7 Questions We Need Answered in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5
In late September, we found out that This Is Us, the show that brings us the full spectrum of human emotion every Tuesday, will return for its fifth season two weeks earlier than originally planned (October 27 instead of November 10).
This Is Us has seen success largely from its reinvention of the family drama. By letting flashbacks and flash-forwards underscore the plot, characters that may otherwise be limited by the length of the show’s run now have many more years of potential arcs. That portrayal of time in the show also lends itself to painful cliffhangers, as we saw across the timelines in the Season 4 finale.
From what’s next for brothers Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) after a brutal argument to the identities of wives for more than one Pearson, scroll down for the questions we desperately need answered in Season 5.
This Is Us, Season 5 Premiere, Tuesday, October 27, 9/8c, NBC
Will Kevin and Randall make amends?
Perhaps the tensest moment of the Season 4 finale was the explosive fight between Kevin and Randall.
After Kevin learned that Randall had been pressuring their mother Rebecca (Mandy Moore) into a clinical trial for Alzheimer’s behind his back, all the family skeletons tumbled out into the yard. Some pretty unspeakable things were said (“He [Dad] died ashamed of you” stands out).
However, in a flash-forward, we saw Kevin put his arm around Randall while the family gathered around an ailing Rebecca. Does this mean they had reconciled by this point, or is this just an olive branch in a hard moment? How catastrophic was this fight, and what will this mean for the family dynamic?
Do Kevin and Madison get married?
At the end of the finale, Madison (Caitlin Thompson) worked up the courage to tell Kevin she was pregnant with his twins. It seems logical to assume that Kevin and Madison get married, but things were still left pretty ambiguous.
We know that by the time the Big Three celebrated their 40th birthdays, Kevin had a pregnant fiancée. Kevin was also wearing a wedding ring in flash-forward scenes. However, since Madison has never appeared in these scenes — and especially since Kevin has a few old flames — it remains to be seen if Kevin’s mystery wife is Madison, Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge) Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison), or someone entirely new.
How will Rebecca respond to her Alzheimer's treatment?
Season 4 left us pretty worried about Rebecca and what her diagnosis means for the future. While much of Rebecca’s health journey in Season 4 was overshadowed by Kevin and Randall’s battle over how to care for her, there remains a lot of unexplored territory for Rebecca herself.
We leave her in Season 4 convinced by Randall to pursue a nine-month Alzheimer’s clinical trial in St. Louis. The obvious question is: Will she actually go, or will Kevin and Randall’s fight affect her decision? What will the consequences be if she does or doesn’t go? How quickly does her health decline, and how will her kids care for her while still allowing her to age with autonomy?
What role will Dr. Mason play?
We were introduced to Dr. Mason (Josh Hamilton) in the Season 4 finale as he tried to tame a new horse with his daughter. We found out later in the episode that he is also Madison’s doctor.
As with any new character in the This Is Us universe, we know Dr. Mason will have a role to play in the Pearson family. It’s notable that we met him in the same episode that Dr. K (Gerald McRaney) briefly reappeared. Could Dr. Mason and Dr. K be connected? How will he play a role in Madison’s journey? Will we see some repeated themes from Rebecca’s pregnancy?
Who does Nicky marry?
Nicky (Griffin Dunne) has worked his way into our hearts as a troubled but endlessly endearing Pearson. In the Season 4 finale, we saw him sporting a shiny wedding band.
We knew from the Season 3 finale that he is still a member of the Pearson clan in the future by way of his presence at Rebecca’s bedside. But who is his wife? Could it be Cassidy? Even Rebecca? There don’t seem to be many options for Nicky right now—should we be anticipating a new character?
How will the show address the pandemic?
This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman has promised that Season 5 will address the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve decided to attack things head on,” he said, while reassuring fans, “Same planned ending. Same route to get there.”
Some characters would definitely be at risk should COVID-19 enter the Pearsons’ story: Rebecca and Miguel (Jon Huertas) due to their age and Madison with her pregnancy, to start. Will Randall and Beth’s (Susan Kelechi Watson) kids be out of school? Will Pearson gatherings even take place?
Where does Miguel end up?
We’re worried about Miguel. He didn’t show up in the Season 3 finale by Rebecca’s bedside, he’s still having problems working his way into the Pearsons’ family dynamic, and he is navigating treacherous waters with Rebecca’s health (which he largely denied to begin with).
Does Miguel make it to Rebecca’s final moments? If not, how come? How will he show up for her—and the Pearson family—while Rebecca’s illness takes them all into uncharted territory?
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