It finally happened. Kind of. Sort of. We think.
After a high-flying debut season, "This Is Us" returned Tuesday night with its sophomore outing and the promise that the circumstances around a central mystery that fans wanted answers to _ how patriarch Jack Pearson died _ would become more clear. (And look, we're not good with twists so, yes, you can expect spoilers if you continue reading.)
The premiere was packed with the show's signature emotional moments. But it was the final minutes of the NBC time-jumping family drama that will have fans talking.
Things kick into gear after Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) have a heart-to-heart soon after the epic fight that closed out last season.
They're living apart, but Rebecca offers hope that they'll get through it. Jack then reveals that his alcohol dependency has gotten worse _ a confession that prompts Rebecca to demand Jack go home with her so they can tackle his problem together.
The scene transitions to a slight time jump, with Rebecca driving and emotional, and the camera pans to a shot of Jack's possessions in a clear plastic bag. Viewers then see the distraught teenage versions of Kate (Hannah Zeile) and Randall (Niles Fitch), while Kevin (Logan Shroyer) was out somewhere with a girl, oblivious to the circumstances.
The episode closed with a shot of Rebecca pulling up to the Pearson's mailbox. She let out a heartrending wail as the camera zoomed out to reveal their burned-down house _ suggesting that Jack likely died in the fire.
"But did he die in the fire? Did he get out of the fire? Did he start the fire?" Ventimiglia said coyly during a Q&A panel after Tuesday night's premiere at Neuehouse in Hollywood. "We didn't actually see the house on fire."
Milo!
Moore said of that final moment: "That's not the full story, that's just a piece of the puzzle."
When we caught up with her at the premiere after-party, Moore said filming that scene was overwhelming.
"It felt like a year-and-a-half of pent-up emotion _ it was heavy," Moore said.
Dan Fogelman, the show's creator, said it's a relief to finally have it out there. He said he kept tabs for a few minutes to Twitter reaction following the show's East Coast airing.
"I really felt for a long time very confident in the first episode _ and, frankly, the season," he told The Times. "But you never know until you put it out into the world. It felt good that people seemed to be responding to the episode _ and even to the ending. Obviously, learning how a favorite character dies, you're never going to go, 'Great, I loved that.' But, so far, from what I've seen, fans are liking the execution of it. And that was fulfilling."
And keeping it under wraps was of high importance. Fogelman said the final scene, which had been planned for about six months, was referred to as "The Marble" in the writers room, explaining the code name was a nod to a Beyonce video. He also said that he wouldn't put anything in writing about the scene. And that filming of Rebecca approaching the burned-down house took place just two weeks ago, about three hours outside of Los Angeles. The version viewers see of Moore is the first one shot.
"I was very anxious for a long time," Fogelman said. "It was pretty amazing we kept it a secret as long as we did."
Of course, Fogelman is well aware there are still questions to be answered about Jack's death. And he says they will come.
"We have 18 episodes (this season)," he said. "There's a lot of different pieces, and we need to see how they all come together. In the course of the season, you'll know everything. And new things will arise, as is the nature with our show."
