This coming Tuesday is the season finale of This is Us. I know, I'm already feeling the loss. But the executive producer came out yesterday and said there are seven things we need to know before watching the finale on Tuesday night. Check out the reasons and then watch the video below. Are you ready for it? I still have to go out and buy a new box of Kleenex, but then I'll be ready :)
From an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, this is what Executive Producer Isaac Aptaker says we have to know before going into the finale.
1. The wedding isn't necessarily going to happen.
"Anything's possible on our show. You have to watch the episode and find out, This is definitely the weekend where everyone's gathered for a wedding, but whether or not rings are exchanged you have to stay tuned."
2. There will be new characters.
In addition to a vision of Jack as an old man (as in the promo, above) the episode will introduce Toby's parents and someone from Beth's family, but there's someone on Toby's side who won't be present. "We're not going to meet Toby's brother in this episode, just his mom and dad,"
3. Kevin and Randall will take on surprising new roles.
"Kevin's very, very committed to staying sober. Luckily he has this outlet to focus on this weekend. He and Randall are almost sharing the role of co-wedding coordinators, and so they really have their hands full with throwing this party," Aptaker said. That winds up being great for the newly sober Kevin. "I think he's too busy to even really be tempted by the alcohol at this event."
4. You'll probably cry — but happy tears rather than sad.
"What I love so much about this finale [is that] it has a real optimism and hope to it," This season was, in a lot of ways, so marked by tragedy and grief and mourning for this family, and we're ending with a wedding, which is one of life's celebratory events. For our Pearsons this wedding is so much about looking forward and this new chapter in their lives where they're coming to terms with the loss of Jack in a much healthier way than they ever have before. It's emotional. There are cry moments. It's still our show, but it has a real optimism and joy to it that I think we've all been craving on the show recently as we've been dealing with the darkest time in this family's life."
5. OK, it might still be a little sad.
"For Kate, the core issue there is how do you celebrate what should be the happiest day of your life when so much of her ideal wedding would have involved Jack, whether it's walking her down the aisle or a father-daughter dance?" Aptaker said. "How do you get over the fact that a lot of those traditions can never be because your father is no longer with you?"
6. Yes, there will be cliffhangers. (Yes, plural).
"We have big cliffhanger moments," Aptaker confirmed. "There's certainly quite a few that hit toward the end of the episode that I think are going to have people very, very excited for season three."
7. Season three will begin with a time jump.
The writers have just begun working on shaping the show's previously announced third season, so there aren't any scripts ready yet. But Aptaker hinted that the premiere will have a similar structure to season two's in that it will only jump forward a couple of months. "We try to stay relatively in real time with our present stories on our show because everything jumps around so much," he said. "We like to keep one constant, so chances are that season three for our present-day Big Three will pick up in the fall of their 38th year."
This Is Us' second season finale airs Tuesday, March 13 at 9 p.m. on NBC.