. So they want to just, you know, binge it from episode to episode. That's right. To give you guys an update on my journey through midlife, I've upgraded my prescriptions to progressives. Oh, yeah. How's that working out? I mean, I haven't gotten them yet. These are still just single vision. But I know our listeners have been really arrested. So my magnified. What's that? Am I magnified to be right now? No, but you're crystal clear. Oh, that's okay. You're still objects and glasses are the same size as they appear. Okay. You're not magnified. But you are crystal clear. Otherwise, that'd be blurry. That's right. I wear these like readers that are progressives. So that's okay, but that's what you just ordered. Yeah. Yeah, went to Costco. See, went to Costco. Because you need readers. Because of when I'm checking these script, like right now, can't can barely read this. Got it. Can't barely read it. You guys. Interesting. Yeah, 46, man. 45 was fine. 46. Something happens. Yeah, like that's what Sterling was saying. I do. I do. I've worn contacts like most of my life. Okay. I'm, um, uh, near sighted. Yeah. You hide them well. You hide them in your eyes. I hide them in my eyes. Because I am. If you got really close, you could see them. Um, yeah. I am near sighted, but I'm sure that the far sighted side of things is not due. And they're not too distant future as it were. We're so much younger. I have 42. That's coming for me too. Yeah. I got a couple years. But I feel like Sterling was talking about how everything just like really took a turn for him at like 50. Yeah. 40 was fine. Yeah. 41 body fell apart. Really? No, I've got that fixed. And 40, 46 eyesight. Just like a light switch. Yeah. Wow. This is so fascinating. Yeah. Is it? I do. I find it fascinating how literally everything is fine. I find myself talking about it a lot, but I also. What Natalie? Oh, wrap it up. Oh, do not. The wrap it up signal. Wrap it up. Roll your finger around in the air to tell me to wrap it up. Moving on. It's what I'm going through, Natalie. Well, this is a very special episode. Yes. Because this is an episode, the episode of this is us that you directed. Yes. And directed well. Yeah. Thank you. Tell us. Thank you. Everything. Tell us. The preparation. I also let the listeners know that when this season was approaching, Dan sort of sent the bat signal out to all of us and asked, what would we like to do in the last season? Bit of a wrap gift. Yeah. For those that wanted to direct someone to write. Yeah. Chrissy and Susan both wrote. Yeah. That's right. You and I directed. You had been directing. Yeah. But did you direct again this season? Yes. You did. Yeah. Yeah. And second. Second. Second. Milo directed his second episode this season. Yeah. Justin directed. I think his second episode as well. I believe you. Justin and Milo had all done episodes previously. Yeah. Right. And Sterling says, who's this? Sorry, I'm unavailable. Yeah, totally. Sterling was like, I'm too busy. I don't want to do anything. So he was the only one of us that opted out of doing anything. Chrissy and Sue chose to write an episode. Right. I was like, I'm already doing my thing. Yeah. Yeah. This is how much more do you want from me? Yeah, exactly. You can have all the awards. Um. So, but thinking about preparing for an episode of directing television. What did that entail for you? I mean, emotionally and. Yes. Like emotionally. I was. And the checklist. Definitely nervous. Obviously didn't want to let anybody down. I will say I've, I've realized that. Being on the show for five years, then getting to direct. There was a huge amount of scaffolding around. Yeah, there was a huge safety net that would not be there. Had I. Been asked to direct. Just be a guest director on the TV show. Sure. Right. So there's a bit of an asterisk bit of an asterisk by the director. Wait. Is that how you pronounce that asterisk? I thought it was asterisk. It was asterisk. It's asterisk. It's asterisk. It's asterisk. Asterisk. It is asterisk. This is interesting right now. Asterisk. Asterisk. Oh, I've always. Say like me. Asterisk. Asterisk. Asterisk. Yeah. How do you think it's spelled? I don't know. I don't spell it the way you say it. I just say the first letter. Here's a word. A X T R I X. Asterisk. Asterisk. Asterisk. Asterisk. Asterisk. Asterisk. Asterisk. I know how to say it from now on. That sounds like you're thinking you're doing your. Asterisk. No. That's an asterisk. Nothing. Nothing makes John laugh harder than that vocal that vocal bit. Okay. Tell people the vocal bit though. The vocal bit came from my buddy Jerome and his brothers. And there's two things you can put on the end award. A PSK. Or an E R A. And it depends on the word. It depends on the word or a word or a word or a word or a which one you like. Okay. You have to figure out which one goes on which word or a word. Yeah. Anyways. That one was a good one. It makes John. And it makes me so happy. But yes. Okay. So I've learned something today. So there's a bit of an asterisk. Bye. Asterisk. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. - I understand and I feel the same way, absolutely. - My handicap was way higher because-- - We had Yasu. - We had Yasu, who's like, one Yasu is just like shot, shot. - No, I remember, I was like, I didn't have things storyboarded out, but I had like my shot list. - And he takes them, he says, this is great. And he puts it aside, and he barely loves that. - Anyway, and-- - I'm gonna do what I tend to do. - And if I'm honest, Ken Olin, before I went there, he told me really not to worry about it. He's like, don't worry about shot list. I mean, you know what kind of coverage you want, but Yasu is gonna take care of it anyways. So that's fine. I wanted to obviously go through the process. So John was actually my go-to mentor on this. The app, which apps to get, the, you know, the processes, you know, when I got my first edit back. (laughing) And I took call, John, and I said-- - You said your episode through on the street. - I said, this is garbage, John. - It's straight garbage. - I was there. These are great actors, and I've ruined-- - The show. - This app, this show. This like, take a breath. - Everything's gonna be fine. - Flybacks, Barkey. - Yeah, yeah. It goes, but you would told me that too. Because I remember you saying that to me on your first episode, you were like, this is so slow. - The editor does their cut first. - Right, yes. - No, not taking away from the editor. - No, no, no, no. - No, but they have something. - They do their assembly, and then you get your cut. - But the editor is, it's not that the editor's putting together a bad cut. They're showing you what you got. - Yeah. - And they are not imposing their opinion on what you got. - Correct. - And so then you have to sit there and look at it. - So it's just dry. - It's dry. - There's no music. - There's no music. - It's too long. - Yeah. - There's maybe scenes and shots that you're like, "Well, in my mind, I was never gonna include that." - Yeah. - Yeah. - So it's-- - But I will say, right here at the top, it's maybe the most fun I've ever had on set. - Really. - Yeah. Because acting involves a lot of self-consciousness and process, and so it certainly is fun. I certainly enjoy it. But I felt free through this process. And I would show up and all my friends were there. - Yeah. - You know what I mean? - Totally. - And we got to talk. - Well, there's a problem solving aspect. - Yeah. - That's what, to me, directing is. - Yeah. - You've got a, like, this booklet of pages. - Yep. - And you've got to make those pages look like video or like, you know, like, that's a problem. How do you make words on a piece of paper? - Come to life. That's a problem. So how do you solve the problem? And then there's that. All these other people that are helping you solve the problem. And there's, you know, they're all asking you questions. So you get to be kind of like the lead problem solver. You know, because all those department heads are like, you know, how do you see us accomplishing this? Is that what you felt? - Yeah. And I guess, you know, being the personality type that maybe we all are is, I love problem solving. Especially when there are other people presenting the problem, figuring out what the problem is, and just being like, so is it A or B? Well, it's B. Okay, great. Like, if I have, if I'm in charge of the whole process, where I have to identify the problem, come up with three solutions for the problem and then pick a solution, maybe I don't enjoy that as much. - Yeah, that sounds way more daunting. - Directing is just like parenting. - It's like multiple choice. - Kind of is, maybe you're saying like you said, A, B or A, B, C, and like, because you know, you get presented with choices, my department heads, you know, you've got a writer, you know, with different words on a page, like it's like multiple choice. So it's an easy, it's an easy way to. - And I got paired up with Julia Brownel on this episode to write. - Oh, she's lovely as the best. - She's funny, she's smart, she's, you know, such a tender writer, beautiful, great runner. - Yeah, marathon runner. - Great runner. - So I had a blast, I had a blast. And I think the very first day of shooting was the first, I think the very, as far as I can remember was this scene with you guys, with Miguel. - Was this me dating? - No, no, with Miguel and Rebecca in the living room. - Oh, on the couch. - On the couch, that was your first day. - Why did you want to be a millionaire? - I think so. I think my first shot was with Teen Kate in her bedroom. She's putting on some makeup and clearly having a hard time looking at herself in the mirror. Or looking at the mirror and not liking what she sees. And she comes out into the living room and finds Miguel and Rebecca. - Watching who wants to be a millionaire. - Watchers wanted to love it. - Loving it. - Loving watching who wants to be a millionaire. - I mean, I remember being selfish. - Appointment television. - People don't even know what that means today. - Also, I feel like was there a computer game too? I think there was a computer game 'cause I used to love to play who wants to be a millionaire. - Right, it was just like a trivia game. - Yeah, yeah, of course. - Yeah, but yeah, back when there was an appointment at the television. - Right, you know, people lost their minds when that show came on. - Yeah. - Like a million dollars. - A million, I can get a million. A million dollars today is nothing. - They don't do that. - Yeah, yeah, they're like, - What? - In fact, is there another show since that offers $1 million as a prize? - I think who wants to be a millionaire comes and goes like it's still on. - That's it. - That's the only show where you can do that. - Yeah, yeah. - When a millionaire goes. - Yeah. - And Miguel and Rebecca are loving it. - Yeah. - In classic middle aged fashion. - Yeah. - I think this is the first visual of them where you see them settling in. - Kind of, right? Like really like, oh, they spend a lot of time together. - Yeah. - This shows that they're spending a lot of time together and that things seem lighter. - Way lighter. - And at least for Rebecca. - There's this moment at the end of the scene when, I think Kate says something about, you know, you guys gonna do this like for the rest of your lives or something like this. - Yeah, you can't just, no Miguel says that. Miguel says that to Rebecca. - And she, and Mandy has this subtle, subtle look. - Mm-hmm. They're like, and it's me, I can. - A nice little foreshadowing. - Yeah, yeah. - Because Miguel's trying to get Rebecca out of the house. - Oh, that's right. It's me who said it. - Kate, Kate tells us we're sad. First day, I'm watching you. - Yeah, Kate says she wants to be a millionaire. And I'm like, what? I go out with my work friends. Like I went out of Margarita this week and you're still dating Margarita like you have a girlfriend or what, so we're not doing so bad. - And then I say, I think it's time for you, I think it's time for you to get out there. That's what I say. And then it's where I suggest the-- - It's the game. - It's the game. - It's the game. - We can't sit around with the couch like this for the rest of our lives or something, and she's like, can we? Hey, me, me, me, Kate. - Me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me. - No, what's wrong with that? - I'm like, who wants to be a millionaire? - Yeah. There's something, yeah. There's a sweet little-- - Future millionaire. - Yeah. - So there's a speed dating event that Miguel is going to attend. - Would you guys ever do something like this? This is my nightmare. - I surely, I surely-- - Would have? - If I was y'all's age in 1997. - Yeah. - When this is-- - '99, '98, '99, yeah. - You'd have been all about it. - I'd have been in there. - Really? Me and Miguel were to show it up with our matching fedoras because neither one of us would have had the good sense to tell the other not to wear it. - Not to wear that. - Yeah. - That was such an-- - I'm glad that Rebecca was like, you know how? - Yeah, you have nice hair. - That was such a nice compliment. - Yeah. - I would never have done that. - Yeah. - It's a speed dating thing, I don't think. - No. - I most certainly would have. - Wow, I don't think I-- - Who is you man? - That is-- - Well, Kudos. I don't know about Kudos. Although that was a good snack in 1997. - Oh! - You guys ever have a Kudos, right? - Oh my god, I've been thought about Kudos in like 30 years. - Holy cow. - Oh, this is good stuff. - That's what got about Kudos, man. - They definitely had Kudos at speed dating. - Absolutely, Bella Kudos. - Yeah. - Bella Kudos, the peanut butter. - Okay guys, we have this new granola bar. It's covered in chocolate. We need a name. I don't know. How about Kudos? Everybody wants their Kudos. I love it when I get Kudos. I give Kudos to people. - Kudos, weird words. - Yeah, when you say it more than once. - I don't know. - Kudos, Kudos. - Which came first. Kudos, the snack, or Kudos, like giving Kudos. - No, you're giving someone their Kudos. - That's a real one. - Just now, like you're giving someone their flowers. - Was that a Greek word? - Yeah, what, where does Kudos come from? - We have a new protein bar. Which we call it flowers. We'll call it flowers because everyone loves to get their flowers. - Yeah, that doesn't mark the same. - No, it doesn't. Well, what if you give a bouquet of the bars? Bouquet of flowers. - Bouquet of Kudos. - The more that was us, after these words from our sponsors. (gentle music) - I think I would have been on a speedy, speed dating thing that I would have been more like Matt Dixon. - Yes. - And like, you know, where he's supposed to move on to the next. - Miguel. - But he reaches back like, "Hey, could we get some coffee?" - Miguel cleans up. Miguel cleans up at those. You know what that means. - Yeah, you're just like. - Like if he had to do this. - He had to do this. - Oh yeah, Miguel had to do this. - Cause you know what the end of us. - He got numbers. - At the end of the speed dating thing. - If you wanted any. - The way it works, right? Is you have your list of people that you speed day and you check off who you connected with at the end. - Yeah. - And then the speed dating, whatever connection. Yeah, the event itself is essentially bumble, it's like analog bumble. Yeah, analog apps. That's where the app came from. I'm just now realizing. That's what it is. That's what I would have been more like Matt who's like, no, I like that girl. I want to, you know, I made the connection. I don't want you to tell me who. So let's jump. Let's jump to the event. We're at the event. You two roll up, you're definitely a little repackaged apprehensive about it. You know, this was one of this. So as when, when, when you get to direct an episode, you not only get to go on a location scout, which was one of my most fun days. Yeah, it was in a van with, with Ken Olin and Yasu. Oh, Ken went with you. Yeah, because he was making sure everything was going right. Right. He bought us all ice cream. Thank you, daddy. And we picked this location, which was like this Greek restaurant or whatever. Some nightclub that we made look like a Greek restaurant. But casting, there wasn't a lot of casting in this episode except for the speed dating participants, which I got to watch tapes off. And I was actually really looking forward to the casting portion, but this was really the only part that needed any casting. And we'll get to, he's not listed here. And, and I wish he was, and maybe Natalie can figure out who he is when we get to it. It was also incredibly fun to shoot, because it was very fast paced. And it was Rebecca kind of lightheartedly talking about her dead husband. Yeah, I was like, well, why am I here? I'm single. Why am I single? Well, my husband died. And it's, yeah, you just keep cutting it's like, it gets progressively more and more glib. Yeah, kind of like, it wasn't the, wasn't the smoke inhalation. It was the heart attack. Yeah, they call it a widow maker. It gets worse and worse. And it was, it was the one moment in the show where I kind of got to sit back and like, watch you just rattle off these lines and then throw out some different ones. Yeah, there were definitely a few that went too far, which obviously didn't make it in there. I'm trying to remember what I kept trying to get you to say worse and worse things. Yeah, I don't remember. Yeah, dead lost the whole house. Yeah, everything was funny. Lost everything. Up and flames. Yeah, um, comedy. That was fun. That was a really fun day. It was a fun day. Yeah. Um, and, and for as complicated as it was, it was pretty easy to shoot, because you sat on one side of the table and these guys would just filter through. Sure. And look at you like a crazy person. Yeah. Until who, uh, who sits down, Miguel sits down across from you. Yeah. And it's like, uh, if we don't, yeah, if we don't find anybody in the next like, you know, time or two, like, let's just call it a day. This is it was, it was, it was sad. But one of the things that hit me on this that that maybe didn't, I mean, it landed obviously at the time, but it really hit me this time was he says, Hi, I'm, uh, I'm a single dad. My, my children live thousands of miles away from me and they hate me. Oh, that's interesting. My husband died in a house fire. The intimacy that you just are like, Oh, right. They know each other. Right. And it's like, why are they trying so hard with this? Why are they trying so hard? Right? There it is. Yeah. We already have been through it. We've been through it together. You know me, you know all my shit. I know all yours. Sure. And it's just like a moment of like, Oh, there they are. There's the couple. Yeah. And you say, yeah, if this next one's a good, let's move on. Let's move on. Let's get out of here. And who sits down this time is a wonderful actor, Mr. PTA named Matt Corby. Yeah. Who is playing Matt Dixon? Yeah. Who's also on the land? Is it really? I got to hang out with him for six months too. Yeah. And they give us a little flashback in the in the previously on this is us. Quick side note. I don't know if you ever talked about this. I definitely have a recording of me saying previously on this is us. Yeah. No recollection of recording it. I feel like we did it very, very early days in ADR. Yeah. In ADR. Yeah. When you're going to replace dialogue for folks that don't really know what that is, when a scene has been cut or a line wasn't recorded properly or something and you have to replace the dialogue. Additional dialogue replaced me. Yes. That's what ADR is. And occasionally we didn't do much on this show. Mainly because we were recording on sound stages a lot where the sound is a little more protected and reliable than it is when you're out in an open field with an airport like planes flying over you. That's when you tend to have to replace a lot of the dialogue. But I believe that we did record all of our versions of previously on this is us. Probably when you replaced Mike with Miguel. Miguel. Miguel. Just say. Yes. I am. And so Matt, we see in the previously on this is us is the parent from the PTA who Rebecca ran into at the grocery store kind of right after Jack passed away. Yeah. We ran into each other actually at the video store. He was there. We were going to graduation and I was looking to buy a video camera to video Randall's graduation. And he was there, I guess, looking at camera equipment as well at the radio shack or whatever. And yeah. And just sort of like ask me out and a sweet coffee. Yeah. And it was still like. It was still timing was not there. Frumpy beret bags under the eyes. Rebecca. Correct. We have definitely seen that there's like a little bit of a spark though. Yeah. He starts talking about his kids asking about mine. Yeah. And there is a lightness and an ease between them. You're glad to see him. Yeah. Like a friendly face. All right. Yeah. We know each other. That's right. We have a history and you kind. And then the little bell dings and he moves on to the next table and then sits down. The greatest actor I've ever seen. And his name is Natalie. You've been searching it. What? Wow. Damn it. It's gotta be. This gentleman is Eastern European. Yeah. He was great. And as soon as I saw his audition tape, I'm like. Oh yeah. I know this. I know this is he was right on the edge of not in our world. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Oh yeah. Like I could definitely see somebody in in dance off me. Like this is too much for this is us. But I'm like, no, I have to have I have to meet this guy. And I want him on the show. And he sits down and he says two lines. I have a ferret. One of them is I have a ferret. But I think we sat and filmed him for 30 minutes saying. I do remember it. You having a lot of fun. He was like feeding lines to him. So taken by him, his seriousness and his commitment. I almost was convinced that he wasn't Eastern European. Yeah. That this was all just like a root. And it was like a Borat situation where he like auditioned or a character or Andy coffee and showed up in care or Andy Kaufman and showed up in character and stating character even after we cut. And I thought he was fantastic. Sir, I've forgotten your name. Please forgive me. Dan. It looks like him. It's Stradi. It's Dr. Here. Is today. That's him. Yes. That's him. Yeah. Dan. You're a genius. I know you're well. And I hope you never stop working. Yeah. He was great. I'm I'm putting him down on my notes. Yes. I want to bring him to Vancouver. I want to watch more of this up. And I want to bring him to think. Chris is going to be a rookie. No, he's a criminal. You're just going to walk in on one of the interrogations and it's him. I want I want he and I to cross paths in a thousand different ways through my life. Yeah. And just is it? Have these guys been going together before? They always were together. They're always. But after he sits down, Matt kind of reaches over and is like, he's like, excuse me. Actually, can we go get some coffee after this? Yeah. And Rebecca is delighted and says, of course, yeah. She's like, it's 9 p.m. That's what I did think in my mind. I was like, I was like, I hope she's having decaf. Oh, yes. And so they do. They go to coffee, a decaf, a decaf, coffee date at 9 p.m. And then Matt, Matt takes you home in the hardest hitting dad car of the late 90s, station, Volvo, boxy, a station wagon. God, I love it. Give it to me. Give it to me. Do you have a Volvo for a while? I did. Not an old Volvo. No, no, no. But like a modern day station. Yeah. It was a small SUV. My god, nothing to me. Like I grew up in a carpool with someone who had a Volvo station wagon. There was nothing cooler than sitting in the back. Yeah. Totally dangerous in the back. In the trunk. Oh, yeah. That was one of the last ones that had the rear-facing seats. We're facing seats. When I got picked up and I was like, oh, the middle, like, you know, the rest of the car's occupied. I got to sit in the back. - Yeah. You liked that. - Oh, I loved it. - Yeah. - So dangerous. - And did that car that Matt was driving, did that have the-- - It looked like it did. - Yeah, I would have had a rear-facing. - That car says-- - This is 99. - That car says, oh, you're a single dad of three. You're stable. - Yeah. - Reliable. - You like to live a little day. You like to have coffee after 8 p.m. - You like safety. - Sign me up. - Sign me up, Daddy. - Sign me up, Daddy. - Yeah. - Daddy. - That's-- - That's when coffee shops used to be open later. - Yeah. - 'Cause we're not really open now. - No, no, 4 p.m. - They were all in the panic coffee shops. - It opens like midnight. - Yeah, we'll go over to the Bella Brew. - Bella Brew. - That was yours. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Did they have like, open mic? - Yeah. - I was drinking. - Yeah, yeah, open mics. - Some Bohemian poet. - Drinking the mocus. - Yeah, exactly. - Not realizing how much caffeine I was ingesting 'cause I thought it was coffee. - I was asleep tonight. - Yeah, yeah. - Oh, caffeine's a problem for me, you guys. At least it used to be. But he comes home and he gives her a sweet little kiss on the cheek. - I think he went in for the kiss. - He went in for the kiss. - But he didn't feel disappointed. - No, it was just the sweet like this is where. - I think he went straight in. And he was like, let me just see what she's gonna do. And I'm happy with whatever. She gives me the cheek cool and she gave him the cheek. - Yeah. - He was like, that's fine. - Yeah, so I'll see you next time. - Yeah. - And he turbo-diesels off. (laughing) - He did. (laughing) - And there's a smitten kitten on the sidewalk. - Yeah, she's just happy to be, I don't know. - Until she goes inside. - Faced to face with. - And there's a gloomy doomy. - Asking what she was doing. - What you doing? - Yeah. - It was like, it was the role of the role of the role of the girl and the dad sitting in a dark living room. - Yeah, in a rocking chair waiting for staff. Welcome home, flips the lamp on. - Exactly. - What's you up to? - Yeah. - Why is your breath smell like coffee? - Do you know what time it is? - This car was that. - It was, it was. - That's exactly what she said. Who the car was that? - Yeah. - Oh, you went out for coffee, it's nine o'clock. - Yeah. - The judgment. - Yeah, so much judgment. It was like, she mad that you were getting home so late. She just mad that you weren't even, that wasn't even Miguel's car. - Yeah. - Like, I already don't like you hanging out with this woman. I ain't hanging out with another. - Yeah, with someone else that I don't know, wow. - Tramp. - And she starts, yeah. - No, did she say tramp? - She says, I don't, she says, yeah. - Pouring around. - No, she says like us. Slime. - Oh, that's right, that's right, that's right. - That's it, like us. - You guys get a little heated, you try to fender off with some respectful returns. - Well, with respectful, you know what? It's time, like I can't sit around this house all day. You said so yourself, I'm trying to, you know, find a way to put the pieces of my life back together and find some sort of happiness. I think it's what your father would have wanted. - Yeah, and then she says, what you mean, run around, tell like a slut? And you said, slut what? - She ain't saying nothing. - Yeah. - This did all the talking. - She said, slap. - That was a good slap, too. - It was a good slap. - It was awful. It felt-- - And yes, yes, it was awful. - I'm gonna tell you right now, though, the audience at home was like, yes. Hot take? - She deserved it. - Hot take? The audience was probably like, Kate needs to snap out of it. She's, no, she needs to be slapped. - I don't know if that's such a hot take. It was, yes. - It's time to snap out of it. - I believe it could have been handled a different way, but wow, yes, it was-- - Of course, yes, it was. - Of course. - But people-- - It was horrifying, especially, it was horrifying then, but even more so now as a parent, I'm like, oh, wow. - Yep. - But it was horrifying to hear her speak to Rebecca that way, to her mom. - I won't, I won't ask you to divulge, but I got hit in the face once. - No, I know I got hit in the face. - Real hard. You mean as a kid? - Well, it's like a 17-year-old. About the same, about the same as Kate. - Yeah, just made me do it for the same reason. - I mean, I definitely didn't call my mom slut, but I was talking back and it was a pivotal moment. - There was threats of washing. My mouth out was soap. Never happened, but a lot of threats. - Brutal. - Threats, I was like brutal. - I just, in my mind, I remember thinking of like, a dial bar of soap in my mouth and I was like, that's gotta be so gross. - I never, I never got hit. - Same. - There was attempted, but I grew up with a grandparents. I was too fast. Straight up, I grew up with my grandparents too fast. They couldn't catch me, they couldn't swing on me. - So? - And because they were old, like you know what I'm saying? Like, you can't get me. - Yeah. - But I was a little brat. - I'm picturing, hold on. Now I'm picturing old people trying. - And it was a 17-year, and you'd be like, - Oh, yeah, and John, John. - John, John. - And they come back again, and then they fall over. - Yeah, get up, shoot. - Should send me to the boxing gym. We'll learn how to boxing with a little kid for babysitting. - Yeah. - That was my babysitter, 'cause they call me Bob and weave. - Yeah. - I try to hit me, Graham. - Whoa. - Can't hit me. - Can't hit me. - Can't hit me faster than that. You don't even run away. - You guys. - You just kind of lean in. - But you know who can't, you know who can't dodge it? - Kate. - No. - Kate got it. - Rebecca's too fast. - Oh, well, and it had the slap happens. Do you remember filming that? - Yep. - Yeah, I just remember being wanting it to make sure that it felt real and felt earned. I mean. - We had to get from point A to point slap. - Yeah. - Believably. - Yeah. - And we only had four exchanges to get there. - Yeah. - So it had to exponentially level up to a believable point. - Yeah. - Like she had to, for lack of a better phrase, earn it. - Yeah. - And you had to be pushed to that point. - Yeah. - But then the moment after was very, like we felt. - But also the immediate moment after was was like, not backing down. - Yeah. - It was like, you don't know what you're talking about. - Oh yeah, that's right. The immediate one. - Oh, of course, of course. - It would have disappointed me if it had been written she immediately. - Backtracked. - Yeah. - I can't believe I did that. - Yeah. - That would have disappointed me. - She calls Miguel and admits that. - That's the moment. - Yeah, she doubled down in the moment, but then she called Miguel and was like, I did this thing that I regret. It's horrible. And what does she say? She calls Miguel admits that grief is so deep and unbearable. - Yeah. - And also there's a moment, like the way that you played that where it was like, from the beginning of the phone call to the end, just how it just progressively got more emotionally, just impossible for you as Rebecca to, and we did that a few times, but it was done on the first take. Like it was, and I watched it. I was like, this is a lesson. I'm watching an acting lesson right now. Never mind having to accomplish that emotional level, but that emotional level on a phone call is like double like standing there. 'Cause you were talking to the script standing there. - That's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, alone in a room on a phone. I will say the Glenn off camera, that's what that is. - Yeah, no, he's great. He definitely give you something. He does show up. We love Glenn. - Speaking, and just real quick maybe for the audience, off camera means like if an actor is in a scene on a phone call, or you can't see the other person for whatever reason, sometimes a script supervisor, or in our case, an AD will read the lines off. - Yeah, so you have somebody to respond? - To dialogue with, yeah. - You're acting with your co-star in that scene. And so Glenn, our first AD, which is a very, it's about, he runs the set. He's not really an actor. - Oftentimes he would have to jump in and read for us, off camera. - He would give us as actors something, when you normally, whoever's reading off camera, you get nothing. Yeah, somebody like reading the phone book, it's. - Yeah, and sometimes that really happens. - So like it's no easy feat to achieve that level of concise emotion. And it was something. - On both sides, yeah, that's very kind. I mean, I think about that all the time when I watch anybody on any show, but on our show specifically, that's on the phone, making it feel so believable. - Yeah. - It is, it's the hardest part of the job, for sure. - I would tell you watching, watching one of the thing, when I watch horror movies, and I see some. - Watching people be scared. - Watching people be scared, believably. - Over nothing. - When I know how long they've been doing that, and they have to do this for a 90 minute movie, I find, I'm like, this is, there should be Academy Awards for this, for just horror film acting. It's incredible, it's incredible. - Yeah, when they're good. - Yeah, absolutely, yeah. - Kudos. - There's no romance. - Kudos. - Quick shout out to Miguel on the other side of the phone too, who's there in his undershirt and have it a beer on the bed alone. - Hey, Rebecca. - It's in a coffee. - What's he doing at 10 o'clock in his undershirt with beer? - I wish, I wish we'd had some lady in the back. - I wonder what my kids are doing. I wish we had had like a lump in the bed next to you. Like it went well for me too Rebecca. Don't worry about it. - Yeah, don't worry about it. - I hope your coffee went well. - Yeah. - You were so happy to answer the phone at first 'cause you didn't know why she was calling. - What do you call? - You were like a little, like a soft man anyway. - How was your coffee? - It was so good. - You wanna come over? - That's not right. - Yeah, I taped a-- - You're still up too? - Yeah, I wanna be a millionaire. - I'm guessing we shouldn't jump into the montage at the end. - We can do the montage at the end. - Yeah, yeah, okay perfect. - Should we go to present day? - Kate Toby? - Yeah. - Yes. Toby calls Kate. - Yeah, Kate and Rebecca is there helping Kate because Toby's in San Francisco. - She's hanging out with our kids, played by Johnny King Cade, the-- - The incredible Johnny King Cade. - Incredible. - And Little Haley. - And Little Haley. That's right. - Yes. - And yeah, Toby calls and did you direct? - You in San Francisco. - Yes. - I mean, I just let the camera run, but yeah. You set up the shot. - We did. - Yes. When we were in San Francisco doing the part of my episode-- - Yeah, that's right. - That takes place in San Francisco. - My end of the phone call. - Correct. - While you were directing your episode. - Yes. - This was a beautiful shot. - It is a beautiful shot. - It was. - Yeah, I mean, it was like a beautiful location. - You got the bridge in the harbor there. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. - As far as phone calls go, it was dynamic. - It was a dynamic phone call scene. - I feel like Rachel and I have had these phone calls a lot. - Where you like know the task at hand. - Yeah. - You kind of have to deliver some bad news. - But I'm like, listen. This showrunner, you know, like I got to stay an extra day in Vancouver. - Yeah. - 'Cause the director wants to have dinner. - Yeah, and it's important. - And it feels, especially feels that way in our industry. Because in our industry, we dress up work events, like social events, all the time. - Yeah. - And so you're like, no, I'm going to a party, but it's not a party. - No. - Even a red carpet. This is not-- - That's fun. - It's not a parade of enjoyment. - No, it's work. - Work and interviews and talking to people. - Yeah, I'm networking. - And making sure that you have face time with the people who are instrumental in giving you your next job, maybe. - Yes. - Yes. - Perhaps. - I hate all of it. That's why John wants to start giving the jobs. - Yeah. - That's right. - Just give us the jobs. We're good, man. - And he says, I got to stay here to go out on the yacht. Micro yacht. It's a micro yacht. Don't-- - And you also apply it down to, right? 'Cause yeah, the dinner I'm going to, it's not gonna be that fun. - No, there aren't gonna be like really cool people there. - No, it won't be tasty. - No, the food's not great. - It won't be tasty, it's not-- - The micro yacht. - It's not chef prepared. - Yeah, it's not. - You want to eat. - It's like a canoe with a toilet. - Mm-hmm. - And you could tell that this is, you know, okay. Not hitting Kate particularly favorably. - Sure. Perhaps there been a couple of those. - Yeah, she really did. - Yeah. - She really did. And Rebecca, of course, sees that, okay, now there's a change in the plans. And she says, hey, well-- - I'll put the kids. - Yeah, I'll watch the kids. - Yeah, because Kate has to go to work. - Yeah, that's right. And then Kate says, "Why don't you come with me? "Bring the kids, it'll be fun. "Like, they've never, you haven't seen me at work." - Yeah, music, you love music. - Yeah. - It's like, okay. - You want to come see some music? - Yeah, and Rebecca falls for it. - Of course, hook line and sinker. She has no idea. - Yeah, and set up. - Who's going through early onset, so. - Yeah. - It's easy to trick. (laughs) - Oh, man. Yeah, she's easy target. - And so at school, Kate asks Rebecca to be, it's not just joined, but to be the kind of guest musician, right? They cut to the class, and she's there teaching, and she's got the kids and the strollers, and her class is there, and there's a nice grand piano, and she says, but you know who's a great piano player is my mom. - And she knows every modern pop song. - Yeah, every one of them. - On piano. - Yeah. - She can just like, just jump into royals by Lord. - By Lord. - Yeah. - It's her favorite. - It's her favorite. - Look at that Bob. Do you think that Bob doesn't like Lord? - I think that Bob hasn't been to a Lord concert. Come on. - Yeah. - Got another incoming, so yeah. - And we really needed, we really needed, like some kind of golden girl's moment, where it cuts to you, like. Okay, looks good. ♪ We don't care, I'm gonna call up in my mouth of hers. ♪ - You know, like a real Mrs. Doubtfire type. - It was really cute. ♪ We will never be crying, crying, crying ♪ ♪ And we'll never be able to cry ♪ - Not gonna be able to use that much at the song. - Come at me, Lord. Come at me, YouTube. It's not even identifiable as the song. - It's so good. Leave it in. - Challenge set. - I'll take the lawsuit. Lord, I didn't-- - I'll take the lawsuit. I won't. - I don't know how many of you need to do this. - I didn't sing much of that. - There's nobody else here. Stay on my single. - I'm out. - I'm alone in a room somewhere. Come find me, Lord. - Oh, Lord. - And you're not-- - Oh wow. - Oh. - Tell them how he's coming down for you. - Moby, Moby's not coming for anybody. First of all, one bald man to another. Moby's not coming for anybody. - I got, and by the way, I got your back against Moby. Oh, now Jon's here. - No. - Now if it's, if it's more like you come with Jon's here. - Oh, for the vegan, it's easier. - Come at me with your vegan arms. - Come on man, let me get you a satan out of here. - Okay. - They have a blast. They sink, the children sing a beautiful version of royal, royals by Lord. While they're there, there's another phone call, another great phone call. This is the phone call I was talking about earlier that we shot in San Francisco at the docks because the first one's in Toby's office. - Oh, yes, yes. - That's right, first one's in Toby's office. - And you're like actually, the yacht wasn't so bad. - It was kind of a big yacht. - Yeah. - A little legit. - I got to wear sunglasses, which felt really cool. - Yeah, always feels so comfortable. - Sometimes acting I think is red. - Cool. - It takes a little bit of the pressure off. You're like, oh, you don't see what's going on behind these. - And you can look right at the camera. - You're not afforded the opportunity very often, unless you're supposed to look cool. - Yeah. - Getting off a yacht. - Yeah, getting off a yacht, you had to wear it. Also, it was incredibly sunny if I remember correctly. It was like a non-negotiable, you had to wear sunglasses. - Yeah, always sunny in San Francisco. - Yeah. - More, that was us, after this short break. (soft piano music) - Kate says, yeah, we're here, we're doing our thing. But I, we've lost, I've lost so much time with her like. - Yeah. - And he is just trying to kind of console her and let her know there's plenty more time to be had and end. - Of course. - Because she's worried that, like, you know. - Yeah. - Well, she was just like, this is such a beautiful moment. And I wasted so many years being mad at my mom. Having, you know, a difficult relationship. We've had this sort of like overcome so much to get to this point where we can share this moment now. Like, I'm happy in my life. I love this job. It's so suited for me. I'm able to bring her here. She's able to use her love of music. And it's like watching everything come full circle at the very end when my mom is sick. Like, I hate that it took so long. We had so many bumps in the road. - And then she throws out kind of a mysterious line. She's like, I need to tell her tonight. - Yeah. - Tell her what? - Yeah. - Catherine. - Yeah. - Do you think it's Catherine? - No. - Kate, it's just Kate. - It's just Kate. - It's just Kate. - I think Jack named her and he would have just said Kate. - Yeah. - We would have heard Catherine earlier. - Especially when she was getting in trouble. - Yeah. - Catherine? - Yeah. - Catherine Pearson. - I probably wouldn't. She slapped her. - It would have been, you don't know what you're talking about Catherine. - Yeah. - Man, we missed it. - You well? - We missed an opportunity. - Yeah. - Yeah. - What's Catherine's middle name too? - I forget. - Catherine, you don't know what you're talking about, Caitlin. - They wouldn't have done Caitlin. - They wouldn't have Caitlin, 'cause. - Yeah. - We got Caitlin. - Yeah. - It wasn't the early 90s. - No, I just feel like I feel like Caitlin behind the scenes. - Behind the scenes. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - She says, I have to tell her tonight. - Yeah. - And the audience is like, tell her what? Well, cut to the kitchen. - Anne. - Anne. - Rebecca's talking Doja Cat. She's finally learned who Doja Cat is. If I knew one of her songs, I'd sing one of her goddamn songs too, although maybe don't come at me Doja Cat. - Yeah, I don't know. - She sings very, very, yeah. - And Tim and Dyke, she would. - She'd come at you. - She's show up at Rabbi Grin Studios. Kick the door. - Well, that's easy. - Kick the door. - Oh, you want to sing my song? - Hi. - Oh. - Oh. if you're not watching us on who John where does can pull a comedy face like nobody's business every time. So go back start watching watch this one. Don't just listen. You got to watch. Thank you. And she's just talking about what a great day she had. Rebecca's talking about what a great day she had and and she's happy to be helpful and she's like you know when Toby gets home yeah like I would be happy to watch the kids let you guys go have a little bit of a date night. Yeah Kate. Case like well. I mean to talk to you about that. Yeah. I said this up in the last scene. Yeah. Yeah. Let me follow through. Remember the last scene where I told Toby that I needed to tell you something tonight. It's tonight. So she essentially just says that she and Toby have been talking and considering mom's you know latest pet scans. Yeah. And you know how this disease is progressing they don't entirely feel comfortable with her being left alone with the kids. Yeah. And Rebecca is it's it's tough because watching this now removed from you know a few years removed from playing the character I was I understood how insulted she felt. But as a parent now it's like I can understand a little bit more of both sides and how unbelievably difficult this was from both sides now of course how unbelievably difficult this was for Kate to even voice to her mother. Right. But how important she felt it was you know between the her family and her husband that you know because things things are only going to progress further from here. And I think this is sort of getting out ahead of a problem before it's it's you know before it really becomes a problem. Right. I guess you don't you don't know how fast it's going to progress. Sure. Right. It's the the pet scans are obviously showing all the it's progressing faster in in in the scans in the last like yeah last one so yeah it must you know it must be really difficult for anyone to go through that so I like but at the same time like I I remember watching the episode thinking but she can drive a car she's like literally leaving yeah yeah getting her car and drive away like so I was so I bet a lot of people at you know at home who maybe have parents who are going through some sort of you know dementia or alternative. Some kind of cognitive client are like well my mom is fine with my kids I bet that you know people at home were kind of like I wonder whose side yeah I wonder how divided our audience was in that. Yeah I mean you also have a child who has a disability right who has visual impairment and there's a lot more consideration. There are two young kids it's a lot it's a lot for anyone to handle and I truly believe it was Kate just being cognizant and aware that like things are going to continue to progress and I just need to tell you that this is a conversation we've had and it might be easier to sort of implement this rule now before like it's entirely necessary. Before it's too late. Exactly exactly but yeah Rebecca obviously takes it hard and she leaves Kate then comes over to their house to Rebecca McGell's house later to have a conversation and to apologize and just talks about how how poor this timing is. Kate sort of reiterates what she said to Toby like it's taken so long for us to finally you know find each other and be in a good place with one another and I love where we are now and I hate that like this disease is robbing us of having what we've worked so what we've worked essentially our entire lives to have with one another. But here is how we can can connect. Yeah it's over music. Yeah musical always be the connecting thread and I would love for you to teach Jack music and then the way that you taught me piano and you introduce me to music as a kid. She brings some Braille sheet music which was I thought so and like for me it was so emotionally touching because the thought of a parent thinking that you know having a kid with a disability like thinking the things that they might miss and I love like I love that there is just you know that someone figured out like we can yeah we can write music and Braille and and then obviously it sets up you know Jack for the future but you know that's when I watch the episode it's one thing that like hit me I'm like if not for this moment right here for all of this like Jack would never in a rock star a rock star yeah and that's what literally bad time the moment I watch that. Well it keeps insistence. Yeah sure we do the last storyline and then we'll get to the montage of the end. Well we have we have Kevin Madison and Randall that's right I know I know it's a long it's a long episode so Kevin we find Kevin dropping off the kids with Madison they're being cute they're clapping and they're pointing doing all the little things that's my sister right there yeah exactly yeah and oh oh yeah it's also here yeah comes out the bedroom comes out the bedroom yeah I don't know the bedroom yeah yeah asks if she wants a smoothie she says no Kevin is obviously still getting used to the fact that they're dating and how comfortable that situation is he's dropping the kids off because he is on his way to Pennsylvania he's going to be overseeing construction of the house by the cabin. Let's not I mean I don't know if I'm inserting this too early but let's not forget the moment that the face that Justin gives this guy. What did he say? He gives a couple he gives a couple of faces where the first face what he realizes that he's there right because he's facing away from him. I'm talking about the one at the end when he tries to he says he says oh this is the side of celebrities that people just don't see is that and and and and and and Kevin is just looking at him like oh yeah yes the look the look he gives when he says what you guys are just hang out in the bedroom no no it says you know I can hear every word you guys are saying right no it's the very end like like it's a big weekend for you right it says yeah I'm going to Pennsylvania to check on the house that I'm building for my mom and and Elijah says I think it's the side of celebrities we never get the side of celebrities we don't see and that's and then he just like just never see that's how we end the scene something smash cut that with that look yeah so just in the genius Justin Justin can unfortunately do everything yeah that's true he can save people he can shoot guns he can be the funniest person on set yep the most handsome person on set yeah the best lover does it all incredible dramatic don't be that way Todd were you surprised don't be don't look surprised how first of all how dare you look surprised let's see okay so he he leaves he calls Cassidy and he invites her to the cabin and says Uncle Nikki would obviously love to see her obviously obviously obviously yeah not just Kevin not Kevin and and also so that that Uncle Nikki's gonna he's gonna come and he's there obviously but he has his new girlfriend visiting that's right so like doesn't she want to come and meet the new girlfriend yeah Cassidy is is at her lowest saddest the divorce is finalized she's sitting on the floor organizing Pokemon cards in her son's bedroom and she says yeah I guess I can come wait this is this is a sex thing yeah Kevin's like you open and yeah and and it's a true adult conversation about possibility hook it up because I hadn't thought about it but now you mentioned it maybe I'm open to it but not expecting and then she says because it will affect I mean if it is a thing then it will affect my packing and grooming which I do appreciate I do appreciate I don't quite understand what she means but well it means you know what she's gonna pack and grooming meaning like how's she gonna how's everything gonna yeah yeah how's everything gonna look and feel in the moment in the moment in the moment how everything gonna look and feel listen tailors out of town for two weeks he left this morning yeah no probably not gonna shave my legs the entire time he's gone got it I mean no I do know you mean so it's like it's that kind of now it all makes sense yeah I'm starting I wish I'd known when I was directing these yeah Chris never got no one tells me anything so Uncle Nikki brings his girlfriend she's lovely they're at the cabin right real quick oh yeah there's a phone call between Kevin and Randall that that is kind of the the blunt the the most blunt this episode is full of blunt conversations with Kevin yeah where Kevin is having self-realization about how the world views him and who he is interesting yeah and the first one is is with the first conversation is over the phone with Randall Randall essentially says you're the world's worst serial monogamous yeah you keep you had a one night stand yeah yeah good luck good luck trying to have because because he says listen we're two adults we can have casual sex and yeah you don't do that yeah you don't do that yeah you don't do that and and honestly it's a bit of an addict conversation It's like listen I can have a couple of beer. No normal people can have a couple of beers. You cannot say you can not, right? Right nor nor can you handle your sexual relations. Yeah, so be careful and yeah, because if you're gonna open yourself up to that You're gonna. Yeah, and up married again. It was a great brotherly conversation between two brothers who are showing love to each other It was having always traditionally. Yeah, show that right trying to back on back on good terms. They can have just a Loving normal conversations great and then he shows up to the to the website the website then he shows up to the website To the cabin to the worldwide web To the cabin Uncle Nicky's there. Nicky's there with his girlfriend. Yeah, Cassidy is arriving. They're they're They're sitting down to have a dinner, right? Yeah, they're breaking bread the four of them. Yeah, she's lovely She talks about how she's been married three times. He's obviously never been married. Yeah He's Worried he confides to Kevin that he's worried. He's just another this was the hardest scene This was the hardest moment to shoot because the two of them were killing each other. Yeah, trying to get these lines out Just make each other laugh sexual relations. Yeah, but he is what does he say he's just another like port in her storm or something? I'm worried. I'm just another port in her storm. She seems she's met so many men as a flight attendant Yeah, and then he says I haven't had sex with a real live woman in over two years Two years or two decades. Is it two decades? I think it'd be two decades or else we'd be going wait What happened two years ago in your trailer? Yeah, also pretty sure it's the same like two years is not that long like you're fine. Yeah But yeah, the two of them standing at that sink trying to get those words out trying to look just to be like what do you mean live woman? Yeah And was that scripted yes all of it all of it was in the script and that might have been and Griffin and Griffin was leaning in Just trying to break Justin with every single wine and so they sit down to to to have Dinner yeah, and it's essentially Justin witnessing a couple yeah, a loving weird unexpected Couple yeah, and and they're very cute together a very cute and they brought an overnight bag like it's yeah, it's all happening That's right. She brought an overnight bag. Yeah She well, yeah, so we know she's definitely called her out into the woods. Yeah, where where was she gonna go exactly? You're in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Yeah, she needs a place today. We knows what's happening Our night bag and groomed. Yeah, I was happy to have to dinner as right or We don't know what they're doing back to knock down boobs Yeah, but is there a line the Kevin says like we don't know what they're doing in there. Oh, yeah They're in there watching a movie are they which which movie were they watching dude? Well, I could hear it. Yeah What is it? I thought I need to get it on our shelf. It's another movie from the cabin. What were they watching watch figured out? He says yeah, I'm real worried, but what's going on there to that blanket cuz he's talking about hand jobs Right real adult stuff real adult things cabin middle of the woods cabin things Right, that's we sure I mean probably probably I think so use your imagination checking out his packing and grooming Yeah, hadn't had sex yet. So maybe they're starting easy. Yeah, starting with something easy This is what they call heavy petting heavy petting and and Justin and or Kevin and Cassidy are are at the sink being very domestic washing and drying dishes I thought I found myself having a bit of an ASR ASMR moment with the sound of washing dishes the the bloopy of the water and the clacky of the plates Bloop and clack bloop and clack. Yeah, real domestic real cozy Kevin suggests they go get ice cream Very cozy. So they leave they go to try to get some ice cream Yeah, oh, but he does ask her before that if She wants a job to like oversee and feel like he and the construction of the cabin. I need your charity I don't need your charity man. And she yeah, yeah, yeah I he trusts her He knows that like she'll get the job done and Nick. He's already been mouthing off to the Exactly. He's gonna need someone to manage him. I'm talking about more than anything. Nikki threw a stapler at a subcontractor exactly Cassidy I need you to block staplers and this time this time thinking about like where does stapling come into any of this construction? Yeah, where do you get a stapling together? I lived in that house as a Miguel did anyway. Yeah, where was we could fall apart? What stapled together? I wish in in the comedy version of this is us. We would have cut to Griffin pulling a stapler out of like the inside pocket of his coat. Yeah, he carries one around it all times and chucking it at a Right. Yeah, at a rougher Exactly. Yeah, that's that's what we should do. We go back and we remake the half-hour comedy version of this is us episode by episode Right. That's the podcast. That's the next show We get the whole gang back together and we make a comedy version of the show and we do the half-hour comedy version of the show I'd watch it. Dan. There's your pitch That's the reboot. I mean, not your pitch pitch is got canceled But the new version of this is acting. Not to rub salt alone. Hey Okay, so they go get ice cream. Yeah, Evan tries to hold her hand because he thinks those are the vibes, right? She gave him the pretty woman. She's like, she yanked that shit away. Let's talk about sex not holding hands. Yeah, exactly He's like, well, what's wrong holding hands? What's wrong with this? And she essentially explains like The logistics are never going to work for them, right? Like he has children back in LA Her kid is here and they're and their shit is different. Yeah, different darkness. They had different darkness Yeah, he's like do you ever she's like do you ever notice that I'm up every time you call me at 3 a.m Like I'm awake. Why do you think that is right? And he she basically is like you're chasing the wrong blonde go chase another blonde We're all like oh, she also calls him a wrecking ball Yeah, a human wrecking ball. She's just like you wow ruin Everything you were supposed to marry one woman and you messed that up and then you almost married her again. She did on this Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and the list goes on and on and it's the most blunt anyone in the show. Yeah, is with him ever If she's doing it with a smile the whole time. Yeah, it's very it's very lovely. Love love. Yeah, it was very very lovely. Absolutely. Yeah The way only Jen Morrison can yeah really she looks so beautiful in this scene so beautiful Incredibly talented. Um, yeah, I'm like I get why Kevin's like maybe you're the one. Yeah That I'm supposed to be yeah, and she's she's got her shit together. Yeah, and she says I'm what she's saying. I'm too broken Yeah, she's too messed up and self-aware exactly And it's it's a beautiful kind of loving rejection. Yeah, and Then Kevin's back at the house and he's uh-oh Again texting somebody on the two words. He knows how to text the house. There was a drive you up. No, he's he's at the house He's back at the cabin after ice cream. Okay, and he texts our man Elijah. Yeah, we don't know that he's texting you Right, he said you up. Yeah, it says you up, which you don't text to another man But I get it writers head fake. Yeah, not a blonde and he calls that And he's like you're not supposed to call after a text right yeah Yeah, which is true. He texts and immediately. It's a callback. It's like a letter. You thought it was something going on Yeah, and and essentially Kevin takes a second to to try to correct his wrecking ball ways And to lean into the reparative side of himself And offers Elijah a bit of advice. What advice? He says whether she wants a smoothie or not Just get it to the smoothie. Yeah, basically. Don't ask her. Just to say she's gonna say no She's got her past eating disorders that she's dealing with show she will she might say no But she wants to just just get it for her. It was a very considerate and considered Thing to do. Yeah, very nice. Very nice. It was like Kevin Uh 2.0 Yeah, maybe Kevin 3. Kevin Kevin is evolving. He's evolving. I think at the end of this yeah at the end of that It shows that Kevin is evolving turning point. Mm-hmm Across roads. Yes, a full chrome if you will. I will. Yeah, I'll do it. Randall and Beth Yes, so This is great. Yeah, all of this is great Um, I got to direct a dinner scene a classic. This is us dinner scene with all around the table all around the table all the coverage um And we find out that essentially Names flying for my brain dacia and Emily kit are calling a family dinner. Yeah, he's in town for 24 hours cooking Yeah, not just coming over for dinner. He's cooking dinner So this immediately sends Randall and Beth into a tailspin. They love to play a little version of their worst-case scenario game Uh-huh, that's right um where they talk about what they think these kids have to chat with them about. They start with pregnant. - Yeah, eloping, eloping and vaguists. - Yeah, getting engaged at dinner, asking Randall's permission beforehand. - Finding a ring and a pie. - Yeah, and then they kind of discern like, you know what, actually we need a new game. This is dark. - Right. - Oh, yeah, we forgot that Deja wanted to adopt his daughter. - Yeah. - Living in the house with that forever. - And that's where we leave them, yes. - Kind of alone with their thoughts of that actuality. And then kind of cut to the dinner. - Yeah. - Right? - Yep. - Oh no, cut to it. - We gotta talk about the kids getting ready for the dinner. - Talk about it. - The kids get together. They're gonna get ready for the dinner. And Deja is scheming, and she's, you know, everybody's gonna have their role based on their super power. - That one is not joke. - Yeah. - The others like asking mom about work and complimenting her. - Yeah, which she never, we don't know. - Never does. Like she hasn't done that in years. - Yeah. - But that's their plan. - Randall comes downstairs and interrupts their conversation and the three of them in like perfect Larry Moe and Curly routine. Hey, what are you guys talking about? And they all say three different things. - Yeah. - All at the same time, in a way. (laughs) - That really couldn't be planned, yeah. - It was really perfect. - Yeah. - Then cut to the dinner. Everybody's a little more dressed up. Everybody's kind of on their best behavior. - Yep. - That's right. - Malik is. - He's made Miyoki. - Yeah. - It's like an incredible like brown butter sauce. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Which seems like people really liked that. Yeah. Brown butter sauce. - Yeah. - I mean, you know what I'm saying? - I mean, that sounds great. - Well, brown butter. - Yeah. - Who knew? Little brown butter. Little brown butter. That's right. - Yeah. - I got it right. Thompson asking Beth about work. Beth is like, what? - She has to do that. - This is weird. She immediately like her heckles go up a little bit like, why are you asking me about work? And then Annie jumps in with a knock knock joke and she's like, okay. - Stop. - What's going on? Like what is up? - And they kind of insist and Randall. Randall gets a compliment from somebody. - Yeah. - And he's like, oh, thanks really. And this is the bit soo, being like, it's a tactic, it's all tactics. - Yeah. - You do not fall for it. What is going on? - Randall, yeah, you're right. Yeah, you're right. You get back to it. - Yeah. - You almost got reeled in by it. He was falling for it. - Yeah. - And she was not. And Dacia just comes out with it. She goes, what's going on? You two are up to something. You're giving each other side eyes. - Yeah. - And Dacia says, I'm moving to Boston. - After this semester? I'm leaving school early. I'm moving to Boston with Malik. And smash got to commercial. - Smash got to commercial. - And then we learn that she's signed with these AP classes that get her-- - Yeah, have a plan. - They have a plan. This is something that he just came up with. They've been planning this. She's got these AP classes. They're going to give her enough credits to be able to graduate or not graduate, but at least be done with school. And she's going to take her GED. - It might seem reckless, but they've thought this through. - They've thought this through. - They have put some planning and thought into it. - And Randall and Beth across a table? - Not. - They look like they have lost their mind. - They're not having sanity. - They are not having it. - No, we're not talking about this. This is not happening. - They're boiling, yeah. - Randall is on one, as they say. - He leaves. - He leaves. - You just like gets up and leaves the table. - I can't even talk about it. - Yeah. - And Malik comes out to find him. - Real quick, I just had to shout out Annie's perfect knock knock. - Oh, at the end of the scene. - Yeah, she says. - As it's getting heated. - Knock knock, smash got to commercial. - Yeah. - It really may, I actually really realized that the art of what they call the blow, right? The blow of the scene, you're both looking at me. Like you've never heard that. - No, I'm not. - Really, maybe I'm way off. - I started in the like 90s. The blow of the scene was like, that was one of the actors going back to the stage. - Back of the day. - Give myself some energy. - But like, how helpful a commercial break is. - Uh, yeah. - In network television. - In the rhythm of it. - Yeah. - To where it's like. - I break the tension. - Yeah, bang bang bang, knock knock. And the way that Sterling just shifts his eyes to her. And then we cut, and it would have cut to a commercial. And it would have given the audience a time to be, to talk about it. - Oh. - Oh. - What's going on. - Oh my days. - Yeah, what's coming up next, right? I think I'd never really thought about. I'd never really thought about the value of that pacing in network television until re-watching this. Because the musicality of these, of the edit and everything still played okay with the blackout. But I'm like, all right, there would be, there would have been commercials right there. - Yeah. - A few minutes to digest and speculate. And Randall goes outside and when we come back. - Yeah, Randall essentially tells Malik, look, he is on a great path and he should be proud. - And so is Deja. - But Deja needs to find her own path. She can't just like, she can't take your path essentially. She's a junior in high school. She has a lot of life left to live. And the next two years are gonna be really big for her. And the kindest thing that he could do, if he truly, truly loved her was let her go. - Break up, break up. - Break up. - Break up with her, he says. I mean, I wonder with the audience. - The nerves. - Like, whose side were they on in that moment? Because everybody dreams of like that first love, like that love that you, that romantic, like first, lightly running away together as early 20s or late teens or whatever. You know, people want to embrace that love, you know, love, wanna root for that story. But then he makes a great, solid point. - Solid point. But then Malik responds in the most responsible, well-adjusted, mature way that the young man can respond, which is, I'm gonna pretend like you didn't just say that to me. - Yeah, I'm not gonna tell Deja. - He did it with a knife. It's like, it's the most responsible, grown up way of responding to him, but there was a little bit of a knife. - Sure. - Because it, like a little bit of a threat, like. - Because he didn't pull the first knife. - Exactly. - It's self-defense. - Self-defense. - Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm not gonna tell Deja 'cause we had this conversation. - And I respect you guys' relationship. And I wouldn't want to hurt that. - Right. Like you just, it's me. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. - And it walked away and I was like. - Yeah. And Deja and Malik have been doing that for a few episodes now. - Yeah. - Where the episode before, I think the last episode ended. - Yeah, she's like, that's gonna be a problem. - He says, you're not gonna see your boyfriend for a long time. And Deja said, well, that's gonna be a problem. Stone cold. - Yeah. - Because they both are actually mature and actually well considered. - Yeah. - Earlier, we didn't say this, but at dinner, I think she told Beth that Beth and Randall, that you've always told me, I'm wise by my ears. And like, and she, and the way you cut it, like she let that land and just looked at them. Say it's like, what do you have to say to that? - Yeah, there's no response required. - Exactly. And so, yeah, these two are wise around the ears. So, what's the, like, the question is, would this work really, I think at the end of that scene? And I think the dangerous part is that we all feel like it kind of would work. Like, even though they're so young, like even as an audience, I kind of believe him. I'm like, if anyone could actually do this, I feel like you two probably good. - Me too. - Randall goes back in. - Yeah. - Beth is. - Beth is eating. - None too happy that he left. - Beth is just eating the center out of a pie. - Yeah. - Just the middle of a pie. - I don't know why, 'cause the crust's the best part. - I agree. - I'm like, ooh. - Yeah, yeah. The gooey middle. - The gooey middle. Give me some of that hard crust. - Yeah. - Give it a little texture. - Yeah. - Yeah. - She's injured. - She's not happy. And he basically tells her that he told Malik to break up with Desi and she's like, what? Like, hello, that didn't go well for Romeo and Juliet. What are you doing? - Yeah. - He's like, what do you mean when you didn't go well for Romeo? - He said it didn't go well for their parents. - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. - And he said, what happened to their parents? - They both died. - The children died, Randall. - The children died. - The children died. - Yeah. - They killed themselves. (laughing) - She does, she does disdain and frustration better than anybody in the show. - Yeah. - She is dead. - So, whenever she's mad, I love it so much. - And she's like, you know, if we push, we're gonna lose our daughter. - Yeah, yeah. - What would you have done if someone said you couldn't date me? - Yeah, exactly. - Not you, Mandy, I'm talking to you. - No, no, no, I know. I was like, does she say that? Does she say that? - Yeah, she does. - She says, what would have happened if someone told you? - And he thinks about it for a second and she's like, we're gonna lose our daughter. And she's like, you're making a really big mistake. - Yeah. - So, they're gonna have to figure out a new plan of action. - Yeah. - And this is one of those parts of the show where I'm like, what happens? - Yeah, I don't remember it. happens. I forget. Yeah, I forget. And then what would have happened in in the series of the show was this is when Kate shows up to talk to Rebecca. Yes, right about the music. And what we end up with is and this is actually this is my my this is the the structure that I brought to the script that wasn't in the script that I was really proud of that that that when I brought it to Yasu as far as like what I wanted to do shot wise he was like, yeah, I like that. That's a good idea. For the end for the end of the episode. Oh, I love that. All along the way. Because we get we actually we miss talking about it, but in the flashback, we start the episode with Jack filming our youngest Kate, right? And Rebecca at the piano playing heart and soul, the episode is called heart and soul. And he's saying you're going to want this footage for your rock and roll Hall of Fame induction and we see a mother teaching her daughter. Then we see in the kind of aftermath of the slap. Teenage Kate, sitting down at the same piano with her mom, who's playing heart and soul, a couple of octaves down in a satirky. Right. And they very quietly make up. I won't date. No, you should. And then we see a montage of a grandmother sitting with her daughter and her grandson teaching him the same song. And it's beautiful. And it's a beautiful thing. But the, the, the, the, the, boom, boom, we got I got a shot of of you and baby Kate from the back from the back. Yeah, sitting next to each other. And I got the same shot of you and teenage Kate sitting together. And then the same shot of you and Kate. And then and then Johnny was on your lap, which is how we managed to get the shots to match. Because I wanted to just the two of you, same silhouette to be seen. Great Tableau. And then I asked and then the only other kind of creative thing I had asked I asked, said if he would re record the closing theme song just on piano, which I don't know if you caught. It's it's just it's a different version of the closing theme that goes straight from heart and soul into just piano version of the closing theme song. I didn't catch that. Well, nobody caught it because when you watch it, we weren't probably watching on, on network network. Yeah, I'm watching. And the network, you know, watching network, it goes quiet and off to the side. And then show you what's next. And so you don't catch it buried. Yeah, it gets buried, which I didn't quite realize when I asked, said to do that. But he did it. And it was more than happy. And it was really lovely. Chris congrats on an incredible episode, man. Wonderful. I love the way that those those shots are just like some of my favorite. Not only that was so well the show, I really liked to love that that's really proud of it. The three. You want to do more? I do. I do. And I the hard part is I realize now part of part of the realization of the, you know, scaffolding that I was offered is like to just go and do it somewhere else. It's going to take a lot more work, a lot more shadowing, a lot more. I have to, you know, what I'll probably end up doing is doing a lot of shadowing on this show. Yeah, on rookie North on the rookie North. Since I, you know, I need to not my episode, but yeah, maybe some of the other John's not going to allow me shadow him. Not me, but, but someone else will get out of here. Why is he standing by? If I see him behind me, one more time, dressed all in black. You don't have to look like a shadow, so we stop singing that song. Because it takes so much time. Yeah. And it's why it's why it doesn't happen a lot because you have to dedicate so much time. Yeah. And, but if I'm going to be up in Vancouver anyways, away from my family, might as well do it, might as well maximize my time and educate myself. Yeah. I love that. And I would, here's what I would just because this is what I did on Castle, the show before this is us, is I didn't just shadow directors, I shadow every department. I got to like, I wasn't the prop department went, let me watch them prep. Yeah. Let me watch them do their prep meetings. I can't the camera. I'm just shadow the camera department, understanding exactly what first AC, second AC, dolly grip, operator, what they do. So you know, everybody's language. So then when they are asking you the questions or they're, or they're, you know, you want that to give them, you know, everybody's and, and you know, why tell directors, go to acting class, like, understand how to talk to us because we don't have a lot of time on set to get what we need. You got to know, yeah, you know, that's shorthand, maybe. Yeah, true. Right. Yeah. So do that when you're up there. That's a good idea. Yeah. I will. Especially if you don't have your family. I'll take that advice. What else are you doing? Yeah, exactly. That's right. Go back to your chair, your trailer. That's right. Learn something. Learn something. Learn something. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. So before we sign off and say goodbye, I think we have a bit of a message from a friend of ours. Yeah. I can't. Sorry guys. I couldn't be there. I can't. Not available. I'm all out on the beach somewhere probably. Let's see what he has to say. Yeah. Let's see. Gang, it's SKB. I'm sitting here paramount right now and I'm not there with you and I miss you guys. Yeah, we miss you too. I was watching episode 605 just now. Beautiful episode, many more exquisite work, as always, just seeing you and John together and just sort of hoping that you guys can see in the audience as ahead of you knowing where you're going and you guys are the two last people to see it is so charming and so cute. And then you try to go out with Matt and your daughter gives you grief and you got to slap the crap out of me anymore. Jim and he Christmas. What if it's an hour of voice memory? He just talks about that episode. It's just instilling. But then to see how you guys reach one or one accord at the end of the channel. And Tosh from youngest Kate to young Kate to adult Kate. And if you guys noticed at the end of the episode, when they play the music, it wasn't the normal instrumentation. It was like pure piano. As we add that, that, that, that, that. That's really known. Did you remind that you picked that up? It just, it was beautiful. Well, thanks, my man. Thank you so much for joining in. You know, they can't keep a brother down. One of them's gone. But then my brother, Latino, our brother, came to you. I said, thank you. I said, thank you. Thank you. Love you guys. Talk to you. Love you, buddy. Love you. We love you. We missed you. He didn't comment on the direction. He did. That's curious. He did say that lap. The last little montage was beautiful. Yeah, that's technically direction. Yeah. Yeah. We'll take it. We gave you all the compliments. Thank you. That's sterling. We love you. We missed you. And we did it. We did it. We did it. We did it. We did it. Sterling, you don't have to worry about us. We're okay on our own dad. Okay. We did it. John helped a lot. Well, I don't know. I just followed you. No, it's so nice having you in the studio. Thank you for joining us. Such a different animal doing a hosting a podcast. Yeah. It's a different not envy you guys. It is. It's a different thing. But I'll come back if you allow me. Oh, please. We would love it. We would love it. We got we were we absolutely have to have you back for Miguel. Miguel's episode. Oh, it's coming up. Yeah. I got to watch it again. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. God. Yeah. Was the one and only time you watched it when we all watched it together? Yes. That's the only time I watched it. Yeah. And we were just sobbing in a cold to each other. Big most expensive resort. Yeah. Someone sent me something though recently. They sent me a YouTube. I think it's a YouTube video. And it was it's a some kind of super cut of Miguel and Rebecca, like just there over the years, over the years, all of their stuff. Oh, wow. And Nicole and I watched it together. Oh, cool. I was like, Oh, look, someone just sent me this thing. And it's just it's just Miguel and Rebecca the whole like how long is it? It's long. It's on youtube.com, youtube.com. I heard of it. I think I think it's YouTube. It's not a Vimeo, but like it was I think it is YouTube. Yeah. But it was, I mean, emotional for sure. I was like, oh, like because you kind of forget all these little micro moments, unless you've been watching the show. Yeah. But even now, it's like, it's hard. I mean, we were just recounting with Chris, like an episode from season two. And I'm like, having to think back. Right. You know, like 90 something episode that goes. Yeah. So I the Miguel up at watching that is going to be, you know, it was hard to watch it the first time, because it's so emotional, but watching it, watching it again is going to be tough. We'll do it together. Let's do it again. Maybe you and I should get together and do a live rewatch. Let's do it. If you like this podcast, tell a friend, subscribe, like, um, uh, visit our, our, our, our, our supporters, supporters, our sponsors. Thank you. These shoes are quince quince. Does quince sponsor the show? Yes. Quince loves this show. We love quince. I love quince. Yeah. This is a freebies quince. - I love you. - This is for free just because we do love you. - Anyways, that was us. - That was us. - That was us. - That was us. - That was us, this film that rabbit-grinned studios and produced by rabbit-grinned productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith. - That was a hate-gum podcast. [BLANK_AUDIO]