This Is Us is on the verge of a major character's death, and some fans fear the series may not be done there. While some viewers turned their attention to Crock-Pot following the conclusion of the episode "That'll Be The Day," others tweeted out of fear the show may have foreshadowed the death of either Kevin or Randall Pearson during the duo's big heart-to-heart. Series creator Dan Fogelman seemingly laid fans' fears to rest to the supposed foreshadowing, but his wording could prompt even more folks to start worrying about the Pearson brothers' future:
Listen, I can't reassure anybody of anything. I can assure everybody that we're not killing Randall this season, so everybody can relax. I think they would burn my house down. I've experienced with a lot of friends, when you've lost a parent, particularly for whatever reason a parent of the same sex -- a guy losing his father or a girl losing her mother early -- there can be a slight mortality clock that kicks in a bit earlier than it does on other people, especially since it was formative. And I think that's something Randall and Kevin feel.
Most of Dan Fogelman's quote sounds positive there, although he really only assured This Is Us fans that Randall is safe for the rest of Season 2. That might be a cryptic way of revealing Randall's death is on the table for Season 3! Of course, Fogelman may have also worded things that way to avoid future spoilers and it's quite possible he does not even know what's in store for The Big Three next season at this point,
Dan Fogelman indicated the real reason behind the This Is Us' conversation between Kevin and Randall draws back to the show's never-ending effort to touch on real aspects of everyday life. Losing a parent at a young age can be tough, and as Fogelman told EW, the scene was meant to draw upon a common trend he's noticed amongst people who've gone through a similar experience. Fogelman's takeaway from the scene is a lot different than that of paranoid fans. Rather than hyper-focusing on Randall, Fogelman drew attention to Kevin's thoughts on his brother's mortality:
Watching that scene between Randall and Kevin, the hairs on my arms go up more for Kevin, how assuredly he talks to Randall about how you're never gonna die but doesn't say anything about himself. We're not [hinting at] anybody's death, but it's always interesting the way that people view their own mortality.
If Dan Fogelman didn't want fans to uncover foreshadowing of a character's death, wouldn't that be exactly what he'd say? Fogelman was either quick to get the subject off Randall's death in the discussion of the episode, or he's just being genuine in his evaluation of how This Is Us tackled the complicated nature of coming to grips with one's mortality. Fogelman offered interesting commentary regarding Kevin's headspace. While rehab has gotten him clean, Kevin is still working on a lot of things in his life and might be in a position where he thinks he could die. The next episode should explore more of that as Kevin looks to finally "make amends" with his deceased father. Hopefully Kevin copes with things appropriately.
This Is Us will air a new episode on NBC at a special time following the Super Bowl Sunday, February 4. For a look at upcoming new or returning shows, visit our midseason premiere guide.
