The Best Randall Pearson Moments On This Is Us
"This is Us" manages to capture the essence of humankind throughout each and every episode of the series. For several seasons, we've laughed, cried, and became frustrated alongside the Pearson clan -– a family who is ultimately devoted to each other despite their differences and disagreements. The series has covered the human condition in broad strokes, encapsulating everything including conflict and war, racial strife, disabilities, love, betrayal, addiction, and death. We ultimately see ourselves in the Pearson family, which is why the series has such a devoted following.
The show focuses on "The Big Three" –- Jack and Rebecca's three children. A standout among the three is Sterling K. Brown's performance as Randall, an adopted Black child living in a white family. Randall's adoption, however, is hardly what truly sets him apart from his siblings. His intellect, persistence, and sense of morality play an important role in his life. Randall has a tendency to fixate on his own perceived injustices and aims for perfection in all that he does. As a father, he is wise, loving, devoted, and fiercely protective of his family. Randall isn't one to shy away from a confrontation and, as a result, created some of the best and most engaging character moments in the series. With that said, let's examine the best moments in Randall Pearson's history on "This is Us."
Randall buys the apartment building that William lived in
Sentimentality pervades every fiber of Randall's being. As an adult, he seeks out and fortifies his own relationships and familial connections. He's always been inquisitive, wanting to understand where he came from and who his biological parents were. Randall discovered his biological father, William Hill. Unfortunately, William was dying of terminal cancer. Randall made good use of the limited time they had together, learning who his father was as a person.
Randall finds that William spent much of time trying to better the lives of his neighbors in the apartment by doing minor repairs. In typical Randall fashion, he gets a wild hair and proposes to Beth that they buy the building and do what they can to produce a better and more dignified living space for the tenants. It's a move that would ultimately come with its own set of hardships and challenges. But it also marked a shift in Randall's attitudes towards his ultimate career ambitions.
On-camera striptease
While many fathers might have a chip on their shoulder over a daughter's encroaching boyfriend, Randall gets to know Déjà's new beau, Malik. Despite being a young father, Malik aims for a bright future and manages to demonstrate an adult-level of responsibility in carrying for his infant daughter.
Randall grows to respect Malik and allows Malik to shadow him at work. Randall enlists Malik's help when he does a live video address, giving Malik the instructions for ending the production. Malik receives a call from his mom, however, regarding his upset daughter and attempts to explain to his mother where she can find a teething ring to sooth the infant. Randall ends his video address while Malik is still on the phone and the young father fails to end the broadcast. Randall then begins undressing in his office in front the camera while dancing much to the horror of his wife and daughters. The moment is poised as a humorous segment that ultimately put Malik's challenges being a young single father front and center.
Randall discovers his mother's past
After Randall's infamous striptease goes viral, a man by the name of Hai Lang reaches out to Randal. Hai Ling recognizes a mention in the video broadcast of William Hill, Randall's biological father. He writes Randall a letter telling him that he knew his biological mother, Laurel. The pair connect over the phone, and Randall agrees to visit Hai Lang's house to learn more about Laurel. Upon meeting, Hai Lang explains his home belonged to Laurel, and now belongs to him.
Hai Lang then proceeds to tell Randall the story of how he fell in love with Laurel. The two were eventually separated by the demands of her wealthy family. They eventually reconnected in their twilight years. Hai Lang cared for Laurel while she was terminally ill from an aggressive form of cancer. Whatever Randall may have expected to find, he came out of the experience feeling a bit more complete. Connecting with his mother's roots had a profound effect on the Pearson patriarch.
Confronting his family over their ignorance toward racial issues
Seeing his sister, Kate, become an advocate for Black Lives Matter struck a bit of a nerve with Randall. Certain events shined a light on racial prejudice for the public at large, but Randall was already well-acquainted with the subject. Growing up with a white family, Randall had to experience life as a Black child all alone. His parents always ensured that he felt their love, but they had neither the insight nor the experience to really talk to him about the racial issues that plagued society.
Randall finally confronted Kate over the matter. Despite coming of age under the same roof as tight-knit siblings, Kate never once addressed the topic of race with her brother. She simply never sought to understand how intolerance and prejudice affected Randall. She was simply too afraid to address the elephant in the room. Her fear of discussing a tough subject with her brother led to Randall's feelings of isolation, despite having a loving sibling at his side. The moment is a somber reminder that we may be missing problems in the lives of those we love if we're too afraid to dig into sensitive subjects.
Randall confronts Rebecca over keeping William from him
In possibly the most explosive moment of the first season, Randall comes to blows with his mother over a secret that she has kept from him for 36 years. While Randall may have found William, his biological father, all on his own, Rebecca was always aware of who Randall's father was — but never divulged the information. She even told William that he could not see Randall out of fear of losing her son. While William didn't spill the beans on Rebecca's request, Randall learned of his mother's deception on his own after he found a letter she had written to William years prior.
Everyone knows that Thanksgiving dinner is the prime time to highlight political wedges, family disagreements, or dredge up dramatic wrong-doings with those that share our DNA. Randall picked this moment to unveil to the family that Rebecca knew of William his entire life but never said a word. While Rebecca has adamantly insisted that she loves her children equally, she's always held a special bond with Randall. Seeing that she caused her son a great amount of pain cut her deeply. Rebecca robbed Randall of many years knowing his father simply out of fear. Randall's misgivings with his mother over the matter was certainly well-founded.
Randall proposes to Beth
For seven years, Randall had a blossoming romantic relationship with Beth. After a while, he began proposing to the girl of his dreams. "Began proposing" is exactly as pathetic as it sounds, as she rejected him on multiple occasions. But that'd never stop Randall, a hopeless romantic and a stubborn man, from trying again and again. One day, during a mini golf game involving Rebecca and Beth, Rebecca casually mentions how Randall has proposed several times. Irritated that Randall told his mother, Beth confronts Randall, who turns the tables back on Beth for dragging her feet.
After a fine future-mother-in-law chat, Beth realizes that Randall is a remarkable catch and easily the one she wants to spend her life with. She takes him to her favorite food joint and orders her favorite meal: Loaded nachos. She then instructs Randall to move forward with the proposal, ring or no ring. Shocked and bewildered, he asks her what's going on. She explains that she's in her favorite place eating her favorite food with her favorite person. Therefore, this is the time to propose. Randall never ceases to amaze, as he happens to have the ring on him. So, he bends down on one knee, offers a grand romantic line about Beth being his "everything," and pops the question — warming the hearts of viewers everywhere.
Déjà gives Randall a speech that potentially saves his marriage
Randall's typical selfless attitude would one day bear fruit. Having a strong desire to become a foster parent, he brought Déjà into his home. Randall and Beth quickly developed a lasting love for the teen and they adopted her. Because Randall is a stand-up father and has always shown his daughters love and support, the compassion was later reciprocated by the teen.
Randall and Beth experience one of the worst fights they've experienced in their entire marriage. Beth accuses Randall of squashing her dreams always causing her to "bend" to his whims. He, in turn, refutes that idea. Randall assures her that any limits that were set on her own career path were her own, as he would've supported her. Harsh words are exchanged and Randall leaves the home in anger only to sleep in his office for the night. Déjà senses the tension between Randall and Beth. It becomes all the more obvious when he returns home the next morning and the couple awkwardly greet each other.
Déjà concocts a fake scenario where she joined the debate team and asks Randall to drive her to the activity. Instead, however, she guides him to a former foster home of hers. Déjà humorously explains that she is about to offer a "meaningful" speech in a "meaningful" location as Randall so often does to her. She explains how her foster siblings and the family she lived with went hungry, scraping by trying to spend their money on lottery tickets that were never wins. She then posits that Randall did win the lottery twice: First when he was adopted by a loving family, and second when he married Beth. Her point was that Randall needs to make things right no matter the compromise, and he did just that.
Randall's unflinching support of his daughter when she came out
It's not easy being the daughter of Randall Pearson, but it also comes with many benefits. Regardless of Randall's outlandish dreams and career paths, the patriarch still loves his daughters tremendously. He always has their backs and defends them whenever the situation calls for it. Tess, his eldest biological daughter, is struggling in school. She feels like a bit of an outcast, as her friends begin taking a strong interest in boys. Tess, on the other hand, realizes she is attracted to girls, but is unsure what to do to keep up social appearances.
In a gutsy move, Tess reveals to her parents that she is gay. While Randall and Beth have never indicated that they'd have any problems with a child of theirs coming out, it's still an unnerving step to take even if there is only a sliver of uncertainty. Thankfully, Randall didn't miss a beat and instantly told his daughter that he loved her and nothing else mattered. Beth confirmed as much and both parents plainly stated their willingness to talk to Tess further should she need it. The scene ultimately confirmed that Beth and Randall were the great parents we always knew they were.
Randall quits his corporate job
In the first season of "This is Us," Randall finds himself hitting the daily grind of a thankless corporate job. Throughout the course of the season, Randall begins to unravel and eventually experiences an anxiety episode during a meeting at work. His debilitating anxiety sees him miss Kevin's stage performance. While Randall has coped with anxiety his entire life, the moment underscores the impact that an unfulfilling career can have on one's mental health.
Randall makes the big decision to quit his corporate job and seek out a new path for his family. He explains to his boss that he has dedicated 10 years to the company and helped it grow 10 times the size that it was when he started. The company's impersonal acknowledgement of the death of Randall's father with a basket of pears (which Randall is allergic to) along generic printed card from the team was the final straw. He declared vigorously that he quit, and many of us at home likely applauded the move.
Randall wins the election for City Councilman
Randall's dreams and ambitions often know no bounds. They're ever-growing, as Randall experiences more of the world around him and endeavors to right all the wrongs within it. After attempting to make the lives of the residents of his apartment complex better, he realizes that he can do more good running for city council. In order to honor his late biological father, Randall commits to bettering the lives of the impoverished. After a grueling seven weeks campaigning against incumbent councilman Solomon Brown, election night came.
Early in the vote tallying, it appears that Solomon has the lead. Randall calls for his staff and those cheering him on to head home, as the results won't be fully determined until late into the night. Resigned to the idea that he had lost, he and Beth head to bed. As they retire for the evening, he receives a call that appears to rock his world. With a sudden change into a much softer and more serious tone he turns to Beth. "I won," Randall says as he looks at his shocked wife's face. Thus begins the career of a Pearson in politics.
Randall confronts Déjà's mom
When it comes to his girls, Randall will defend their spirits with a fiery tenacity, including Déjà. Once the wayward teen was introduced to Randall and Beth, she managed to carve out a space in their hearts despite the challenges she presented. Of course, her circumstances are hardly her fault, as she was dealt a bad hand with an absent mother unable to properly care for her. Being thrown into the foster system at a vulnerable age only adds to the pain and stress a child must endure.
Randall is always eager to help Déjà understand that he is always in her corner, and will provide the loving home and comfort that should be afforded to every child. When she decides that she wants to visit her mother in prison, Randall doesn't miss a beat and arranges for the visit. Unfortunately, Déjà's mother, Shauna, backs out of the visit at the last moment, disappointing Déjà and Randall.
Eventually, Randall has the opportunity to speak with Shauna directly. It becomes obvious that she was in a fight and she didn't want Déjà to see her bruised face. Regardless, Randall focused on Déjà and explained to her mother how defeated she felt when Shauna turned down the meeting. Shauna begins to point out her perception of Randall's privilege and assumes that he has a white wife, to which he proudly exclaims that he wakes up every morning next to a "Black queen." Randall's devotion to his family is remarkable and this conversation puts that on full display.
Randall approaches the man who broke into his house
In the Season 6 premiere, Randall learns that the person who had broke into his family's home two years prior has been arrested. While he is supposed to be celebrating his birthday, he fixates on his desire to see the man's turn in court. Randall was never one that could simply abide injustice, and always sought to confront his fears, anxieties, and enemies head on. The violation and stress that the intruder caused has burdened Randall for the entire two years since the incident, and he simply sought a bit of closure.
When exiting the courtroom, Randall finds the criminal and confronts him. In typical Randall fashion, he sought to unload the pain that he's experienced on his aggressor in an effort to heal and feel a sense of justice, knowing that the culprit fully understood what he had done. However, this moment doesn't exactly go as Randall had likely envisioned. The burglar only recognizes Randall from the picture he had in his possession of Randall and Beth. He couldn't remember where he obtained the picture from, hoping that it came from a "good part" of his life. However, the burglar understands now that it came from a "bad part." Randall quickly realizes that the man has led a life wrought with hardship and drug use, and that his city needs to do more to help the impoverished and those turning towards substance abuse. This moment marked significant character growth for Randall, as he vows to do more for his community.