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Mandy Moore: ‘This Is Us’ Episode 7 Secret Will Divide The Pearson Family

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 11:29 PST, Nov 14, 2016

The Pearson family’s skeletons are about to come out of the closet, and matriarch Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore) could be at the center of the drama. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, This is Us executive producer Ken Olin says a family secret will be unearthed over the next two episodes, causing even more tension between several members of the Pearson clan.

“In episode 6, all of our characters tried to figure out what their next move is,” Olin told EW. “In episode 7, it’s sort of the opposite: All of them are confronting certain things that they haven’t dealt with.”

The episode, titled “The Best Washing Machine in the Whole World,” will examine the rivalry between the Pearson siblings as viewers see them as teenagers in the 1990s.

“We touched on Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) resentment of his position in the family, and now as they’re adults, we start to see how far apart they actually are,” Olin teased.

In addition, Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown) wife Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) will learn a big secret, presumably about the deal between her husband’s biological father, William (Ron Cephas Jones) and his adoptive mother (Mandy Moore).

“That becomes something which sets up the next few episodes,” Olin revealed. “Beth learns some things that are going to eventually dramatically change a lot of the dynamics for the family.”

Viewers already know that William had secretly been in touch with Randall’s mother, Rebecca (Mandy Moore), in the early 1980s. Moore’s character made William promise to stay away from her adopted son while she raised him. This could be the information that his protective wife becomes privy to in the present day.

A report from Christian Times hints that things could come to a head during a Thanksgiving-themed episode next week, titled “Pilgrim Rick.” The official synopsis for Episode 8 reveals that 1980s Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), Rebecca (Moore), and the Big Three will head to Rebecca’s parents’ house to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, but will get caught up in an unexpected detour. In the present day, the Pearson siblings gather at Randall’s house where his “heart gets broken when he discovers a lifelong secret his mother has kept from him.” That certainly sounds like he will find out that his mother had been in contact with his biological dad and had purposely kept him away from him for the first 36 years of his life.

Brown told Entertainment Tonight that the holiday setting is close to his character’s heart.

“He lives for Thanksgiving, year in and year out,” Brown said of his character. “And it’s because of something in their past as a family that made Thanksgiving this incredibly special moment… Some things come bubbling up to the surface and not everything goes as planned.”

Mandy Moore also weighed in on the long-kept secret that will clearly come back to haunt her character more than 30 years later.

“I think she was making the best possible decision at the time she could for herself and for her family moving forward,” Mandy told Vulture. “And I know that it will be controversial and some people will be upset by the choice that she made at that point in time. It certainly has ramifications as the show moves forward.”

Moore revealed that her TV son spent his life asking his parents why they didn’t know anything about his biological parents, so when he finds out the truth it could cause a rift between him and his mother.

“There are some revelations over the holidays that really force a wedge in the middle of this family — and maybe a wedge in their relationship,” Mandy told TV Guide.

Mandy Moore also teased that William and Rebecca may have crossed paths more than once while keeping their “deal” intact.

“To be able to still hold on to that secret and not tell a soul is really heavy and it really weighs on her,” Mandy told Vulture.

“To come face-to-face with him 35, 36 years later—perhaps they’ve seen each other another time or two during the course of Randall’s life—I can’t imagine the guilt and the fear that she must feel because Randall’s the child that she’s closest to and the idea that anything could potentially hurt that relationship is devastating to her.”

This is Us creator Dan Fogelman told Entertainment Weekly that the “secret” storyline will drive the remainder of the first half of the season.

“Randall has a false narrative of his existence,” Fogelman explained. “It’s very complicated, and when the truth comes out, it’s going to be a big part of our first season of the show.”

“You feel the clock ticking,” Fogelman continued.

“In the first season, there’s a lot of tension, and that moment’s a big moment for us later down the road. And especially for Randall, who has the closest relationship with his mother in the present day and a close relationship with her as a little boy. [That] one of the defining things of his life has been held from him by her is very complicated.”

This is Us stars Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, and Justin Hartley. It airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Take a look at the video below for the promo for This is Us Episode 7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svQKuK8REqA

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly]

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