The Biggest Details You've Missed On This Is Us So Far
In case you've been living under a rock, This Is Us is the hit NBC drama featuring some of the best acting ever seen on the small screen. If you haven't started watching yet or if you've missed some episodes, clear your schedule, and binge-watch them all — all the way up to the "Super Bowl Sunday" episode — and come back here to learn which details you may have missed the first time around. If you're all caught up, stay put. It's time to analyze some spectacular moments you may have missed in the first two seasons of This Is Us.
Proceed with caution: Major spoilers ahead!
Let's talk about Miguel
Every show needs a character that audiences love to hate. This Is Us has Miguel. Why? He's the one who ends up with Rebecca after Jack dies. Okay, many years after Jack dies. Is it fair to hate on him then?
Entertainment Weekly asked creator Dan Fogelman (via People): "The way that Miguel looks at her [Rebecca] during the vows makes one wonder if he has those feelings as far back as then. Does he have those feelings?" Fogelman replied, "You're so hard on Miguel." He later added, "No, I think it's fair [to question Miguel] ... I think he admires Jack and Rebecca together as much as he admires Rebecca alone. I think the best of Miguel, and I like to believe that Miguel's infatuation on a different level with Rebecca began long after Jack was no longer in the picture."
In a later episode, Kevin straight up asked Miguel, "Were you in love with my mom when my dad was alive?" Cue gasp! Miguel claims "that would have been impossible" because Jack and Rebecca "were one," even adding, "it never even occurred to me, ever."
Hmm, it sounds legit. However, Miguel once told Jack that he married "way, way, way above his station" in the beginning of the series. Miguel was also the first one to reach out to Rebecca on Facebook and, as the EW interviewer mentioned, he looked at Rebecca in a certain kind of way. So, are you buying it?
What's the deal with Jack's necklace?
Watching Kevin break down over losing his father's necklace in "Number One" was a gut-wrenching experience. You could hear the desperation in his voice as he told Charlotte, his former high school classmate/one-night stand, "That necklace belonged to my father." Maybe you were screaming at Charlotte to look for the necklace by the time Kevin himself started yelling, "That necklace, it's the only thing I have left in my life from my dad!"
As it turns out, though, that necklace did not actually belong to Jack — at least not originally. In "Brothers," viewers were introduced to another member of the Pearson family, Jack's younger brother Nicky. This Is Us producer John Requa explained, "[Jack] has compartmentalized and hidden away this part of his life, which obviously was his brother, and it was a big part. Obviously a major thing happened, some trauma of some sort."
In the same episode where audiences watch Kevin lose his necklace, it's also revealed how Kevin — and Jack — acquired it. As he gives his son the necklace, Jack tells him that the buddhist symbol on the medallion means "purpose" and that someone gave it to him in the Vietnam War. Someone meaning Nicky? Jack doesn't say, but, then again, Jack is pretty tight-lipped about his brother. Nicky did serve alongside Jack in the Vietnam War so it could very well have been his. And, even if it's not, there's still a story to be told there.
It's not really Kate's fault that Jack died
This Is Us fans were itching to know how Jack died since the very beginning, but perhaps never so badly as after the end of "What Now?" In one scene, Kate asks Toby, "You remember when I told you I couldn't talk about my dad's death?" Toby replies, "Yeah, of course" and Kate continues, "Well, that's because I... it's my fault... I'm the reason he's dead." Say what now, Kate?
Then, in "Super Bowl Sunday," audiences watched as Kate called for her barking dog that was trapped in the family's burning house. Jack, being the man he is, went back in to save the dog. That's not all he saved, however. Before leaving the home, he also grabbed some sentimental items and threw them into a pillowcase. Smoke inhalation did indeed cause Jack's fatal heart attack but, is that really Kate's fault?
Milo Ventimiglia, the actor who plays Jack, doesn't think so. He explained to Us Weekly, "I know a lot of people, particularly even Kate, really feel that Jack went back in for the dog. I think it was more than that. This home, what this home represents to this family is much larger than just the space they inhabit. It's the memories, it's the things, the collected pieces, that Jack ultimately brings out of the house."
The audience may now know better, but poor Kate is still holding herself accountable for the death of her father.
They are a "family of addicts"
On the surface, the Pearsons can seem like one big happy family and, in many ways, they were (and are). Just like any family, though, they have their issues. Some pretty big issues, at that. "The Fifth Wheel" features a scene that is particularly hard to watch. Kevin tells his mother and siblings, "We are a family of addicts."
As much as you want to believe he's wrong, he couldn't be more right. Kate battles an eating addiction, Randall is an extreme perfectionist, and Kevin is addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol. Jack, too, battled alcoholism. While no one likes to talk ill of the dead, the subject is a bit too taboo in the Pearson household.
When Rebecca is asked by Kevin's therapist if she ever warned her children that they may carry the gene of alcoholism, she replies defensively, "No, I did not sit them down and color their memories of their father by talking about the one part of him that wasn't perfect and you really do a disservice by calling my husband an addict because he was so much more than that." You can't help but feel her pain.
Nevertheless, her decision to portray Jack as a perfect father may have been the real disservice. Even though Randall rejects the idea of his loved ones being addicts, including Kevin (who was, ironically, in rehab at the time), there's no denying the truth: The Pearsons are, indeed, a "family of addicts."
Remember Randall and William's goodbye?
Now that viewers know how Jack died, Randall's last encounters with his biological father, William, are even more difficult to watch. Realizing that Jack died without anyone by his side may have burdened Randall with some serious guilt. In the first season, William gets into an argument with his nurse, prompting Randall to leave work and check in on him. He animatedly tells William, "You're a sick old man and sick old men need nurses to make sure they take their meds on time, and eat their meals on time, and don't die when nobody's looking." Those last five words are haunting in retrospect.
Thankfully, Randall did get the opportunity to be there for William as he passed away in the hospital, but it must have been doubly painful for him. William tells Randall, "I'm a little scared," prompting Randall to respond, "You're okay, dad. You're good." Randall holds William's head in his hands and coaches him, "Just breathe. Come on now, breathe with me." Of course, this is the very same technique Jack would use to help relieve young Randall's anxiety. Crying, yet?
The future of Big Three Homes
Not long before Jack dies, he tells Rebecca, "I'm thinking I wanna try to start the business again, Big Three Homes." He and Rebecca both agree that it's not exactly the best timing since all three of their children will be starting college in the fall. "Well, I guess that's gonna make it pretty exciting then, isn't it?" Rebecca says with a smile. Sadly, Jack passes away before the company got up and running. That said, his proposed business idea has been brought up quite a bit throughout the show — could it still become a reality?
It's worth noting a couple things from "Clooney." As Kevin leaves rehab, his therapist urges him not to go back to Hollywood just yet, which gives Kevin the idea to stay with his mother and Miguel. Randall who, after quitting his job on a whim, purchased the apartment building where William once lived. His plan? Fix up the building.
Remember, Jack's plan was to start small by flipping houses. Kevin even stops by to help Randall and Beth with repairs in "That'll Be the Day." So, where does this leave Kate? In "Number Two," the audience sees Kate continuing her singing career, but as teen Kate pointed out in "The Car," only a small percentage of people will actually make it as singers. Could the big three bring Big Three Homes to fruition? It will be interesting to see what, if anything, becomes of it.
Jack's note to Kevin
Kevin was the only member of the family who was not home at the time of the fire. After an argument with his parents, Kevin decides to go over to his girlfriend Sophie's house instead of staying home for the Super Bowl. Kevin did phone home and apologize to his mom telling her, "I didn't mean it." Kevin also asks her, "Is dad mad?" Rebecca responds, "Mm, no. He's not mad but, I think his feelings are hurt." In hindsight, this statement stings. After suggesting that Kevin come home and watch the rest of the game with his father, he decides against it. Rebecca then asks, "Do you want to talk to your dad" Kevin fatefully replies, "No, I'll just talk to him tomorrow."
Later that night, Jack tacks a note to the wall that reads, "Kevin, if I don't see you before work tomorrow, I love you. You owe us an apology. Dad." Of course, you now know there is no tomorrow for Jack Pearson. There are no more chances for Kevin to make up with his dad. Did you happen to notice the note again at the end of "That'll Be the Day?" You may have been crying too hard to see it but the fire completely engulfs Jack's note to Kevin. Kevin never got to see the affirmation of his father's love, and no one in the family will ever get to know it existed. Talk about tragic.
The "Pearson hinge"
While viewers are rightfully distraught over Jack's death, there is more to This Is Us than just his passing. Fogelman tweeted to fans, "A thought on tonight ['Super Bowl Sunday']: Our show was never just about what happened to Jack. But these next 2 episodes are. It was a defining moment for this family and we will experience and feel this with them. The performances are extraordinary. Our cast is insane."
Fogelman wrote in another tweet, "My mom died 10 years ago, unexpectedly. It's the hinge upon which my life swings. Jack's death is the Pearson hinge. We look back. We move forward. That's our collective journey. Sad? Yes. But when you look through a wide enough lens – it's also outrageously beautiful."
If you've fallen down the rabbit hole of despair over Jack's death, know that you're not alone. Nevertheless, as Fogelman wrote, Jack's death was "a defining moment," not the defining moment. The show must, as they say, go on.
Shh, did you just hear Jack say something?
As Rebecca starts to leave Jack's hospital room in "Super Bowl Sunday," there is a palpable lull between the couple. Jack then jokingly tells her she's standing in front of the television. Ventimiglia told Variety, "Fogelman was telling me, 'I can't help but think that that last look that you gave Mandy before she walked out the room was maybe Jack knowing and sending his wife out so she didn't have to see it.' I think Jack absolutely knew something was wrong." That does sound like a very Jack thing to do.
After Rebecca exits, she makes a phone call. The audience can see nurses frantically running back and forth but Rebecca is unaware. She then gets a snack from the vending machine. Did you think you were hearing voices when Rebecca was selecting a candy bar? Good news, you weren't. Well, you were, but they weren't exactly in your head.
Milo Ventimiglia explained to Esquire, "If you caught this, when she's at the vending machine, you hear Jack say 'Bec?' I had recorded a lot of different versions of that, some that were a little more ethereal like I was whispering. You'll have to ask Dan, but my belief is that it's a presence. That was Jack saying 'Bec?' She turns her head and everything." Fogelman has not commented on his theory behind the whisper, but Ventimiglia could be exactly right. After all, Rebecca continues to feel Jack's presence long after he dies.
This Is Us is certainly not bound by the confines of time
Past, present, future — where can't This Is Us go? You may have been drowning in your own tears by the time older Tess and Randall appeared on the screen in "Super Bowl Sunday." While the audience got to see an adult Tess working with foster children and an aged Randall visiting his daughter at work, the scene is more monumental than it first appears. Fogelman elaborated to Deadline, "We show a new timeline, in the future, which is extremely exciting for a show that plays in time and has till-now played in the past/present. But there is other stuff coming, too ... there is a plan for the show, there always has been, we aren't just shooting from the hip."
He may not be shooting from the hip, but he is certainly keeping secrets! Will the future become a consistent theme in This Is Us? Fogelman has, of course, not said. When asked where the show will go next in an interview with Hollywood Reporter, he replied, "It goes to a lot of places. We're not even at our halfway mark with the series, and this was always the plan. There's a big plan for the series." Of course, that could mean literally anything. After all, how many really could've guessed that This Is Us would show viewers a glimpse into the future? At this point, anything is truly possible on This Is Us.