This Is Us producers have addressed big changes ahead for the characters of Kate and Toby (Chrissy Metz and Chris Sullivan), who are facing financial uncertainty in their marriage after Toby loses his job.
During the March 16 episode, Toby did not get a job he believed was a sure thing.
Tensions between the couple came to a head after a dinner at Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Madison’s (Caitlin Thompson) home, where Hollywood heavyweight Kevin appeared to be nonchalant about money. This affected Toby, who, at the same time, received a text and learned he did not get the job he interviewed for.
Kate continued to gain confidence from her mother Rebecca (Mandy Moore) to apply for and accept a job at the specialized music school attended by their deaf son Jack.
Toby assured Kate he was okay with her accepting a position and temporarily taking on the breadwinner’s role for their family, but simmering below the surface were Toby’s insecurities that appear to be coming to a head.
These issues, coupled with life as parents of newborn daughter Hailey, will continue to add to the stresses of Toby and Kate’s marriage.
How will Kate and Toby move forward?
Entertainment Weekly spoke with This is Us Executive Producer Ken Olin, and co-executive producers Casey Johnson and David Windsor who revealed what fans can expect for the beloved couple moving forward.
“I don’t want to give too much away where we’re going in the next couple episodes, but it is going to be interesting to watch Kate going to her first day of work. It’s a role reversal now, and Toby will be the one home with the kids. How did that feel for both of them? It’s pros and cons on both sides, but it’s certainly new territory that they’ve never been in in their marriage,” said Casey.
“There’s still traditional role models, but also there’s self-esteem issues. And we’ve seen for Toby just in this episode, it’s complicated. I mean, he does take pride in his professional achievements, and that’s shifting. So that’s going to be another area that’s going to be complicated. And we’re going to go there really soon,” claimed Ken of the character’s relationships moving forward.
Kate will continue to draw strength and guidance from Rebecca
The writers also alluded to the way Kate has taken on a lot of the qualities of her mother Rebecca.
Rebecca will continue to play a big part in how Kate moves forward in her life.
Because Rebecca believes in Kate, she can take a personal leap of faith and charge forward in helping to provide for her family during a time of crisis. The writers revealed that this storyline came out of conversations within the show’s writers room where some of the women talked about the differences between their mothers’ experiences and their own.
This is Us airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.