Jack is awakened in the night by a noise. He’s not sure what it is. He sees smoke coming from the door and opens it. The fire is everywhere. Jack runs outside his room and grabs Randall. He brings Randall to his room and promises to go back for Kate. He makes it to her room, but the fire gets significantly worse. Kate is freaking out and sobbing. He vows to get her out. They manage to make it back to Jack and Rebecca’s room. Jack helps Rebecca, Kate, and Randall get down from the roof. Suddenly, they hear Louie’s cries. Jack says he can get him. Rebecca begs him not to go back inside, but he does anyway. Almost as soon as he goes back inside, the fire erupts. Rebecca, Kate, and Randall watch in horror as they come to realization that Jack may be gone for good.
Suddenly, Jack opens the door with Louie in his hands. He also has a bag of their personal belongings that he snagged on the way out. Is there anyone on this planet who is as good a person as Jack Pearson? Let me know when you find someone. The kids are understandably bummed about the house. “It’s just a house,” Rebecca says.
Jack is taken to the hospital and seems totally fine. He does have soot in his airways, but the doctor is impressed at how well he is doing given how long he was in the house. Jack also doesn’t want any drugs for his burns. He doesn’t want this to push him off the wagon. Jack remembers that he forgot the batteries for the smoke detectors. Jack and Rebecca both acknowledge that they forgot, but at least they’re all OK. Everything is fine now. Rebecca leaves to go get a hotel reservation and food from the candy machine. Before she walks away, Jack says, “Hey, Beck. You’re in front of the TV.” This is the last time Rebecca sees Jack alive.
Rebecca is on the phone when nurses in the background start running around. There’s something going on, but she calls Miguel so she can talk to the kids. She’s getting a candy bar from the vending machine when the doctor from earlier walks up to her. He asks her to sit down. He tells her that Jack went into cardiac arrest. “Mrs. Pearson, your husband has died,” the doctor says. Rebecca is completely stunned and can’t believe what she’s hearing. When she walks to Jack’s room, she sees his lifeless body and breaks down.
She pulls herself together so she can tell the kids what happened. A widow maker’s heart attack, the doctor told her. When Rebecca breaks the news to Miguel, he’s devastated. But she tells him that he needs to suck it up for the time being. This is not about him. When Rebecca goes through the bag of stuff Jack grabbed on his way out of the house, she finds the moon necklace. She puts it on and has never taken it off.
The Toughest Day
Back in the present day, Kate is watching the video of her singing that Jack pulled from the fire on Super Bowl Sunday. This is always a tough day for the entire Pearson family. The video catches in the player, causing Kate to freak out. It’s the only video she has of her dad. While getting it fixed, Kate opens up to Toby. “He died because of me,” she says. “Because in the scariest moments of our lives, he couldn’t bear to disappoint me.”
Rebecca and Kevin talk about what they do on the anniversary of Jack’s death. Rebecca says she buys ingredients for Jack’s favorite lasagna and makes it for herself. Miguel knows she needs this day to be alone. She admits that Jack always finds a way to make her belly laugh on the toughest day of the year.
Meanwhile, Randall is celebrating on his dad’s favorite day. Annie’s poor lizard passes away, though. Randall makes a speech that’s not just about Mr. McGiggles, but about Jack. “When you lose someone, when you lose someone suddenly and unexpectedly, it hurts differently,” he tells his family and their friends. Later, Tess and Randall have a heart to heart. She confesses she’s been taking the landline off the hook because a social worker has been calling. Tess feels like her dad wants a new life and a new family. Randall stresses that no one will ever replace her. They all just have more love to give. That love extends to Deja and that new foster kid we saw earlier in the season. But the foster kid is not going to be Beth and Randall’s adopted child. Tess becomes a social worker and helps him find a new family. An older Randall looks on proudly as his daughter helps the little boy. Who saw that flash forward coming?!
Kevin decides to visit Jack’s favorite tree. While on the phone with Rebecca, he realizes that he’s actually not at the right tree. That gets a laugh out of his mom. “This year, he sent me you,” Rebecca tells Kevin. Kevin coming home was Jack’s gift to Rebecca. What a hell of an episode of This Is Us! Kudos to the entire cast for their masterful performances.
HollywoodLifers, what did you think about the This Is Us Super Bowl episode? Let us know!