Well, Kate's definitely not in the white car. At long last, This Is Us has revealed that the person in the car is... Edie? In the second episode of Season 6, the viewers are introduced to the woman who will one day marry Uncle Nicky, and to be fair, she's an instant icon who threatens to break out her duct tape if Nicky doesn't put his plane seat in an upright position before takeoff. However, she's not Kate, or Miguel, or even Madison — all of whom are still missing in the flashforwards.
As the show moves deeper into Season 6, the flashforwards should become more frequent (emphasis on should, you really never know with this show). With that in mind, now feels like a good time to recap who all has arrived at Kevin's house to see Rebecca, and who is still worryingly MIA. As of "One Giant Leap," here is everyone who has officially made it to Kev's place:
- Randall
- Beth
- Tess
- Deja
- Annie
- Toby
- Nicky
- Edie
- Franny
- Nicholas
Meanwhile, Rebecca has been revealed to the mysterious "her" everyone is there to see, and Kevin is playing host for the evening, so they're both accounted for in the flashforwards as well. The same cannot be said for the following people, all of whom have yet to make an appearance in the future timeline.
Kate
The longer This Is Us goes without showing Kate, the more worried I become. I mean, surely the writers wouldn't kill off one of the Big Three, right? Right? So far, Kate has not only not shown up in the future timeline, she hasn't even been mentioned. Even more worrying, she's also not in the far-future timeline where her son Jack and his wife, Lucy, have a daughter named Hope. Now, This Is Us could very well be playing the long game here, but until someone gets eyes on Kate, I'm going to remain concerned.
Miguel
If Kate's not a goner, then Miguel almost certainly is. Rebecca apologizes to Miguel for not "getting the best of her" in "One Giant Leap," before reminding him that they have a long road ahead of them in the wake of her Alzheimer's diagnosis. In typical Miguel fashion, he's supportive, steadfast, and utterly smitten with his wife. Which pretty much means he's doomed, right?
Madison
Madison remains a question mark in the future and the present. After she and Kevin called off their wedding, Kev moved into her garage so they could co-parent together, but the eldest Pearson moved out when he realized he was overstepping when it came to Madison's personal life. If Madison sticks to her current path and moves on from Kev for good, then it would make sense for her not to be in the flashforward.
Yes, she is and always will be an honorary Pearson, but she may also decide not to be there when the family says goodbye to Rebecca. Or the show could go in the other direction and reveal she and Kevin end up together after all. The jury's still out on this one.
Phillip
Ugh, you don't even go here, Phillip. Still, since he is Kate's second husband, it stands to reason that he could be the one who is on his way to casa de Kev with Jack and Hailey. Or maybe his marriage to Kate doesn't last, and he's no longer in the picture as the family rushes to Rebecca's bedside. At this point, Kate's British beau is still very much a man of mystery.
Jack & Hailey
Thanks to the far-future flashforward, there's no question about Jack and Hailey's safety. Both kids grow up and lead happy lives, but they're also not at Kevin's house yet. Back in the Season 3 finale, Toby confirmed that Jack said "they" were on their way. Now, "they" could be the entire family unit of Kate, Phillip, Jack, and Hailey, or it could be just Kate, Jack, and Hailey (or Phillip, Jack, and Hailey if Kate is dead), or even Madison, Jack, and Hailey.
But Jack is definitely en route with someone, and since he can't be older than 12 in the future timeline, there's definitely an adult with him. Let's all continue to hope that adult is his mom, Kate, who is well on her way to living a long and happy life just like her mom.
Images: Ron Batzdorff/NBC