#✘ KATE PEARSON / INTERACTIONS

[laufire]

maybe we'd live in a different world if someone had sat the creative team of this is us down, held their hands and say. hey. hey. you know you don't have to write kevin and sophie together if you don't want to, right?

[lavendaers]

@vcndetta maik wen for kate pearson

"you know, if you need new furniture you can always come to my store. i'll even give you a discount." wen offered as she glanced around. "i mean, if you want."

[heir-less]

Just curious Can you explain the housing situation with the wales? They have four houses? Or three and why would a move to Windsor be bad? I don’t want to go on a wales blog lol

The Wales family currently has four or maybe five houses and they are:

Amner Hall: This is a country residence on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, the family moved there in 2015 but it was a wedding gift from QEII back in 2011. It was their main residence until 2017, and they renovated it for a lot of money. People incorrectly state that they felt Amner Hall behind after they moved to Windsor, but that's not the case. It continues to be their private country home where they spent weekends and holidays.

Kensington Palace: This is the Prince and Princess of Wales's London residence. Despite it being called "Apartment 1A", giving off the vibe of something small and functional, it is actually a four-story mansion within a palace. It was renovated for over 4 million pounds after the couple moved in 2013. It is their main city residence and I assume this was where they stayed when the children St Thomas's, which is in the same area.

Adelaide Cottage: Adelaide Cottage is the principal residence of Kate and her children, and, I'm told William sometimes lives there, too. Just kidding, the cottage is their principal residence and is located in Windsor Home Park and is within walking distance from Windsor Castel and Frogmore House. Last year it was framed in context to the "busy, tourist attraction" of Kensington Palace, with royal reporters claiming the children need more space for a normal upbringing. Sure.

Llwynywermod: This is the residence we don't know much about, or how often they stay there but it was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall in 2006 and is the Welsh residence of William and Kate.

Why moving out of Kensington Palace is a bad idea:

It's been floated around that Will and Kate want to move into Windsor Castle. At first, it was painted as them wanting to be close to the Queen, which I didn't have an issue with, but with the Queen gone moving from KP to Windsor is a bad, bad idea.

London is the capital city of England and is located in a city, giving an element of closeness to cultural events and the people. To boil it down, London is where all the shit happens and they need to be there for logical reasons. Every other residence they are on massive estates where outsiders are prohibited. The Queen moved to Windsor full-time with Philip because isolation made sense: they were an elderly couple during a pandemic where meeting the wrong people could literally kill them. Such a level of isolation is not required for Will and Kate, a relatively young couple who honestly are already recluses who don't do a lot of work. I'm sick of KP suddenly being framed as a "trap" with no privacy and that the Wales kids need more space for a normal upbringing when they've been safe there, along with the generations of royals who have lived there for decades.

Why do they need to isolate to this level? How is it not normal to raise your kids in the city where the vast majority of people in the UK live? I already disliked the move to Adelaide Cottage, because the ROTA framed is in a really classist and racist manner. There was this really gross Allison Pearson piece that I ranted about where she basically said that Will and Kate "fled" London because the city was becoming an unsafe shithole full of immigrants. I think moving to cut off London would give these people more fodder, it would also isolate them from the public to a degree that would hurt them as public figures. If you're basically claiming that you're moving to a massive (the world's largest inhabited) castle because you hate interacting with your fellow citizens in the city, you come off looking terribly elitist. Not to mention the costs of them taking up residence at Windsor Castle.

So, yeah, I just don't think it's a good idea. If they want to move out of KP they should consider another London-based residence like Clarence House. I can't understand how three other country residences isn't enough

[mcrcki]

@hxartbreaker​ said : ❛ i can’t even trust myself anymore. ❜ ( kate pearson @ sophie hatter )

ye olde meme clean out || not accepting

“i can promise you, it’s a really good deal.” sophie laughed a little, pulling some of the flowers out to wrap them up in paper, to make it easier to carry. “besides, what’s wrong with buying yourself a little pick me up. flowers always brighten up any room.”

[compoundingmuses]

@icarusinvited // starter call // kate & kevin

her brother might be out of rehab, but kate knew that all of kevin’s problems hadn’t been solved. she thought she had known her brother well enough to know when he was in trouble, but she had somehow missed how bad things had become for him. in her mother’s house, it was perhaps the first time since kevin had gone to rehab that the their had some time where it was just the two of them. “so i see you and mum haven’t killed each other yet. that’s good.” there is a fakeness to her voice, that false cheer that she was laying on just a little too thick. “look, kevin... you... you know you can always talk to me, right? about anything... it doesn’t matter what i’m going through. you know you can always come to me, don’t you?”

[nightwhispcrs]

@hxartbreaker​ asked ... 🔔   - for my muse to wake yours from a nightmare  ( kate @ jack )

        a puff of black smoke rising from the ground.  it seemed to be reaching towards him, and it elicited fear in jack’s chest that was stronger than anything he’d remembered feeling.  fear was a funny thing that he didn’t let himself be subject to, but he couldn’t fight this back easily.  as the smoke rushed forward and grasped at his limbs, jack was jolted awake.  a heavy breath,  “w-what?”  he asked, blinking into reality, eyes landing on the girl above him.  

[iwatchedyougoinghomeeveryday]

Why Kevin and Sophie would be a disastrous endgame on This Is Us

I've been thinking about writing this post for, like, a year now, but with only 8 episodes left in the final season of This Is Us, I figured I should put my thoughts out there before the show's over! I'm not a Kevin and Sophie fan. I tried to like them in season 2, but every time Sophie came back, I was more and more convinced that their relationship would always represent the worst parts of their lives. In fact, their relationship as a tragedy is the most interesting thing about it. If the show concludes with them ending up together, I feel like that will be major regression in Kevin's character arc, the most disappointing part for me. So... yeah, I'm just gonna analyze the heck out of Kevin's relationships (okay, mostly Sophie) because no one has ever done that before, but I'm gonna put it under a "read more" so that shippers don't have to read all of my negativity!

When Sophie was first introduced as Kevin's surprising love from his childhood, I was excited to learn more about her. Who Sophie was, what her life was like, the nuances of their relationship (past and present), what their married life was like. The problem is that that never came. Seasons 1 & 2 were the perfect time to explore that depth and I felt like I learned nothing. Sophie's a nurse. Sophie was Kate's friend and that's how Kevin first knew her and they were together when they were, like, 10. She was a cheerleader in high school while Kevin was the star quarterback. Their marriage ended when Kevin cheated. Basic things... and that's it. I don't know why Kevin would love Sophie and Sophie would love Kevin. Beyond it being an intense childhood/first love, I don't know why they would be drawn to each other. They've had 6 seasons to give Sophie more depth and I still feel like I don't know much about her personality. And the problem with that is that Sophie feels like a symbol more than a person.

Compare Sophie to Kevin's other romantic interests: Madison, Zoe, Cassidy. We know who they are outside of their relationship with Kevin. We know their histories, their sense of humor, their depth. Sophie is just Kevin's great childhood love story. The idea of Sophie persists not just in Kevin's mind, but the show, too. We, the audience, are TOLD things about Sophie, never shown. We should care about her, not the idea of her, and that just hasn't happened. At least not for me. Even her friendship with Kate... we're told they were friends when they were in elementary school... and in all of the later times we see them together (teen versions and present) they never interact. I assumed they just grew apart after Sophie became closer with Kevin, but then this season, suddenly teen Kate and Sophie are best friends... and this conveniently happens when Kate has to keep a secret about Kevin's cheating from Sophie. Umm, no. You can't just show us their very first friendship scene so that the drama is heightened. And Kate suddenly reaching out to Sophie in the present? Okaaaay. I just can't buy it because when have we seen Sophie interact with Kate?! When have we seen her have a relationship with any non-Kevin Pearson?! Because she exists only as that symbol in Kevin's world. She deserves better, but that is what the writing has given her.

Which brings me to her relationship with Kevin. You know, Sophie existing as an idealized version of herself works great if that's where the show is taking her romance with Kevin. And honestly it has seemed like that for much of the show! Take Kevin's break-up with her in the second season. Kevin tells her he is just pretending - playing a part - and that he can't imagine a future with her. Take season 4, where Kevin attends her mom's funeral and they recollect on their relationship. They are mourning their memories of each other - their idealized selves - not who they actually are. This mourning of their relationship is the only time I felt emotionally invested in their story because it connected SO WELL with all of Kevin's character arc. Kevin's entire growth has depended on him letting go of the past - specifically, all that he has idealized, from his father's superhero status, to his perception of love, to even his career and what he deserves. This includes making peace with his mistakes (which includes his final fight with his father, his marriage with Sophie imploding) and working to be a better version of himself (helping Nicky when his father couldn't, seeking help for his alcoholism, finding new loves). Sophie is a symbol of the past and all of his mistakes. He should not have to go back. And Sophie deserves better, too.

And that's my point... I've said it multiple times now, but the characters deserve better. Their relationship ended horribly... twice. Even if I saw Kevin's arc as the complete reverse (that he should get the love story he always thought he wanted, that he should hold on to those things from the past), then I would still not want them together because of all of the pain that is there. Kevin is better now. If he ends up with Sophie, how could he ever exist as that improved person? He'd just be reminded of all of his mistakes. And Sophie should have more self-respect than to get back with an ex that burned her this many times.

Overall, I also just think that first loves are too romanticized. People grow. Sometimes they work, but a lot of the time they were right for the time, but not right later on. Kevin and Sophie are the epitome of this. They might've had genuine love as teenagers, but that childhood love is not the same as compatible adult love. It's hard work. And Kevin and Sophie getting married when they did... I don't even see that as the right time for them to get married. Kevin had just lost his father, was swimming in grief, and felt like he was losing all stability. Marriage to Sophie was a way to force that stability. It was not a surprise that their marriage had bumps from the start. Compare them to Randall and Beth at that same period, who were only together for a short time in comparison but had WAY better communication and respect for each other. Heck, compare that to Malik and Deja now, who are a lot more mature in navigating their relationship. Those are first loves that work. Kevin and Sophie... they aren't it.

Mostly I just felt like we got closure for Kevin's romantic arc in season 4. That season 4 episode with Sophie? That was closing the book on them for me. So to still have Kevin's love life be a big mystery in the last episodes is kind of annoying because I thought we already solved this in season 4?! It was better written then, too. Sighhhhh. Okay, I've ranted enough. Just wanted to put that out there because I feel like these next few episodes will make this super, super relevant. Again, I wanted to like Sophie. I don't have anything against Alexandra (I think her chemistry with Justin is good), but the character/relationship itself is just everything I dislike about these toxic first love romances. I feel about Kevin/Sophie the way I do about Lorelai/Christopher... and that is an awful comparison for me to make. lol

In case anyone wants to know my biases... I love Kevin and Madison - love their energy/humor, how they can relate to each other's darkness, their comfort and openness, the strangers/written-in-the-stars-together storyline. I also really liked Kevin's relationship with Zoe, which felt like his first "adult" relationship. They were fun and still had that great communication. I like Cassidy, but not as a love interest. I don't like that they forced a romantic plot between the two because they were great as just friends. Well... can't wait for this show to disappoint me so I can come back with another rant post!!!

[arleendoeswords]

Never Fear-Kevison is still here

After watching the finale, it struck me how on the nose the writers’ are being with the Kevison storyline. It is literally, almost beat by beat, a retelling of Jerry Maguire romance subplot. I mean, they even made it more obvious by making it the focus of the second to last episode of the season. This is not foreshadowing. This is renting out a stadium and blasting the story line through the Megtron screen and speakers.

Pay attention to Jerry. It isn’t a mistake that episode was called Jerry 2.0

As of right now, this is what we have, the following:

Jerry has an attack of his conscience in the middle of the night creating the mission statement.

Kevin realizes he wants more out of life but doesn’t know how it is going to happen. He is lost and anchor less. Finds Madison. Not a person he expected to open up to, but he does anyway. 

He opens up to a woman who he basically shamed in a hospital the last time they had a major interaction and opens ups. He says, he is always the first to leave when things get hard instead of fighting.

Mentions to Madison that she is the one always willing to stay and that is better.

(Note, the reversal of their roles from the finale. Kevin is begging Madison to not leave, to not let go. He hasn’t started fighting yet, but that is the ground work for next session. I fully expect him to fight tooth and nail to get her back.

The inverse is true for Madison. Kevin has shown her what love could really be. The Pearsons have shown her and for the first time in her life she is believing enough in herself to demand that affection for herself. I am so happy to see this growth in her character. This is the catalyst for their actual love story next season)

Both Jerry and Kevin, do something that has lasting, life altering effects.

Jerry-Mission statement

Kevin-sleeping with Madison, bringing forth the twins

Because of the mission statement and imploding Jerry’s life, Dorothy comes into it, with her adorable son. Jerry immediately falls in love with the boy. Likes the mom.

Kevin, gets one of his wishes, kids and immediately falls in love with the thoughts of his kids. He loves his kids. Likes the mom.

Both Jerry and Kevin, make commitments to the women to be with the children.

Both Dorothy and Madison have a history of being grateful for scraps of affections and expecting that to make them happy.

Both women know their partners adore the kids, but only really like them.

Both Dorothy and Madison come to love their partners and want more than just like. They want to be loved. Wholly. Not as just mothers to the children that come with the package, but for themselves as individuals.

Both are the ones to break off the relationships because of this need. (Note again, for Madison how important this is.)

Both women continue to live their lives.

This is where were we are left at the end of Season 5. Ignoring the flash forward, which all but confirms all of this for me, we can say Kevison’s story is only at the 2/3 of the way.

Right now, Season 5 left us at the equivalent of the scene in Jerry’s backyard when Dorothy has the talk with him and tells them they need to separate. Which means we still have a ways to go!

So far, we only know Jerry’s journey, but we will use that as a template to mark where Kevin’s journey may go in the last season.

After the breakup, Jerry goes off to biggest game of his life. Everything hinges on it. He is alone.

The game goes and he is reserved. Rod has a great game, then suffers an bad hit. The world is on hold. Jerry gets the call from Marcee. He tires to calm her down. They all wait and then Rod bounces up. The cheers and joy over take everyone.

Everyone except Jerry. Because even in the biggest moment of his life. Even in the single most exhilarating second of his existence, this self-absorbed, board line narcissus, could find no joy, no meaning in it because she wasn’t there. Not her son. Not a person next to him. Not a convenience. Not part of a package. Her. Dorothy wasn’t there. And her absence was a void devoured all the light exuded by the moment.

That is why he runs home. That is why he give her the speech, because her presence, her voice, her light was more vital to him than his own.

Kevin will have a similar moment of clarity.

And when he does, Madison may be in the middle of some event with Kate, bent over picking up a toy from behind the sofa when Kevin busts in demanding to find her.

Then get the kleenex ready, because if there is one thing Kevin Pearson knows how to do is give a melt-your-panties speech.

If you are worried, don’t be.

Kevison is still on track and will be firmly in canon by the end of the show.

[thesoundasitfell]

I do love this video chat with Kevin and Kate together and Randall on the screen. We don’t see the siblings together interacting on the day-to-day enough without it being a big Pearson Drama.

[madsdefencesquad]

How confident are you that Kevison is endgame? Did the season finale change your confidence level? I still think Madison makes the most sense as his endgame, but the writers are always bringing Sophie back and it's annoying and worries me. 😣😩

A bajillion? My non-number percentage hasn't changed, anon. In fact, this finale has solidified even more that they're going to be endgame.

If I were to address some of the more particular reasons as to why I'm even more sure that they're endgame it's these:

They're literally following Jerry Maguire to a T and Kevison is in the breakup stage now. And we know that the resolution to that movie is Jerry realising he's in love with Dorothy. In the same way, Kevin will realise it too for Madison. The End(game).

Character development. Most of the general audience's gripe about Madison as Kevin's endgame is her lack of growth or development. She was seen mainly as the comedic side character with seemingly no importance to the story apart from Kate's best friend. Well lo and behold, HERE'S HER TRAGIC BACKSTORY B*TCH (!!!)

Chemistry. Controversial and of varying opinions here, of course, but for those in the general audience who were wanting to see that chemistry that they're after to truly root for Kevison, well, here's a 5 second clip of them in the flash forward to prove that what you've been wanting has always been there all this time, and that Justin and Cait can most definitely deliver, AND THEY WILL, in the "right" time. I say "right" time because the way they've structured this is shiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.

Sophie. No character development? Check. Doesn't have her own individual arc or story outside of childhood/first love, cheating? Check. Doesn't have any interaction with any other Pearson and/or character apart from Kevin? Check. Hasn't been called family by any of the Pearson or been told straight up that they like her? Check. Wanted to avoid the Pearsons in general after getting back with Kevin whereas Madison's all my best friendship with Kate over everything? Check.

I could go on and on with this list, but there is nothing there for Sophie to root for to be Kevin's endgame unless they want to toss in a last minute, undeserved ending for who? For the last bit of fans all hung up on childhood romance? Yeah, no ma'am.

The writers bring back Sophie because she's Kevin's "longest" romance and against Zoe, who doesn't want children, and Cassidy who has a family of her own, she's the most convenient and the only one who could really pose as a "threat" to Madison.

I say "threat" because who are we actually kidding here? She really is nowhere near. In fact, it's become comical how much the writers are trying to play this out by leaving these loose-ends when honestly, we're all tired and just want to move on already.

We don't faaaaaaacking care anymore about this but since they still want to play this damn game, then Sophie will show up and make annoying noises until Kevin explicitly tells Madison that he loves her and is in love with her. But even then, kophie shippers are probably still gonna find a way to argue that they're endgame. B*TCH IT'S CALLED FANFICTION WRITE ONE FFS

[thisiskevison]

The Madison, Kate and Rebecca scenes had to be my favorite tonight. I hope we get more including Beth in any future episodes.

Agreed. Everything about their interactions was so wholesome and warm. I really love it. Finally, Madison has interacted with every member of the Pearson fam, with Rebecca being the final puzzle piece.

[wallofweird]

Do you have any headcanons as to why Madison isn’t close with her family? Maybe it’s related to her bulimia, I can’t wait for her backstory I think it will be very interesting.

Hey! So, this is a headcanon, it doesn’t mean it is going to happen, I might be completely wrong about this, it also doesn’t mean it is exactly what I want, it is just what I believe it makes sense considering the kind of person Madison is.

I get the feeling that Madison’s parents are distant, strict, controlling and downgrading and played a role in shaping the kind of person she is right now. Why? Because from what we’ve seen, Madison is a perfectionist and organized woman. She has a polish house, she’s always dressed up and with a little make-up on. It makes me believe Madison tries to please everyone with her entire life and appearance, not only her weight. For example, when she told Kate about her hookup with Kevin, she talked about him seeing her without make-up on and not trying to be peppy and appealing, in a way it sounded like she feels the necessity of doing that with EVERYBODY and being completely raw with someone was something extremely rare or that never happened at all.

Even some things she says and does, like when Madison takes Kate to shop for her wedding-dress, she tells Kate she is gonna eat the macaroons, but she says she had done exercise earlier, like she needed to give Kate a justification and indirectly ask her permission for it. And the first thing she says to the lady at the store is ‘you’re so skinny!’ and ‘I’m eating, sorry!’. Some other lines too, like when she apologized to Kevin about being pregnant, when she apologized and asked if it were okay for them to go a place so she could get checked out after falling on her stomach (the way she was a wreck and was still APOLOGIZING TO KEVIN when she thought she had lost the babies she loved and wanted so much and before anyone... she is a saint). She always seem to be asking permission or apologize for things that aren’t at all a problem or her fault, it seems to be intrinsic in her interactions with everyone, even her most beloved ones and that’s why I believe it was a characteristic she developed in her old home. Even her body language, it is usually so shrunken, like she is trying really hard not to disturb anyone and go unnoticed. 

On the other hand, she is quite sociable and chatty, which is something she has in common with Kevin. She doesn’t always know what to say or how to read the room, but I believe that is a result of the way she was raised. Like, she tries, she starts conversation, she makes an effort, she dresses up and tries to make herself the most appealing as possible in order to please everyone and she is constantly asking permission or apologizing for things because Madison worries about letting others down THAT bad. Or maybe it is her attempt at finding the warmth and solace that she never got from her original family, because Madison has always been pretty dedicated to Kate and the Pearsons, even when Kate was constantly bullying or the family hadn’t been polite to her. Which, by the way, is another reason why I believe her parents are the (bigger) problem, because she put up with Kate a lot in the beginning and she still fought for that relationship. For Madison to not reach out even after finding out about her miracle babies, which is such a life-changing experience, it must be REALLY bad. So Madison has tried to find that feeling in the Pearson family, pretty much like Kevin used to go Sophie’s and hang out with her and Claire when he felt left out in his own family. And the way she talked to Kevin about NEEDING him to know she would not ask anything of him, EMOTIONALLY or financially, that he could still find the great love story that HE deserved. The way she worded it, mentioning emotional support first, made me feel like this is what she was needing the most at the moment. Which makes sense because she seems to have a good financial condition, but she was still pretty emotional about the entire situation and crying at her appointment with the doctor. Also, how she said that kids weren’t what Kevin wanted, because he wanted a great love story. That has something to do with what they talked about that other day, yes, but there might have something to do with her own upbringing too. And the fact she thought Kevin deserved romance while herself didn’t... is very telling as well.

So, I believe she grew up in a really unhealthy environment, which contributed to her being so self-conscious, overthinking and second-guessing every part of her and move she makes. Fortunately, it looks like she’s made huge improvements in the past few years and we have been seeing her more relaxed and comfortable in her own skin, specially lately. :)

[lullabiesandgoodbyes]

Tagging @madsdefencesquad, and thank you so much for the opportunity to rant about my girls, since this fandom pays little to no attention to them and that’s not right! *-*

So, Kate and Madison, where do I start?

I don’t know, maybe with the fact that they started at such a rough place. Kate wasn’t exactly impressed by Madison when they first met, and I’m sure that’s how we’re supposed to feel about her too ( “why is this skinny girl complaining about her weight amidst all of those obese people? surely she’s only there to make herself feel better...” ). We’re probably even meant to stand by her side when she snaps:

« Oh, for God's sake! Madison, you weigh 105 pounds! If you feel like a fat girl when you look in the mirror, why don't you step a damn scale? And when the scale reads "One, zero, five," you know that you're not fat. »

And this is only the second episode.

The thing I’ve come to wonder the most about that whole year they shared through the support group, though: Madison doesn’t seem to hate Kate back. In fact, the first time she eventually opens her mouth, here’s what caught my attention:

«  Why do you hate me? »

It was something I didn’t notice on my first watch, since back then I too was highly suspicious of Madison, but she sounds frustrated when Kate stands up against her again; so frustrated, she actually follows her to the parking lot to confront her about her behavior, despite not being the confrontational type. And when Kate reafirms her core problem with Madison ( «Because you're annoying and you shouldn't be here» ), how does she backfire?

« Well, I think you're annoying. The way that you and your fiancé come here every week and smile and giggle at each other when some of us don't have anyone to do that with. »

Now that we know more about her, I think it’s plausible that Madison, a lonely girl with low self-esteem who joined a support group for body issues and got shunned because of her body, kind of envied Kate, who had no trouble fitting in because she was fat, spoke her mind without worrying about hurt feelings and even found love right under everyone’s noses. She could go to those meetings and talk about how miserable she felt, but I can imagine Madison thinking to herself that Kate was everything she wanted to be.

Well, we all know how that scene ended, right? They tap cars, Kate gets scared and eventually tells her she’s pregnant. I’ve always loved how a single word - together with Kate’s vulnerability - managed to dissipate all the anger and frustration that Madison was displaying just a few seconds before. And now that we know she had been told to be infertile? She could have hated her for it ( honestly, how many times have we seen it happening on screen between female characters? ), but instead chose to be happy for her.

And it’s the loss of said pregnancy that makes Madison approach her again. Notice her facial expressions as Kate opens up during the meeting. She tells them « You know, after the miscarriage, I just needed some comfort, you know? So I found that in Taco Bell. » and you can see she just gets it - Madison would later admit « I was really upset when I got home. So I ate. So much. » The truth is, at the end of the day, they’re not that different from each other: they get hurt or overwhelmed by life, they overeat, they feel terrible about it. Maybe she’s also feeling alone, as if no one understands her, maybe not even her fiancé, who used to be one of them and now is not - but Madison does and I think that made the difference.

I’ve always found it so endearing that she went to Kate after the meeting to invite her to shop for the wedding dress. <3 Not just because she was honestly trying to make her feel better ( «Let me help you clear this hurdle.» ) but mostly because there’s a chance she used her own experiences and ( we assume ) connections to make sure Kate would feel better: from assuring she wouldn’t have to try the dresses, that she was free to leave as soon as she felt uncomfortable, to book the appointment so they’d be alone and away from unpleasant looks, she knew how to make it a nice experience. And she did it because, following my previous interpretations, the girl who was getting all the things she wanted for herself had just lost her baby and was now on the verge of also losing one of the most exciting moments from her journey to the altar, and she couldn’t let it happen. <333

So, while they’re out having fun, we end up finding out not only what’s wrong with Madison but also that she’s currently relapsing. She did her best for Kate while at her worst ( is it possible that taking care of others is Madison’s way to care for herself...? ), and Kate notices it. Not happy about it, she actually has the guts to confront her. I don’t think Madison is angry at her for that, but I definitely believe she’s angry at herself for slipping and allowing her to see just how low she has reached. That’s probably why she calls later, after she faints - Kate ain’t easy and not yet a friend, but now she knows what’s going on with her. More than that, she sounded worried during the confrontation, almost as if she cared and was ready to rethink her opinion on her ( «When you talk in group, it's not about anything... real. Or, at least that's what I thought.» ). And it turns out to be the best decision: Kate ends up taking care of her and even starts opening up about her own experiences with weight and voices whispering crazy things inside your head. She even finishes with a very tender « So... I don't think you're insane », which seems like something Madison craved to listen for a long time. And that was the beautiful beginning of a beautiful friendship. *-*

I’m going a bit over the board now, but one of the things I think Madison does with their friendship is to live through Kate: she organizes her bachelorette party, throws a helping hand at her wedding, offers her support when Kate reveals she’ll probably never have kids and stays by her side all through her pregnancy and Jack’s first challenging year. It’s a shame we never got to see those moments ( fingers crossed for an episode featuring Madison’s backstory, I’d love to know more about her participation in Kate’s life ), and I’m especially fond of the reminiscence of them shopping for the baby:

« We were out after group a few months ago and we passed this baby store. She didn't want to go in. And I was like, "Kate, you need to show the universe you believe this is going to happen." So she got this Ruth Bader Ginsburg doll to give him as soon as he was born. Because she wanted him to be immediately surrounded by strong female influences. »

Found it very adorable that Kate, whose life has mostly been shaped by the men in her life ( her father, her brothers, her husband ), is finally recognizing the impact that strong women can have too. Maybe this wasn’t the interpretation the writers were aiming at, but I absolutely loved that her first thought was to have her son surrounded by tough ladies, so they can teach him to be strong like her mother, her best friend and even her sister-in-law at some point have taught her.

Reciprocally, I believe this friendship taught a lot to Madison too. She’s clearly more mature by the time she opens up to Kate regarding her own views on relationships and what she wants from them ( «What you and Toby have, what I dream of finding, is that intimacy. It's letting people see the worst part of you without being scared.» ), and yes, I think a lot of that stemmed from her interactions with Kate and the entire Pearson clan. She’s estranged from her family, so maybe it’s not far-fetched to assume she needed to feel part of one to understand their dynamics and, who knows, maybe gain the courage to finally start one of her own...? 

I guess that’s part of the reason why the whole showdown at the waiting room when Jack was born hurt so much. Notice how the scene went:

« KEVIN: I'm sorry, what exactly are you doing here?

MADISON: Oh, I, um... No, it's, uh, it's weird that I'm here. This is a... family thing. »

And later, after she tries to justify her actions to Miguel:

«  MADISON: But I should go. Kevin's right, I... it's weird that I'm here. I'm not family. »

I know you can say that Kevin made his feelings very obvious in that first scene, but he never said she wasn’t family, she did. Like, Madison has created strong ties to the Pearsons and feels like one of them but, deep inside, where her self-esteem and sense of belonging are still fragile, she knows she’s not. She’s still not sure she’s entitled to be there and Kevin, very unpleasantly, makes it very clear to her - you don’t belong here. But right when she’s about to leave, Madison’s loyal heart speaks louder, forcing her to stay despite her contraditory feelings, at least until Miguel helps her to find a way to do something for Kate and the baby.

By the way, I know I’m diverging from the main topic of this ask, but I love, love, LOVE how Miguel is the one supporting her on this episode. He wants to be supportive of Rebecca and his stepsons, but she’s basically away from there and both Randall and Kevin are refraining from him; then comes Madison, as lost and worried as he is, and she actually allows him to comfort her. 

Also love how, by the end of it, they both get the same recognition:

« Thank you for putting up with us. »

I don’t know, man, I just can’t think it’s a coincidence...

-

So, you probably didn’t expect an essay on the matter and I’m sorry for it, sometimes I get too excited. ^-^’ I’m also not sure I made much sense through it, second languages can be too much sometimes. But this is where I’m standing so far, and I’m very glad for the opportunity to organize my thoughts about them. I’m now eager to see what S5 will bring us, with Madison becoming an official Pearson member - whether she’s Kevin’s wife or not, she’s the mother of his children and we’ll always have that - and how this will affect her relationship with Kate.

Oh, and let’s never forget my favorite quote related to these two:

« Is it that CrossFit bitch? I'll kill her. Is it Toby? I'll kill him. You just say the word, I will “Kill Bill” all of them and help you raise that child myself. »

I love my girls. <3

[norahastuff]

thesocietalmisfit replied to your post “I don’t know that this a particularly popular opinion, but I’ve always...”

I'm excited for more madison and kevin interactions because there so alike. The same way kevin thinks about Madison is the same way people treat him. Like how no one takes them seriously because of of their cheerfulness, or how people just assume they want attention. Or how when we 1st meet Madison no one takes her problems seriously in their support group and in Kevin's AA meeting Cassidy and Nicky were laughing at Kevin's problems. Or how they both want love & family

That is an excellent point! That actually reminds me of that family therapy scene when they go to visit Kevin in rehab. I seriously love that episode, that group therapy scene pretty much underlines all their problems and issues and to be honest nothing actually gets solved which is interesting. And the Jack stuff is really interesting, when Kevin tries to talk about his flaws and the man he is but the rest of the Pearson’s don’t even want to attempt to talk about anything other than the saintly armour they’ve constructed around him. But I digress..

Randall tells Kevin he doesn’t have real problems, he’s just looking for excuses and actually says

You're not an addict. Okay? The only thing that you're addicted to is attention (...) Nobody was looking at you? So you had to get us all up here, all eyes on you. Cue drug problem.

I mean you’re right...that’s pretty much exactly the same kind of accusation that Kate levelled against Madison. She was thin so therefore she couldn’t have real problems with her weight or how she looked. On the surface she had it easier.

They also both take care of other people as a way to feel useful. They want to be of service. 

I honestly wasn’t even really thinking about whether they’d be good together, because 

a) I’ve never really cared who Kevin ended up with. I’ve always found his personal growth and maturation a hell of a lot more interesting than any romantic attachments they’ve given him

b) I really don’t know if the show is planning on putting them together long term. I think they’ll probably try to give it a shot seeing as how Kevin was engaged to the woman carrying his child(ren) in the flash forward, but that doesn’t mean anything for their long term prospects. 

But now that I’m thinking about it, they actually have a lot in common, would complement each other well and I actually think they’d be really great at understanding each other and helping the other grow. Madison needs someone who can help her work on her self worth, and who better for that than Kevin who was struggling with the same thing for so long. I’ve actually realised that might be my biggest wish for the show right now - I want to see Madison learn to like herself and believe she deserves good things.

[weathersstorms-blog]

             ‘ if toby and i do go though with the wedding, will YOU give me away, kev? ‘ kate had been wanting to ask the question for quite some time. however, so much had been going on between themselves and their family that kate had put the question on the back burner. as much as she loved her mother, kate felt like kevin was the best person to take their beloved father’s place. ‘ i don’t want mom or miguel to do it and dad can’t be here ---- ‘

@createdofstardust gets a kate pearson starter after 84 years!

[laufire]

Randall Pearson, Kevin Pearson

Randall

How I feel about this character: I love him

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Beth only. Like, there’s no-one else lol.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Will, Rebecca, his kids.

My unpopular opinion about this character: idek... I get the feeling a lot of people in the fandom think he’s a lot more similar to Jack and I find the very idea offensive xDD

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish he was the male lead, without caveats :P

Kevin

How I feel about this character: I quite liked him! After mid/late season 1 his story began to flounder though, imo.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Olivia. And I liked Zoe, Beth’s cousin, too. But Olivia... *sighs*.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Randall. And Randall’s fam in general. I loved watching their interactions.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I think he’s a better sibling to Randall than Kate lol. And I agree with him in his assessment of his parents’ preferences, while I think the fandom tends to try to mask Rebecca’s and Jack’s favouritism with a lot of empty platitudes.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: that Olivia returned and they started their rocky relationship again, duh.