THIS IS US: The First Season: Moon Shadow

Name: THIS IS US: The First Season: Moon Shadow
Item: THIS IS US: The First Season: Moon Shadow
Author: Steph Manthe

Season 1 Episode 18

Family Content: -1 Caution advised for older children, including teenagers, and sensitive adults.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

Watch:

Content:

(BB, C, LL, V, S, AA, D, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Strong moral worldview with light redemptive elements includes references to love and respect, and an emphasis is placed on the value of family, marriage, and children.

Foul Language:

Nine obscenities and four profanities;

Violence:

Mild violence with a man shown punching another man in the face several times, men attack a man on the street before threatening/stealing from him.

Sex:

A man tries to kiss a married woman, but she rebuffs him;

Nudity:

No nudity;

Alcohol Use:

A man drinks bourbon at a bar and gets drunk, man shown drinking several beers while driving, men drink beer and whiskey, a couple drinks wine at a restaurant;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

Light smoking, but no drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Some anger, stealing, and gambling.

Episodes: Season Overview

Number	Date	Title	Content
1.1	9/20/2016	Pilot	-2
1.2	9/27/2016	The Big Three	-2
1.3	10/11/2016	Kyle	-2
1.4	10/18/2016	The Pool	-1
1.5	10/25/2016	The Game Plan	-2
1.6	11/1/2016	Career Days	-2
1.7	11/15/2016	The Best Washing Machine in the Whole World	-2
1.8	11/22/2016	Pilgrim Rick	-1
1.9	11/29/2016	The Trip	-2
1.10	12/6/2016	Last Christmas	-3
1.11	1/10/2017	The Right Thing to Do	-3
1.12	1/17/2016	The Big Day	-2
1.13	1/24/2016	Three Sentences	-1
1.14	2/7/2017	I Call Marriage	-2
1.15	2/14/2017	Jack Pearson’s Son	-1
1.16	2/21/2017	Memphis	-2
1.17	3/17/2017	What Now	-2
1.18	3/14/2017	Moon Shadow	-1

More Detail:

In “Moonshadow,” Jack and Rebecca meet for the first time. Jack is trying to save money to purchase his own mechanic’s shop and decides to risk his life’s savings at poker. He wins the game, but his money is stolen by the thugs running the poker games. Angry, Jack plans to rob the bar which hosts the games but gets distracted when Rebecca shows up to sing at the bar’s open mic. Cut to the future. Jack shows up inebriated at Rebecca’s show and punches her bandmate, Ben, after finding out Ben tried to kiss her. Jack and Rebecca fight and decide they need time apart. Kate and Toby return to Los Angeles, where Kate decides she wants to pursue singing. Randall tells Beth he wants to adopt a baby. Kevin goes to meet with Ron Howard.

“Moonshadow” is hard to watch because Jack behaves in a way that seems out of character for him for the preponderance of the episode. He recovers himself at the end and gives a heartwarming speech to Rebecca, but the viewer is still left feeling unsettled. Despite this, the episode has a strong moral worldview with some light redemptive elements stressing love. Caution is advised because of some foul language and other immoral behavior.