‘This Is Us’: 5 Questions We Need Answered After the Season 6 Premiere
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Season 6 Premiere of This Is Us, “The Challenger”]
This Is Us finally returned as the Big 3 rang in their 41st birthdays and different plots teased where their paths may lead as the final season unfolds on NBC.
The hit drama pretty much picked up where the present timeline left off, leaving Rebecca (Mandy Moore) dealing with her continued Alzheimer’s battle, Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown) ongoing effort to better the world around him, Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) role as a father, and Kate (Chrissy Metz) attempting to single parent while Toby (Chris Sullivan) works in San Francisco. As with any season premiere of the series, new questions linger as viewers embark on this final chapter.
We break down a few of them, below.
This Is Us, Season 6, Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC
What Does Rebecca's Latest Health Update Mean?
Rebecca tells her family that her latest scans show plaques on her brain, suggesting the progression of her Alzheimer’s, and throughout the episode, she struggles to find the word “caboose” in her vocabulary. Her fixation on the term carries on until she can finally manage to pluck it from her memory, and it’s unclear if her “aha” moment at the end of the episode is a positive sign or not? So far, we know that Rebecca does decline with her health years into the future as her family surrounds a hospital bed. The big question is whether that result is from a slow or quick progression of her memory problems. Hopefully, she has some fight in her still as we’d hate to see Rebecca suffer so much in the show’s final chapter.
Will Randall's Home Intruder Experience Inspire His Next Political Move?
Randall tries helping the man who broke into his home in the Season 6 premiere, and although he doesn’t show up at the shelter Randall tries setting him up at, the Pearson is still determined to help the people of Philadelphia. Instead of getting upset at the man, Randall feels the need to do better on his end, could this be the catalyst for his next political career move? Currently serving as a Councilman, Randall’s reach is less than what he’d have in a higher position, and based on some hints in flashforwards, Randall’s future holds some exciting career opportunities.
What Will Kevin's Return to The Manny Mean for His Sanity?
Kevin can’t ever seem to catch a break as he moved out of Madison’s (Caitlin Thompson) to get away from being in her space, particularly when there are romantic prospects around. The underlying jealousy is clear, but that’s not his biggest problem, Kevin seemingly agreed to sign on for a reboot of his former show The Manny. While he believes the benefits for his kids outweigh the risks of his own career, we can’t help but worry about his mental well-being, particularly when Rebecca’s health is continuing to derail. Will this return to TV be good for the actor or do him more harm than good?
Will Uncle Nicky Find Love With Sally?
Uncle Nicky (Griffin Dunne) repeatedly brings up how he is Facebook stalking his first love, Sally, and the incessant topic drives Rebecca to suggest that they find Sally in real life and reunite her with Nicky. What would this look like? We’re not sure, but we do know based on flashforwards that Nicky does end up married to someone, the only question is if that’s Sally or not? Should he find Sally, would she be ready to start a life with him? We’ll have to tune in and see.
Will Toby's Job Be the Downfall of His and Kate's Relationship?
Kate’s clearly struggling to care for baby Jack and Hailey while Toby is away working, but she couldn’t seem more thrilled to see him when he surprises her at home. While this duo has had plenty of bumps in their time together, there’s this feeling that nothing is astronomically wrong at the moment, which makes us wonder, is it really Toby’s job that forces the marriage to break down, or will it be an event that changes everything? Considering she ends up marrying Phillip (Chris Geere) in the future, we can’t help but feel concerned over the impending end of Kate and Toby’s romance. Let’s hope it’s like ripping off a band-aid, quick and less painful than a drawn-out event.
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