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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
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Keyon Bowman as Jackson (NBC)
A heartbreaking tale unfolds on âThis Is Usâ as the sixth episode begins. Who really was Randall Pearson s biological mom Laurel? Titled âBirth Motherâ, the 40-minute drama is dedicated to her past, her childhood and her loved ones.
The last episode ended with Hai Lang (Vien Hong) telling Randall Pearson (Sterling K Brown): âI wish I could show you the places she lived, the things she loved.â The new episode picks up right where it ended as Randall and Beth Pearson (Susan Kelechi Watson) drive up to the town to meet Hai.
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.
Sterling K. Brown on Randall s This Is Us Race Reckoning
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
The actor discusses his character s journey learning about his birth mother, the lessons of COVID-19, and being a Black child raised in a white family.
When
This Is Us first dove into Randall Pearson s back story in the Emmy-winning episode Memphis, the Los Angeles-based production packed up and headed to Tennessee as Sterling K. Brown s character explored the city where his dying birth father, played by Ron Cephas Jones, grew up. But as Randall learned more about his birth mother in season five, the COVID-19 pandemic didn t allow for travel to her hometown of New Orleans.
This Is Us just made fans ugly cry by gifting them with the second half of Randall s birth story.
In Tuesday s Birth Mother episode, Sterling K. Brown s character, a Black adoptee welcomed into the white Pearson family, was finally able to put together the missing puzzle pieces about his biological mother Laurel (Jennifer C. Holmes) and piece together the seasons-long Where do I come from? identity struggle. Get push notifications with news, features and more. + Follow
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Laurel was introduced to Randall through her last boyfriend Hai s (Vien Hong) retelling of her life experiences, and audiences saw flashbacks of her most pivotal life moments: Starting with her upbringing as a member of the distinguished DuBois family in New Orleans to running away to Pittsburgh to avoid an unwanted proposal and being incarcerated in