In the previous episode of NBC’s This Is Us, Randall came home to Beth rushing to visit her mother. In This Is Us season 3 Episode 13, Beth and Zoe tried to persuade her to retire.
Little Island Girl
When Bethany was a young girl, soon after Zoe came to live with her, she auditioned for the prestigious Whitmore Ballet Academy. Her parents, Abe and Carol, didn’t know until the school called to tell her she was accepted. Abe wasn’t surprised, since he repeatedly told the story of how Bethany danced before she walked when they were in Kingston. They toured the school, and Abe resolved to work overtime for her to attend. Carol was more hesitant to allow Bethany to attend the dance academy. She made her promise to be the best, so their sacrifice would be worth it.
Dread River
Four years later, Bethany was struggling at the academy. She had been the only black dancer in her class until Sonya arrived, and she was better than Bethany. At the same time, Abe was diagnosed with lung cancer. Bethany wanted to quit because of his illness, but he wouldn’t let her. When he passed away, she hardly missed any classes. Unfortunately, Sonya got the solo, and Bethany was in the dance corps.
When Bethany told Carol, she went upstairs to practice. Carol soon followed with a college guide book. She insisted that Bethany choose a new path since she had taken dance as far as she could. Bethany wanted to move to New York to join a dance company. Instead, we saw Carol dropping Bethany off at a freshman mixer. She wrote “Beth” on her name tag and accidentally bumped into Randall.
No Air
In the present, Beth and Zoe arrived at Carol’s house. Carol was a high school principal, and one of the students had bumped into her. She had bruised her hip on a stair railing. Beth and Zoe wanted her to retire.
Beth hadn’t told her mother that she’d been laid off, until Carol nagged Zoe for not having a defined career path. While at the house, she remembered her love for dance, and her father’s belief in her. When Carol wanted to help her make a list of new firms to apply to, Beth confronted her about stopping her from pursuing her dream of dance. She compared herself to Randall, who always dreamed big.
The next day, Carol explained that she worried constantly, and Abe had provided balance. When he died, she was left with her worries. She apologized to Beth for discouraging her. When Beth went home, she told Randall what she wanted to do next. He took her to a dance studio, where a teacher encouraged her to try an advanced class. However, Beth told her she wanted to teach.
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