This is Us ‘ new episode, which was set to air on Tuesday, January 19, has been delayed and a fan favorite from Season 4 will take its place.
On the heels of the January 12th episode titled “Birth Mother” when Randall (Sterling K. Brown) journeyed to New Orleans to meet his mother’s first and only true love, Hai (Vien Long), and learn the history of his past, a teaser trailer was shown at the end for the following week’s episode where Kevin would meet a fate that left his life hanging in the balance.
However, likely due to the inauguration of Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, the new episode was apparently pushed back. The show will instead re-air a fan favorite, “The Cabin” which touched on Kate’s traumatic first relationship, Randall’s lifetime of anxiety, and Kevin’s struggle with his feelings for ex-wife Sophie. It also featured the trio listening to a cassette of their late father Jack’s voice where he spoke about how old they would be when they found the tape.
The new episode that was scheduled to air would have shed even more light on the brothers’ troubled relationship moving forward and the birth of Kevin’s twins in the wake of a massive life change for the Philadelphia congressman, who learned after meeting and speaking with Hai that his late mother had always loved him. Randall learned it was one of Laurel’s greatest regrets that she never searched for her son, whom she last saw hours after delivering him before a drug overdose almost took her life.
This experience allowed Randall a chance to heal some of the wounds of his past. His decisions led to some harsh words that were exchanged between himself and his brother Kevin (Justin Hartley) at the close of Season 4. Longtime viewers will recall that heartbreaking scene when Randall told Kevin that their father Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) died ashamed of him and Kevin snapping back that the worst thing that happened to him was the day their parents brought Randall home from the hospital.
This experience led to the brother’s falling out. After realizing how much he had to let go in order to move on, Randall called Kevin to let him know the story he learned in New Orleans. Upon reaching his brother by phone, he found Kevin panicking over Madison giving birth to their twins in California while he was on a movie set in Vancouver. He was driving to her and told Randall he would have to speak to him another time. In the following scene, Kevin’s vehicle was seen following an accident, with his license on the floor near his car.