Phylicia Rashad returns to This Is Us in the dance-studio debacle you never saw coming

One of the standout episodes of This Is Us from season 3 spotlighted Beth’s backstory — and gave us our first peek at her mother. Played by Phylicia Rashad — who was nominated for an Emmy in the role — Carol was a sharp, exacting woman who suffered no fools, and was tough on her daughter, steering her away from a career in dance when she felt that her daughter didn’t have what it took to be the best in her field. This led to a fraught relationship over the years; much later, there was some amount of repair when Carol apologized to Beth.

Now it’s time to welcome Carol back into the Pearson mix. She makes her first return appearance in Tuesday’s episode, “Flip a Coin,” which sees Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) preparing to open her dance studio. There’s just one problem, though. On the day of the grand opening, there’s a horrific smell radiating from the studio. Carol thinks Beth should reschedule the ribbon-cutting; Randall (Sterling K. Brown) does not. Check out the disaster in the making — plus, some quality family tension — in this exclusive clip from the episode, which airs at 9 p.m. on NBC.

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