Randall Pearson has been on a journey to understand more about his identity since the very beginning of This Is Us, and now — five seasons in — he has finally gotten some answers to his many questions about who his mother was. But with these answers come even more questions and revelations and one thing Randall has to contend with now following the winter return of This Is Us is whether or not his dad, William, knew Laurel was alive.
It would be a betrayal of the deepest sort for Randall to find out his father knew about his mother's status, but luckily for him (and everyone who adored William), Randall's birth father seems to have been telling the truth. As he knew it, at least.
In a flashback in the Jan. 5, 2021 episode "A Long Road Home," William is seen telling Randall that his mother died of a heroin overdose shortly after his birth. It was this overdose that led William to believe that he couldn't care for a child on his own, resulting in him leaving Randall at the fire station for the Pearsons to eventually adopt.
But after Randall goes viral for strip-dancing in his office, a man named Hai reaches out to the politician to tell him that he knew his mother, Laurel, and that she died of breast cancer in 2015 — not all the way back in the '80s like Randall had thought.
Hai tells Randall and Beth over the phone that he thinks that William told Randall a version of the story that he believed to be true, which means he really did think that Laurel died. So, good news: William was not a liar liar pants on fire. The bad news? This only means that Randall's mom either didn't, or couldn't, ever find him after all of these years, which has got to be a tough pill to swallow. Especially for a guy like Randall, who is desperately trying to find a connection to his past and his roots beyond the lily-white Pearson family. Basically, things are going to get a lot harder for the guy before they get easier, and fans are ready for Randall to just catch a break already.
Luckily, Hai isn't withholding any information now, and in next week's episode fans will learn all about Laurel's life, including her near-death experience, and her journey after Randall, and hopefully why she didn't look for him all these years.
Don't be surprised if Hai also reveals that the little girl from the previous episode, Linh, is Randall's step sibling, which will likely be welcome news to Randall. While he might be drifting away from Kevin, Kate, and even his mother as her dementia worsens, series creator Dan Fogelman confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the story of Randall's mom is "fun and beautiful," so hopefully he gets some form of a happy ending amidst all his pain this season.
Still, there are so many questions! How did she recover from her addiction? Did she try to seek Randall out and just fail? Or did she somehow totally block him out of her memory? Also, how did Hai put it everything together so easily? It might take the entire rest of the season to play out, but Randall should be getting some answers, however hurtful they may be, to his questions soon. Thank goodness, too, because he deserves a break.
Images: NBC