This Is Us Rant - Kevin Pearson

Anybody else happy about...The fact that Kevin Pearson is going to be in a relationship with a gorgeous new woman next season?!?! I mean… 

Look, I know that there are still people out there begging for him to get back with Sophie (all the more since they saw the finale) but I have to ask…why? No really, why? Kevin was with Sophie for over a decade and he still cheated on her multiple times when they were married. Fast forward to years after their divorce, he gets with her again and…cheats on her again after barely a year together. Why would anyone want that unhealthy relationship to continue? I have no real issue with Sophie outside of the fact that she was written blandly. And I think that was on purpose as I don’t think the writers intended for her to be a mainstay on this show so much as a stepping stone for Kevin.

This whole season focused the most on Kevin and peeling back his layers as a character. We learned that he’s always struggled with feeling left out and unnoticed. Sophie was the first person in his life that he perceived as “his own” and his attraction to her stemmed from his need for attention, not anything particularly special about her as a person. Once in adulthood, he realized that he needed more and hence strayed from his marriage (not okay, but the reality). Then again when he did his Oscar-worthy speech to get Sophie back, it was when his life was in upheaval career-wise and he was looking for a distraction from his unresolved grief over Jack. Later, after he cheated on and distanced himself from Sophie again, Kevin told her that he couldn’t picture a happy future with Sophie no matter how hard he tried. In the end, it became apparent that Kevin was in love with the idea of being in a relationship like his parents’, not so much with Sophie herself. 

Now enter Beth’s cousin Zoe. We’ve never really seen or heard about her before, but if she grew up in a house with Beth and her family, we already know she’s got more sense than most. What little we saw of her in the finale with her interactions with Beth and Deja were enough for me to see that she’s an emotionally mature and naturally empathetic person who has her own battle scars. Kevin needs someone in his adult life that will not only see the real him (something I don’t think Sophie ever did; I think she too was somewhat in love with an idea of what she wanted Kevin to be) but also be someone who’s not afraid to stand up to him and call him on his crap like Kate does. I also think that Kevin needs someone who can learn who he really is with all of the fake smiles and bravado gone, which he’s learning to be with the help of his therapy and sobriety. 

Either way, I’m stoked to see this relationship with he and Zoe unfold next season because, let’s face it, this show is amazing and I need more gorgeous IR romances on my screen! 

Anyone else pumped for this?