‘This Is Us’ Season 1, Episode 17 Recap: A Celebration Of William’s Life

In episode 16 of This Is Us, we watch Randall (Sterling K. Brown) take his biological father William (Ron Cephas Jones) on a road trip to Memphis, his hometown. At the end of the episode, William’s cancer catches up with him and he becomes very sick and dies.

‘THIS IS US’ SEASON 1, EPISODE 17 RECAP: “WHAT NOW?”

In the opening scene, Randall looks at his father’s belongings and questions how to honor William’s legacy. His wife Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) finds a note left behind by William and says “you’re gonna want to read this.” The note is for Tess (Eris Baker) and Annie (Faithe Herman,) Randall’s children. William asked his two grandchildren to plan his memorial

Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Sophie (Alexandra Breckinridge) discuss telling his family that they are dating again.

In a flashback, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) is leaving for her west coast tour and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) hasn’t returned home. When he finally arrives, Rebecca is angry that he took so long. Jack is clearly still aggravated that she’s going on tour with her ex-boyfriend for two weeks. Their goodbye is very passive aggressive.

Young Kate asks her dad what’s going on between he and his mother. He gets defensive and says everything is fine, even though it’s obvious that things are going downhill fast.

Jack sits alone in the living room and then leaves to go to a bar, showcasing that his drinking problem is only getting worse.

In present day, Randall gets a call from William’s boyfriend Jesse (Denis O- Hare,) who passes on his condolences and shares stories of the people who looked up to him.

Kevin goes to the office of Mr. Novak, the reviewer at the New York Times and begs him to come see the opening night of the play… again.

At the funeral, everyone attempts saying goodbye to William. Beth gets emotional that she never had a chance to say goodbye. Randall gives Beth the floor so that she can speak about William and have a proper goodbye, her words make the rest of the room feel emotional.

Randall recalls a dream he had where both Jack and William got to meet, both of his dads. Kate (Chrissy Metz) breaks down at the funeral and Randall comforts her, telling her she needs to share her emotions with Toby.

In a flashback, Jack is drinking at the bar with his assistant and she comes on to him. He storms out and says he’s a married man.

Rebecca attempts to make-up with Rebecca. She talks about how she thought she was doing the right thing, she was terrified to tell Randall and scared he would want to leave and live with him. She apologizes for not giving him enough time with William, the two of them express love for the first time in a while and seem to really make-up this time.

At his play, Sophie comes backstage and gives him a crutch to use when he “breaks a leg.” She slips out of the theater before she is seen by his family. The rest of the family congratulates Kevin on a job well done.

Randall shows up to his job and criticizes them for being so inconsiderate of his father’s passing and the way they treated him over time. He proceeds to quit with dignity, honoring his father’s legacy. Sophie shows up to cure his “broken leg” and the two of them share a very intimate moment. Beth receives a postcard from William, calling her the daughter he “never had.”

Kevin receives a call from a director who asks him to read a script for a movie shooting in Los Angeles. Kate decides to start telling Toby a little more about her dad. We learn that Kate thinks she’s the reason for her dad’s death. In the last scene, a drunk Jack drives off to “fix things” with Rebecca.

Cath a peek at next week’s episode, the finale below: