THIS IS US -- "Birth Mother" Episode 506 -- Pictured: (l-r) Sterling K. Brown as Randall, Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth, Vien Hong as Hai Lang -- (Photo by: NBC)

"I didn't know I was looking for you."

The opening and final closing of the mystery of Randall's birth played out this week as he and Beth visited his all-but-legally-wed-step-father, Hai Lang, in New Orleans. In a series of flashbacks, we learned all about Randall's maternal grandparents, the well-to-do Dubois family. The struggles his mother, Laurel, had in finding a way to co-exist in a household where she never felt like she fit in, mirrored Randall's own experience growing up in some ways. Then the lasting shame she felt about how she left William and Randall's lives served as a powerful example for how Randall does NOT want to live his life...

Just a super-powerful hour of TV! Combined with this podcast's sparkling and witty commentary, it -should- leave you feeling warm and cozy enough to last until next week's episode!

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