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After 31 episodes, many clues and one attention-getting misdirection, This Is Us finally reveals how patriarch Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) died in tonight鈥檚 post-Super Bowl episode.
鈥淎ll of the stuff people might be theorizing about regarding Jack鈥檚 death will get wrapped up in this episode,鈥� said creator Dan Fogelman. 鈥淚 think people are going to be satisfied and, in 鈥� ways they don鈥檛 see coming, they鈥檙e going to be really surprised.鈥�
The fact of Jack鈥檚 death, an unexpected reveal in the hit NBC drama鈥檚 first episode, has obsessed many fans 鈥� who analyze hints and seek clues about the cause 鈥� and annoyed others, who complain the mystery has dragged on too long.
The show, titled Super Bowl Sunday, shifts between the 1998 Super Bowl, the day of Jack鈥檚 death, and this year鈥檚 big game, as Randall (Sterling K. Brown) hosts a Super Bowl party. (Could there be a worse matchup for the Steelers-loving Pearsons than Eagles-Patriots?)
In the earlier timeline, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a continuation of where we left off (in the Jan. 23 episode) with the fire starting to spread鈥� after a slow cooker shorts out and ignites a curtain, Fogelman said. 鈥淚n the present day, we鈥檙e connecting with characters as they鈥檙e contemplating the 20th anniversary of that fire.鈥�
Us fans also learn more about how Jack鈥檚 tragic passing affected family dynamics: Why Kate (Chrissy Metz) blames herself, and Kevin (Justin Hartley) has trouble processing his father鈥檚 death.
鈥淜ate is self-examining, Randall is, in his own way, celebrating his father and Kevin [considers] his history with his father,鈥� Fogelman said.
He always planned to resolve Jack鈥檚 death some time late this season, hoping to link the tragedy to a holiday 鈥渢hat we could build into family lore.鈥�
But when he realized the audience-boosting post-Super Bowl slot was available, he called NBC executives and pitched the Pearsons as 鈥渁 football family.鈥� He probably would have received the slot anyway: The series, one of TV鈥檚 buzziest, is broadcast TV鈥檚 No. 3 drama, averaging 15.5 million viewers, and the top scripted series among young adults.
Many fans reacted strongly, and negatively, to Season 1鈥檚 penultimate episode, in which Kate first claimed responsibility for Jack鈥檚 death and a drunken Jack was seen driving erratically, leading many to expect that would lead to his demise.
鈥淲e thought that was a cool cliffhanger. We didn鈥檛 realize it was going to set the internet ablaze,鈥� Fogelman said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e become careful鈥� parsing out details.
After the Season 2 premi猫re revealed Jack鈥檚 death was connected to a house fire, the show focused on other storylines, including Kate鈥檚 pregnancy and miscarriage, Kevin鈥檚 drug dependency and Randall鈥檚 adoption effort.
鈥淲hile Jack鈥檚 looming death was always in the background, I thought it dissipated a little bit, in a good way,鈥� Fogelman said. 鈥淚t only built up again recently,鈥� with the revelation that the kitchen smoke detector was missing batteries in the closing shot in the Jan. 16 episode.
Besides 鈥渉eartbreakingly sad鈥� moments, the episode also is 鈥渋n parts hold-your-breath thrilling,鈥� especially the opening six-minute scene, he promises.
Fogelman doesn鈥檛 worry that post-game newcomers will be left in the dark.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 Lost. It鈥檚 not so complicated. I think it鈥檚 pretty easy to dive in if you want to,鈥� he said.
