This Is Us: Why The Therapist’s Painting Irritated Randall So Much

The latest episode of This Is Us, “Clouds,” reveals Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown) initial attempt at therapy – but things get off to a bad start when he’s immediately irked by the painting in his doctor’s office. As the third child of Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore), Number Three sets himself apart from the twins by being the high-achiever from the family. Born with intellectual skills, he’s nonetheless plagued with panic attacks, especially during intensely stressful situations.

After putting off getting help for the longest time, Randall is finally ready to try counseling. His first appointment, unfortunately, doesn’t go well. Bluntly confronted by Dr. Leigh (Pamela Adlon) about his tendencies, the whole thing falls apart when he storms out of the session. Randall was already defiant at the thought of having to talk to someone about his struggles, and it didn’t help that he was particularly irritated by the painting in the doctor’s office.

That painting features a lady being floated up to the sky via balloons. It’s a pretty straightforward illustration, with the whole idea emphasized by the tall skyscrapers in the background. This links the painting to the episode’s title, as well as the lyrics to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” which Rebecca sings later. Randall spends a considerable amount of time staring at the image as Dr. Leigh attempts to make him comfortable. It’s obvious that he’s drawn to it, and can’t help but voice his displeasure about it, especially after the therapist says that she finds it “comforting.” At first it seems like Randall’s decision to open a conversation about the bizarre painting is a way to distract the doctor from asking him the tough questions – or at least delay the inevitable discussion. However, it’s clear that something about the painting rubbed him the wrong way. So what was it?

The balloon painting is not exactly sophisticated art, but that’s not why Randall had obvious contempt for it. The illustration was a visual representation of what can potentially happen to Rebecca. At this point in the show, Randall still doesn’t know the results of Rebecca’s MRI, although it’s safe to assume that he has had some ideas about what’s really going on. Whether for Randall the painting represents Rebecca’s death or her memory disintegrating until she essentially becomes a shell of her former self, it boils down to her slowly being taken away from her family – particularly him. In the This Is Us season 3 finale’s flash forward, we see him having to introduce himself to his mom during their visit, which means that at some point in the future he’ll have to learn how to deal with Rebecca incrementally losing any idea of who he is.

While the overall bond of the Pearsons in This Is Us has been nothing but solid, Rebecca clearly has a very special relationship with Randall. He was hands-on in helping his mother get back on her feet after Jack died and has remained in constant contact with her throughout the years while Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) went on with their own lives. Randall felt like it’s his responsibility to be Rebecca’s primary caretaker, as shown by his outburst, and he fears that the family will fall apart without him. This, in turn, made him feel truly a part of the family despite being adopted. Without Rebecca, Randall’s supposed sole purpose will be gone, and aside from the obvious reason of no longer having her around, he’s also afraid that this will effectively cut his ties to his remaining family.

This Is Us airs Tuesdays, 9pm ET on NBC.

About The Author