8 Clues That Rebecca Is in Trouble on ‘This Is Us’ (PHOTOS)
Constant Photo Fixation
Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) obsession with taking snapshots of every corner in the spaces she visits suggests she knows that there’s something wrong. Maybe she’s aware of her memory loss? Plus, fixation on one thing is a sign of diseases like dementia.
Congressman vs. Councilman
When Rebecca joins Randall (Sterling K. Brown) at his office, she refers to him as a congressman and he has to correct her. Although it may seem like a normal slip-up, she spent enough time helping him with his campaign that she should remember his title.
Lack of Detail
When Randall asks Rebecca about life in Los Angeles, she says “fine” but doesn’t add much more before saying that she wants to show him pictures of baby Jack. This lack of detail suggests that she has a hard time recalling the smaller things taking place. Perhaps signs of memory loss were present before, but her move to unfamiliar L.A. only increased her confusion.
Mood Swings
Rebecca becomes abnormally agitated when she can’t find her phone and it only escalates when she thinks she’s lost it. Randall reassures her, but the odd behavior is a sign that there’s something deeper going on here.
Randall’s Obvious Concern
During their visit in his office, Randall can’t hide the concerned look on his face when his mother finally settles after freaking out over her lost phone. The look also indicates that he’s putting the pieces together in regards to her bizarre outburst.
Miguel’s Slip
When Miguel (Jon Huertas) enters the scene, he overhears Randall say Rebecca briefly lost her phone and it prompts him to mention that she also lost her previous one.
Senior Moments
When Randall mentions to Rebecca that she seemed out of sorts, she tells him that Miguel calls those mix-ups “senior moments.” These frequent moments of forgetfulness can be a precursor for something more serious in older individuals.
Defensive
When Randall asks if Rebecca’s seen a doctor lately about these bouts of forgetfulness, she tells him she’s still the parent, raising her voice and getting defensive. Many people who exhibit signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia get defensive when their memory is questioned.
[Warning: This gallery contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 4, Episode 8 of This Is Us, “Sorry.”]
This Is Us isn’t backing away from its usual family drama, but in the most recent installment “Sorry,” we were given plenty of reasons to worry about Rebecca (Mandy Moore).
The Pearson matriarch got confused a number of times throughout the episode, had various mood swings, and exhibited a strong fixation with her (frequently lost) cell phone, among other things. Her behavior certainly has us concerned and for those familiar with the signs of memory loss via diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
As viewers will recall, it was unveiled that the mysterious “her” figure introduced in Season 2 was Rebecca and in the Season 3 finale, Randall (Sterling K. Brown) goes to his mother’s bedside, announcing who he is. From what we know of the future, these signs shown by Rebecca are definitely of concern.
In the gallery above we look at clues suggesting she’s on her way to dealing with a disease that plagues so many.
This Is Us, Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC
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