It feels like This Is Us just came back from its three-week Olympics break, and yet, it's already time to say goodbye to Season 2 for good.
Tonight's episode marks the season finale, and much like the rest of the series, it's promising a lot of tears (hello, old Jack) and drama, since, as Susan Kelechi Watson puts it, "ish hits the fan."
Here's what to expect from This Is Us Season 2 Episode 18, "The Wedding."
Old Jack makes an appearance.
This is certainly not something we ever thought we'd see: the beloved Pearson patriarch as an old man. But the teaser for tonight's episode gives us just that, with an older (still very dashing) Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) surprising Rebecca at their daughter's wedding. He asks his wife, "Where did the time go, Bec?"
Cue the waterworks.
As all This Is Us watchers and non-watchers know by now, Jack Pearson is very much dead—he had a heart attack after suffering from smoke inhalation when the family home caught on fire. Thus, an elderly Jack might seem like pure fan-baiting, but Milo Ventimiglia promises this scene is featured for an important reason. "Our writers... have built this beautiful idea of giving the audience an aged version of Jack," he revealed on Megyn Kelly Today (via ET).
We'll also see some of Jack's past.
In an interview with executive producer and co-showrunner Isaac Aptaker, The Hollywood Reporter reported that we may see some of Jack's time in Vietnam—hinted at earlier this season—in the finale episode.
Kate and Toby tie the knot—maybe?
Everything in that teaser (and the episode's title) suggests we'll finally see Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan) marry. Aptaker told THR in an another interview, "We are throwing everyone together up at the family cabin for a very, very big celebratory occasion."
Sure, this sounds like it could be nuptials, but it's notable that Aptaker does not say "wedding." Does that mean it's not happening? NBC released photos that sure make it look like the "Ka-Toby" wedding is about to take place:
But Cosmopolitan theorizes that Kate may very much leave Toby at the altar, especially since the scene with old Jack is very likely a dream sequence: "Just imagine this brutal twist and tell me that it’s not pure This Is Us: After watching Kate’s dream vision of her wedding to Toby, we see the real thing fall apart."
We'll have to wait until Tuesday to learn the truth.
Toby's parents and someone from Beth's family will make an appearance.
Aptaker also told THR we'll meet three new characters in the finale: Toby's parents and someone from Beth's side of the family. "We cast some pretty in-demand actors, so it's always a bit of a matter of scheduling, but yes, we cast Beth's family member and then Toby's parents," he said. "We love all three of them, so I certainly hope [we'll see them again]."
Deja's future will be more certain after the finale.
The most recent episode of This Is Us ended with Deja's mother, Shauna, leaving her daughter with the Pearsons so Deja could finally get the opportunity to be a kid. But this storyline is not over; Susan Kelechi-Watson (who plays Beth) told EW that "ish [with Deja's situation] hits the fan next week." The actress revealed, "You’re going to see how Deja responds to all of this and what we’re in for here."'
Twenty years after Jack's death, The Pearson kids are finally coming to terms with their grief.
"They're always going to miss him, they're always going to mourn him, but looking forward they're hopefully going to be doing it in a more healthy way," Aptaker told THR. He also hinted at what's to come in Season 3: "I think there's a real excitement for the places these characters can get to in Season 3, really for Kevin and Kate... There's a couple moments at the end of the [finale] that are definitely 'whoa' moments that I can't talk about at all, unfortunately, but are going to get people very excited for what's next."
In an interview with Deadline, Mandy Moore (Rebecca) teased an unexpected cliffhanger in tonight's episode, while Justin Hartley (Kevin) said of the finale, “It's a bit more lighthearted”
The This Is Us Season 2 finale, "The Wedding," airs Tuesday, March 13 at 9 PM EST on NBC.
