1. Look, I don’t have to tell you that This Is Us is the emotional rollercoaster ride we all need right now.
Nbc / Ron Batzdorff / NBC
2. And if you’ve been keeping up, then you know World’s Hottest and Greatest Dad™, Jack, dies at some point in his kids’ lives.
Nbc / Paul Drinkwater / NBC
4. Here’s the evidence: 1) Kate gets really freaked out while on a plane, and 2) we see Kevin destroy all of his model planes at some point in his childhood. Plus, 3) Randall works in New York City, and he and his mom live in a nearby suburb, which means the family likely grew up there, and Daddy Jack could’ve gotten a city job at some point.
Nbc / Ron Batzdorff / NBC
5. Of course, there are ways to poke holes in this theory.
Like the fact that the Big Three appear to be teenagers at the time of the funeral, but based off the timeline of the pilot, they would’ve turned 21 in 2001. So the dates there aren’t adding up. Plus, Kate mentions she watched the 2006 Super Bowl with her dad…unless she was lying or meant his ashes?