I didn’t catch it either, until I started the 2nd episode. I caught that Randall was a multiple from his email, so I figured it was related to that but couldn’t tie Jack into that. I got it as I read this thread and watched the start of the 2nd ep at the same time.
Dad and I didn’t catch it until the beginning of episode 2, either. We predicted that the parents would adopt the baby, but never considered that the baby might be Randall. We did notice he knew the “twins” though, because there’s a picture of the three of them in someone’s house late in the first episode, but didn’t consider them being siblings was how they knew each other.
Oh my god, I think I’ll blame the wine for this one. I remember that. I was looking for answers, and when the 2 other kids were talking about their dad at Katie’s house I looked at that photo, even watched that bit twice, and thought
“Their dad was black???” That’s how far I was from placing Randall with them. I think part of it was because the way they talked about what dad used to say, I figured he was long gone.
I watched all the episodes out so far on Saturday. I knew when I was bawling like a baby with Gerald McRaney in the first episode I was hooked.
I cried again in the episode where Kate reveals why she watches Sunday Night Football by herself.
So many twists. I love the interaction between Beth and Randall, and that the characters are flawed but they know they’re flawed and they’re dealing with that. I’m thinking Randall may have some underlying mental health issues. Beth told William he was under so much pressure once he went blind.
Still to find out:
When Jack dies and when Becca marries Miguel. I’m thinking it must have been when the kids were teenagers.
Regarding your first spoiler box (and do we really need to use spoiler boxes here?), I read a recap of that episode that thought that Kate was weird for having her father’s ashes at home and watching NFL games with him. Is that really weird? I thought it was reasonably common for people to keep cremains in an urn at home. (My brother has the cremains of his first dog on the fireplace mantel and perhaps that’s weird. But is it weird to have your father’s cremains at home?)
And by the way, how clueless was her boyfriend to pause the football game (let alone during a critical point in the game)? I’m far from a major sports nut, but even I know you don’t do that. NFL games have enough commercial breaks and time-outs and so forth that there’s plenty of time to talk if you want to.
One theory I’ve considered with regard to Jack (although I’m not sure if it’s too much even for this show):Is it possible that he died on 9/11?
That’s a possibility, but I think that would make the kids too old. The vibe I got from Kevin, describing how he destroyed all his models and that it happened “a long long time ago” made me think they were younger when Jack died. Not too young that Miguel would become New Daddy (Randall calls him Miguel while his daughters call him Grandpa) but not too old that there wouldn’t be some adolescent reaction to grief. I could see a young Kevin trashing all his models. I can’t see an adult Kevin doing the same.
I think 21 is young enough to still have some adolescent-style grief – they could still be in college, with “home” still being their parents. I was just trying to think of a recognizable event in American history that would fit the timeline, and that was the most obvious one.
Could easily just be the classic drunk driving crash – we’ve already established Jack as having issues with drinking.
I doubt they would have any remains if Jack was lost on 9/11. I think he is going to die from a consequence of his drinking, maybe after his architecture / building firm fails.
Last we saw he was joining up with Miguel, who just got promoted. I think he shelved his plans to go out on his own in order to have a steady income to put Randall through the private school.
KKR seem to think of their father fondly. I don’t think that would be the case if he started drinking again.
Bumping because there’s a new episode on tonight!
They made me tear up again, with Randall saying, “That’s the first time you claimed me as your brother.”
I thought Toby was bingeing to regain the weight so Kate wouldn’t feel so bad. If they’re not on the same page that relationship is unhealthy, but it seems that Kate is strong enough to let Toby go.
Favorite line, “You’re not cancering out on me!” (or something like that. Too funny.)
I did feel sorry for Randall growing up. He must have felt like such the outsider and when he became an adult he shut things down to keep from getting hurt. I would like to see more of why Kate and Becca are estranged.
The casting for the teenagers is perfect. If you told me that they’d pulled a Boyhood and actually filmed those scenes when the lead actors were younger I might believe you for a moment. Teenage Randall has the right voice, teenage Kevin is the perfect generic pretty boy like adult Kevin, teenage Kate is a dead ringer.
I like the show but Kate’s story is becoming tedious. She seems to dump Toby every episode. I think they’ve boxed themselves into a corner by making her arc all about her weight. The actress will likely always be fat so where does this lead? They need to give her something else to do so she can become more interesting.
I do love this show and I love Kate. They did make her a good manager, a desirable employee, fashionable, a wonderful singer, and a great sister, but in the end all anyone does see is fat, including Kate herself. I totally get this. No matter what we do, everything in our lives revolves around being fat and trying to lose weight and fighting and failing to make that change. I bawled when I saw her at the gas station before she even reached over. I knew what she was doing because I’ve been there so many times myself.
It’s just like her brother, Kevin. He’s just “The Manny”. That’s all people see about him, and why this episode was so touching. He was more than that to his brother but he never noticed, he was so busy fighting for attention for himself and thinking Mom loved him more.
Kate dumped Toby again this week. I think she had two lines that weren’t about her weight. The other characters are also fairly one-dimensional, but at least their arcs are going somewhere. Kate is just stuck.
I read an interview with the actress who plays Kate and it sounds like there is possibly going to be a weight loss in her future. I don’t know if the actress is getting the gastric bypass; it was all very vague.
I was a little frustrated about Randall. As intelligent as he is, you’d think it wouldn’t be too hard for him to understand why his mother might want to keep him in the dark about his drug-addicted biological father.
That’s one way of looking at things. From Randall’s point of view, he missed having a relationship with his biological father for the first 36 years of his life.
I was just thinking the same thing. I get it. Kate hates being fat. But this show has been on long enough that if her character doesn’t develop anymore soon, her brittleness over the weight problem will make her totally unlikable. If it continues at this rate, a character like her will kill herself. And I’m pretty sure the actress and the show don’t want that to be what happens to Kate.
No one’s watching? 
Damn show made me cry AGAIN. “That must have been desperately lonely for you.” Randall is so insightful.
I liked Kevin getting with the AT&T girl. Olivia has way too much secret emotional baggage.
I also liked Toby shutting Kate down. He doesn’t want to be in the Friend Zone.
The push-ups in the dojo were fantastic, and young William crying at the lost opportunity to spend time with his son was gut-wrenching, but I can see Becca’s reasoning. Plus, if Randall was nine, and William had only been sober for five years…
Next week’s episode is titled “Last Christmas.” I wonder if that means we’re getting closer to what happened to Jack.
I’m still watching and enjoying. Maybe it was just her wardrobe this week, but it looked like the fat woman is getting fatter.