Spoilers ahead for the Season 5 finale of This Is Us, “The Adirondacks.”
As wedding bells were ringing for Kevin and Madison in the Season 5 finale of This Is Us, they were also ringing for another Pearson. The surprising flash-forward at the end of the episode raises even more questions than before and might finally give fans a chance to connect all of the flash-forwards that have been presented thus far. Ahead of the show’s sixth and final season, creator Dan Fogelman is hinting at what fans could look forward to in the upcoming season.
The Season 5 finale of This Is Us ended in a flash-forward of what some assumed to be Kevin’s wedding in the future, following his and Madison’s canceled ceremony. However, it was revealed that Kate was the one getting married, and to her music school co-worker Phillip. While it’s been hinted, especially recently, that Kate and Toby weren’t going to last, this could finally answer some questions that fans have about some other flash-forwards. Though with some answers there are still plenty of questions, but Dan Fogelman promises to TVLine that there will be resolution in the rewarding final season:
Because our audience has been so devoted, and because hopefully we’ve smartly set up the contained areas where these future timelines live, I think you’re going to have a real sense of resolution and completion for this family. It’s where the mixed-up VHS tapes of this family’s existence will all coalesce and speak to one another in completion. And so we have been working tirelessly to set up this rewarding final season to make all the pieces fit together.
The flash-forwards have been such an important part of This Is Us, as well as the flashbacks. While a majority of the flash-forwards have been confusing, as they don’t want to reveal too much too soon, the flashbacks have been a way to connect a past storyline to a present one, or even future one, and seeing what the Pearson family was like between Jack and Rebecca’s relationship, the Big Three, and more. Seeing how it all comes together in the end and what the flashbacks really tell us about the Pearson family for the future will give fans a sense of resolution, which is what Dan Fogelman is promising.
Although Season 5 of This Is Us fell two episodes short of its usual 18-episode length, the series still provided a plethora of heavy and emotional storylines. The season continued Kevin and Randall’s tense relationship following last season’s finale outburst, as well as the birth of Kevin and Madison’s twins paired with the birth of Kate and Toby’s adoptive daughter the same day, Tess dating someone new, all in the middle of a global pandemic. With Season 6 being the last one, there’s no doubt that along with the resolutions that fans are going to get, there will also be plenty of emotions as fans prepare to say goodbye to the Pearsons.
While waiting for the sixth and final season of This Is Us to premiere midseason on NBC, the first five seasons are streaming on Hulu.
