This Is Us is officially on the back end of its final season. The recently concluded Big Three Trilogy set Kevin, Kate and Randall on individual journeys that will end — assumedly — in 2034, with the Pearsons gathering at an elderly Rebecca’s cabin to usher her into the next life. It’s been an emotional journey to say the least, and Dan Fogelman isn’t letting off the gas. The creator and showrunner recently revealed that he put the finishing touches on the final two scripts, somehow going this long without fully locking down the ending, and reading through the second-to-last installment apparently caused extreme physical reactions for at least two of the NBC drama’s stars.
The cast and crew seem to be firing on all cylinders so far in Season 6, with hilarious moments from Susan Kelechi Watson’s Beth around the dinner table, full-bodied grief from Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack after his mother’s death, and bittersweet triumph as Chrissy Metz’s Kate finds her voice. “We laughed, we cried,” may sound trite, but it’s proved true for six years. However, speaking at This Is Us' panel at 2022's PaleyFest LA (via TODAY), Dan Fogelman said Mandy Moore did more than laugh and cry after reading the penultimate script:
The second-to-last script — I sent (it) out to the cast and it made Mandy throw up.
I’m almost at a loss for words. We’re expecting to have an emotional experience, but what could possibly happen to cause Mandy Moore to literally vomit? The actress — who has been brilliant as she takes Rebecca through a journey into Alzheimer’s — confirmed Dan Fogelman’s claim about her response to the script:
It was so beautiful and upsetting that that was my physical reaction.
Funny, most people don't refer to the thinks that make them barf as "beautiful," except maybe when booze is involved. In any case, Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia had previously warned that they were “incredibly devastated” to learn how the show ends. If she already knew what was coming, and this was what happened when she saw words on the page, do any of us watching from home even stand a chance at keeping tears and vomit at bay?
It wasn’t just the A Walk to Remember actress who was feeling all the things, either. Chrissy Metz chimed in, saying she also had a physical reaction after reading the second-to-last script:
I couldn't breathe. I couldn’t catch my breath.
I know Sterling K. Brown predicted ugly-crying, but this is a whole different level. Let’s not forget, that wasn’t even the finale's script that they were talking about, but the one leading up to that. Not that This Is Us is ever lacking for emotion, but fans better get ready for a gut-punch all the way up to the face as the series winds down.
The Big Three Trilogy showed the paths Kevin, Kate and Randall will embark upon after their mother asked them to be “fearless” and “make the big moves.” (If you can’t recite Rebecca’s big speech by heart now, what are you even doing?) Kevin was inspired to start Big Three Homes and help military veterans find employment. Kate made a choice for the betterment of her future — even if that means going forward without Toby. And Randall’s political career is about to take off, as he decided he’s going to run for senator. Nothing nausea-forming there, but that could change in an instant.
Those mysteries are going to start getting cleared up pretty fast, so tune as This Is Us continues at 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays on NBC. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what premieres are coming soon.
