‘This Is Us’ Season 6 Catches up to the Infamous Flash-Forward — What’s Next for the Pearsons?
Only two episodes remain in This Is Us Season 6, which means that the Pearson family’s story is ending. And following This Is Us Season 6 Episode 16, fans will finally get answers regarding the pivotal flash-forward that the series has teased since season 2.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from This Is Us Season 6 Episode 16, “Family Meeting.”]
‘This Is Us’ Season 6 Episode 16 sets up the flash-forward at Rebecca’s deathbed
Randall called for a family meeting the week after Miguel’s death in This Is Us Season 6 Episode 16. He wanted to figure out the next steps regarding Rebecca’s care now that Miguel was gone. And Randall’s solution was to have her move in with him. However, Kevin wasn’t too fond of that idea.
Kevin wanted to honor his mother’s wishes prior to her deteriorating health and have her stay in the house that he had built for her. However, that meant that Rebecca wouldn’t be around her family as much. And Kate thought that both options wouldn’t work for their mother. Ultimately, Kate had the power to make the final decision due to Rebecca appointing her executor in Miguel’s place.
After taking the night to think about her decision, Kate told the family, including the Big Three’s spouses, Madison, Elijah, Nicky, and Edie, that she and Phillip wanted to move Rebecca to Los Angeles to stay with them. But Kevin offered up his own idea for their mother. He and Sophie would move into Rebecca’s house. And since Madison and Elijah wanted to move to the East Coast anyway, their family would be together.
Kate and Randall agreed that this was their best option, and they adjourned the family meeting. At the end of This Is Us Season 6 Episode 16, fans saw glimpses of the Big Three taking care of Rebecca over the next few years. And during the hour’s final moments, This Is Us finally caught up to the infamous flash-forward. Rebecca’s death is just around the corner, and we don’t think anyone is ready to say goodbye to the Pearson matriarch.
The final two ‘This Is Us’ episodes will take place in the pivotal flash-forward and beyond
This Is Us Season 6 has revolved around Rebecca and the final years of her life. And now fans have finally arrived at the flash-forward that seemingly takes place on the day she dies.
But first, let’s back it up a little bit. It’s no secret that the NBC drama jumps around different time periods, whether it’s in the past, present, or future, to tell this family’s story. And beginning in season 2, This Is Us has teased a mysterious, emotional get-together for the Pearsons in 2032. Over the years, the show has filled in the blanks regarding what happened that day. And now, in season 6, we know that it’s the night that they say their goodbyes to Rebecca.
So far, Randall, Beth, Deja, Tess, Annie, Nicky, Edie, Toby, Kevin, Nick, and Franny have been seen at the house Kevin built for Rebecca. And we know that Kate, Phillip, Jack, Hailey, Sophie, Madison, and Elijah will be there as well. Beth brought Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Toby brought the chalk, and Kevin ordered Chinese takeout. It truly will be a Pearson family sendoff for Rebecca.
Given This Is Us Season 6 Episode 16, we know that the next episode will finally answer questions fans have had for a while about the flash-forward. And according to IMDb, the synopsis for episode 17, “The Train,” reads, “The Pearsons gather around Rebecca’s bedside,” further solidifying the proof that the penultimate hour will take place in the flash-forward. And the This Is Us series finale, “Us,” will undoubtedly jump even further ahead in the Pearson family’s lives.
‘This Is Us’ executive producers preview what’s next for the Pearson family
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producers and co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger teased what’s to come following This Is Us Season 6 Episode 16.
“This episode catches us up in time to those flashes forward that we’ve played through the last few seasons of family members arriving at the house and getting ready to say their goodbye to the head of this family,” Berger shared. “By the time this episode is through, we’re really teed up to be at that place.”
Aptaker added that episode 16 “really sets the stage for where the Big Three wound up and where we’ll leave them at the end of this series, and how different that is from where they were when we met them in our pilot.”
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
