The “Big Three” have come so far in the four seasons of This Is Us. There's Kevin who, after spending years struggling to be just like dad Jack, is now “all in” on becoming a father; there's Kate, who's no longer looking for love and self-acceptance in all the wrong places; and there's Randall, whose career in politics has given his life brand-new meaning.
This Is Us is definitely a family drama at heart, but we've got to give the show some credit for crafting mysteries. Who lives! Who dies! Who marries their ex! Between the flash-forwards and the flashbacks, there's always some clue we can dissect about the fate of the characters, especially when it comes to the Big Three.
Show creator Dan Fogelman knows what happens to them, of course (and so does Mandy Moore, for what it's worth). Fogelman told The Hollywood Reporter that Season 6 will be the final season (Season 5 returns Nov. 10), and that the endings for Randall, Kate, and Kevin are already in motion.
So what, exactly, could "in motion" mean? There are some theories and clues from the show, its writers, and eagle-eyed fans that we can use to make sense of where Kevin, Kate, and Randall end up when all is said and done.
Kevin’s Ending: He Has Kids With Madison, But Marries Cassidy
When Madison, the mother of Kevin's twins, was visibly absent from Kevin’s decade-later flash-forward, we started to question whether or not she was still in Kevin’s life (especially because two other women, Cassidy and Sophie, have been seen in flashes into the future).
Doing his part by saying absolutely everything and nothing at all, Justin Hartley has vaguely addressed Kevin’s fate, even hinting that his future wife could be “someone completely different.”
“I think it’s safe to assume that the flashes that you saw of the women, could or could not be [Kevin's possible future wife] — or it could be someone completely different. And is it safe to assume the woman he is married to is not the mother of his children? I think it’s safe to have that question, but not to assume it,” Hartley poetically pondered to The Wrap after the Season 4 finale.
Per TVLine, Fogelman also told reporters back in March that there’s more to see with Sophie and Cassidy, suggesting that ultimately, things probably aren't finished with these two other women in his life.
Based on Fogelman and Hartley’s comments, and the fact that we rarely see “the last” of anyone on This Is Us, my money is on Cassidy and Kevin reuniting.
Cassidy is still connected to Kevin’s uncle Nicky, and while she’s trying to make things work with her family, it’s possible that she and her husband don't work things out. In fact, understanding the struggle of what it's like to feel disconnected from someone you’re raising a child with could be the very thing that brings Kevin and Cassidy together once again.
But Kevin's fate, romance aside, also has to do with his brother.
Randall’s Ending: A Possible Tragedy Reunites Him With Kevin
There are two things we pretty much know for sure when it comes to Randall. One, Randall and Beth end up together (that's what the flash-forwards show, anyway) and two, Randall will succeed in his career and be the ultimate father (the man is a born over-achiever, even when it causes him extreme anxiety).
But, the big unanswered question surrounding Randall is his relationship status with Kevin. In Season 4, the two brothers stop speaking after that giant fight about Rebecca's treatment plan, and in July, Hartley teased that something will happen with Randall and Kevin that may shift their relationship post-fight.
“Sometimes it takes another event for people to be able to say, ‘Okay, well that was in the past and I'm going to judge you and base our friendship and relationship on recent events, not past events,’” Hartley explained to TV Insider.
One possibility that could be a big "event"? Babies. Randall is an expert on parenting, and maybe Kevin's twins is the thing bridges the gap between them: Kevin realizes he needs his brother’s support, and Randall, ever the giver, can't turn his brother down. New life brings people together... but so does death.
Fan Ellie Eargle who runs the @allthingsmiloventimiglia Instagram account, had a more devastating theory about the brothers' future, as she previously told The Dipp.
"To me, it seems only something as life-changing as the death of their sister [Kate] could bring about an opportunity for reconciliation," she explained.
So maybe it’s not the birth of Kevin’s twins that brings him and his brother back together. Maybe it’s something sadder (and more in line with the show). Which leads us to…
Kate’s Ending: Kate Dies Before Seeing Her Son Jack Grow Up
This is the saddest potential end for the Big Three, so let’s just rip the Band-Aid off. In flash-forwards with her son Jack Damon, Kate is nowhere to be seen after Jack’s teen years. Plus, in one flash-forward, Toby isn’t wearing a wedding ring, and yet he is still spending time with Rebecca, Randall, and Kevin (so a messy divorce seems unlikely).
Fogelman is well aware that fans believe Kate may die soon, but he’s not saying anything about her what happens to her. “I can’t tell you if [the answer to her whereabouts is] going to happen this [coming] season or the season after, but it’ll happen in one of those two seasons,” he joked to TVLine.
Executive producer Ken Olin also told The Dipp that the show has certainly “teed up” the “Kate may be dead” theory. Is that because Kate isn’t dead, and her whereabouts are even more surprising?
The takeaway from all of these possible endings? You’re gonna cry. Sorry, that's showbiz, and it's the only "for sure" in a world where no one is guaranteed a happy ending — including the fans.
Images: NBC