Warning: this post contains spoilers about this week’s episode of This is Us.
Well, we were warned. Tuesday night’s episode of NBC’s This is Us finally brought us to Jack’s last day. The show’s writers and creator, Dan Fogelman, have done a great job of keeping us guessing as to how the Pearson family patriarch, played by Milo Ventimiglia, would meet his end. As Milo recently told Entertainment Weekly, “I think the best thing I can say — or the worst thing I can say — is: It’s going to be f—ing painful.” If you guessed Jack’s demise came by way of “house fire,” you were right. As we discovered during Tuesday’s episode, an old slow cooker bestowed on Jack and Rebecca by their neighbors had a faulty switch, and started a fire in the kitchen. We left Jack fighting the flames. Not surprisingly, the show’s fans lost it on social media.
Remember when we were all chomping at the bit to learn how Jack died?!? #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/VHlCjMKkNw
— Amor Vincit Omnia (@Amorkalagang) January 24, 2018
@JSi5 did you notice the attention to detail in last night's #ThisIsUs episode? Randall went with his girlfriend to see Titanic. Who dies at the end of Titanic? JACK. Those writers are on point.
— Justin Nicholson (@GravySauceCream) January 24, 2018
Did anyone else see the red light when Jack was cleaning and scream "THE CROCK POT" and then he switched it off and you sighed in relief but then George shows up in the flashback with the glitchy Crock Pot … #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/rMlOc2ncRt
— Cheryl (@cheryl_norman) January 25, 2018
Dammit #ThisIsUs! Every week. Every single week. pic.twitter.com/nlu60Sfvdn
— Jen Pilot (@jen_pilot) January 25, 2018
Dan also took to Twitter to commiserate with the fans, as did my beloved Randall, Sterling K. Brown.
I know. It's a lot (but you wanted to know!).
We have the world's best fans. Thank you guys for caring. I'm sorry if you're crying. I blame @MiloVentimiglia for being so spectacular. #ThisIsUs
— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) January 24, 2018
Genuinely asking. Are you okay??? #ThisIsUs
— Sterling K Brown (@SterlingKBrown) January 24, 2018
As bad as I feel for the Pearson clan (and my fellow TIU fans), I feel worse for the poor public relations/social media team over at Crock-Pot, who had to provide a little crisis counseling to This is Us fans who hijacked a comment thread on a Facebook post featuring a delicious recipe for pork carnitas. Mmm… carnitas. Anyway some of the top responses to distraught home cooks from the brand included, “We’re heartbroken over last night’s episode, too!” and “Jack Pearson was our Valentine so we equally understand your pain with his loss. We love him and we love you too.”
Show creator Dan Fogelman also did a little crisis control for the cooking devices, tweeting that a “20 year old fictional crockpot with an already funky switch” was the culprit of the fire, not the “lovely hardworking” Crock-Pots we all have in our kitchens. Side note: this may be the first time this man has made me chuckle. It’s a nice break from ugly crying.
Taking a moment to remind everyone that it was a 20 year old fictional crockpot with an already funky switch? Let's not just lump all those lovely hardworking crockpots together. #ThisIsUs
— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) January 24, 2018
We didn’t really see Jack perish in the flames, he was still alive at the episode’s end, trying to get everyone out of the house. Maybe he used the fire to fake his death and he’s living on an island on Bora-Bora? I’m sure I’m not the only one holding out hope, but I think we all know the inevitable conclusion of this storyline. And if you think that you heard the whole story this week, think again. Check out the preview for the next episode and stock up on those tissues.
This is the episode.
Tune in Sunday, February 4 after the Super Bowl and set your DVR with extra time so you don't miss a single minute. #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/yBpnIlqLrC
— This Is Us (@NBCThisisUs) January 24, 2018
And I thought having to root for the defeat of the Patriots by my second most disliked team was sad enough. South Carolina news reporter Matt Dowell is new my spirit animal after this epic tweet.
OF COURSE THE DAY WE FIND OUT ABOUT JACK’S DEATH IS GONNA BE AFTER THE SUPER BOWL BECAUSE JACK LOVED THE SUPER BOWL AND IT WILL BECOME A DAY OF GRIEVING FOR ALL OF AMERICA #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/AsXz61AHnh
— Matt Dowell (@TheMattDowell) January 24, 2018
Photos: Getty Images, WENN.com
Jack goes back in to save Kate’s dog. It was telegraphed over and over Tuesday night.
I think you nailed it. And hasn’t Kate been saying all along that it’s her fault her father died? If he went back in to save her dog, that explains why she feels this way.
This show leaves me crying every week!
Honestly, I gave up watching it lat 2017. Can not stand the angst, and I adore Sterling Brown. I want him, Courtney Vance and Morgan Freeman to read the phone book to me while I drink red wine.
Meh. I really liked this show at first… but the writers have been dragging this story line out for so long that I don’t really care anymore. The show isn’t as good as it thinks it is.
Boy are we cranky, lol? It actually is a very good show…
Same. Actually, the only storylines I care about anymore are Randall and his family.
I stopped after season 1, Randall’s family and story were great, but I didn’t care about anyone else, and actively hated Toby.
Co-sign, I want a Randall family only spin-off!
agree – i think the entire thing is preposterous. just…too much.
I still watch it every week, but, yeah, it’s dragged on a bit.
If you think this TV show is preposterous, thank goodness you don’t know how unbelievably crazy my life has been… Lol.
I too am an adopted child in the UK…
Randalls adoption is one which is so much more successful than many. Admittedly, not without it’s problems, but nonetheless successful,…
Just a side thought, I wonder if in years to come, we as societies, will find a less traumatic method than adoption… Will it be consigned to the history books?
I think it’s a great show, issues are depicted, which are rarely touched upon in dramas.
There’s an honesty with compassion for each character… whilst the writing is good, long may it continue.
Agreed. I’m starting to hate-watch this show. Kevin is annoying. Kate’s issues are endless. Mandy moore’s wig doesn’t age her 20 years.
Randall was the one character I didn’t mind I liked his story and his character but I feel like Randall jumped the shark this week.
The writers have been using ‘electrical’ problems in the house forever. Jack was always off fixing the breaker. And now it’s a 2nd hand crock pot with a mind of its own switch? I’m almost done with this show. Like I said , hate watch.
@Jordana – you summed up my thoughts, exactly! Kevin and Kate are such brats as kids, and annoying as adults. Randall was ok until the past few eps. I think I’m gonna watch the ep to see how Jack dies, and then I’m out.
@Lobstah
Thank you! I thought I was the only one!!
Kevin and Kate were bratty kids, who turned into not-great adults. Randall was the only decent person on the show.
The dog shelter scene was just too much…..Omg a dog…..Kate has ‘issues’ because she had a dog when her dad died.
Was I the only one shouting at the tv ‘the dog doesn’t care about your ‘daddy’ issues?! He needs a home. The adoption tease is just cruel!. I only felt bad for the dog in that scene.
I’m done with this show!
@ALOT about the shows not as good as it thinks it is,I say yes and no to that.We were not even a little interested first season,but on a humid ,rainy day last summer ,husband,daughter,and I sat down and binge watched the first season in one day.We really liked it especially the story of Randal and his bio father.We were excited for season 2-have not been as impressed.We’ll watch (I think)after super bowl,and after that no more until season is done and can be on demand .Some summer day I’d like to binge all of season 2-I think binge watching this show is the only way to go because it can get super sad,but redundant too?IDK-when you’re not waiting week to week and watch the story flow it just works better.Don’t see how long this show is meant to last once their story is told-😃Just my two cents
Have some RESPECT
(as I continue to cry and snivel and be emotionally manipulated by television)
I pretty much ugly cry with every episode and Tuesday’s latest was no different. I even cried watching the preview for the post SB episode. But…..one of my favorite moments during Tues.’s episode was when the older ladies from the apartment building started gathering to watch a tank top-clad Kevin take down a wall with a sledge hammer. I love those little comic moments, not to mention Beth & Randall’s banter. It keeps the show from getting too heavy and melodramatic. Such a great show!
AND Jack was a Steelers fan and Lord knows we’re all already in mourning *sob*
That show is emotional porn, every week I tell myself it is just a TV show. Every week after watching it, my heart feels trampled on.
Not looking forward to the episode where Jack died, it will remind me too much of losing my dad and yet I am looking forward to seeing what happened and getting answers.
It’s not even 7AM here, how early is too early to have a drink? This article…!! Damn!!
I know how you feel. I lost my dad too. The emotions these actors portray is so accurate. I am looking forward to next week’s episode but at the same time I’m not ready lol. It’s going to be so heartbreaking and it’s going to bring back a lot of emotions from the day my own dad died. Uhhhh.
I’m actually not that moved by Saint Jack’s death. William’s, on the other hand, gutted me.
Ok, let’s not get ahead of ourselves!
As much as I love the show, I think they pretty much set everything out and unless they can pull a rabbit out of the hat and do something really unexpected and sensational, we can see where this is going.
I just hope they didn’t think of anything extremely unbelievable, to the point of absurdity, such as a freak accident.
This is no “who killed Laura Palmer”!
I haven’t cried during this show….but I did get misty when Kate rescued Audio from the shelter after all. And I never liked Toby but he was adorable with that adorable dog.
Yeah,minx I’m trying to like Toby,but he still grates my nerves trying to find the good in him not just the annoying.He is a bit childish I’m sure Kate will end up caring for the pup cause Toby seems to immature to get up in the night and stand in the yard FOREVER-at least that’s what we’re doing with our mini poodle pup!I just want the dog to be good for Kate!
The episode that absolutely destroyed me was the one when William died. I’d just lost my mom and hadn’t really dealt with it. That episode almost sent me to therapy.
I’m sorry! That was a heartbreaker, but that would definitely compound everything.
It was rough but cathartic. Helped me address my grief.
William has always been the one I connected with most. The episode in the first season that began with William sitting on the bus, and the quick sequence of meeting Randall’s mom and then riding the bus with baby Randall – ugly crying. I actually stopped watching for a while because of it. His character was perfection. Jack has always gotten on my nerves because he’s portrayed as a saint whereas Rebecca is treated like the bad guy.
I started bawling when she told Audio she was sorry and “left” It’s one of the few times I wanted the trite fairy tale (happy tail) happy ending
It was so sad. I love the show. It’s just sweet and nice, but, this one is sad. And I agree- we Steelers fans are already mourning in Super Bowl Sunday. Half my family are Vikings fans too so it’s a major double hit.
I think we’re going to have some hospital scenes where Jack is still alive and he tells Rebecca to live her best life and do well by the kids and he’ll see her on the other side then he dies from smoke inhalation.
omg they would totally do that and drag it out another season. replete with blood transfusions and more guessing games about what will actually cause the death. I can’t with this show. it’s like a melodramatic version of Final Destination.
I wonder if it’s not going to happen the way we all think. There’s something else going on. Remember the scene where Rebecca pulls up to the burned up house and has Jack’s belongings with her? Not sure that makes sense if he dies in the fire. And the timeline isn’t quite right with what Randall and Kevin were talking about in the last episode: he’s been gone longer than he was with us, something about twenty years and Randall says he can’t imagine being older than Jack made it to. It makes it seem like he died when they were closer to 20.
Rebecca is probably bringing his things home from the hospital after he dies (wedding ring and other stuff) in that episode.
The kids were 18 when he died and he’s been gone 20 years, so they only had him for 18 years vs. the 20 years they’ve had to live without him.
In the episode when Kevin is in therapy, the mom say that their dad wasn’t there for their graduation if I recall right. So he really died when they were 17
I absolutely love this show and was definitely crying at the end of this episode but can I be honest? Kevin and Kate’s storylines are so meh. I would legit watch a show of just Randall’s family, they’re the best part of the show, especially now that Jack is dead dead.
Yes, but can he just staaaahp dragging his wife and family into things without actually asking for their input or feelings? It’s not cute. Beth (best character on the show imo) deserves more respect lol.
I love me some Beth!
The actress that plays Beth really deserves an award. She’s really really good !
I told my husband I don’t want to watch it anymore, I’ll live in a fantasy world where Jack is still somewhat alive in my mind. It will be too traumatizing to watch him die, even though we know he’s already dead it’s just too much! I’m dreading it.
This show is so ridiculous and corny. I can’t stand it.
Reading these comments reminds me of when ThirtySomething was airing (30ish years ago by some same people central to behind scenes of this show). I’d forgotten how those of us in our 30s were saying similar things at the time, we were all so frustrated and cranky about the characters as time wore on.
Now I’m older and this show is fantastic. Bear with me. Probably because I’m older and have lived through some tragedies and traumas, this show is giving me positive feels. It’s real life. People do grow up to be either jerks or far better than anyone expected. Beautiful people are sometimes too self absorbed to see anyone else’s pain as valid. And the silver lining believers can work a last nerve sometimes. When I reflect over a life of various friends, families I’ve known closely and from a distance, this show is presenting the pain and joy and random twists of life in a cathartic way. Life can beat you down sometimes. I’m loving this show for its resilience and empathy focus.
TL;DR This show is classic Ken Olin 👍☺️ I love it
OMG Carrie, I remember my friend and I were taking a cooking class on Tues. nights; all the ladies were into it, and we’d all talk about the episodes before the class started, and we’d all rush home to watch it when the class was over lol. I LOVED that show!
Thanks for bringing up a good memory 😊
I do love TIU; and even though I want to smack some of them upside the head sometimes, I think it’s well acted, and makes us care about the characters (Randal and Beth are *definitely* my favs, and I, too, ugly-cried when William died. Ron Cephas Jones was superb in that part, as was Jermel Nakia as young(er) William).
That sounds like a great way to watch the show! I’m happy to bring good memories to mind 😊
My favs have been the same, Randall, Beth, William. I like all of them individually too which is a testament to the writers as well I think. The actors are delivering great performances across the board.
I love crockpots.
I have two of them.
Over the years, I’ve thrown out 3 of them because guess what?
THEY’LL CATCH FIRE!
Throw that sh*t out!
For cryin’ out loud, you can get a new one on sale for $10.
I got my last fancy $100. crockpot on sale after Christmas for $20 using my coupon and Kohl’s cash and stuff. Best: chicken and dumplings, roast with baby carrots/potatoes/gravy, posole (Mexican stew) keeping stuff warm, ham and pinto beans. Teriyaki ribs w/ bell peppers, onions, pineapple chunks….
You can feed yourself -and a lot of other people- pretty well and cheap with a crockpot.
I really thought Jack had passed out drunk with a cigarette and burned down the house.
I’m a little relieved it turned out like this.
This is Us reminds me of the Stranger Things phenomenon…each show had a fantastic first season, both had great acting, great story lines, etc. Then season two hits and it seems like they are DRAGGING out each episode so much you get disinterested. They really need to step it up and get some better writing if there’s going to be a season three.
Am I the only one who thought It was revealed in season 1 that Jack died in a drunk driving accident?
Parenthood was many levels above this show and barely got renewed each new season. I dont understand why this hamy show is getting such recognition.