There are also two segments to comments now. There’s Malik (When They See Us’ Asante Blackk), a loving teen dad raising a baby daughter with the help of his own parents, played by Omar Epps and Marsha Stephanie Blake. Now that’s a mystery worth tuning in for. They’re set up like important additions, but it’s also hard to imagine an NBC family drama that has an entire storyline set circa 2044. He's like a grown-up Randall. The Season 4 finale marked the 72nd episode of “This Is Us” in less than four years. When in doubt, just add a new generation! You give me butterflies, the way you look at me. Kate's relationship problems with Toby might be related to what happened between her and Marc, though. I'm not having that. It's a time capsule. You give me butterflies, the way you look at me. He has Kevin’s swagger, Toby’s sense of humor, and Randall’s love of family. Marc had already locked her out in a snowstorm, causing her to cut her hand breaking into the cabin, but would she have stayed with him until something worse happened? And it was fitting that of all the kids, Kevin -- who also suffers from self-doubt and feelings that he's not quite good enough -- would want to finish what Jack started and make that house into a reality. Malik is trying to do right by his infant daughter despite his shame over having got his first girlfriend pregnant, while Deja has a ton of trust issues because of her experiences with her mom and her mom's boyfriends. (Like a lot of legally blind people, Jack isn’t completely blind. You gonna ban me from school too? But best of all was Randall's recitation of I Too Am America, which spoke volumes about how he felt about his racial identity and his desire to belong. But I also think we’re so used to 20-somethings playing teenagers that we sometimes forget what actual teenagers look like. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. So even though in many ways the season four premiere, “Strangers,” feels a whole lot like that pilot, the experience of watching it is totally different. In the season 4 finale of NBC's 'This Is Us,' fans caught a heartbreaking clue about Kate and Toby's future during a flash-forward scene with Kevin, Rebecca, and Miguel. The two men could have been friends if things were different, but Randall couldn't let go of his fears for Deja, and the two families' socio-economic differences got in both of their ways. The Season 4 finale marked the 72nd episode of “This Is Us” in less than four years. © 2020 TV Fanatic Asante Blackk is a very young looking 17-year-old, which makes the reveal that Malik is a father feel especially jarring. I've only known one man who didn't lie and now maybe I know two. You could also argue that introducing Malik and Cassidy in this way is a cheap narrative trick designed to give a sense of shock value to what’s ultimately just the fairly standard addition of some new supporting cast members. Share in the comments what you thought about Deja and Malik's first kiss, the way their parents went at each other, the Lawrences' visit to the Pearsons'  home, and everything else that happened on This Is Us Season 4 Episode 7. Just watch This Is Us online right here on TV Fanatic. | There was no reason for Toby to feel defensive because Kate asked him what they were doing for fun, but there also was no reason for Kate to press him about that. But what you can't do is write him off. I know it looks like a lunch box, but it's not. You gonna ban me from school too? Malik, I've never liked anyone before. © 2020 TV Fanatic (It seems like there’s still so much of the Big Three’s twenties to be explored.) Though Nicky made a clean break with the Pearson family back in “Songbird Road: Part Two,” he calls Kevin to bail him out from jail, presumably bringing Kevin into Cassidy’s life as well. Not remembering when my grandma was alive. His shock, disbelief, and grief quickly gave way to anger that he was the last to know when he's the one who lives in Los Angeles. There’s something inherently emotional about seeing the image of a baby contrasted with the adult they grow up to be. The fourth season of the American television series This Is Us continues to follow the lives and connections of the Pearson family across several time periods. Kevin needs to be responsible for his own sobriety, and the end result of Rebecca's attempt to protect him is that he was left out of the conversation and re-experienced old resentments of Randall. Speaking of which, am I the only one who doesn't see Kevin/Madison as that big a deal? Caroline Siede is a pop culture critic in Chicago, where the cold never bothers her anyway. Malik is going to need to be patient with Deja because of her issues. Malik, I've never liked anyone before. I’d say it’s a little of column A and a lot of column B. Once in a while, something happens on TV that leaves me speechless. Mr. Lawrence: I organize my books in the classroom by year, but I should have trademarked it. You could argue that introducing Malik and Cassidy as leads of their own narratives is a way to give their characters a sense of gravitas they might not otherwise have had if, say, we met Malik through Deja’s eyes and then slowly learned about his family situation, or if Cassidy befriended Nicky and then got a big dramatic flashback episode halfway through the season. It remains to be seen whether they’ll actually be major players going forward or just something we check in on periodically, like the other flashforward storyline. This Is Us airs on NBC on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST/PST. This episode was all about connection, and every minute was fabulous. Jack: Can anyone tell me what this is?Kate: A lunch box?Jack: It's not a lunch box.Kevin: It looks like a lunch box.Jack: I know it looks like a lunch box, but it's not. In fact, the first 40 minutes can best be described as confusing. I also wondered whether the second half of that statement -- that someday Randall would only barely remember Corey's influence on him -- was significant.