How do they do it? I was expecting This Is Us Season 2 Episode 9 to be a sob fest. After all, Kate lost a baby.

We all saw it coming from the minute she announced the pregnancy and finally allowed herself to be excited about it. Still, some part of me hoped that she would have the baby and we would watch Kate and Toby become parents.

When that didn't happen, I was preparing for a depressing episode. Instead, they delivered one that was uplifting and empowering... with the occasional heartbreaking moments.

Jack knew since day one that Kate was a fighter. She goes through it, like everyone else but she's one strong woman.

Kate faces obstacles and adversity head on and comes out stronger than before. Of course, that wasn't always the case. She needed a little push from the strongest woman she knows — her mother.

Kate's past reveals two very important things about her: she never gets her hopes up, and she never wants to disappoint anyone.

These two things go hand-in-hand quite frankly. When she applied for Berklee's College of Music, she refused to tell her mom because what if she didn't get in? She didn't want to be excited only to be let down. And she didn't want to disappoint her mother.

Also, we definitely need to know more about what happened with Berklee and why she gave up singing for some time. Did it really have to do with Rebecca being too critical? Or was she forced to give up her dream because of Kevin's injury?

With this pregnancy, she tried to keep it from everyone for as long as she could because she was scared that having hope and being excited would jinx it. And when that finally happened, she was angry at herself because she felt like she disappointed Toby.

Yet those people she thought she was disappointing are really the ones that could help her through her grief.

Even though Kate and Rebecca have never quite seen eye-to-eye, she always wanted what was best for her daughter. And she promised to be there, waiting with arms wide open if a time ever came that she needed her.

Kate: I feel like I failed you.
Toby: You didn't. You never could.
Kate: I want to try again. Not yet. But maybe soon.
Toby: Yeah, me too. Whenever your ready.

Permalink: Yeah, me too. Whenever your ready.

Kate might not have flat out said 'I need you, ' but a mother just knows. And sometimes, a girl, despite her age, just needs her momma.

Seeing these two put aside their differences to 'just be' was beautiful. It seemed like this was the first time Kate actually saw her mother as a human and someone she could rely on in time of need.

And who better to turn to during a time of grief than someone who knows exactly what she's going through? Rebecca understands Kate's attachment to a child she's never met because she has also felt it with Kyle.

She also knows that Kate needs to confide her feelings in Toby. He doesn't resent her for the loss, but he definitely was a little hurt when she said that the miscarriage happened to her and not him.

I think that was Kate's defense mechanism because I just don't think she ever believed that Toby wasn't also affected and saddened by this loss. It was his child; the man danced in a coffee shop with strangers when he found out.

When I saw that note on the bed, I was scared Toby left Kate. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and when he walked back in, we saw him make a priceless face upon seeing Rebecca because he was expecting the worst!

Finally, Kate realized that while unfortunate, what happened wasn't her fault. She was able to come to terms with it, cry it out and then move on knowing that they could always try again. Because the fact that she was able to get pregnant is a positive sign in itself!

Toby: I am a large and powerful man. And on most days my stature is only a compliment to my sharp, comedic wit. But today, I am a man with a fiancee who has had a terrible last twelve hours. Right now, she's somewhere in a red dress singing in the middle of the day because she can't face how awful she feels. And that breaks my heart. So I'm not feeling all that funny.
Carl: It's nothing personal... (voice trails away)
Toby: The hardest part, Carl, about seeing someone in pain, is not being able to do anything about it except try not to make it worse, which brings me here to intercept a package that if were to arrive on our doorstep would most certainly make it worse. I am a large and powerful man Carl and I don't know how much longer I can stay this calm.

Permalink: The hardest part, Carl, about seeing someone in pain, is not being able to do anything about...

Kate hasn't been painted in the most positive light this season. I've had my fair share of things to say about her attitude and how she's always acted a little bratty towards her mother. But I have to say, this gives me a newfound appreciation for her and her storyline.

The same can be said for Toby. There were questionable moments this season when I thought he was too clingy and overprotective of Kate. However, seeing him go out of his way, make an impassioned speech about how he's a powerful man simply to stop the delivery of that baby tub proved that he is ride or die for her.

Kate found a good man, and she needs to hold onto him with everything she has. He may not be a looker like Jack was (well, to some he may be) but he definitely has his heart.

Going forward, Kate will have a lot to deal with as her body realizes it isn't pregnant anymore and she deals with actually trying to get pregnant again. What if she can't? How will that affect her?

Will she hold on to this newfound strength when trying takes a little longer than expected? Or will she give up?

And will this possibly lead to another adoption storyline? If Kate really does want a baby and cannot have her own, she might be inclined to follow in her parents and Randall's footsteps.

Kate's situation may have one-upped Kevin from This Is Us Season 2 Episode 8, but now that she's found her footing, I think she'll have less of a hard time coping than Kevin will curbing his addiction.

Kate's situation sort of resolved, which I'm thankful for because seeing her build herself back up is empowering to those who are going through these tragedies themselves. Plus, she's a lot stronger than her brother.

Kevin's battle is just beginning. We know he's in a really low place but will he eventually reach out to his siblings and his mother for help?

And will that become part of Randall's storyline as we tap into the third Pearson child's backstory? Scenes with Kevin and Randall are always some of the best.

Both Kate and Kevin got intimate, deep and emotional storylines; I hope Randall does too! How could he not?

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