Toby and Kate’s marriage, which was already on the rocks with more trouble in sight, went off the cliff and full bore into the rapids on Tuesday’s episode of "This Is Us." The couple lost baby Jack while hosting an anniversary party at their house for Miguel and Rebecca, a mishap that incited yet another argument as the drama continues to head to its series finale.
In the episode, which features multiple moments of seeing things from baby Jack's point of view, Kate was on edge because she and Toby had been arguing so much and things only got worse before the party even started when the family had to deal with a leaky ceiling. In the commotion, Toby placed Jack in his room, but failed to notice he didn’t lock the gate, like Kate had previously reminded him to do.
When the plumber arrived, Kate forgot to lock the front door after he came in, so Jack easily slipped out of the house and walked to a nearby park. Rebecca found him and he was brought to a hospital where he received stitches for a gash on his head, an incident that had previously been teased.
Later, the seeds of their split continued to be sewed when Kate and Toby argued, with anger boiling over and Kate saying they need to instill confidence and independence in Jack now.
“All you’ve ever seen were his limitations,” she said.
“All I see are his limitations? You don’t see any, all right. And that’s just irresponsible,” he yelled at her.
He blasted her for thinking she’s the only parent in the family because she sings with blind students.
“I am the only parent in this family, Toby. Period,” she shot back, as Kevin and Randall arrived.
He questioned whether Kate really wants him to move back to Los Angeles.
“I feel judged and blamed every day. That’s how I feel. Judged and blamed,” he said as Kevin intervened and told him to get out of Kate’s face while Randall also walked up to defend their sister.
“There it is. This is perfect, the way it’s always been,” Toby said, as he stood a few feet away while Kevin, Randall and Kate stared at him, the three siblings literally and figuratively standing by each other.
“I don’t know if Toby and I are going to make it,” Kate told Kevin and Randall later while fighting back tears as the episode drew to a close.
While it may seem obvious that Kate and Toby's marriage is past the point of being saved, the relationship may still be gasping for air.
"I think at the end of the episode, there’s still hope," "This Is Us" executive producer K.J. Steinberg told Entertainment Weekly. "There’s a recognition that something’s gotta change. They are at the rubicon. If they don’t pay attention to this marriage — if they don’t give it their full focus — it’s doomed."
Steinberg also said the couple may have to seek help.
"They’re going to do whatever it takes, but they won’t know what that is until they’re in it," he said. "And it’s not going to look like what they thought it would look like. And it’s not going to look like what the audience thinks it’s going to look like."
"This Is Us" will march on with an all-new episode — the series' 100th — next Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.