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Twitter Promises A Revolt If This Is Us' Jack Dies In A Drunk Driving Accident

Carolyn L. Todd
March 8, 2017, 2:55 PM
Photo: Courtesy of NBC.
"We're going to destroy America by the end of this season," This Is Us star Mandy Moore told Variety this week. And after last night's penultimate episode of the heartrending NBC drama, we kind of believe her.
In the episode, we see a visibly drunk Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) getting in his car to, we presume, drive two hours to Cleveland to surprise his wife Rebecca (Mandy Moore) at her show. Earlier, his daughter Kate could tell that things between her parents were strained, so she encouraged her dad to go see Rebecca. The episode ends with an upsetting scene where a grown-up Kate (Chrissy Metz) tells Toby (Chris Sullivan) that her dad's death is her fault.
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Fans might not jump to conclusions quite so quickly if it weren't for Ventimiglia's ominous insights into his character's decision to start drinking again years after telling his wife he was done. "Alcohol only messes up and further clouds judgment," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Jack's judgment is going to be clouded in a time that he's already really trying to hang onto his family structure...that escape ultimately will come back and bite him in the ass."
Obviously, fans can conclude only one thing: Jack dies in a drunk driving accident. And they are furious. Viewers are tweeting about how predictable Jack dying in this way would be, calling it formulaic and obvious. "If Jack dies in a drunk driving accident that will be the most predictable season finale ever," wrote one disgruntled fan. "I feel like an accident from drunk driving is almost too obvious. It would make me so sad to see him die that way," added another.
Some believe that a drunk driving accident would be, essentially, a terrible way to end a fantastic character's story line. "If Jack on #ThisIsUs dies drunk driving.. I'm going to be soo disappointed, because what a shitty way to end a really good characters life," a critic tweeted. "Such a great man/character...to go out in such an undignified way. Please don't let drunk driving be Jack's demise. I can't!!" said another.
Their anger and outrage is totally justified, because they're right: drunk driving accidents are indeed shitty and undignified. And the fact that that plot point seems predictable and obvious to fans also speaks to a truth about how tragically common those deaths are — and, yes, how avoidable the decision to drink and drive is. At the end of the day, a drunk driving accident is just as heartbreaking a way for a person to die as any, should This Is Us take that route. So feel all the feels, fans. We'll just have to wait and see how things pan out for Jack.
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