As much as we love a backstory about Randall's mom, or wondering if Kevin will get to his twins' birth on time, or hoping Miguel can figure out Expedia flights, the mystery behind the Pearsons' future on This Is Us has felt slower than Rebecca's WiFi connection lately. In fact, up until Tuesday's "The Ride," I had totally forgotten that we spent the past season theorizing about who "Her" was, and whether or not Kate is dead in the future. And now we have a new question to wonder on This Is Us: Who is in the car?

It's been 84.6 years, if you factor in the coronavirus shutdowns, since we've seen this flash forward on This Is Us, so if you need a refresher, here's what we already know:

• Kevin built a Million Dollar Listing-style house based on the plans that Jack sketched out at their old cabin back in 1993 and the whole family is gathering there because...
• In the 2030s, Rebecca is on her death bed.
• Beth and Randall seem to be doing just fine, despite other flash forwards that made it seem like they were split in the future.
• Old Nicky is at Rebecca's bedside.
• And after the most recent flash forward, we know that Tess (who was previously seen with Randall) is joined by her sisters: Deja, who is pregnant and a med student, and Annie, who finally has some lines.

And while all of that is good to know, we now have a mystery car pulling up to the Pearson Chalet with Randall saying "Look who is here." Well, Randall, I'd love to know, but a white car with a penchant for honking during sensitive family gatherings doesn't give me many clues. But let's try to figure it out anyway.

Madison

In previous flash forwards, we've presumably seen both Kevin's twins, but one person we haven't seen is Madison. Of course, even the casual viewer of This Is Us could guess it's because Madison is dead, but if we go the not-grim route, perhaps she's just been kept out of scenes for the anticipation of seeing her pull up to Kevin's house in the flash forward.

Miguel

We've yet to see Miguel in this particular flash forward, either. While he could be the person pulling up behind Deja, Tess, and Annie, that would also be very bo-ring.

Toby

Previously, Toby was hesitant about coming to see Rebecca off in the cabin. Why? We don't know. But he eventually agrees, despite feeling like he shouldn't be there. Why? We don't know. And when he does get there, he's not wearing his wedding ring. Why? We don't know.

Anyway, could totally be him pulling up and honking, although for someone who wasn't even sure if he should be there in the first place, I've gotta say... quite an entrance.

Please, Let It Be Kate

No one has seen Kate in the future and that, paired with Toby initially turning down the visit, has led many fans to think that she's dead. But she can't be! Here's why.

Since some of this cabin flash forward was shown around the same time as the flash forward in which Jack Damon is all grown up, people have assumed that Kate had to have been dead for Toby to not get up and go be with the family. Jack could theoretically get to the cabin alone if he wanted to, if he were old enough. But he's not!

In this flash forward. Jack and Hailey Damon are around the same age as Kevin's kids (Hailey was born the same exact day, Jack just a year before) so they need a grown up to take them to say goodbye to Grandma Rebecca. Which means they have to be with their mom! If Kate died, Toby would definitely still have custody of his kids, right?

While Kate and Toby not working out (and Toby straight up trying to estrange himself from the family) is pretty sad, it makes sense that Toby would have spoken to his son from the car, who informed him that he, his sister, and mom were on the way, alive as can be. Given the mundane way the other mysteries from this flash forward have panned out — like Beth and Randall actually being OK or that "Her" was just Rebecca, the obvious answer all along — there's no way Kate isn't walking through that door in the next flash forward.

It would be awful if it turned out that Kate was somehow dead in the future. But given all the clues we already have, Season 5 might not be as tragic as everyone's assumed. I mean, aside from Rebecca dying, of course.

Images: NBC