The bad news: He was injured involving a lot of voices, crying and a trip to the emergency room for stitches. And it is difficult to see how his parents’ marriage will recover from the incident and everything around him. Read below for the highlights of “Saturday in the Park”. AN UNDERSTANDING IS CONVERTED INTO FLOOD The episode begins with little Jack in bed, hearing his parents fight over Kate naming her for her new job at school. They immediately quit arguing when they realize that Jack is awake and wearing happy faces as the three of them head towards the park. Along the way, Kate sings some very useful alternative lyrics to “Saturday in the Park” in Chicago, which help Jack navigate their neighborhood. And while he’s on the crib and Kate and Toby are pushing and laughing, everything is (temporarily) fine with the Damon family. (Side note: Em, where is Hailey?) But happiness is just a patch, as we learn as we watch everyone prepare for Miguel and Rebecca’s 10th anniversary barbecue at Toby and Kate’s house. Things are very tense between Kate and Toby, and everyone knows what’s going on. When Randall and Beth arrive, Kate hugs her brother and starts crying. After calming down, he asks her to take Kevin – who will be moving home soon but who is meanwhile driving Toby crazy – and take him out of the house for a while, so that everyone can cool off. And then the kitchen ceiling, which you will remember Toby had been tackling some time ago, starts leaking again. Miguel goes to turn off the water in the house. Kate and Toby start yelling at each other. And Rebecca, frustrated that no one lets her do anything related to anything important, takes Jack to his bedroom to put on his shoes. In the boy’s room, Jack tells her that he wears his boots in the park on Saturdays. (This will be important information later.) He also says that he is sad because “Mom and Dad are very crazy.” Hello sir, this kid is such a good little actor! Meanwhile, Beth brings Toby a coconut drink in the backyard and tells him that the long distance was difficult for her and Randall, but they succeeded. “I think the difference is that you moved for him, Beth,” Toby said, standing up to the smoker. She says she did it for herself, her job… and her marriage, it’s over, and she can’t deny it. MADISON IS PROGRESSING Kevin and Randall go to get the twins, but because it ‘s two hours early, Madison is going to bring the kids to music class. So the children stay around to talk to Elias. When Kevin goes to look for him at home, he finds him wandering around Madison’s jewelry store holding a ring: Yes, he wants to propose. The news makes Kevin feel “not well”, so Randall informs him that they will release any ideas for great romantic gestures until they leave his mind. In the end, when he finds out that Madison is excited about the prospect of marrying Elijah (she’s pretty sure he’ll ask her soon), Kevin finds it in himself to be happy for her. And it reassures him that their relationship, as parents of twins, will be close for a long time, and will be there for as long as it takes. NO JACKET ANNIVERSARY PLANNED Let’s stop here for a moment and go to the flashback, which is at the time when the Big Three were 6 years old. It’s Jack and Rebecca’s anniversary, and they’re going to have a fancy dinner while a babysitter stays with the kids. Rebecca is thrilled with the idea of dressing up and enjoying elaborate cocktails. Jack is more interested in the anniversary sex they will have when they get home and the kids are asleep. Alas, Rebecca drinks only three drinks with ridiculous names before the babysitter calls the restaurant: When the children did not like this she called Kate “Chatty Kathy”, they closed the sitter in the bathroom. Mom and Dad Pearson are running home. she is drunk and stupid, he is not happy with the behavior of the children. But when Kevin and Randall explain that they were just defending Kate, everything is forgiven. Later, when Rebecca has calmed down and the children are sleeping between her and Jack in their bed, she is satisfied. “This is a critical moment, Jack,” he whispers, describing how their children united against someone who would hurt one of them. “I could not ask for a better gift.” A VERY CALL Okay, back to Damon’s house, which is literally and figuratively collapsing. The leak breaks the bedroom ceiling, sending everyone running there to minimize damage. In the chaos, Toby puts Jack in his room, but does not care to make sure the door lock is completely closed – something Kate had reprimanded him for earlier in the episode. And when the plumber arrives, Kate does not lock the front door behind him, which will prove to be a huge mistake, too, in an instant. Little Jack pulls on his wellies, grabs his cane and heads for the park while all the adults are busy. He sings “Saturday in the Park” to himself as he goes, and does a great job, but it’s just luck that he can cross a two-lane road without anything terrible happening. Back in the house, everyone realizes that Jack is gone and terror prevails in the place. Kate, Toby, Miguel, Rebecca and Beth are frantically looking for the place and checking in with the neighbors. Eventually, Rebecca realizes that Jack has changed his sneakers with his rain boots and shouts that he is probably heading to the park. While Kate calls the police, Rebecca runs after her grandson. He gets there right after Jack fell leaving him with a tired hair – something Lucy’s future wife said in a flash-forward earlier this season. Rebecca picks up the boy and comforts him, letting out her own grateful sighs of relief that are good. KATE AND TOMBY DO NOT CHEEK WORDS After an emergency visit, Kate and Toby bring their son home and put him to bed. Then, they go out and fight. She yells at him for not hearing the knock on the door. He counters that he left the door open. The argument then turns into bigger issues with how each of them thinks about Jack’s blindness. “All you saw was his limitations,” says Kate, adding that Toby began to move away from the family when it became clear that Jack’s condition was irreversible. Toby, angry, claims that Kate can not see any restrictions on their son, and this is irresponsible. “I’m the only parent in this family, period,” Kate spits. “It simply came to our notice then. That’s the way you need it! ” Toby falls back. At this point, Kevin and Randall have returned from the hospital and are involved in first-yard procedures. Kevin instructs his brother-in-law to step back “and watch how you talk to her”. Randall also tells Toby to stop doing what he does. Toby takes a look at The Big Three and laughs bitterly. “It’s there. That’s perfect, as it always has been,” he says. THE FALLOUT | Toby comes in, sits next to Jack’s bed and cries while HAIM’s “Hallelujah” plays the soundtrack. Outside, Kate tells Kevin and Randall that Jack said the reason he went to the park was “because Mom and Dad are happy there.” OOF. “I do not know if Toby and I will make it,” Kate confesses, weeping as her brothers hold her hands. Now it is your turn. How did the episode look to you? Sounds in the comments!
