“This Is Us” just showed us the events leading up to Jack’s death, and I will never be okay ever again
OBVIOUSLY this is a spoiler, but come on, we learned in like the third episode of This Is Us that Jack dies. Jack’s death should not come as a surprise, and the clues surrounding this tragic event have been dropping since the very beginning — like, how it has something to do with a fire and MIA smoke alarm batteries, Kate blames herself, it happened when the Big Three were in their senior year, Kevin has a cast on his leg, something about football, etc.
And now, everything has sadly led us here. The latest episode of This Is Us gives us the moment we have NOT been waiting for: it shows us exactly what causes Jack’s death. And, thanks for asking, you are correct: I will never be okay again.
Episode 13 of the season — OH WOW what an unlucky number — “That’ll Be the Day,” shows us the Pearson’s last Super Bowl Sunday together. Rebecca and Jack are struggling to keep everyone at the house so they can watch the game together, but Kevin’s upset that Sophie gets into NYU and he doesn’t, Kate’s struggling with her own audition tape for college, and Randall is off with his new girlfriend seeing Titanic. Doesn’t sound like a recipe for disaster, but it quickly turns into that.
You see, earlier in the day, Jack and Kevin got into a fight, and Kevin left to go be with Sophie. Later in the night, Jack thinks he hears Kevin come home, so he heads downstairs, only to find Randall there. Now that he’s awake, Jack decides to clean up the kitchen a bit, because he is a thoughtful, caring, wonderful father and husband, and WE DON’T DESERVE HIM. Still, what could go wrong? The answer is: Everything.
Jack clicks the Crock-Pot off in the kitchen — and oh my god I am SCREAMING — but it is a faulty Crock-Pot, and even though Jack turns it off IT TURNS BACK ON. And it SPARKS. And it IGNITES. And soon, the entire Pearson kitchen is on fire, and my heart cannot take this. Apologizes to my neighbors who heard me yelling through all of this, “no, no, no.” Raise your hand if you can relate to this, and be sure to go over and apologize to your neighbors the next chance you get.
Also, double check for faulty electrical equipment in your house/apartment, and also maybe double check that your smoke alarms have batteries. Do it for Jack. The episode ends with the Pearson kitchen engulfed in flames, and you know what happens next. We’ve been preparing for Jack’s death since the beginning of This Is Us, so hopefully you’ve stockpiled enough tissues by now.