Media PowerHouses Gia Peppers & Jameer Pond Host Recap Of The Last Season Of "This Is Us"

Short N Sweet Ent

Since 2016, the drama television series This Is Us has delivered 5 seasons of a remarkable storyline that grabs the attention of millions across the globe. If you caught the premiere of Season 6 this past Tuesday you were fully prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that this episode and many episodes before have put you through. This week opened up with the Big Three’s 41st birthday but each week viewers will have to accept that This Is Us is coming to the end and have to say their final goodbyes.

Warning – Spoilers Are Ahead – Please continue with caution if you have yet to watch Season 6 Episode 1.

After watching the first episode roughly about a year and a half ago, I instantly fell in love with the story and decided to binge- watch all the seasons in about four days. My life drastically changed because I could relate to the characters in so many ways and secretly felt like my own story, in different ways, was playing out on television. Now that it is the last season, to be honest I am sad but have found another way to fall in love with it all over again.

Last night, award-winning on-air talent entertainment journalist Gia Peppers and award-winning producer and director Jameer Pond hosted #ThisisUs, Too: The Big3 Fans New Space to Recap and Unpack on Twitter Spaces to discuss the premiere of the show. Let me tell you now that this was exactly what we needed. These two cultural content creators are icons in the making and have created powerhouse platforms that amplify the voices that matter. As the discussion started, Gia expressed that “we have grown as much as the show has grown. Each week Jameer and I will moderate these talks and will include therapists, life coaches, and experts to help us get through these emotions”.

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During a flashback to the morning of January 28, 1986, the Big Three sit in their elementary school classroom along with their teacher and classmates to watch the launch of the Challenger take off to space. Shortly after the spacecraft takes off, it explodes in the air leaving the children and the rest of the world to grapple with what they just witnessed. When they arrived home, Rebecca and Jack try to figure out how to speak to their children about death and find coping mechanisms to get through this national tragedy. Even though Randall, Kevin, and Kate all had three different reactions it becomes evident that when you go through traumatic events as a child it can shape the person that you become in the future. For anyone that has experienced a national tragedy before we know how difficult and life-changing it can be. Host Jameer Pond expressed his childhood memories of what it was like to witness 9/11 firsthand. He stated, “in a quick moment everything in New York was turned upside down. I remember what I saw, the smell of the city, and can hear the chaos in the streets. Most importantly, I remember not knowing how to feel”. As children, we may not have the tools and language to express our emotions but we do know that our feelings belong to us in a way that others can’t see yet.

One of the best parts of the evening was having the opportunity to openly speak to others in the Twitter Space and hear their feelings as well. When asked, which character did we identify with the most, I knew that it was my time to speak up and share my experiences. My favorite character is Randall and in this episode, we see that when he has the chance to face the person, who in a previous episode robbed him and his family, he decides that instead of facing criminal charges he was going to help him after seeing he was struggling with mental health issues. Most people who have seen the show already know how great of a person Randall is and his instinct to always help someone in need even if they didn’t deserve it. Some might see him as a perfectionist and others might see him as a man who is flawed and seeking answers in everyday life situations. I relate to Randall because I too have struggled with being a perfectionist and being the strongest person in the room at all times. This prompted me to ask the room to think about all the missed opportunities that we missed due to the fear of failure. It was at this moment that I did not feel alone. Gia expressed, “that being a perfectionist is real. Growing up being the only black girl in school I felt different. There is always a want to find yourself and how you fit in different spaces”. Being a perfectionist can rob you to feel like you are not enough and that your talents do not matter. At one point in our lives, we as people know this feeling all too well. The goal is to understand that who we are matters. The Big Three has continually shown us that they struggle with finding their place in the life that they have created for themselves. This makes their individual stories unique as we see how their relationships with each other grow from season to season.

Fast-forwarded into the conversation we discussed having a moment to reflect on the last five years. As a nation, we were at the end of the Obama era and the thought of this virus was not even a concern. We had no idea what the country was about to be faced with. Both Gia and Jameer shared their reflections of where they were 5 years ago and how that has helped them now.

Jameer – “I was the same but different. I was not happy internally because I was choosing my career. I wanted to find my peace and I choose to go to therapy. People assume that therapy is smooth like red roses but it’s not. Therapy is not easy. It is ugly but necessary. I am a huge advocate for finding your measurement of healing especially as a dark skin black man”.

Gia – Looking back at little Gia 5 years ago I would give myself a mirror to envision where I would be. I would take a look at the moments where I felt dismissed or forgotten and how that has affected me today. One thing that I have been focusing on is how important family is and all the things that we do for each other to become better people”.

This is just a very small glimpse at the topics that we discussed and of course, we concluded with predictions for the rest of the season. If you haven’t had the chance to catch up yet make sure you do before the next episode airs and before Gia Peppers and Jameer Pond come back with another exciting recap discussion on Twitter Spaces.

Until next post… Coach Tay