Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers for This Is Us’ Season 6 episode “The Hill.”
The final Big Three Trilogy continued with This Is Us’ latest episode, “The Hill,” and this week was all about our Katie girl — well, Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan) to be exact. Fans have known that “KaToby” is headed for divorce, and it’s been hard to watch the cracks grow larger in their relationship so far this season. This episode didn’t deal the death blow to the marriage, as we know from a flash-forward that an accident involving little Jack and the family’s smoker will be involved, but the couple seemed to hit the point of no return.
Chrissy Metz actually co-wrote “The Hill” — just like Susan Kelechi Watson co-wrote the big Beth episode earlier this season — which ended in Kate making a huge decision for herself. The episode showed Kate visiting Toby in San Francisco, and while they both agreed the long-distance marriage wasn’t working for them, they each made strong arguments for why the other should be the one to move. Toby took it a step too far by giving Kate an ultimatum, saying that the only way their marriage would work was if she and the kids moved there. Metz told EW she thinks that’s the moment that Kate knew it was over.
I think it was the audacity for him to even say that I need to do that. Why is it that I have to be the one to move when everything is settled and good in L.A.? I think she just ultimately realized, ‘Oh, we're never going to be on the same page. Even if I moved there, it would be something else.’ Because of the distress or because he didn't want hurt her feelings and never was honest with her. Whatever his reasoning was, it's like, ‘This is a fight that we will continue to keep having over and over and over, because we're two different people now in two different places and happiness means two different things.’
Arguably the saddest part was that they both made really good points about why they couldn’t be the one to move. Kate said she couldn’t uproot Jack, who is blind, just as he is learning to navigate his house and neighborhood, and she also didn’t want to leave Rebecca, as her Alzheimer’s gets worse. Toby pointed out that his job in San Francisco was the only way he could make enough money to be sure Jack has the services he needs growing up.
Toby, however, failed to tell Kate that he’d turned down a job in Los Angeles, continuing a troubling pattern of making huge decisions on his own. “The Hill” even featured another instance of that, when he revealed that he’d gotten pre-approved to buy a house that he’d chosen for them all to move into. Chrissy Metz pointed out how long Toby has been doing that to Kate and said she finally was strong enough to stand up for herself.
He's been convincing her since the weight-loss group — she said she didn't want a boyfriend. She's been placating and he's been convincing her and she's like, [affects pleasant tone], ‘Okay.’ And now she's like, ‘Oh hell, no! I can't do this!’
The end of the episode, which was directed by Mandy Moore, saw Kate literally climbing a hill (which Toby didn’t think she’d be able to do) and calling future husband Phillip to ask to be considered for a full-time position at the school.
Last week we saw a change in focus for Kevin, and next week will wrap the Big Three Trilogy with a Randall episode. The final season continues at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 29, on NBC. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming up soon.
