This is Us delivered on its promise of dropping major hints about one of the show’s biggest mysteries. As hinted previously by series creator Dan Fogelman, the season 2 premiere featured clues about Jack’s death. You can check out our recap of the episode here but we’ve also broken down what we know about the tragedy.
This Is Us Season 2 Premiere Recap: More Clues into Jack’s Death are Revealed>>>
In “A Father’s Advice,” Jack finally told Rebecca that he’s an alcoholic. He’s been hiding it from his family and he admitted he heeds to fix his condition before he can go back into the house. Rebecca’s determined to deal with Jack’s problem together and even assures him that things will be OK in a few months, but it could also be a red herring. Could Jack’s death be related to his drinking?
We get more clues as the show makes a time jump featuring a distraught Rebecca, who is noticeably wearing a Steelers shirt and driving a car alone with Jack’s personal effects in a plastic bag — including a notebook, a watch and his ring.
Meanwhile, Kate is sobbing as she holds a dog, Randall is crying with his girlfriend, who tries to comfort him, and Kevin, who is making out with Sophie somewhere, has a broken leg. The most intriguing clue, however, is when Rebecca pulls up to their house, which appears to be completely burned.
Mandy Moore, who plays Rebecca, confirmed some of these clues during a panel following Tuesday’s episode. “Kate is holding a dog, Randall’s got a girlfriend and Kevin has a broken leg,” she said. But in spite of all the hints given during the season 2 premiere, fans are still left with more questions than answers surrounding Jack’s death.
“But did he die in the fire? Did he get out of the fire? Did he start the fire?” Milo Ventimiglia said of his character Jack. “We didn’t actually see the house on fire.”
“That’s not the full story, that’s just a piece of the puzzle…we have 18 episodes,” added Moore.
“But like Dan has always said, with this answer there’s still a lot of questions,” said Ventimiglia, who urges fans to pay attention to the details and be patient. “People are going to have to pay attention over the course of the season and understand what our Big Three are experiencing, and where they happen to be in the moments before his death.”
“We flash forward to the day Jack died,” Fogelman said. “You’re seeing a lot of little pieces that will all come into play. This was always the plan for the Big Three characters. We had talked about the fire and what ultimately happened to Jack pretty much from day one, when we started. This is not something we figured out in the off-season.”
So do you think Jack died in that fire? Did he cause it and was he drunk when it happened? Did he save someone from the fire? What is the significance of those items in Rebecca’s passenger seat? Whose dog is that? Who’s with Randall? What are your theories?
Meanwhile, check out the cast of This Is Us talking about their characters’ struggles in the video below.
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.
(Images courtesy of NBC)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
