The promo for “Taboo” also teases a look at the further deterioration of the relationship between Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan) in the present, an absent Sophie following the revelation of Kevin’s cheating in the past, and a heartfelt confession from Miguel (Jon Huertas) which may explain why he and Rebecca lose touch for most of the next decade. Suffice it to say, the promo for “Taboo” (airing on March 3, 2022, after taking a week off for the State of the Union) sets up an episode packed full of revelations for the Pearson family. Here’s what we know about what happens next on This Is Us.
Is there a This Is Us Season 6 episode 7 promo preview?
The promo (above) that aired following “Our Little Island Girl: Part Two” shows that we will indeed get to see the two Thanksgiving dinners we saw being prepared in episode 6, plus one more that predates them both. The promo begins with Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and his family arriving at the Pearson family cabin in the present, with Randall enthusiastically documenting the occasion on his phone. However, the festive mood quickly turns somber when Rebecca tells her children that she would like to have “a little family talk” after dinner. As anyone who has ever had a parent knows, “little family talks” are rarely fun, and the Big Three appear fittingly concerned. We then jump to Rebecca and a clean-shaven Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), indicating that this scene takes place in the distant past, possibly in the 1970s before their children were even born. Rebecca is fed up with her mother, Janet’s, constant criticism, as evidenced by a scene in which Janet (Elizabeth Perkins) nitpicks Rebecca’s gravy preparation. And finally, we get a glimpse of the third Pearson family Thanksgiving dinner sometime around the year 2000, with Rebecca and Miguel each sitting beside the last-minute dates they invited. Young Randall (Niles Fitch), Beth (Rachel Hilson), Kate (Hannah Zeile), and Kevin (Logan Shroyer) are also present, with Kevin wearing the traditional Pilgrim Rick hat, but his wife Sophie (Amanda Leighton) is notably missing, after she decided to leave following Kevin’s admission of cheating in episode 6. Presumably after that dinner, we see Miguel struggling for words outside Rebecca’s house, as Rebecca listens tearfully. Is he finally going to admit that he has feelings for Rebecca? Will Rebecca tell him that she’s not ready for a romantic relationship with her husband’s best friend? Given that we know that they reconnect on Facebook in 2008 after eight years of radio silence, the clock is ticking on these supposed “best friends” completely cutting ties with one another, possibly thinking it’s for good. Over dinner back in the present, Toby—now donning the Pilgrim Rick hat—seems taken aback as Kate accuses him of worrying that their son Jack will get fat. Considering that Toby and Kate met at a weight loss support group and that weight has been a constant topic of interest for both of them throughout their relationship, it was probably just a matter of time until they discussed it in relation to their kids. Still, bringing it up at Thanksgiving dinner with Kate’s family just further highlights the growing wedge between the couple. The promo ends with Rebecca and Miguel sitting across from the Big Three after the dinner dishes have been cleared away, with Rebecca saying “there is no easy way to start this,” and her children all looking varying degrees of sad or upset. Since the episode synopsis only tells us that “Rebecca has a big announcement to make at Thanksgiving dinner,” we don’t have many clues about what this announcement might be, but judging by the setup, it doesn’t appear to be anything good. Has Rebecca’s disease progressed? Are Rebecca and Miguel splitting up (Miguel has been notably absent from the flash forwards around Rebecca’s deathbed so far)? Whatever Rebecca’s big announcement is, we’re braced for it to break our hearts.
What happened on This Is Us Season 6 episode 6?
In episode 6, titled “Our Little Island Girl: Part Two,” we witnessed the setup for two of the three Thanksgiving dinners in “Taboo.” Around the year 2000, after Rebecca invited her new boyfriend Matt (Matt Corboy) to Thanksgiving dinner, Miguel responded in kind by saying he wanted to invite Marguerite, the woman he’d been seeing (and, as of the prior episode, seemed to have no interest in). Meanwhile, Kevin revealed to Kate that he cheated on his wife Sophie while living in L.A., which later caused Sophie to walk away from both Kevin and Kate once she realized both her husband and her best friend had lied to her. Meanwhile, in the present day, Kevin (Justin Hartley) was thrown a curveball when his ex-fiance Madison (Caitlin Thompson) revealed that she’d rather keep their kids with her and her new boyfriend in L.A. over Thanksgiving than travel with Kevin to the Pearson family cabin on the East coast. After initially feeling angry and betrayed (and after a stern talking-to by Kate), Kevin finally was able to admit that he was being unfair to Madison and give her his blessing to spend her holiday however she wanted – only to then be confronted by her boyfriend, Elijah (Adam Korson), who seems to think the two men are competing for Madison’s affections, and is determined to win. While that news seems to come as a surprise to Kevin, we can’t really fault Elijah for seeing Kevin as a romantic rival, and don’t discount the possibility that he may enthusiastically throw his hat into the ring at some point in the future. Also in the present, tensions continue to mount between Kate and Toby as Kate finds herself frustrated with both Toby’s long-distance job, and the constant business calls he has to take while he’s at home. We already know that things are ultimately building to a divorce, but watching the slow crumbling of their relationship is still painful. And over at the Randall and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) household, we saw Beth preparing for her first big showcase following her selection of her first crop of scholarship students at the City Ballet of Philadelphia. Riding on the performance was not just the fledgling scholarship program, but also Beth’s entire identity as a member of the dance world, as she grappled with the baggage she’d been carrying for years after feeling abandoned by her former dance instructor as a teen. Fortunately, although one of her dancers struggled at first, the showcase was a success, and Beth was able to recover her lost confidence, with the show revealing in a flash-forward that she eventually becomes director of the dance academy, where she mentors dozens of young dancers.
Are there any This Is Us Season 6 episode 7 spoilers?
In a previous interview with EW, Moore and Huertas spoke a bit about Rebecca and Miguel’s love story, saying that their romance would be anything but easy. When speaking about what causes Miguel and Rebecca to lose touch, Huertas said, “It’s one of the saddest moments that I’ve felt as a character, as an actor, and even as an audience member and a fan of the show, too. This moment was so tough, so sad, that I think [it] will really help propel people into having their minds open to, ‘Oh my God. We kind of want these two together.’ As weird as it was in season 1, episode 2 to see these two together, this moment, I think, will make people go, ‘They should be together.’” Is Huertas referring to the conversation Miguel and Rebecca have in “Taboo?” It sure seems like time is running out on that split, and has felt for a while like things may be reaching a boiling point between the two, who are determined to deny the chemistry they have with each other. Moore agreed, telling EW that the scene where the two decide to go their separate ways “gutted” her. “It’s so beautiful and so simple,” she said of the scene. “Rebecca and Miguel collectively reach this boiling point where neither of them can ignore that there’s sort of this unspoken chemistry. And someone needs to do something about it. And you’ll see how that unfolds. But it’s heartbreaking and so true to life.” However, Huertas teased that Miguel and Rebecca’s (temporary) parting will still include some glimmers of hope, and that it may even answer some of the audience’s questions about how and why they ultimately come back together. “I think the audience will understand how something as profound as a relationship between a best friend and his best friend’s widow could even happen,” Huertas told EW of the circumstances surrounding Miguel and Rebecca’s severing of ties. “And the way that the writers have gone about it, it’s so beautiful. We take our time, and it’s just beautifully told.” He then mysteriously added, “There’s a surprise. It surprises all of the other characters as well. And that’s what causes the — it’s not a rift, it’s just a, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta look at this differently. This is something different what we’re feeling, what we’re experiencing.’” What could this “surprise” be that causes Miguel and Rebecca to choose to go their separate ways? Does it have anything to do with Rebecca’s big announcement in the present? We’ll have to wait until “Taboo” airs on March 8, 2022 to find out. Next, we interviewed Jack Pearson himself! This Is Us’ Milo Ventimiglia on How Jack’s Painful Loss Will Change His Relationship With the Big Three in Season 6
