That Was Us - A Lesson For Living | "A Manny-Splendored Thing" (S2E2) with special guest Hannah Zeile

Episode Date: November 5, 2024

Join us as we revisit the episode where Kevin does a memorable taping of "The Manny," Kate finds her voice (literally!), and Randall and Beth consider expanding their family. We'll dive deep into Kate's struggle with self-doubt and the complex mother-daughter dynamics between her and Rebecca, sharing our own relatable experiences with parental relationships. Plus, we'll explore the ripple effects of fostering and how it impacts the entire family ecosystem, offering "a lesson for living," as Sterling wisely puts it. We're also thrilled to welcome the incredibly talented Hannah Zeile (younger Kate) to the podcast as she opens up about landing the role of Kate after a four-year acting hiatus – talk about a comeback story! That Was Us is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Follow That Was Us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, and X! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode of That Was Us, we'll be discussing Season 2, Episode 2, A Manny Splendered Thing. Kevin is forced to swallow his pride during a taping of the Manny. Kate gets her first gig, but can't stop comparing herself to her mother. Randall and Beth are really contemplating their next steps regarding adoption. And Jack confronts his demons in the wake of his fight with Rebecca. And with that, I say, good morning, lady and gentlemen.

Good morning. How are we doing today again? I'm very well. I'm very excited to be here. I'll tell you right now, I'm a little loopy. I was up. My wife had me, well, not my wife had me, let me say. I had some things to do when I got home.

Let me tell you something about my wife. Responsibilities. We started off. We started off. Responsibilities with regards to my family. So I woke up early. To watch these episodes. Wives.

Am I right. episode, and they don't disappoint. No. I'm going to say that. Like, it wasn't a chore to wake up to watch. It was an absolute joy. And what I sort of find in season two is that we've laid the landscape for the world, and it's already very rich.

And it just, it's like, the roots go deeper. Yeah. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, with regards to the exploration that really begins with the relationship between Rebecca and Kate. As we get into Kevin's storyline and sort of like his reticence to discuss his own past with his dad. Yeah.

And then subsequent addiction issues. Subsequent addiction issues, like the introduction of Dacia into the Black Pearson family or whatnot. Can I tell you, I did not realize it happened so early. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, season two, for some reason I thought maybe season three. Like, it's all happening, fast. that we remember, season one, season two, yeah.

I wonder why it seems like that. But yes, watching it, I was like, oh, my goodness, here we are in episode three, right? In episode three, she's introduced. Yeah, deja blue. I was like, wow, she really, she's been a part of the fabric of the show kind of almost since the very beginning. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

So that's sort of one of the things that was sort of just like I was struck by. But let's talk specifically about. One of the things that I was struck by about this episode. Is because Toby has such rare, it's very rare that we are all together. Sure. And it's one of the rare scenes where it's just a big ensemble. A lot of, almost everyone in the same room for long periods of time getting to play off each other. And that's what I loved most about the show.

These were the days I was most excited. Yeah. Yeah, because otherwise I wouldn't get to work with you guys. I mean, you, you obviously would have scenes together in certain circumstances and stuff, but when it was like the families all together for a holiday or some sort of celebration or event. Everyone flies in to see Kevin returning to the manny for a very special episode. Correct.

And everyone's flown in and are going to watch the taping. He's very nervous. He knows that like he's sort of like things kind of got out of hand last time he was on this set, but he's sort of made a rebound and now he's being asked to come back and he knows there's a black manny there and good for America it's good for the world if there's a black

that we never see we never see Morse chest could they not make his deal like what was the I'm sure there were contractual obligations to other things

but he's nervous and he's talking to to Sophie at the beginning and he's checking out his abs and his abs are always fantastic because Justin's built like an Asgardian and so you can see him

sort of going through the nerves of it all and they start to play out she's like Do that scene, that thing you did. I love it. The meltdown. My favorite episode of The Mani.

I love, by the way, his remark of, like, he wants to be Clooney, returning to E.R. He wants to be Clooney. And she says something to the fact, like, you know this is like your least attractive quality, right? And he's like, I'm weird. I know. Their rapport is great. Yeah, you may be close to Clooney, but this show is not ER. The Mani is not ER.

The Mani didn't do the same ratings as E.R. But, like, on set, he starts to reaunt. enacted and they're playing around and it turns out that the showrunner played by the incredibly hysterical Andrew Santino who not not because of our show but because of his own talents has gone on he has an incredible stand-up special called cheeseburger that's on Netflix right now okay he's got two podcasts uh whiskey ginger which is his interview podcast and a podcast called bad friends okay um which we can shout out but yeah he's incredibly and just he's on dave and he was And on Dave.

Killed it on Dave. Killed it. Killed it. He's a beast. So he overhears the whole thing and there's an awkward moment and they move on through it or what have you. And it is right. It's one of those moments where it reminds me of when I get a chance to bring family to set. Yeah.

And they don't know how to act. Like they're like, what is going on? Like there's a door to nowhere. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's so exciting. Kemp's like, that's a door to nowhere. It was the stairs to nowhere. And of course, Kevin is completely in support of everyone acting like they don't know what they're

doing except for Miguel. As soon as Miguel takes a photo, he's like, you know what, Mengel, just, just knock. Like, you ruined it. Just stop. Because I first, I say, Betty, say, what? And then Miguel's like, me, he said, no, Miguel, stop, stop, stop, please stop. He's so subtle. It's the best thing, even though they're in a slightly better place, but still, let's just, he shuts him down every time. There's, the wonderful thing about this whole scenario is, like, if we compare it to the past, there's the talent show that's going on and everybody's getting ready for the talent show. And Kev's in particular, Parker's commitment to his Mr. T.

Is admirable. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Because they had no point of reference. Really? Did he get a chance to watch like some 18 or something? I'm sure they showed him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Steve Beers showed him some 18. No, no, Steve Beers just did it for him. And then. They obviously gave him a reference, but like, I mean, he was nine. He had no idea. when we were like, Mr. T, he had absolutely no clues. Back in the 90s when little white kids were still doing impersonations of black guys

at talent shows. Here's my impression. Because, look, you know what's funny? Because the whole time I was watching, it was like, am I going to like this, Mr. Tilly? And I was like, you know what? That's not a bad Mr. T. It's pretty cute.

Right, he committed. He committed. And Kate is going to be singing. She's going to be singing. He's going to sing Lean on me. That's right. And sweet Randall and his yo-yo. I can't.

Watch this. I can't. Let me show you my talent. The string is just hanging from the thing. And Kev's like, bro, you're so, and you're so protective. And even I was like, it's, come on, man, you can't go do the yo-yo on stage. Anyway, the thing that's really sweet about it is to see Sophie. Like, he gets up on stage as a young boy and he does the Mr. T.

And everybody's like, I don't know how I should feel about this or whatnot. But Sophie is just cracking. Taken. Taken with him. You know, and so we go to the future. It turns out that Casey, Andrew Santino's character, changed the ending of the manny. Do we know if he did it to embarrass him or not? Probably.

If you put a grown-ass man. Andrew Santino looks happier in that moment. Than a pig and shit. It's like he just twisted the knife. Yeah, he did. Put Kevin in a giant diaper. In a giant diaper, in order to, like, find a baby, you got to think like a baby. So he's crawling around, like, baby, where are you?

In a giant diaper. The whole audience is cracking up, though. But in particular, Sophie, it's just like, delighted. And you realize that not this big move that Kevin has made, you know, to win Sophie back. Yeah. You know, in previous episodes, we talked about him saying, you know, I didn't come here for this play. I came here for you. Right.

And then you realize, like, it's all. It's always been for her. Yeah, everything has been for her. Yeah, from the beginning. And their, like, rapport together is just undeniable. It's beautiful. You're like, oh, this is, what? Yeah, yeah.

What happened? It's beautiful. Okay, so wait, so let's go back to the past, and let's talk about Kate and singing. Is it lean on me? Yeah. Yeah. Singing lean on me, and this is interesting,

because I'm wondering how you felt about this as an actor. Mandy Moore, I'm speaking to right now, for those who are not looking at me. when she starts to sing in the beginning or whatnot and you say something about like oh sweetheart you hold that note just a little bit longer you're going to be perfect but it sounds absolutely beautiful like I'm curious for you in that moment

are you like are you aware that like is it an interjection that's not solicited are you like no this feels like good advice like I'm curious as an actor as an actor I was like this is this is bordering on stage parent okay yeah a little bit of A little bit of Rebecca's mom coming through.

Correct. We all do better. We all do better than hopefully. Than our parents. Than the generation before. Sure. But we all bring a little bit with us, even unknowingly. I hear myself sometimes.

Same. Whoa. Where did that come from? There are times. The closest sort of parallel in my life is my kids and playing sports. And I haven't played sports as well. And wanting to say something to them immediately after. the game. Don't. Yeah. Like constructive or otherwise. Constructive? Constructive.

Yeah. No, I try to be constructive. But even still, like, in that moment, they just need to have a little bit of breath. Yeah. And then, like, the next day, I may be like, yo, bro, what did you think about the game? And then, like, allow them to start the conversation. And I was like, I saw one thing. Are you interested in hearing it or not? And he'd be like, yeah, what did you see? And then if not, I'll hold it to myself. You're like, okay, get your pads on me in the backyard. Let me show you what I'm talking about. But I'm still learning that because sometimes I'm like, oh, if I could just impart this one thing, it would take it to a whole other level.

Sure. You know? So I saw both sides in the listening and in the giving of the information. To me, it was just sort of like, this is a school talent show. This is a little girl who, like, probably hasn't really done this in front of people before. like the simple fact that she's getting up on stage and like singing at all in front of an audience is like such a big move.

Why do I have to? Yeah, you didn't have any yo-yo notes. Yeah, or Mr. G notes. It was only Kate. I was struck by also, I don't want to call it hyperbole, but like it was the strength of the enthusiasm of how you was like, oh, sweetheart, you have like the best voice in the house, you know that,

and you were saying you sound amazing, et cetera, et cetera. And McKinsey would hit you with this look of like, okay, right? And it hit me at this moment, like, with Amari, I can say things in a way that are heightened, and they're received with love. And with Andrew, who's a little bit older, if I use the same sort of heightened language, he's like, no, bro, I can see the forest foot of trees.

Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. Last night I was putting bear to bed, and it was the same type of thing where I took it a little too far, and he drew the line, where I was like, I love you, buddy. And he's like, I love you, too. And I was like, there's a little bit of silence,

and I'm just in that, like, gushing. I'm like, yeah, I'm just so glad you're my son. And he goes, he's four. He goes, oh, I didn't want you to say that. I can't. He's like, he's like, easy. It's like, dude, love this into there. I love you, too.

So what a reminder was, because in the beginning, you talked about how beautiful her voice is. Then we see you making the dress for her. And then you pass the dress along to her, and you talk about how awesome she's going to be. And when I get nervous, why not, wanted you to have this thing. And so she's like, okay, I'm going to pop into the shower

and I'll catch up with you in a little bit. And she's like, mom, mom, she puts it on, she's feeling all good. And she hears Mandy Moore perfect pitch In the shower where the acoustics are just ripe Yeah Just lean on me When you're not strong

And she's like, you know what I can't sing Yeah Kate was like, you know what I'm saying? And this is the second time That's something is happening with you She's got to stop going to the bathroom Stop going to the bathroom Knock on the door

Give me some privacy I felt But so, okay So defeating They go to the talent show, and she decides she doesn't want to sing. That's why my voice is her. And she's like, you're sure if you're nervous, like, I can help you. And she's like, no, she's like, okay, bye.

She starts out going, yeah, my voice hurts. And then you keep pushing, goes, I don't want to. That's what you received. That's a really fun turn for her. So then in the present, we see Kate. Is this where Kate's sort of like, the little. So we're all at the manny taping. Yes, we're at the manitap.

And Kate gets a phone call. Yes. Slowly people, first of all, at a live three camera TV taping, everyone's sitting in the front row. The hardest job anyone has at one of those things is the audience. Yeah. It takes hours to film an episode of one of those. And they go back over jokes and they fix jokes and you have to laugh at the same joke. And that's why there's a warm-up person there, throwing candy out.

come on passing pizza around whatever they got to do right and one of my favorite things is which i guess we'll get back to you is is you letting slip to beth all these things take like three or four hours and she's like three or four hours because she has made it known she does not find kevin funny she doesn't find kevin very funny which we'll get we'll get to we'll get back to but it was really but yeah but kate gets a call while she's sitting in the front row that she's she's been she's been called a show at a bar that night so she has to leave and go get go do sound check can we just like also do a quick little like touch on the first scene between you and kate where you've made pigs in a blanket for Miguel oh yeah with the nut cheese my boy Miguel yeah you said we're

both swarthy outsiders yeah there's some line about you talking and I was like oh this is the first indication of Toby acknowledging like best myself Miguel like we're all Pearson outsiders we see the big picture i think you all are sleeping on my man miguel and john when he comes in just the innocent way he goes do i smell pigs in a blanket you should do and i say boy you got a nose on you Miguel as if pigs in a blanket is a specific smell it's great it's great it's just god he's so She talks about Kate does. She's sweating mom's arrival. Every time my mom comes to visit, I'm not going to, every time my mom comes to visit. So she, I put that down in a quote because it's like every time. When you use words like always and or never, you know what I'm saying? It's like, you know that that's not necessarily the case, but that's also what you're projecting into, into that interaction. And she says, I'm not going to overreact to everything she says this time. I'm not going to act like a child. And one of the first thing that Rebecca does is hugs her. looks at her and says, you look so good. And I recognize this look in such a way as someone

who didn't always feel that the best about themselves. And it's like, really, do I? Like Kate hit her with a, okay, and trying to fight the impulse that she just said that she wasn't going to go into. So it reminds me of like right there when she gets the phone call to come to record, to sing. And Rebecca's like, you're about to go through a sound check,

and she's like, oh, what kind of place you're going to go to? And it's a bar, and she's like, oh, Rebecca started making it about herself. And, like, just trying to fight through the smoke and everything. And then she hits her with like, oh, you used to sing? Oh, wow, you used to sing? Oh, man. And I was like, oh, gosh, geez, Olive. I was like, it was so uncomfortable.

Maybe because I see shades of myself. with my own mom, bless her, that, like, sometimes you just can't help yourself. There is a specific mother-daughter dynamic sometimes, and I would often find this to be the case with Kate and Rebecca, especially during those more not tumultuous moments, but where there's tension for sure. And I could see myself and Kate, and I'm like, but because I'm like, it's warranted. Like, that's effing annoying. Like, come on. It's not about you right now. And then it's not until a couple episodes later, I guess. We'll talk about it in a few episodes from now,

but where you see the seeds of that with Rebecca and her mom. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? That it's all being, it all kind of gets... Also, can we bring up the point that poor Kevin, like everyone's out here to see this taping and everyone just leaves? Everybody just leaves. I was like, no wonder he always felt like the outsider.

Oh, he'll understand. Yeah, yeah. He'll understand because they... So, Kate leaves. And then Toby's like, you know what? I kind of got to go. This is her first gig. I got to go.

And she's like, I understand. And Rebecca says, I understand that she stands up. And you're like, oh, shit. Yeah, what are you supposed to do? What a terrible position to put you in? We'll be right back with more. That was us. So the holidays are officially right around the corner.

the best time of year, the most exciting time of year. I'm sure all of you guys have travel plans. People be traveling at the holidays. I'm going to go see my family. I'm looking forward to. I'm excited. Yeah, I've been traveling a lot, actually, back and forth to Toronto for this new gig,

and I'm checking out the entire city with Airbnb. I get a different apartment every time I go in a different part of the city. Oh, what a great way to get to know a city. I love that. Mandy, nobody knows Toronto better than I do. You'll have to be our tour guide next time. Listen, like many of you, we're getting into

swing of holiday planning. Whether you want to or not, it's the season for figuring out who is traveling where, who is arriving when, and is the dog coming? And for all these reasons, we rely on Airbnb. I have been using Airbnb for years, and it's become my go-to for finding places that feel like home, no matter where I am in the world. It's also a wonderful way to share my own space with travelers, offering them the comfort of a home away from home. We've done so many renovations on our house. I've been thinking, these renovations are too good. I have to share them with the world. Hosting just makes sense. Come on. And it might be for you as well. Yes. Hosting on Airbnb is a smart way to utilize your unused space. And getting started with hosting

has never been easier. It's a great way to earn a little extra and can help subsidize the busy holiday travel season. You know, I can always use a little extra money in my pocket. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.com slash host. So you guys go to listen to her sing, and she starts off a little slow, just, you know, because she sees you guys and she's like, oh, goodness, I wasn't expecting that or what have you. But she sings gorgeous. Yeah. It's absolutely beautiful, right? And after it's over, this beautiful scene between the two ladies saying that, like, you know, you know,

you know what, bugs, like, you'll learn to, like, sort of power through those kinds of audiences, but she's saying incredibly beautifully. Like, I'm putting those things together. Incredibly beautiful. Right. And she's like, what does that even mean? And so, look, Mandy, man, just for the people can't see, is holding her face, like, why'd I have to say that shit?

Yeah. Truly. I remember in the moment, like, it's not over compensation. She truly means it, and she is trying to be helpful, but it's like, it's not one. warranted in that moment. Like you were saying with Andrew, like, or I'm all right, like, taking a beat to be like, let them have their moment. Yeah. Let them revel in that. And the next day or a couple hours later, or whenever the conversation feels appropriate, you can maybe pepper in a like, oh, it's, sometimes it's hard in a bar. People aren't paying attention.

They're drinking, like, whatever. But to do it right in the moment is like, it just is so cringy. It was a pretty great. Why is her reaction supposed to be, you know? Yeah. It was a pretty great mom moment, though, when she starts singing, and you're, like, shishing people in the bar? Hey, shh, quiet. You're, like, point up at the stage.

That was good. I loved it. So she, they kind of have it, you know, Kate lets it out, and it's like, you know, try to remember anything that she said, because it was really beautiful. Well, the big one was, I felt the way I felt because of you. And she said, what do you mean because of me? Because you existed. Yeah.

And so like, and also, now this is going to, what I'm going to remember of my first job. It's not the actual performance. It's this conversation. To which Rebecca comes up to Tobe. And she's like, are you seeing this? Like, did I do that? And Toby, this, now you want to talk about a lesson for living. Like, delightful, kind, generous boundary drawn.

Yes. Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah. Like it's like, look, I already got to deal with this twin brother over here. I was like, but when it comes to you guys, I know things are complicated and does she get a little sensitive when you're around? Probably. That's between you and me.

But letting you know, moving forward, I'm Team Kate. Always. Forever. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So like, whatever you need to do, like try not to put me in the middle of it because that's my girl. I'm always going to side with her.

me to side with you. You know what I'm saying? And I think that was, I want couples to do that. Yeah. Take note. Whether it's a brother or a best friend or a parent or what have you, like you got to let them know. Yeah. Because you teach people how to treat you. That's right. Do you know what I mean? And the fact that you did it from jump. Yeah. A lot of us wait a couple years and like, I should probably have a conversation. And at that point, you can. There's so much History and so much resentment. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

Excellent job. But I love, too, that in the car afterwards, on the way home, Rebecca acknowledges that, too. Like, you know, your fiancé is pretty great. Like, she, I think, was able to sort of hear it and take a bit of accountability and recognize how wonderful it was that her daughter has such a strong partner. Absolutely. I liked that. It was good. It was solid.

I mean, it was one of those moments. I was like, I should do, I should do that for my wife. My wife should do that for me. Like, I got really excited. Yeah. And your cute little reaction when, yeah, you're like, yes. You did that? And he also has the line before he's like,

shall we commence the awkward ride? Yeah. Okay, so those things happen. There is, okay, R&B, Randall and Beth. They are going down this road towards adoption. they're getting ready to take their trip out to Los Angeles. He says to Beth, like, look, please laugh at my brother. He already thinks that you don't think he's funny.

And she's like, I don't. I don't think it's funny at all. She's like, well, please don't say that in front of him. He's sensitive about it. Please be kind. She's like, what are you going to do about these adoption forms? Randall has been dragging his feet. Yeah, filling out the paperwork.

Of something he wants. Of something that he wants, right? And so she's like, okay, you can fill him out on the plane. They have a little cute banter about, like, how you feel about the lovemaking. And she's like, it's pretty cool until you want to, like, do a quickie. And you're like, quit making fun of me. Until I want a quickie. My husband needs too much romance.

There you go. I think that's a line from my wife, too. I was like, Ryan, how can we can't take more time? And she's like, please stop. Can we just get this over? Can we just get it over? Can we just get it over? Come on. Don't make that sound.

She does. Sometimes she's like, she says, come on, come on. And I'm like, I don't. Never mind, I'll go watch another episode of This Is Us. Instead. But they fly out. He still hasn't filled out his paperwork. So we're all in the audience waiting and she tries to give him the forms or whatnot.

And he starts to, it's like, I don't want to do it. I'm going to go outside and tells us it's going to take two or three hours. And she's like, uh-uh. She comes outside too. And she's like, what's going on, man? Like, what is the deal? And he says it's question 15. Like, are you prepared to deal?

with a child who has a history of trauma or other sort of physical attributes that you're not familiar with, like things that are unknowns, the X factors that with your genes and you're sort of rearing from the beginning, you kind of have a control of the environment, now you're introducing someone into your space that, you know, is going to disrupt

that to a certain extent, necessarily. And he's like, how do you know we can deal with that unknown, right? She's like, because we can't. Like I just said yes to everything. He's like, but don't you think you're being a little cavalier? And I think it's a really interesting conversation because I'm sure it's something that a lot of people

who have biological children who are entering into the field of adoption may very well ask them. Sure. You know what I'm saying? Because it's like, I know our genes. I know how that work together. I know how we got a chance to raise. But like, now we don't get all of that.

Sure. And especially if you're getting an older child, yes no idea what trauma they're coming to the table with and what their life has been like and what experiences are under their belt and yeah it's a whole other can of worms it didn't occur to me until this exact moment that that my family went through this really like literally this moment tell me tell me it's so strange what's really shocking to me is that i'm just realizing it now because because it's your life yeah you know it just feels like oh that's a thing that happened But when I was eight or nine, we fostered, essentially fostered my cousin.

Okay. Because his parents were having difficulties with addiction. And he lived with us for, I don't know how many years, three or four years. Wow. But yeah, it was a really kind of shocking, tricky situation for our family. And to bring somebody else into that. house who was struggling with those things made it I could tell that it was like really hard for him and really hard for my parents and and maybe not so hard for me and my

brother like it was having another friend or family living with us but yeah it was it was a shocking shocking to the quote-unquote ecosystem yeah you know as as well as it worked out you know ended up working out for everybody but um yeah I'm more shocked that I'm sitting here realizing oh wait I've been through this situation. Situation. But as a kid, not an adult. It is interesting because we learn through Kev.

And this is jumping around a little bit, but it all feeds into this storyline. Because Beth later on has a conversation with Kevin in his trailer. I really liked that she's like, I'm going to find a clean bathroom. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? She's like, I'm going to go into his trailer because I know he's the only person to use it. I'm going to use that one because a clean bathroom is an asset on set. Yes, right?

Absolutely. And they have this conversation, and she says that, like, your brother is all worried and freaking out over this adoption thing. And this is something that he actually wanted himself. And Kev's like, yeah, that sounds like Randall. Like, he usually doesn't do something unless he's 100% sure he's going to succeed. I wrote that down too, yeah. And she's like, yeah. And he goes, like, the one time that he actually sort of put himself out there was this really cool dreadlocked girl that he's met in college who was way out of his leave.

with his sweater vest and whatnot. And she's like, yeah, he was so nervous and whatnot. And he can still remember that corny first line that he came up with. He's like, you don't know me right now. And then Kevin says, but you're about to. And she's like, how you know this? She's like, you fell for the manny's game, Ma.

She's like, who do you think was Serenowing him through that whole thing? And so she's like, and they have this moment of connection. And at the end of it, she's like, I do think you're funny, Kevin. And he's like, I know. You know what I'm saying? It just takes that little win for himself. It's this interesting theme of family members, not, not, I don't know what the word, what the, what the theme is. But it's family members trying to, to get validation from a third party family member, right?

Right. So it's the same type of thing with Rebecca and Toby, between the two of them. Like, am I, I think, am I the, what's going on here? Can you help, maybe, can you help me? Right. Like, and family members holding different boundaries. I think because they can offer perspective. Sure, sure.

When someone has just a little bit of distance, when you hear it from them, it hits a little bit different. It's like the person who you're closest to, oh, you're supposed to say that. Right. Sure. You know what I mean? But if they're like, you could have said one way or the other. And she said, I think you're funny, Kevin. It was good.

But it goes back to like, so Randall entering into this thing, because I think the way that he originally envisioned it, he had control. You know what I'm saying? Having a baby, bringing a baby in, like, at least the most control that he could have and succeed in that way. This is, yeah, this is another one of those personality traits of, like, of Jack Pearson's son. Yeah.

You know, that Jack Pearson and mostly Randall, but even his other children, but Randall in the most Jack Pearson way, has an idea. of how this is going to be. Yeah. How, no, no, let me tell you how this is going to work. Right. We are leaving here with, you know what I mean? Yeah.

And he's attempting to maybe not honor the past, but in Jack's case a lot of times, like, correct the past, like, no, I'm in control now, I'm going to make it right, I'm going to heal this, I'm going to make it perfect. Yeah. And it's the same type of thing. We see a lot with Randall's, related to Randall's anxiety. Sure.

is this need for like control of the situation. Absolutely. Everything to be, you know. There is this moment after she has this conversation with Kev and she comes back together with Randall. And she just jumps into his arms and they kiss each other. In the most romantic, like, I just was watching that. I was like, this is everything you want, like a movie kiss to be out, well, a real,

life kiss, obviously, but it was just, it was so powerful and palpable. And it just, I was like, God, I love these two people together so much. Yeah. Like, they, they go their separate ways and figure things out and then come back together in the best way possible. And sorry to interrupt you, but the fact that she was like, you know, like, we can, we can do anything. Any, yeah. Like, We made the girls, like the girls were good, but we made them great, like, just, I don't know. I was like, yes, yes, that is exactly what you want to hear from your partner in this.

It's exactly because it's like, he was so discombobulated or whatnot. She has a way, as so many people have said, like even in our fan, like male, like just settling him. Yeah, grounding him. You can be all right. Did you know she was going to mount up like that? that? Well, did you know she was going to go airborne? Yeah, because she jumped and you caught her and it was just like,

technically that counts his fight choreography. There's a little, I think we did get an addendum to it. You got a stunt bump? And I, no, I do remember because the first time, like I had to ask when somebody, I was like, the only way to really support them. Sure. Is from the bum. It's from the buttocks. And I was like, are you cool with this? And she's like, yeah, S.K. Thank you for asking. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah. I was like, because I was like, I'm trying to hold a thigh. I was like, it's not quite the same because you're like dripping. And down the middle or drooping down the middle you kind of got to support you have to you have to

listen everyone you have to support the buttocks always hot take hot take listen if you're going to mount your man you have to let him support the buttocks god if we learned anything today take it from me so with the past storyline oh we've we've completely We haven't done the past. Well, which one? Jack and Rebecca from like the 90s, not with the eight-year-olds. Right. Jack and Rebecca post-fight.

This is the drive home. Like she said, get in the car at the end of 201. Yes. And we open with the drive home. And she's talking about, well, you can do this, man. Yeah. Like you did it before, you can do it again. Yeah, yeah.

And he goes, it took time. You know, it wasn't easy. And I think he says, like, you know, I kind of did it by myself, but I don't know if I can do that this time. Is that right? That's in this episode. Yeah. Yeah. And she asks him like, so how did you do it last time? And we see him at the office having a tough day. I think he just got chewed out, what have you. And he's sort of a shoes, a liquid lunch. He has a bottle that's in his file cabinet that he pulls out and then froze into the trash can because he's not going to go down there while. He's tempted to, he's not going to. And he decides that, like, well, maybe I'll go to an AA meeting. Yeah. We see him standing in the doorway. He walks to the meeting.

He stands in the doorway. He listens for a bit. He walks away, right? Later on in that episode, he goes to a boxing gym. He goes to the boxing gym. He's like, how much for an hour? He's like, the first one's free. He's like, do you want training?

He's like, nope, just trying to keep a promise to my wife, right? I just need four minutes of slow-mo. Three, four minutes of slow-mo so I can fit in this montage as I beautifully hit this back. Yeah. Because in the montage, I believe, like, there's a few flashbacks, but one of the first ones we get is him as young Jack in Vietnam. Yeah, jumping out of a plane. Jumping out. And he is not a mechanic.

Right. No, he has artillery and like a gun. Yeah, he's fully mounted, right? And so we get the sense of like, oh, Jack is working through more than we realize. Yes. Okay. And for anyone who doesn't know, Milo Ventimile at this point has already played Rocky's son, right? Yes. Yes, yes.

So just so, if you have any question about Milo's boxing pedigree, he is Rocky's son. He's Rocky's son. And then he makes it to the talent show. And she's like, you almost missed, you know, Mr. T. He's like, no, I got it. And it's fixed. He says something like, it's fixed. I got it. Yeah, don't worry about it.

Yeah, don't worry about it, right? But before the talent show, isn't it earlier that day he goes to visit Kate at school, young Kate, as he does so often, to have lunch with her in the car? Yes. And it's the first time we see her hold his face. Yeah. And then it's echoed with him at the end of the episode with Hannah, where he has to tell Katie girl that, you know, level with her as to why he's out of the house. and part of where this fight with Rebecca stemmed from, and he admits to her that he's got a problem drinking,

and you see her sort of... I can't wait to talk to Hannah about that. Me too. She's going to be awesome. She says, or McKinsey, the youngest Kate, is like, how's work? And she's like, you know, my boss has a way of making it feel like a job sometimes. And then, you know, how are you going to do it to town shows?

Like, I don't know, mom has a way of making it feel like a job. sometimes. And then, like, at the end of the interaction, she just holds his face, and it's so sweet. And when you see the echo of it happening with Hannah, and Milo just breaks down in his daughter's hands. Like, it's, it's, and it feels right. There are, there are, there are, I want to say, yes. It's a very specific moment where a parent should allow a child to comfort them. Yes. Right? Right. It's like a, it's delicate. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, because it's like, if you walking around the whole time and the kid is having to parent you, it's like, come on, man, you got to figure this out. Yeah, correct. Don't rob that childhood. Yes. But this was a moment of generosity because what was happening and the sort of theme of that episode, and it continues throughout season two, is that I'm doing too much by myself.

Right. I'm not letting anybody in close enough to be of assistance so they can be in it with me. So you need to be an example. of letting people in so that the others around you will let you in. No, that that's, exactly. No, that's acceptable and teaching your kids that. Yeah. I just, I think you're right.

This was a perfectly, like, tangible, appropriate moment for this girl to be there for her father, to help him. And it was unexpected and exactly, I think, what he needed in that moment too. Beautiful. And the coolest part was where he, just stood outside of the AA meeting before

he now allows his wife to take him to AAS and he walks in right so yeah it's a good setup for what's all about to come should we talk to Hannah let's talk to Hannah

I'm so like excited to see her and pick her brain about being on the show and then this episode in particular of course ladies and Jen we'll be right back we'll be right back Ladies and gentlemen, we are back with our guest.

You know her as the most delightful member of the big three, the middle big three, that is. Please welcome Hannah Zeal. Hey, what's going on? Hi, Hannah. Look at that haircut. You look so stylish. This is great.

Oh, thank you. I've fallen into the trap of the internet where I now cut my own bangs. This is you? Wow. This is me. I think this is pretty well done. I'm impressed. Thank you.

You've got another like career under your belt now if you want to become a hairstylist. This is amazing. Real quick, not to embarrass, but because I'm from St. Louis. And St. Louis is all about baseball. We had a baseball player that I didn't know about that arch. You guys have that arch. We have the arch too. And then we have St. Louis Cardinals.

That's right. Remember, a long time member of the St. Louis Cardinals was a dude by the name of Todd Zeal. It's Hannah's dad. What? Yes. And I remember, like, walking up to you on set. And I was like, I never put it together. And I was like, Hannah, is your dad?

Todd's in you. She's like, yeah. And I was like, get I? I know. I think Dan made a joke to me one time, too, because Dan's a Mets. Yes. Am I correct? Is it Mets?

Okay. And my dad also played for the Mets. And he made a joke to me basically saying, he was like, if you would have just said that in your first meeting with me, you would have got the role. I was like, oh, my God. You didn't even need that. So now you tell everybody that at auditions. Just in case.

Yeah, I'm like, by the way, and my mom also was an athlete. My mom was an Olympian gold medalist. What? Wait. In what? Gymnastics, 1984 Mary Lou Retton's team. Yeah, my mom. Yeah.

My mom got gold on the uneven bars, and she still holds the, she's the only American to ever get gold on uneven bars. I don't know this? Deficating me? What is going on? Yeah. Yeah. Sports royalty.

So, like, growing up, everyone thought I was genetically altered to be an athlete. Everyone always thought I would end up being an athlete. And then me and all my siblings ended up more creative, which is funny. Emotional athletes. Did you guys play anything? Did you play anything? Yeah, I was, um, I played club soccer and I was like ranked in my county for tournament tennis. Wow. How way? Sully was a tennis player. I was a competitive tennis player. Really? Yeah. I want to play against so bad. It's like I always used to see when I was younger, like people of all ages that even if they weren't like running up and down the court as much, they were still just like keeping a rally and I miss it all the time.

So I think I want to like go try to do that as an extracurricular now. Yeah, you got to dip your toe back into that. I love it to be. I miss it. So we talked about this just oh so briefly, but Mandy had Mitch you, because we just had Logan on the show like last episode. He facetimed me to tell me how much fun he had. Oh, good, good, good, good.

You guys are so close. But it makes us. Yeah, he also just wanted to make sure he told me that he was that he, that his episode was the first. Sure. So he wanted to make sure he got that out. Just so you know. Very much like Kevin.

But it's almost the order of the big three because like first came me, then came and then so then hopefully we can get Niles at one point in time too. But Mandy had mentioned that like we had to go back and reshoot like a timeline that you guys because there was another three actors that were hired before you. Things didn't quite work out. And so with a really quick turnaround, you guys had to come in and join us. So talk to us a little bit about the process of how the show, the all the all, audition came for you. Because of the quick turnaround also, it felt so much like timing was

everything. It felt like I was like, it was meant to be how I ended up booking this because I actually hadn't done an audition in four years. I had done some stuff when I was 13 and then completely left it behind, went to high school, was more involved in my friend group and sports and whatever I was doing. And then at the time, I was freshly 18 and I, I was completely, I applied at my local Chipotle. So I was cashiering at Chipotle at the time. And while I was there, I was like, I'm still so passionate about acting.

That's always what I wanted to do as a career. And so I just blind called up my team from when I was like 13. And thankfully, they were willing to send me back out on auditions. But the audition for This Is Us was my first audition back in for you. Come on, man. What? Yeah. Wait, you Chitapotla, when they're still doing like the vegan beans, but mixing in the pork juice with them.

Listen, they're not giving us any money, Sterling. All I knew how to say was guac is $1.95 extra. Is that okay? That was my catchphrase for the time. But I, it ended up because it was such a quick casting, because usually, you know, how it goes, like you're waiting and you're, it's like the whole waiting period is the most anxious part of it. but I went in had my first audition and then like two days later I was at the cash register at Chipotle

and my phone rang I answered the phone to my manager and she was like hey so Dan Fogelman wants you to come down to Paramount and meet him right now and I left on the spot I left my job that was it you never went back to Chipotle I never went back because and it seemed unbelievable to them

they were like why would you not give me a two week and I was like I didn't have a two week on my I went I met with Dan and then I was in an Uber on the way home. It's so funny, I want to find this Uber driver because he's shared the most like momentous moment of my life. I got the call like, hey, you have to be on set

tomorrow. Mind you, I also had to go get my hair. I was, I had jet black hair at the time. I was going through something obviously. They were dyeing my hair and I had to get fitted for my colored contact lenses and then be on set by nighttime. So I had like appointments the next morning. It was like all quickly happening. So I got

the call in the Uber for like the appointments are being scheduled. So I'm in the back of this Uber, like, crying, calling my family, calling all my friends. And then finally, once I finished all the calls, the Uber just, like, looked at me in the mirror and very quietly was like, congratulations. I'll look out for you. This is the best story. This is incredible. Go back through your Uber app. We want to talk to this driver too. We need to find the driver, need to talk to my old manager at Chippole that I quit on the spot. Gwock is free. Yeah, it was pretty unbelievable.

Did you just quit? Did you tell us to, hey, man, I got to go. Like, I just booked the show. Or did you just, like, bounce up out of the Chipotle? I just remember going to the manager because it was to meet with Dan. I didn't know if I had the part yet, but I basically just said to her, I was like, hey, whatever consequences come from this is fine. But I'm just letting you know, I'm not asking. I'm telling you that I'm leaving.

Boom. Yes, ma'am. That's right. That is. That's how you do it. That's how you do it. Thank God I did. That's right.

Yeah. And then. There's such a whirlwind from there. Put him in your bag. I squeezed them into my mom. I got out of there. Oh, my goodness. And did you have, I mean, that's an exceptional turnaround that you met with Dan and then you were supposed to be on set, like literally the next evening.

Yes. Did you have any idea of what the show was? Were you able to read a script? Did you know you were playing a younger version of a character who was already established? like what information did you have at that point? Yeah. So in the breakdown for the audition, I knew that it was to play a younger Chrissy Mets.

And I watched, I think only two episodes where it had been released by the time that I was auditioning. So I just don't think anything could have prepared me for like the magnitude of what I was joining. I also just because I hadn't acted in four years and I was just so grateful to even be a part of something, I was just every day

was like I was so excited to be there that it was like such a whirlwind but what's funny is my mom had my mom had followed Milo's career like my mom was a huge fan of Milo since I was younger so she had seen ads for This Is Us and we have like I vividly remember her telling me because that's my mom and I's bonding thing

is we've been to watch TV together which I used to come over to her house every Tuesday night to watch This Is Us live with her that's how we bond so she called me saying like, I think I have our new show. That My Levantamilia is on this new show which just came out.

The pilot's out. We got to watch it. And then I ended up. You said, no, I think I have our new show. I was like, right. Wait for it, Mom. It's incredible. I am too.

But it was all still exciting because when we first, obviously when we first joined in the first season, I wasn't really sure. And I don't know, maybe you guys have more insight. I don't know if it was already predestined of how much the flashbacks would become integrated into the core of the show. At the time, I wasn't sure because sometimes in flashback television, it's like you're not used as much.

It could just be for that specific memory that they need to portray and then it's over. But I didn't realize it would be interweave. Yeah, nobody was more unaware of how much this show would travel through time than old Mandy Moore. She was like, I'm sorry. Truly. I'm sorry, how old? Because that's the thing.

They're not flashbacks per se. They're just different timelines. You know what I'm saying? Like we explore each timeline pretty fully. And so I guess, yeah, that's why it becomes what it is. So you get this show, and within 48 hours, you are thrust into a very intimate relationship with two young men. Yeah. And you are to play siblings.

And the role of the dice that the three of you would get along. Yeah. As well as you did. I know. is maybe impossible. Yeah, it's so remarkable. So people know, like, you'd see them together all the time. Tell us about it.

Tell us about meeting these two guys and what... This connection you guys forged. How quickly this connection formed if it was quick at all. Totally. I remember the first day I was on set, I actually had like no dialogue my first day of working, and I was just there for like one quick scene at the end of the night. And they had spent... It was they were doing all the football.

It was like the football competition between them. So they had spent a lot of time together already. So I was a bit nervous coming. I was like, I think they've already established a relationship. I don't know them well. And I'm the only girl. And I can be a bit shy anyways. But almost instantly, we ended up clicking.

And then Niles happened to live in my area. So we almost like by the first week of working, started carpooling to work. I could drive at the time he was too young to drive yet. And we lived in the same area. So to help out, I would pick him up and take him to work and take him back. And that ended up, like, getting us bonded pretty quickly. And then, yeah, we kind of just made a conscious effort, like, eating lunch in our trailers together and really just trying to get to know each other.

And then thankfully, like you said, it doesn't always work out that you end up being really connected with the people. But we've stayed, those are truly like siblings to me, like my brother. Yeah, that's what Logan said. Like I said, as soon as Logan got off filming, he, he FaceTimed me to be like, oh my God, I had the best time you're gonna have so much fun. I feel saying we were Chrissy and Justin, too. That's the family, their family.

Yeah, yeah. I actually remember you saying to me one time, Sterling. I mean, I felt so, like I said, like everything, it was like my first time really being on a set as I was 18 now an adult on my own and everything felt so intense and I was so green. And I remember one time you saying to me, like, you know, I've, I've had a lot of experience, and it's not always, this is not always the case where everyone, like, on all fronts, everyone's like a family. Like, everyone's working at the highest caliber. Like, everyone takes pride in what they're doing and loves their job. And you were like, really just like appreciate this moment that you're in because it's not every set is like this.

And I really, like, held on to that the whole time I was working of being feeling like, I'm so spoiled that this is my. first experience. It's such a testament to you and your talent that you hadn't been acting for four years and you so seamlessly transitioned into this character. There is never a false moment with you. Nope. You are so subtle. You are so dang good at what you do. It's so, like, it was always such a pleasure to work with you. And it was, you know, Rebecca and Kate had a very complicated relationship, especially at this juncture. And I just like any time I read a script and I saw your name on the call sheet, I was like, yes. Like I, I just like, from the minute you show up on this show, like, again, I'm just, I'm sitting here in all going, I cannot believe

this girl was working at Chipotle and wasn't like a working actor on show after show after show because you just like you had such a quiet confidence yeah um the work was just so seamless from the beginning truly so much and also honestly like obviously I could sing your praises forever but I felt the same about you and I really appreciated I never I feel like I learned the most from you just from like the way that you carried yourself on the set and the way that you prepared and the way that you were so dedicated and so talented but it was never like you were trying to preach to me or trying to teach me or make me feel less than it was just I learned just by absorbing everything around you by being a sponge and very kind I feel the

you guys did not need like you didn't need any words of wisdom it's like you are you are all operating at a at a 12 already that we were just lucky to have you let me ask you because we're this is an episode 202 and you you're not you're in it at the very end. Yes. Right? And there's an echoing that happens in the episode where we see McKinsey earlier in the episode because Jack on his lunch break sometimes just goes to have lunch with his daughter and hang out and whatnot. And she can see he's going through a tough time and she puts her hands on his face, right? And says, it's going to be okay, Dad, whatever. And so at the end of this episode, he's talking to Katie Girl. I always wondered, did Jack come over? I think

Like Milo, it's just sort of like Katie girl. It's just like one of those things that sticks in my head. And he's telling her about, like, how he has a drinking problem. And, you know, he tried to get over it. And now he's having a tough time with it. And he just wanted to let her know. And you're there just listening to him. And my God, woman, you put your hands on this grown man's face.

And I was like, I should get a daughter. I was like, these boys ain't going to do this to me. I need a little girl to go put her hands on my face. It was so tender and loving. It was so tender and loving and beautiful. Just talk to a little bit because two things really start to happen that we find from the past. And it's already happened in the past in season one with McKinsey, the younger version. But we start to really see the connection between this young woman and her father.

And then we also begin to see like the sort of friction between this young woman and her mother. So I'm just very curious. And we know, too, that this is a very pivotal juncture. their life. We know at this point now, we've seen in flashbacks the sort of a fuzzy bit of the funeral. So we know this is the age that these characters are when their dad passes away. Yeah. I just interject that. I was thinking that. Yeah. I just wanted to know for you, like, because what was it like entering into that space, like sort of living that reality both with Jack and Rebecca? Well, first, with that scene specifically, it's funny because I so vividly

remember filming that and um i remember the first take or two that we did it it almost felt like i was too in my head it was too mechanical because i knew when i was supposed to put my hands on the face and when i was supposed to hug him and i knew the dialogue that was supposed to proceed that but i i just remember in between one of the takes milo saying to me like you're doing amazing just really like listen to what i'm saying really hear like hear what jack is telling you And it was like the most simple tip, but it was so, it was exactly what it needed. It was like to exit any of the like mechanics that went into it and really just sit there and hear it. And sometimes that's the most powerful is having no dialogue at all, just reading it on your face.

So I totally remember filming that scene. It was a special moment. But yeah, I always really, really appreciated getting to play the time period of Kate Pearson that I did. Especially because I think it's true for anyone, like your teenage years, you can be such a different person than you are in adulthood and childhood. It's such a pivotal time. So I always felt, although the role was shared, it felt really like I could make it my own and I felt very individual in playing it. But I think that, like we said, it's like in a difficult time period in general, especially. I think I can relate my mom and I, we butt heads a lot during my teenage years.

years. I think it's just the time into becoming a woman and you're like starting to feel that you want your more independent and that you know everything and that and everything feels heavy and complicated. And then once you become an adult, I think is when I finally realize like I resonate so much with my mother. Like I was so hard on her and I didn't recognize that she's human and she's just trying her best. And she's, you know, she's a woman looking out for another young woman and she has wisdom.

But at the time, you just feel almost resentful of someone trying to put that upon you. And then I think on top of that, the layer of all the trauma that Kate goes through in that time period, she has this super close relationship with her dad and then loses him in such a tragic way. And, you know, Rebecca seems to,

gracefully be such a punching bag for a lot of a lot of that time period for and seems to totally understand that Kate's dealing with a lot of trauma and a lot of misplaced anger and never seems to hold it against her just kind of lets her feel what she needs to feel and then I think that's what's so beautiful about this show is that you never have to imagine you know a lot of times for character work you have to imagine like how will this affect my character's future and what will this relationship be like when they're adults? And it's just like written out for me already. So it really gave me like such informed work

because it was like I can actually see how this transgresses already between the relationship with Chrissy and Mandy. So smart. It's funny in episode 201, Chrissy says, like, you guys are having an argument. And she said, like, what exactly did I do? And she's like just being you or like your presence, like you're existing or something.

She said, yeah, you exist. You existed. And you see, like, Rebecca, just take it on the chin, like, I don't know exactly what to do with that, but okay. What can you say to that? There is, I think the show, and you highlight this, Hannah, is that there's a level of empathy that we can have for our parents in recognizing that they are not perfect people. They are people doing the best that they can, right? Because so much of it is us living it out at the same timeline. And you have all this, like, they should have done this, they should have done that.

And then you're like, oh, I'm making mistakes too. Maybe I should just actually have a little bit more grace for the people, for doing the best of they could. And I think that's what was cool about, like, Jack making the conscious decision in this episode of 202 to, like, he said, I struggled with the drinking privately before. Like, now it's time for me to open that up to the children. And I think that's super important, too.

It's like being young, your parents are your superheroes, and they do know wrong. And it's like, actually, I think builds a stronger foundation for a relationship to realize they're humans. This is their first time doing life too. And they're trying their best, but they're not perfect. But so Jack revealing like, hey, I know I'm everything to you that I can still be who I am to you, but I also struggle. I have a drinking problem.

And to be honest and open, I think my mom's always been that way, parenting us as well, just really transparent, really honest. I think it's like definitely the reason that I have such a close relationship with her. So I hope to take some of those tidbits into parenting my children. I'm sure you will. Will you do me in favor? When we get back into the exploration of your relationship during this timeline, will you come back and talk to us, please? Because that's one of the, that relationship, I think, made our viewers collectively be like,

who is this D-bag and get him out of him? Yeah, yeah, brutal. Truly. And I couldn't believe, I mean, obviously. a lot of the topics that my character dealt with resonated with a lot of people, but that storyline specifically, I got some of the most powerful messages from women that had survived crazy, toxic relationships. And so, yeah, that was, and like, maybe fun's not the right word to describe that time period. But that was like, I really felt connected to doing that work

as well. You'll come back. You'll come back and talk to. Please. You heard it here. That's a commitment. Okay. I appreciate it. Is there anything you've been working on that you want to shout out and tell people about or tell people what we can, you know, where we can find you on social media, all of that fun stuff. Yeah.

Yeah. Honestly, I've kind of just, I don't have anything really, a specific thing to share. I'm back at Chipotle. I've mastered the Guacambo. Where can people find you online on Instagram, things like that? Yeah. All my social medias are. Hannah Zeal X-O.

Nice. Hugs and kisses. Hannah, thank you so much for making time to come hang out with us. We all need to get together in person at some point in time and just sit down. We're going to put together a big, like, family reunion.

We're going to figure something out. Sterling, Sterling's going to capture that. I'll help you out. I really, really would love that. I think life just like gets in the way. You're kind of living the day by day. And then when I see you guys and talk to, I realize how much I really miss you guys.

And when I saw Mandy, I think the last time I saw you was at the doctor, after that. Yes. Yeah. And it was like, she and Logan came to the premiere. I was so excited to see you. I was so excited to see you and so surprised. Yeah.

I was like once my daughter, always my daughter. Right on. Right on. No, I know. It feels like we always pick up right where we all left off. So I really appreciate you guys having done to talk and the reunion definitely needs to Yeah. Absolutely.

We'll make it happen. Thank you, Hannah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you guys so much. We'll see you soon. This was so fun. All right, every week we ask you guys out there to rate and review and subscribe.

And this week, we want to honor those who have listened to our request. Yes, ma'am. This fan segment is called Ratings Are Us, and we're about to shout out some really dope people. Don't you wish that you could be one of them? Huh? Don't you wish you could be dope? Well, guess what? You can't.

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and it's called it that a podcast you subscribe your rate review five stars gold gold gold what's the next one hot takes needs to become a regular thing

you guys had me laughing out loud and then crying again at the end of this week's latest episode I love tuning in every week to relive this wonderful show the insight game from the deep dives into the show and characters is so beautiful Thank you for the wonderful content and stories you continue to bring us.

You're going to get wonderful content. You're going to get heartfelt stories. You're going to get hot takes. Wow, I'm sold. Need that. Okay, we got to do more hot takes, guys. Let's honor that. Hot take.

Let's read another review. Let's do it. Sensitive and funny. I stopped watching the show because some topics were hitting a little too close to home, but now I'm watching from the beginning and listening and the podcast is the perfect companion. If the show is too much for you, don't worry, baby bird. Yeah. We got you.

Come to it when you read it. Come to us. We will guide you through it gently. Safely, gently, respectfully. Her name, Our Lady Kitty. Lady Kitty? Our Lady Kitty? Or L lady kitty?

La Lady Kitty. Doesn't even. We appreciate it, La Lady Kitty. Come on now. What's next? What we got? Boom. Somebody loves it.

Such a fun. Listen. I agree. I loved this series so much. And I love hearing all of these BTS stories about it. Sterling K. Brown's laugh is my favorite sound in the world. It's true. Thank you all for making this podcast.

Thanks, Kylie. Right on Kali Grote. Thank you all for writing in. Yeah. We love you so much. It's awesome. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to rate review and subscribe.

That's right. You hear it all the time for podcasts, but you don't understand how much it helps. It really does. It makes all the difference. But thank you so much for these comments, for future comments. We are really, really grateful. If you want to hit us up with more comments, don't forget to hit us via email at that was us pod at gmail.com. Yeah, or you can give us a ring at 412-1-3028.

That's the emotional support hotline. We listen, we read, we appreciate, we thank you all. We'll see you on the next episode of That Was Us. That was us. That was us. Hot take. Hot take. That Was Us is filmed at the Crow and produced by Rabbit Grinn Productions and Sarah Warehound.

Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith. Da da da da da-da-da-dum. That was us.