Warning! The following contains spoilers for the latest episode of This Is Us! Read at your own risk!
The latest episode of This Is Us just revealed the answer to one of the biggest mysteries of Season 2. We finally know how the deadly fire that burned down the Pearson home and likely killed Jack started. The revelation came in the show's final scene as Jack flipped the off switch of the crockpot, which had been given to them years ago by a neighbor needing to get rid of junk. Unfortunately, that crockpot was faulty, and as Jack exited the kitchen and went to bed, the crockpot shorted out and started a fire that quickly engulfed the kitchen.
This Is Us definitely just set the stage for the next episode to show Jack's death. It looks as though Jack is going to die generally the way most expected (in the house fire), although it appears things are going to play out differently than some fans thought. Jack is in the burning home, but so are Rebecca, Randall, and Kate. We know the latter three of those four survive. Still, with the fire already creeping up the stairs towards their bedrooms, it's hard to imagine exactly how.
The preview for next week's special post-Super Bowl episode features Jack opening his bedroom door to flames, which means everyone else upstairs is just as trapped as he and Rebecca appeared to be. A quick scene showed Kate in a worse situation than others though, and if Jack makes a daring rescue to save Kate in next week's episode, that might be the reason why she blames herself in the present for the death of her father. It would also explain why just Jack perished in the fire when right now, it looks as though Kevin should've been the only one who survived.
Speaking of Kevin, tonight's episode teased the recovering addict will finally "make amends" with his father, who is the only remaining name he needs to cross off his list. This Is Us hasn't shown how teen Kevin reacted to Jack's death yet, as he was recently revealed to be the only Pearson not in the household the night of the fire. We're not sure exactly why Kevin needs to make amends with Jack, but it could be he feels guilty about not being there to help when disaster struck.
There's also the possibility that Kevin still harbors some guilt over a fight he had with Jack and Rebecca earlier that day regarding his future education. Kevin did call later that day and apologize to Rebecca, but never got a chance to speak to Jack before the fire broke out. This next episode is promoted to be the episode with answers, so hopefully, this newer question will be addressed as well.
This Is Us airs a new episode on a special night on NBC following the conclusion of the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 4. For a look at some new shows that may be premiering or returning around the same time, be sure to head over to our midseason premiere guide.
