From the first episode, the new NBC show “This is Us” has captured my heart, and given the rave reviews and the award nominations it has received, America agrees with me. The show follows the lives of three siblings: Kevin and Kate, who are fraternal twins, and their adopted African-American brother Randall.
Kate and Kevin were originally part of a triplet pregnancy, but their biological brother was stillborn. Their parents, Jack and Rebecca, intended on bringing home three babies and stuck with that mindset.
They decide to adopt Randall, who was born on the same day and was brought to the same hospital after his biological father abandoned him at a fire station. I believe the reason this show has made such an impact on its viewers is because each character deals with issues we can all relate to.
Kate has been dealing with bullies and obesity her whole life. Bullying has been a hot topic in America for quite some time. According to the website nobullying.com, about 6,078 people between the ages 15-24 years old commit suicide due to bullying.
Out of the three siblings, Kevin seems to be the one that has it all. He’s handsome, was always popular in school and grew up to be an actor. Like many people that seem to lead the perfect life, he’s not happy with it. He struggles with finding his identity a lot and being an emotionally detached person.
Randall, who happens to be my favorite character, deals with different issues than his siblings. He deals with racism, not fitting in and being abandoned by his drug addicted father. Racism and drug abuse are issues we can all agree still exist, and that’s why many people can relate to Randall.
According to the San Francisco-based organization Honoring Emancipated Youth, over 40,000 infants are placed in foster care every year due to drug addicted parents. Many of those infants don’t get lucky like Randall; some stay in foster care until they’re 18 and proceed to become homeless and drug addicts. Only one percent of those infants will actually graduate college.
The issues these siblings deal with are real life issues that are still affecting our country, and that’s why I feel America has connected with them on a deep level.
Kate, Kevin and Randall wouldn’t be able to get through life without each other’s support, which shows the importance of family. No matter what you go through in life, you can always count on your family to be there for you.
Family is the most important thing in the world. – Princess Diana
