"Kamsahamnida" isn't a hall of fame episode of "This is Us," one of those episodes with a big moment that has you sobbing through a whole Kleenex box or a mind-blowing reveal that didn't see coming at all. No, Tuesday night's episode was just a really nice, charming and pleasant hour of television – certainly the sweetest TV show to end with a father and son bonding over men getting knocked the hell out as well as a dog taking a long-awaited dump.

Most important, however, is that "Kamsahamnida" (Korean for thank you) took strides to fix the excessively crowded, storyline-stuffed vibe of the last few episodes – crucial for me because I can only write "there were too many plot lines" so many times before I start desiring a brain-numbing right hook to the skull. Yay, I get to write new things!

Make no mistake: It was still a busy episode, but the hour finally started bringing some of its characters together and melding plots together – mainly Kevin and Randall, who's bantering energy I missed together. Kev needs to talk to somebody about his need to find out more about their dad's days in Vietnam, and since Zoe's taking a one-day spa party to celebrate finishing her doc, he settles on Randall – who's shaking hands and kissing babies on the campaign trail. Or he would be if things were going well ... but they are very much not, dropping by a Philly church only to have Councilman Sol Brown politely dress him down from the pulpit, welcoming him to their house of worship while also clearly not welcoming him. Pst, get to the reading, Sol.

So the two brothers grab food at a random Korean restaurant where nobody will see Randall has a famous brother – because if there's one thing he doesn't need, it's to appear even more bougie to his constituents. Kevin vents about his need to find out about Jack's Vietnam days – especially now with this photograph of this mystery woman – while also glad-handing the staff and patrons because, as it turns out, "The Manny" (or "The Baby Man," as it translated out to in South Korea) was huge overseas.

And that gives Randall an idea: He's taking the campaign, and his famous brother, to Koreatown, a part of Philly Sol Brown doesn't have in the palm of his hand. There, he registers some voters – Side note: Vote next week, please – delivers a big speech (obviously, because this is "This Is Us") about how he wants to listen to their issues and needs and recruits a new campaign manager in Jae-won, a cynic won over by Randall's genuine want to listen to people ignored by Sol Brown.

So ... about Randall's political campaign storyline. It's odd, a big swing for the character who has so many other things going on – like don't you have a newly adopted daughter coping with her teenage years who destroyed your car? And don't you have that apartment complex to fix still? Plus, I keep waiting for one of his constituents to yell "He doesn't even go here" a la "Mean Girls."

When the show introduced Randall running for councilman, I assumed it was going to be a short subplot, a way to get to the bigger issues going on in his life like his struggles with identity and his relationship with Beth, now tested by her losing her job – who is not doing great despite trying to pass off that she's doing great. In this episode, she tries to take the girls Girl Scout cookie selling (since the usual barrage of orders from the office isn't available anymore) and things go poorly – so much so Beth needs an inspirational speech from Deja about asking for help and talking to Randall about her struggles. ("You live in this house long enough, you learn your way around a talk," Deja concludes. I like it when "This Is Us" owns up to its own cliches.)

But "This Is Us" is really committing to his campaign – and committing to the idea that Randall should win, which is ... a choice. If this is building to the realization that Randall's messiah complex and ambitions to save everyone in the name of being like Jack led to abandoning those closest to him (Beth, who I now predict will be the mysterious troubled woman in the flash-forward to the future), that when Randall needed to be the steady bass line while Beth finds a new rhythm, this plot line will have been worth it. But it's still a lot of energy being put into a pretty bad idea – for the character and for the show.

As for Kevin, after being told to leave dad's past where he left it, he decides that – like Randall and the running for councilman and the buying an apartment complex and the hunting down biological fathers and adopting – he needs to do this, an itch he needs to scratch. (Or, as their speech goes, wallpaper he needs to pick at and peel away.) So he's going to Vietnam – and bringing Zoe with him, who somehow doesn't see the documentary potential in a famous actor solving a mystery about his past. IT WOULD KILL AT SUNDANCE, ZOE! Or at least it would make a fascinating Blu-ray bonus feature.

In another nice consolidation of characters and plot, Kate and Becca get tied into a single storyline as Kate ties to get Toby out of bed and the poop out of Audio the Dog's poor constipated body. As weird as it sounds, it's a nice metaphor for talking things out at stressful times and the need to open up, the reoccurring theme around all the storylines (including the flashbacks of Jack boxing to help relieve his stress – and help Milo Ventimiglia relive his "Rocky Balboa" days).

After calling Becca, who passes along the crucial advice that she will think she messed up all the time as a parent, Kate manages to get Toby to leave the house and take a walk with her and the dog. He's not healthy and all the way back yet, but Kate assures him that she's not going anywhere. And also Audio takes his dump.

So yeah, anytime an episode ends on a triumphant poop, it might not be the most serious or stern hour of television. But "This Is Us" did a lot of things right Tuesday night – mainly taking some of its wildly scattered threads and twisting them together. The show's structure will always involve multiple storylines, but it's added so many characters into the mix since its first season that it can't just bounce from one to the other without feeling cluttered.

So bringing characters together can help things feel a little more cohesive – plus you get the added bonus of having these great performers bounce off one another. (I really missed the warm brotherly energy of Randall and Kevin together.)

Hopefully we make this a regular thing so I don't have to go back to complaining about crowded episodes and scattershot plots, "This Is Us," please and kamsahamnida.