WARNING: This post contains spoilers for this week’s episode of This is Us.
TV’s current favorite mom, Mandy Moore, is on the cover of this week’s issue of People. In the accompanying interview, she reveals that her life is a far cry from the emotional rollercoaster her This is Us character endures across generations. She reports that “I’m more grateful than I ever have been in my life. It’s a very happy time.”
It’s not that the 33-year-old singer-turned-actress hasn’t had her ups and downs both personally and in her career. She admitted that “I had a few years of just unhappiness. From a career perspective, I felt like I was barely treading water. I was really discouraged and dismayed at the sort of opportunities that weren’t presenting themselves any longer.” Not only was her career in a state of limbo, her personal life was not in a “great place” after her divorce from singer Ryan Adams in 2015.
Fortunately, the tides turned for Mandy and she landed the role on This is Us – as well as the adoration of the show’s fans, for which she is truly grateful. She acknowledged “I’ve never been part of a project where [fans] are so willing to be vulnerable and talk about their lives. It’s pretty mind-boggling. And [the cast] is one big family. We all dig in and do the work and connect to it every single day. Every day I drive into work I’m like, ‘Thank you, universe!’”
Not only is Mandy’s career back on track, she’s also found love with her fiancé, Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith. In our tech-dominated world, it’s not unusual to hear stories of love found online (raising my hand), but Mandy has social media, in particular Instagram, playing cupid, as opposed to a standard dating app. Back in May of 2015, Mandy (who often posts images of albums she’s listening to), shared the cover of Dawes’ All Your Favorite Bands to Instagram, adding the caption, “Real excited about this one. Have a feeling it’s going to be the soundtrack of my summer. #Dawes #rightontime”
She later followed up with another post, asserting, “Aaaaand it doesn’t disappoint. This one’s been on repeat all morning. Happy to have a new record to fall in love with. Congrats.”
The posts got Taylor’s attention. Mandy recalled of the first post, “Somehow, Taylor saw it and sent a note to me. We started emailing back and forth, then we went on a date and the rest is history. Thanks Instagram, for helping me meet my fiancé!” While Taylor was on tour and Mandy was in LA shooting her show, the two got to know each other via FaceTime. Says Mandy “We fell in love before we’d even really held hands or kissed or anything. It was great.” The couple, who were engaged in September, are planning a small intimate wedding. Congrats, you crazy kids.
So, let’s talk about this week’s episode for a minute. Kate told Toby she was pregnant and he freaked out (in a good way – complete with Flashdance-inspired dance number… no, really), Kevin is becoming increasingly addicted to pain pills (the show’s most overplayed storyline, but, nothing’s perfect) and Deja is slooooowly opening up to Randall. Side note: who else would love a spin-off of Sterling K. Brown rattling off Dad jokes for an hour? I KNOW I’m not the only one.
Well, since This is Us loves its twists, this wee we discover that Jack has a brother, introduced in a flashback. Wait. What? We find out at the close of the episode that Jack and his brother Nick served together in Vietnam, but we still don’t know if Nicky is still alive. If the episode directors and executive producers John Requa and Glenn Ficarra have it their way, we won’t know the whole story for a while, as they told The Hollywood Reporter that they’ll be revealing the details of their relationship in “drips and drabs.” Requa went on to explain:
There’s an ambition of the show to broaden the canvas even more than it is in time, to be able to go back and define the roots of things in a lot of storylines in the past. As we move forward, we need to expand that, we need to be able to have more to draw from because there are so many stories that can happen in a season. We’re trying to keep it interesting and make good TV.
My takeaway from this? I need a Costco membership because I think I’m going to have to start buying tissues in bulk.
Photos: WENN.com, PEOPLE
She is just lovely.
Awe, I’m glad Mandy found happiness, that’s a cute story of how they met! She seems down to earth and sweet, the whole cast does!
This show gets me every week, I try not to cry but it’s pointless, my husband tears up too, it’s adorable! It reminds me of little moments from my childhood, or how I wish things had been, and how things are now with my husband and daughter. It really is all of “us” in a sense, and I think that’s why it’s so popular because everyone can relate in some way.
I love Mandy Moore! Such a fun, sweet story about meeting her fiancé.
As for the show, I gave up after the last episode. I like some of the actors, but I got tired of the ‘manipulation of the week’ twist at the end of every episode. And Toby is the wooooorst.
She seems so down to earth and thoughtful. I’ve never paid much attention to her before but I’m glad she’s found happiness.
She seems like a very nice person but she’s one of the weaker actors on This Is Us IMO. I’m always aware that she is acting.
I developed an appreciation for Sterling in the OJ Simpson mini series and have been further developing that appreciation watching him in This Is Us. This episode tipped me over from appreciation to falling in love with him/his character. I can’t quite put my finger on it but that scene with him and Kevin outside the ladies room waiting on Deja just did me in.
Aw what a sweet story (Mandy’s not the show).
thas wassup!!!