SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “Katoby,” the April 12 episode of NBC’s “This Is Us.”
Wednesday’s episode of “This Is Us” marked the official end of Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan), during which she officially threw in the towel after he made a harsh remark about her late father. (Full recap here!) Instead of responding, Kate was interrupted by her son yelling, and when she returned, she told Toby it was over.
But that wasn’t originally the plan.
“I had like a whole monologue rebuttal to his remarks. That dinner scene where they’re both trying to rekindle the romance, and understand where each other’s coming from — it’s those little nicks that you cut into your significant other, and then eventually, just start to bleed out,” Metz tells Variety. “There was a whole monologue that she was just like, ‘I was this person before. You could have blamed it on my dad and my relationship to him, but you can’t do that anymore, and I won’t allow it.’ She went off on him and I was like, ‘Damn, I wish they would have kept that.’ But it wasn’t necessary because he said what he needed to say, but it’s hard because you’re unraveling and you can understand both sides.”
Metz went on to explain that “nobody’s ever going to measure up to Jack,” which has always been known.
“Toby having insecurity around that, and then throwing it back in her face, it feels like an easy jab, but it’s also obviously very deep embedded,” she notes, adding that it’s devastating to see Kate and Toby fall apart. “They really tried. I think that’s the hardest part — knowing that. They never gave up on trying, whether it got really difficult, going through therapy and communicating and talking about their feelings. They really did try. She absolutely adored him and loved him, but she never really put herself first.”
During the episode, a flash-forward to Kate’s wedding day shows that she and Toby are in a positive place, as they’ve decided to co-parent as best as they can.
“I think that there is always going to be a true love for each other that won’t ever go away. When you love somebody, I don’t think you stop loving them if you truly love them,” she says. “He’s definitely in the life of the Pearsons, he’s definitely still around and supportive, and still sort of like a sounding board for her.”
Chris Geere as Phillip and Chrissy Metz as Kate.
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
Since Kate and Phillip (Chris Geere) began as colleagues and friends, their marriage will be much different from hers was with Toby — especially since they both have been upfront and brutally honest from day one. Plus, thanks to the woman that Toby encouraged Kate to be, she’s in a better place for this marriage.
“I love that she drew the boundary after the first date. She’s like, ‘I need to know what’s up. You need to let me know what you’re doing with me.’ It’s so hard to say that in a relationship. We all want to be validated and loved and liked,” Metz says. “She’s just so much more confident and self-assured than she ever was, and Toby has such a significant role in that, which is so bittersweet.”
Looking ahead at the next episode, Kate’s second wedding day arrives, which — like most episodes of “This Is Us” — is filled with both “very beautiful” and some heartbreaking moments.
“There’s these moments of a lot of fun but also, as we see the decline of Rebecca, that starts to get really tricky and emotional, especially around a wedding,” Metz teases, before adding that Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge) may pop up for the big day. “Kate and her have rekindled their friendship which is so fun and great. She’s definitely invited. We’ll see who she brings if she comes.”