THIS IS US: The First Season: The Pool
A family pool day exposes love, racism, and painful loyalties.
Should You Watch It?
“The Pool” is a deeply affecting episode about family love and loyalty. Its characters face racism, infidelity, depression, weight-related bullying, and questions about identity, yet the episode handles these harsh realities without becoming overly explicit.
The family-centered moral vision is strong. Marriage, children, loyalty, and honest conversation matter here. The episode also gives difficult subjects room to be discussed rather than ignored.
The content still makes this a better choice for teenagers and adults than for younger children. If your family can thoughtfully engage these subjects, WORTH WATCHING — TEENS AND ADULTS.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESRebecca and Jack take their family to the local pool, where an ordinary outing brings painful pressures to the surface. The episode moves between the family’s younger years and their adult lives, following struggles with belonging, race, body image, relationships, and self-worth.
Meanwhile, each member of the family faces a question of identity: who they are, what they owe one another, and whether success can resolve old wounds.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this episode is excellent television. “The Pool” does a phenomenal job depicting harsh realities without being overly explicit, giving its family drama emotional force while keeping the focus on relationships and moral choices.
The episode brings together several serious subjects without losing its central emphasis on family. It also contains less foul language and lewd content than some episodes, though the material remains intended for teenagers and adults.
The Worldview
The episode presents a strong moral worldview centered on the value of family, marriage, and children. Love and loyalty are treated as responsibilities, not merely feelings, while racism, infidelity, depression, bullying, and anger are shown as painful realities that affect individuals and families.
Randall’s conversations about racism acknowledge that he and his family can still experience racism despite his success and trustworthiness. The episode also addresses the wounds caused by betrayal and depression, including thoughts of suicide. These subjects are presented as serious struggles rather than brushed aside.
The episode’s emphasis on family loyalty and honest conversation aligns with a biblical view of the importance of committed relationships and the dignity of every person. At the same time, its moral framework does not present every struggle as resolved, leaving viewers to consider how families respond to pain, failure, and responsibility.
Scripture calls believers to a love that remains faithful: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
<b>
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Strong moral worldview with an emphasis on the value of family, marriage, and children. <b>
Foul Language
</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Five<b> </b>obscenities and five profanities. <b>
Violence
<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>No violence except for a little boy shown struggling not to drown in a pool; <b>
Sex
<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Mild sexuality with a woman said to have cheated on her husband; <b>
Nudity
<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Mild nudity with people in bathing suits at the pool; men are shirtless, women in bikinis; <b>
Alcohol Use
</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Light<b> </b>alcohol content with a man shown drinking wine, a man shown drinking beer, man mentions he used to get drunk and depressed, people are shown drinking at a bar; <b>
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Light smoking, and a man is said to have been “a drugged-out drifter”; and, <b>
Miscellaneous Immorality
<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Lying, racism, children bully a girl for her weight, a man mentions contemplating suicide, and anger.
Talk About It
Four questions for the couch, the commute, or the couple bingeing it together.
Randall discusses how racism can persist even when someone is successful and trustworthy. How can your family honor the dignity of every person?
Genesis 1:27 · James 2:1–4The episode places family loyalty alongside the pain caused by betrayal. What does faithfulness require when relationships are wounded?
Ephesians 4:2–3 · Colossians 3:12–14Depression and thoughts of suicide appear as serious struggles. How can we respond when someone is carrying pain that we cannot see?
Galatians 6:2 · Romans 12:15Children bully a girl because of her weight. What would it look like to protect someone who is being excluded?
Proverbs 31:8–9 · Philippians 2:3–4The Final Word
This episode finds strong moral meaning in family, marriage, children, and loyalty. Its serious themes and content make it better suited to mature viewers than young children. For teenagers and adults prepared to engage those subjects, WORTH WATCHING — TEENS AND ADULTS.
