There's no question that Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) deserves a trophy for being the best new dad on TV. Whether he's cheering the loudest at his sons' football game or giving his daughter a much-needed pep talk, we don't deserve a human being as warm and lovely as Jack. That's why the reveal that our favorite mustached man didn't survive to see his kids turn 36 was so damn heartbreaking. Why must the good die young?!
While fans took Jack's mysterious death hard, no one seems to have a harder time with it than Kate (Chrissy Metz). Her father's death is a deep emotional wound and it's making some fans wonder if it's more than just his untimely passing that makes it such a hard thing for Kate to discuss. Could Kate have been the one to find Jack's body?
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Reddit thinks so. A thread started by user south_chi_guy about the Pearson kids' different reactions to Jack's passing points brings up some interesting points about Kate. While Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) revealed pain surrounding their father's death (Kevin, for example, mentions that he destroyed all of the model airplanes he built with his dad) it's Kate who practically shuts down when how Jack died is discussed. Kate is comfortable mentioning her dad in terms of happy memories, but she's incapable of talking about how he died with anyone — even her fiancé Toby (Chris Sullivan).
In the episode "Jack Pearson's Son," Toby asks Kate to discuss Jack's death with him, because while he knows how he died, he doesn't know the specifics. Kate completely clams up, even stating that she can't "get the words out." That tracks with her behavior at the Pound Fitness class during her wellness retreat — she literally screams when she thinks about her dad's funeral, indicating that it's something she rarely thinks about. Could the reason for that be because she was the one who found Jack's body?
It would make sense. Some people believe that Jack died while Rebecca (Mandy Moore) was on tour with her band — making it far more likely that Kate is the one who finds Jack's body, as opposed to her mother. Then there's the theory that Jack drank himself to death in some way: We saw him fall of the wagon at his lonely Valentine's Day dinner, which may have been indicating trouble to come.
Kate's issues certainly seem, in part, to be wrapped up in Jack's death — and this heartbreaking theory might clear up some of our bigger questions.