‘This Is Us’ Spoilers: Mandy Moore Promises Sunday’s Post-Super Bowl Episode Will Be A ‘Soul-Crusher’
This Is Us will air an 80-minute special episode this Sunday after the Super Bowl, and Mandy Moore promises that this particular episode will be a “good soul-crusher,” Us Magazine is reporting. In fact, so heartbreaking will be the episode that writer Emily Longeretta believes that NBC viewers will be talking about the episode more than they’ll be talking about Super Bowl LII.
Star Mandy Moore stopped by the magazine for an exclusive interview about the upcoming episode, and she warns fans that they’ll need plenty of tissues.
“I mean, I filmed it and it was really hard on every level. I think it’s … I think it’s gonna be a good soul-crusher.”
In addition to tears, which This Is Us delivers in spades, the episode promises something that the show has been rather short on delivering: answers. In short, says Mandy, all of your questions will be answered (and NBC promos for the episode promise the same thing).
“Everything will be answered. We’re leaving nothing on the table. Everyone will know everything.”
That’s a big promise to make; This Is Us is famous for raising more questions that it answers, teasing along glimpses into how storylines pan out but neglecting to deliver satisfying conclusions. And the biggest mystery of all, which will be solved once and for all on Sunday’s episode, is how dad Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) dies.
Mandy says that finally being given answers will be a relief to This Is Us fans.
“It’ll sort of relieve a little bit of pressure. People will know, and then we’ll be able to get back to telling the story of this family, and I think it’ll make things that much more bittersweet moving forward too.”
This Is Us producer: Super Bowl episode is ‘very satisfying’ but ‘not what people expect’ https://t.co/cOkSyFnFkC
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) February 1, 2018
Based on the most recent episode, during which the cameras showed a defective slow-cooker malfunctioning, a kitchen fire spreading, and a battery-less smoke detector, and NBC promos showing the family home engulfed in flames, it seems almost a given that Jack will die in a fire.
Or will he? This Is Us executive producer Isaac Aptaker tells Entertainment Weekly that the episode may hold a surprise or two.
“It’s not necessarily what people expect.”
Don’t expect Jack’s death to spell the end of the character, however. Because of This Is Us‘ non-linear storytelling across multiple timelines, there’s still plenty of room for Jack’s character on the show. And in fact, Milo Ventimiglia’s name appears in the credits for upcoming episodes after the post-Super Bowl special. Episode 15, for example, which is slated to air on February 6, lists Milo in the acting credits and teases that the episode will give “the history of the Pearsons as told through the life of the family car.” Sounds like that would be a hard thing to pull off without Jack in a major role.
The This Is Us post-Super Bowl episode will air at an unspecified time Sunday night, after the game ends and the post-game ceremonies and festivities have been concluded.
