The Season 2 premiere of This Is Us dropped a hint that we were desperate for all summer, providing a huge clue as to how Pearson patriarch Jack died in the ‘90s. While I’m glad that this reveal puts an end to some of the more absurd death theories, there are plenty of other storylines I seriously need to know more about this season.
Perhaps some of my greatest queries are insignificant details that only I care about, but I’m still pulling for some answers to these questions in the upcoming episodes. After all, the clock is ticking until the truth about Jack’s death is revealed, and we still have at least one more season of events and stories completely unrelated to this mystery. Below are five questions I still have about the This Is Us family and their lives.
1. Did Kate and Sophie stay friends?
In Season 1’s “Three Sentences,” we learn that Kate’s best friend at age 10 was Sophie, who had a bit of a thing for Kevin. In a huge bombshell, it’s revealed that Sophie grew up to become Kevin’s wife, but Kevin’s pursuit of an acting career ultimately drove him to cheating and getting divorced. I definitely want more clarity about the two’s backstory. How old were the couple when they married? Did they ever break up briefly in high school or college? Most importantly, I want to see if my suspicion is true and if the relationship pulled Kate and Sophie apart. We all saw Toby struggle with Kate and Kevin’s closeness in the Season 2 premiere, and perhaps Kevin’s loyalty to Kate partially comes from abandoning her in the throes of young love.
2. How did Kevin start acting?
Kevin is definitely the most unknown character so far, stirring up tons of questions about his past. The glimpses we’ve seen of teenage Kevin are him as a typical high school athlete who makes fun of Randall’s sensitivity. Somehow, that kid doesn’t strike me as someone who grows up to be an actor. I want to know when the acting bug bit Kevin, and after seeing him with a broken leg at the time of Jack’s death, my guess is that an injury and the loss of his father helped him find an emotional outlet through being onstage.
3. How did Randall and Beth meet and get together?
A recent Hollywood Reporter feature reveals that Sterling K. Brown actually suggested to the show’s writers that they include Randall and Beth’s backstory in Season 2. “Very often, you choose somebody who looks like your mom, but Randall makes this conscious choice to be with a black woman,” Brown told THR, “and I really want us to explore that.”
I don’t even know what kind of theories to make about how this power couple came to be, but I’m eager for some answers. Given that there are currently theories floating around that the redhead in that last premiere scene is Randall’s high school girlfriend, I can’t wait to see young Beth and Randall falling in love.
4. What other struggles did Beth face growing up?
We know that Beth grew up in a small home with 14 other people, suggesting that she struggled far more than Randall and the rest of the Pearsons did as kids. In the Season 2 premiere, she suggests to Randall that they look into adopting an older child who has had an unfortunate life, rather than a baby. Beth likely grew up in a pretty tumultuous neighborhood, which makes me wonder if she has purposely kept this part of her past suppressed during the past few years.
5. How soon after Jack’s death did Rebecca and Miguel become a couple?
Given Rebecca’s reaction to that premiere reveal, I’m convinced she and Jack were still married when he died, which makes her present-day marriage to Miguel even more heartbreaking. We know that Miguel is a divorcee with his own kids and that Rebecca was even friendly with his ex-wife. Did they start dating once the Big Three went off to college? Was the marriage put off until the kids were proper adults? Most importantly, is Rebecca as happy with Miguel as she was with Jack at the peak of their relationship?
Knowing how these writers like to drag things out, I doubt we’ll see answers to these questions quickly, but watching the journey to those discoveries will definitely be worth it.