What’s next for the Pearsons?
Jack may be gone in the now, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see more of him — and Milo Ventimiglia
OK, This Is Us fans. Sunday’s episode was a lot to absorb, as it resolved the long-running mystery of Jack Pearson’s death and provided a couple of surprises to propel the show forward.
So, take it all in. Catch your breath, but do it quickly. There’s another episode of NBC’s hit drama Tuesday (9 ET/PT). And that raises the question: Where do we go from here?
Fortunately, series creator Dan Fogelman offers some broad strokes about the final four episodes of Season 2 and hints about Season 3.
On Tuesday, the ramifications of Jack’s death will play out in “The Car,” which promises “the history of the Pearsons as told through the family car.”
“It’s not quite a to-be-continued, but it’s the next step in the process,” Fogelman tells USA TODAY.
The episode also features an appear- ance by Dr. Katowski (Gerald McRaney), who delivered the Pearson children in the series premiere.
Could Sunday’s events mean less Jack — and Ventimiglia — going forward?
No, Fogelman says flatly. “I think there would be a revolt if we got less Milo.”
So when the final three Season 2 episodes begin Feb. 27 (after a break for NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage), Jack remains a central figure, still alive in past timelines and an influence on his wife and children in the present day.
“We are determined that the show continues moving forward with regular episodes that have nothing to do with Jack in terms of his death, but everything to do with Jack” in other respects, Fogelman says. “It’s not like we’ll completely ignore the story we just told over the last few episodes, but you will also see (this season) just continues moving forward.”
Teasing future story lines, Sunday’s episode also featured the surprise and welcome return of foster child Deja, who could be taking up residence permanently with Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and his family. Viewers also took a trip into the future, seeing Randall’s daughter, Tess, as a social worker, placing a young boy with potential parents as an older Randall, himself adopted, looked on.
Fogelman also says one upcoming episode focuses on Jack’s and Rebecca’s wedding anniversary when their three kids are 10; another on “a side character” and the March 13 season finale features “a big family” plot.
Next season, This Is Us will check in on the children a year after the fire, weaving that and other time periods together with contemporary stories of the adult Big Three.
“Once you know all the details of what happened to Jack, it makes the story lines even richer,” Fogelman says. “And we’re excited to do that once the audience is no longer going, ‘How did he die?’ ”