UPDATED 2/21/2017, 11 p.m. ET: This Is Us‘ Tuesday, February 21, episode delivered big answers on this topic. Click here for our full recap — but beware of spoilers!
Original story: This Is Us is singlehandedly ending droughts all over the world with the quantity of tears that it elicits. As any fan of the Pearson family knows, the NBC drama has revolved around two major deaths this season: Jack’s (Milo Ventimiglia) inevitable demise when his kids — a.k.a. the ‘”Big Three” — were teens, and William’s (Ron Cephas Jones) present-day, soon-to-occur passing following his stage IV cancer diagnosis. Fans everywhere, Us included, are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens to the two patriarchs of the show — and some viewers are convinced they’ve already unlocked the mystery.
While the show has previously made it clear that Jack dies, it has also been hinting since the start that William’s death is close at hand. William himself has even waxed poetic on the topic of his own fatal ending in countless brilliantly delivered monologues.
Viewers have seen that Jack’s death has been particularly tough on daughter Kate (Chrissy Metz), and it seems safe to assume that William’s will be similarly difficult for biological son Randall (Sterling K. Brown) to handle. On the Tuesday, February 14, episode, Randall suffered a devastating anxiety attack while feeling overwhelmed with work, family obligations and caring for his ailing father.
As the March 14 season finale inches closer, fans have offered a litany of guesses about what happens to both popular characters. Recently, a number of viewers have begun to tweet that the consistently heartbreaking show will reveal both deaths in the same episode — and if that’s the case, countless hearts will clearly shatter, while tissue companies will be reaping serious financial benefits.
Read on to see what fans are saying about the Jack and William dual-death theory!
I feel like the season 1 finale of #ThisIsUs will parallel William’s death with Jack’s death and it’s going to kill us all.
— John Kubicek (@johnkubicek) February 15, 2017
*gasp*
They’re going to show Jack’s death when William dies ?. I’m not ready #ThisisUs— ✨Alisaha Deshan✨ (@XLeeeeshX) February 15, 2017
They are going to give us William’s death and Jack’s death in the same damn episode these @ThisIsUsWriters are good &evil that way #ThisIsUs
— scandaliciousBR (@scandaliciousBR) February 15, 2017
I am depressed. I feel like we are going to see Jack’s death when we see William die and I don’t think I can handle that #ThisIsUs
— This Is Us…Now (@ThisIsUs__Now) February 15, 2017
This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
Tell Us: How do you think the show will handle the two deaths?