‘This Is Us’ 5×13 Recap: “Brotherly Love”

In this week’s episode of This Is Us, the Pearson brothers finally sit down and have a long-awaited talk. Things between them haven’t changed and it was long past time for them to sit down and fix things between them. Or at the very least start down the road to recovery! So read on for our recap of 5×13 to see if the brothers reconciled or if there’s more work to be done.

Time for a Visit

Randall is nervous as Kevin’s visit approaches and wants to put it off for another forty years. Beth, who is taking the girls ice skating to give the brothers space, gently tells her husband it has to happen and they can’t say anything worse than they already have. Kevin comes prepared with a beautiful speech which a frustrated Randall thanks him for. But doesn’t extend his forgiveness. When Randall steps out for air Kevin follows to demand what more his brother wants from him.

Image via NBC

Randall replies that Kevin’s apology was sorely lacking and even after all this time he’s so tone-deaf. They are interrupted by Kevin’s cell phone and discover they are locked out of the house. So their argument escalates as Randall accuses his brother of wanting the perception of doing the right thing. And Kevin retorts that Randall’s childhood was glorious because he was singled out as being special. Randall replies all he ever wanted was to blend in. But his blackness would not allow for that and Kevin played a large part in that.

Coming to a Head

Microaggressions that we’ve seen over the past five seasons and in this very episode come to a head. While Allison’s father was a jerk Kevin was thoughtless and wilfully in the dark. And that hurt Randall more. Kevin is incensed at the implication that he is a racist. The two head next door to retrieve the spare key from the neighbor and Kevin rages at his brother for being ungrateful towards their parents. Kevin refuses to acknowledge that his jealousy towards Randall was anything but sibling rivalry. Randall quietly tells his brother that he is indeed grateful for Jack and Rebecca but having to show that gratitude every single day is a prison.

He then reminds Kevin that the day the Pearsons brought him home was the day he lost his birth parents. Back in the house, the brothers calm down somewhat and Kevin asks Randall if he regrets being adopted. Randall explains to him the concept of a ghost kingdom. The alternate reality of what a person’s life would be had they never been adopted. For Randall, that dream is of him at five years old and his parents are the local weatherman and the town librarian (the only two black people that were consistently a part of his life) but his ghost kingdom always included the Pearsons because he felt guilty over loving them too much.

Road to Recovery

Randall confesses that even having learned about William and Laurel his ghost kingdom has remained the same. Kevin apologizes for real and tells Randall he loves him and he’s the only brother he’ll ever have. Randall replies their father didn’t die ashamed of him and the brothers hug. Later on, after Kevin learns Robert DeNiro isn’t mad at him for bailing on the movie, he tells Randall maybe his jealousy did stem a little bit from mixing up his brother’s special treatment with him being black and wanting to take him down a notch.

Image via NBC

As the brothers are wiping tears from their eyes Beth arrives home with the girls. That night Randall dreams of his five-year-old self with William and Laurel. So what did everyone think of This Is Us 5×13? This episode packed an emotional wallop. But it opened a door for the Pearson brothers to finally heal their relationship and hopefully grow closer. Drop a comment below and be sure to follow us on Twitter @capeandcastle! Check out our site for more content!