Now that This Is Us has finally solved all the mysteries from the past, are they moving on to the future?
Ever since This Is Us first revealed that Jack was no longer alive in the present day timeline, fans have been wondering exactly how he died. We’ve been getting glimpses of that night throughout season 2, but as of the special post-Super Bowl LII episode, we finally know everything.
The Pearson’s childhood home tragically burnt down following a series of unfortunate mistakes. Contrary to what we’d been led to believe, Jack Pearson did not perish in the blaze.
He was, however, every bit the hero that we’ve come to expect the father of the Big Three to be. He bravely made his way through the home, getting his whole family (including the dog) to safety. And despite what we’d anticipated, he lived to tell the tale!
Unfortunately, even though we got to see him triumphantly burst through the door of the crumbling Pearson home, it only bought him a few extra hours of life. The smoke he inhaled during the ordeal proved to be too much for him, and he suffered a widowmaker heart attack at the hospital. As we know, he never recovered.
The episode was a devastating, but great one. We finally got to witness the events of that night in their entirety, but that wasn’t all that happened.
As per usual, while we were reliving the events of the Pearson’s pasts, we were also spending time with them in the present day. Each of the Big Three had their own way of commemorating their father’s favorite day, Super Bowl Sunday. Kevin tried his best to forget, Kate wallowed, and Randall… well, Randall celebrated.
Randall decided to make Super Bowl Sunday just as big of an affair as Jack and Rebecca always did. Of course, his family wasn’t nearly as into it as he was, but Tess seemed especially bothered by everything.
We’ve been wondering when something was going to blow up with Tess ever since she popped up in the back of Kevin’s car. She claimed that she went with him because she hated her house, and with everything she’s been through since This Is Us began, we can’t blame her for feeling unsettled.
While some little girls might be bothered by the thought of their parents fostering children and having to share their attention, that wasn’t Tess’ problem. She actually likes fostering and loved having Déjà around. No, her problem wasn’t with fostering, it was with Randall.
Randall’s previously very stable life has changed drastically since we met him at the beginning of This Is Us. He found, and subsequently lost, his birth father, he brought a new child into his home, and he quit his high-paying, yet unrewarding job. Tess was just worried that her father seeking out so many changes meant that he wanted a different life.
Luckily, Randall was quickly able to assure her that that was far from the case. His family is his entire life, and Tess, being his first-born child, will always be his primary consideration.
Randall and Tess’ storyline took an unexpected but exciting turn at the end of the special This Is Us Super Bowl episode. We’ve had our eye on this little boy in the foster system for a few episodes now, thinking he would come to live with Randall and Beth, but it turns out that’s not the case at all.
The boy is going to a new family, but it looks like he won’t even be born for quite a while. Tess Pearson is his social worker in a brand new future timeline.
With all of the mysteries of the past wrapped up, there’ll definitely be something missing from the show. Sure, we tune in week after week to see what our favorite characters are up to, but the mystery of what happened to Jack just made watching This Is Us that much more enjoyable.
Thankfully, it looks like the creators of the show have already taken steps to make sure there’s nothing missing.
We’re guessing that flash-forward to Randall and Tess wasn’t just a one off, but simply the first example of where the show is heading. Now that we’ve told the stories of the past, we can start looking at what’s to come in the future. Although, if they stop showing us scenes from the past, we will absolutely not be okay with that! Just because the mystery is wrapped up, it doesn’t mean that Jack and Rebecca’s love story isn’t worth watching.
Randall has two kids, Kate and Toby are trying to get pregnant, and Kevin is…getting there. There’s plenty of exciting stuff coming up in the future of the Big Three and their families that we can start digging into.
We’re guessing that before the end of the season, This Is Us will set up another big mystery. This time, however, it will be something that happens in the future that we’ll have to catch up to. And, the great thing about the future is that it’s continuously unfolding, so there are infinite stories to tell!
This is a great way to keep things fresh on This Is Us, and as long as they keep doing the flashbacks as well, it should only make the show better. We can’t wait to see some triple timeline storylines in the near future.