This Is Us bosses
Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker have spoken about the surprising scene which aired last month between Randall and his birth mother.
In the episode titled Birth Mother , Randall (Sterling K Brown) learned the truth about his late mum when he travelled to New Orleans.
Having previously believed that his mother Laurel died of a heroin overdose just after his birth, he found out that she actually passed away in 2015 from breast cancer. NBC Universal
Randall then went on to learn more about Laurel from her friend Hai, discovering that his mother would let go of her anxiety by swimming in a lake and screaming into the sky.
Jennifer C. Holmes is enjoying her moment on
This Is Us, but, then, she is always trying to stay in whatever moment she finds herself.
Melissa Byers
Fans of
This Is Us have waited four and a half seasons to get the story of Randall Pearson s (Sterling K. Brown) birth mother.
On January 12, they finally got it, brought to life by the actress who has played her in snippets all along.
Jennifer C. Holmes, too, has waited for this moment, and it did not disappoint. She says, You get what you ask for. I ve been dying to hear her story and for them to write more of her. So when the moment came it was like, all right. This is what you asked for for all these years, and it s finally happening. I had to buckle up.
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Jennifer C Holmes as Laurel and Anthony Hill as Marshall Winston (NBC)
âThe past is never dead.â Randall Pearson (Sterling K Brown) has been looking for answers about his birth and he may finally get the real picture. In season five, âThis Is Usâ goes on to shed light on his biological mother, Laurel (Jennifer C Holmes) and her history.
Ever since the season began, bits and pieces of her life have been scattered in every episode. The last episode â âA Long Road Homeâ â finally connected the one key figure from her life, Hai Lang (Vien Hong) to Randall and he told him, âWe met in our 20s. I thought about telling you about her for so many years. I wish I could see your face. I wish I could show you the places she lived. The things she loved.â
Right away, the story subverted our expectations, as Laurel s love story with Hai was absolutely nothing like we expected. It also does nothing to negate or deny her love story with William, which was just as real and true.
Circumstances just moved beyond everyone s control to keep them apart far longer than anyone would have ever imagined until it was forever.
This was a powerful and beautiful episode, with great casting once again stealing the hour. We already knew Jennifer C. Holmes as Laurel, but she showed off incredible depth and range in taking us through most of the middle years of Laurel s life.