This Is Us is a show that lives and dies by the details. The series spans an American century, from 1950 when Jack Pearson is born, through 2020, when Jack Damon’s first child, Hope, is born. Since 70 of those years are in the past, getting the period piece details right is critical to getting the audience to buy in, especially the near past, which many viewers lived through. But the show doesn’t get it right every time, and Kate’s ovulation kit on This Is Us is one of those moments.
Warning: Spoilers for This Is Us Season 5 follow. The current season of This Is Us was never meant to be set during a pandemic, but 2020 made it that way. The series has done a spectacular job under the circumstances, with present-day scenes reimagined with masks and social distancing. But filming under these conditions is also challenging for the various production departments, especially in recreating older eras. It’s even harder on those editing the scenes to make sure they’re historically accurate.
One of those scenes was Kate’s 1990s era relationship with Marc. As fans learned at the end of Episode 4, it wasn’t just an emotional abusive experience that left her scarred mentally. It also left her pregnant. But the scene where the show revealed her holding a positive pregnancy test had an oddity. As viewers who lived through the late 1990s noticed, Kate wasn’t holding a pregnancy test box. It was an ovulation kit, which women used to see if they were fertile before phone apps existed.
In any other era, this sort of detail would have been a clue for fans. In the past, the show has used these hidden "if you were there, you know" moments to hint at storylines to come. But in this case, there was no secret story. It was just an unforced error.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, This Is Us executive producer Isaac Aptaker admitted he was impressed by the audience’s collective eagle-eye catching the discrepancy. But in this case, it was merely pandemic times prop issue.
Executive producer Elizabeth Berger agreed. As she explained it, this is the sort of mistake the team usually catches when they edit as a group. But in getting used to the new virtual editing experience, everyone missed it.
Fans will be thankful to know Kate was not trying to get pregnant with Marc’s child. How she moves forward now remains to be seen.
Source: Read Full Article
