This Is Our Speculation Without Spoilers Topic

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

The show could drag out even a quick death as long as they wanted so I'm inclined to agree.  

Yeah, we'll probably get several episodes of the same event, like we did of the day of the birth.

[ProudMary]

On 1/26/2017 at 8:19 PM, OtterMommy said:

Quote from @possibilities from the s1e13 thread:

I have a feeling we will be seeing that--and I think it might have to do with Sophie.  

From what little we've seen of Sophie (flashbacks, one scene in this ep, and snippets in the promo), we know:

1- She was Kate's friend (off-and-on...we don't know if she was ultimately off or on)
2 - Kevin was "in love" with her from a young age
3 - Kevin hasn't had any contact with her since their divorce when they were 24
4 - While although Kevin considers her the love of his life, *she* doesn't seem particularly eager to start anything up with him again

At this point, I just don't see Kevin and Sophie re-starting a relationship.  I get the feeling that this will be the chance for Kevin to get closure and move on, but I just don't get the feeling that Sophie will become a fixture in this show.

Now, back to the quote, it looks like the big 3 were about 15-17 when Jack died and Kevin and Sophie divorced when Kevin was 24.  That's not a lot of time and that period in life is pretty tumultuous under the best of circumstance.  We know that Kate and Kevin had a bond that neither of them shared with Randall, but my speculation here is that the co-dependent aspect started when Kevin's marriage ended.  He's obviously not over it 12 years later, and Kate--as Sophie's friend and Kevin's sibling--probably had some emotional involvement in the situation as well.

Only because this was visual, and I often will have my attention diverted from the screen and depend on audio clues, I wanted to be sure you saw the scene in which Sophie did text Kevin shortly after he left her place to say, "Where?"  So she is interested in meeting with him to at least have a conversation.  Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that she's looking to start something up again.  

On 1/26/2017 at 9:01 PM, OtterMommy said:

I think--or at least I would hope--that Sophie would have mentioned the fact that she was married when Kevin came to her door, but who knows.  I will admit that I found something a bit sweet about Kevin's monologue, but I didn't feel that it was well-received by Sophie, although I can see the reason for that. 

As I said, I think this is just an intro to more angst and possible self-searching for Kevin, and not a new, or renewed, relationship.  I don't have anything against Sophie (I am no holding on to her bad girl behavior from when she was 10) and I'm not *against* a Kevin/Sophie reunion.  I just don't feel like that is the direction the show is taking.

With these writers?  Nope, that's the perfect recipe for a This is Us "twist."  (I rolled my eyes as I typed that!)

5 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

The show could drag out even a quick death as long as they wanted so I'm inclined to agree.  

I laughed out loud at that one!  You're so right.

[methodwriter85]

I wonder if they'll kill off Jack like they killed off Dawson's dad- getting distracted while driving to a classic pop song from the 1970's.

They could have so many angles from Jack's death. There could be an episode about the day before. An episode about the day after. An episode from the perspective of Rebecca. An episode from the perspective of the kids. An episode about their First Thanksgiving without Jack. An episode about the first anniversary. An episode about the 10th anniversary. An episode about the 20th anniversary. (If Jack's death took place in 1997.) So on and so forth.

And if Jack DOES become an organ donor, they could do an episode from the perspective of the lives he saved.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

http://people.com/tv/this-is-us-creator-on-jacks-death-and-kates-breakthrough/

This is interesting !

This makes it sound to me like they're going to drag out the 'how Jack dies and the aftermath' over many seasons.  Not sure I care that much.  

[ShadowFacts]

12 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

This makes it sound to me like they're going to drag out the 'how Jack dies and the aftermath' over many seasons.  Not sure I care that much.  

I'm sure it will get dragged out.  This is their MO.  We've known for a long time that William is not long for this earth . . .

On another topic, I'm speculating that if Duke the stable guy keeps up his nervy behavior, Toby is going to deck him, because what boyfriend wouldn't.  Then Kate will have to decide if she lets that derail her surgery plans, or stays with the fat camp regardless of Toby's reactions. 

[Guest]

There are a couple other articles linked from that one that also say the 'how' will be revealed way in the future.  Moore says the next funeral scene could be filmed two seasons from now, for example.  

I'm fine with dragging out a reveal over a whole season, but multiple seasons is a bit much for me.  It makes me wonder if they have good enough stories to keep people engaged or feel they need to rely on that suspense to get viewers to keep coming back.  

[NutMeg]

On 1/28/2017 at 11:37 PM, Winston9-DT3 said:

This makes it sound to me like they're going to drag out the 'how Jack dies and the aftermath' over many seasons.  Not sure I care that much.  

That reminds me that I'm still surprised that the kids in How I met your mother didn't at some stage demand that they get the end story - I didn't watch the show, just saw a few eps here and then, and I was AMAZED it was in it nth season and the kids were still so patient...In their place I would either have left the room a looong time ago or hog tied dad until he sped up to the end of the story and the final reveal.

[SueB]

Miguel was not shown at the funeral.  I'm going to throw out: drunk driving death and Miguel is injured. Something that casts a shadow on Miguel's involvement in Jack's death. 

[Crs97]

If that is the case, then please let Jack be the driver.  

[ProudMary]

On 1/28/2017 at 3:25 AM, methodwriter85 said:

I wonder if they'll kill off Jack like they killed off Dawson's dad- getting distracted while driving to a classic pop song from the 1970's.

They could have so many angles from Jack's death. There could be an episode about the day before. An episode about the day after. An episode from the perspective of Rebecca. An episode from the perspective of the kids. An episode about their First Thanksgiving without Jack. An episode about the first anniversary. An episode about the 10th anniversary. An episode about the 20th anniversary. (If Jack's death took place in 1997.) So on and so forth.

And if Jack DOES become an organ donor, they could do an episode from the perspective of the lives he saved.

I think you hit the nail on the head here.  You just know the writers are going to Rashomon the hell out of Jack's death.  

I'm sorry to say this because I am presently enjoying This is Us but the way it's all playing out is starting to bug me.  I'm betting I'll be in for about two seasons at which point I'll be thinking, "Yeah, this just jumped the shark and I'm out."  

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

I think you hit the nail on the head here.  You just know the writers are going to Rashomon the hell out of Jack's death.  

I'm sorry to say this because I am presently enjoying This is Us but the way it's all playing out is starting to bug me.  I'm betting I'll be in for about two seasons at which point I'll be thinking, "Yeah, this just jumped the shark and I'm out."  

Replying in the Unpopular Opinions thread...

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, ProudMary said:

I think you hit the nail on the head here.  You just know the writers are going to Rashomon the hell out of Jack's death.  

I'm sorry to say this because I am presently enjoying This is Us but the way it's all playing out is starting to bug me.  I'm betting I'll be in for about two seasons at which point I'll be thinking, "Yeah, this just jumped the shark and I'm out."  

I keep going back to the way Brothers and Sisters went. The first season was enjoyable. Then the show decided that it would both bend over backwards to accommodate Ken Olin's nepotism while also negating any reason the show might have had for keeping William's mistress on the show, as she was no longer the mother of his secret child.

I feel like most network shows usually have two or three good seasons at most, with the rest being terrible to okay. The only long-running show I actually managed to watch from start to finish in real-time was Mad Men, and that wasn't even network. I even gave up on Buffy during the last season.

I do think they should have kept Jack's death somewhere in the 2000's instead of somewhere in the second half of the 1990's. I can't see them getting rid of Milo, and if this show goes 7 seasons, it's going to have to get REALLY creative to keep him on the show. (I guess they could do the toddler years and let the 10-year old versions age in real time up to about 13.)

Edited January 31, 2017 by methodwriter85

[Guest]

I hope the show isn't going to be predominantly about Jack's death.  I'm fine with a season of learning how losing a beloved parent while a teen hurts these people, but not a whole 3+ season show.  There will have to be other major story arcs, and not 'how becoming a dad affects Kevin, due to Jack's influence' and crap like that.  

[SlackerInc]

55 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

I keep going back to the way Brothers and Sisters went. The first season was enjoyable. Then the show decided that it would both bend over backwards to accommodate Ken Olin's nepotism while also negating any reason the show might have had for keeping William's mistress on the show, as she was no longer the mother of his secret child.

That show really lurched from pretty high quality to...something else.  But in its case, the network fired (or "ousted") the show's creator after that first season.

My speculation is that (much to the disgust of most commenters here) Kate is going to do something non-platonic with "Horse Dick".  Whether that's sex, making out, or just a kiss, I'm not sure.  Then either Toby catches her in the act, or we go through the classic TV trope where he's yammering on about how glad he is that she is always so honest with him, and she can't take it any more and blurts out a confession (never do that!  Deny, deny, deny!).

[ShadowFacts]

30 minutes ago, SlackerInc said:

My speculation is that (much to the disgust of most commenters here) Kate is going to do something non-platonic with "Horse Dick".  Whether that's sex, making out, or just a kiss, I'm not sure.  Then either Toby catches her in the act, or we go through the classic TV trope where he's yammering on about how glad he is that she is always so honest with him, and she can't take it any more and blurts out a confession (never do that!  Deny, deny, deny!).

I really hope it's not something like that, that would be a huge turn-off for me.  Dickishness of the horse guy aside, that's just too unoriginal for my taste.  With this show's love of twists, I think (hope) it's going to take a different turn.  I think it's possible that Toby punches the guy out if he runs his mouth, but I wouldn't like to see a convoluted secrets and lies or triangle situation.  It would make me think less of the writing and less of the show; I think I would seriously lose interest.

[Guest]

I actually think it'd be kind of fun to see Kate and Duke get nasty in the stables (and that's saying something given how I hate the inappropriate quickies!)  But I dislike Toby.  I hope he walks in and she dumps him on the spot.  

And the forum's collective head would explode if it was mildly S&Mish, I think.  Sorry, forum.  I love ya.  

[SlackerInc]

I just don't think they are introducing Horse Dick only for nothing to happen.  Chekhov's Dick, as it were...LOL.

[MadyGirl1987]

So, I saw this theory online today that Jack may have been killed in the 9/11 attacks. There could be something to it. The Big Three would have been 21 which would still fit with them being young when he died. They also do live on the East Coast, so he could easily have been traveling or working in the city at the time. One of the planes even crashed in PA. I could see them making him a hero and one of the people on the flights who tried to stop them.

[CofCinci]

5 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

So, I saw this theory online today that Jack may have been killed in the 9/11 attacks. There could be something to it. The Big Three would have been 21 which would still fit with them being young when he died. They also do live on the East Coast, so he could easily have been traveling or working in the city at the time. One of the planes even crashed in PA. I could see them making him a hero and one of the people on the flights who tried to stop them.

Jack is totally the "Let's Roll" guy. 

[Guest]

Oh jeez, that sounds right up their alley.  I don't know about age 21 for the kids, though.  I think in the media the creators and actors called them teens in the funeral scene.  I'll have to check that.  Though it could be a fakeout.  But it'd be odd to not use the adult actors for a scene at age 21.  

OMG- Chekhov's Dick, too funny.  That post is going to turn green.  

Yeah- Fogelman says that was their 'late teenage years' in the EW interview about this ep, if it matters.

it always felt to me, as I thought about this family, that something formative happened to them in those prominent late teenage years, when you’re really becoming an adult, and getting boyfriends and girlfriends, and forming as a human being in full.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Guest

[OtterMommy]

4 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Oh jeez, that sounds right up their alley.  I don't know about age 21 for the kids, though.  I think in the media the creators and actors called them teens in the funeral scene.  I'll have to check that.  Though it could be a fakeout.  But it'd be odd to not use the adult actors for a scene at age 21.  

OMG- Chekhov's Dick, too funny.  That post is going to turn green.  

Yeah- Fogelman says that was their 'late teenage years' in the EW interview about this ep, if it matters.

it always felt to me, as I thought about this family, that something formative happened to them in those prominent late teenage years, when you’re really becoming an adult, and getting boyfriends and girlfriends, and forming as a human being in full.

Okay, I really, really hope that it was not a 9/11 death because that is just *too heroic* for me.  Sorry.

As for the actors being called the "Teenage Randall, Kate, Kevin."  I think we're reading far too much into it.  I think they have a few groups of actors to represent the kids at certain stages of life.  "9 year old Kate" could be an 8 year old Kate or an 11 year old Kate.  "15 year old Randall" could easily be a 21 year old Randall (especially because I felt that the actors playing both Kevin and Randall seemed too old when they were playing supposedly 15 year olds).

I may never use the term "Checkov's Gun" again....it will now always be "Checkov's Dick" in my mind.

Edited January 31, 2017 by OtterMommy
Typos

[luna1122]

I'd seen that 9/11 speculation as well, and I really truly hope that's not it. that just smacks of too much emotional manipulation and exploitation even for this show. I hope.

[OtterMommy]

Okay, here's a question...if it is a 9/11 death, how would they have Jack's ashes?  For the most part, that is something that didn't happen for victims.

[luna1122]

2 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

Okay, here's a question...if it is a 9/11 death, how would they have Jack's ashes?  For the most part, that is something that didn't happen for victims.

good point! that makes me feel much better, and like I can just dismiss this as someone's overwrought fanfic theory.

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

As for the actors being called the "Teenage Randall, Kate, Kevin."  I think we're reading far too much into it.  I think they have a few groups of actors to represent the kids at certain stages of life.  "9 year old Kate" could be an 8 year old Kate or an 11 year old Kate.  "15 year old Randall" could easily be a 21 year old Randall (especially because I felt that the actors playing both Kevin and Randall seemed too old when they were playing supposedly 15 year olds).

But would the creator talk specifically about the tragedy occurring in their 'late teenage years' if it occurred at 21 (barring an intentional fake-out)?   

I don't agree that the same actor would be chosen to play a 15 year old man and a 21 year old man, and then a separate one the 36 year old man, but who knows what they'll do.

Good point about the ashes.  I wonder if 9/11 victims' families got the opportunity to take some of the rubble ashes in lieu of remains?  Not that a PA plane victim would be in the WTC rubble ashes, but just as a special keepsake.  

[OtterMommy]

Just now, Winston9-DT3 said:

But would the creator talk specifically about the tragedy occurring in their 'late teenage years' if it occurred at 21 (barring an intentional fake-out)?   

I don't agree that the same actor would be chosen to play a 15 year old man and a 21 year old man, and then a separate one the 36 year old man, but who knows what they'll do.

Good point about the ashes.  I wonder if 9/11 victims' families got the opportunity to take some of the rubble ashes in lieu of remains?  Not that a PA plane victim would be in the WTC rubble ashes, but just as a special keepsake.  

Yeah, I don't know about what the creator said--it could be a fake out, or maybe not.  My point was more to the casting.  I do agree that a 15 year old actor wouldn't/shouldn't play a 21 year old, but I also felt that the actors playing "15 year old" Kevin and Randall seemed too old to play 15 year olds when we last saw them and I could conceivably buy them as 21 year olds (I think with Kate, given that girls tend to mature earlier than boys, I do think they could age an actress down to 15 or up to 21 if they needed to). 

[Tiger]

18 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I keep going back to the way Brothers and Sisters went. The first season was enjoyable. Then the show decided that it would both bend over backwards to accommodate Ken Olin's nepotism while also negating any reason the show might have had for keeping William's mistress on the show, as she was no longer the mother of his secret child.

I feel like most network shows usually have two or three good seasons at most, with the rest being terrible to okay. The only long-running show I actually managed to watch from start to finish in real-time was Mad Men, and that wasn't even network. I even gave up on Buffy during the last season.

I do think they should have kept Jack's death somewhere in the 2000's instead of somewhere in the second half of the 1990's. I can't see them getting rid of Milo, and if this show goes 7 seasons, it's going to have to get REALLY creative to keep him on the show. (I guess they could do the toddler years and let the 10-year old versions age in real time up to about 13.)

I dont think Brothers & Sisters keeping Holly Harper around after revealing her daughter wasn't Williams was the or even a problem.  William had left her stock in the company and Holly was portrayed as having business acumen.

The problems with B&S after season 1 were making Justin & Rebecca whiney and boring, Sarah's ridiculous affair with the DwtS guy, revealing there actually was an illigetimate kid and then acting like the whole thing never, and then season 4's narrow lake mystery which made absolutely no fucking sense.  

Oh, and Ken Olin writing himself into the show as Rebecca's real father,,but maybe, maybe not.

As long as Ken Olin is around I will be afraid that at some point we'll learn Kyle is alive and was actually kidnapped as part of a baby smuggling ring run by Dr. K, that Jack & Rebecca had another kid later that they gave up for reasons, and that Beth met Kevin before she met Randall and they've been in love the whole time.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Tiger

[kili]

I'm leaning against Jack's death being from 9/11 because that would leave a sour taste in many people's mouths. While it would be interesting to link the story to a real event, these types of events are tragedies and are tragedies that are still fresh in people's minds.

Many people objected to the story of Rose and Jack (? Leo's character) in Titanic because the movie depicted a real tragedy where real people died and the real stories should be good enough. Why are we weeping over fake characters in a real story when there are lots of real people in the actual story one could weep over? It's exploitation of a tragedy. And that was a tragedy that had happened 80 decades earlier and most people involved or related were dead. Imagine trying to plant "Jack" at 9/11 15 years later? Nope.

So, just as Kevin was on a show that does not exist in our world (while at the same time interacting with real entertainers like Alan Thicke who did (RIP)), I think we are going to get a tragedy that parallels a real tragedy, but is clearly fictional (ripped from the headlines like L&O).  A major construction disaster (scaffolding collapse like at Willow Island or a crane collapse or a roof collapse like the Allsate Arena in Rosemont) - maybe Miguel was the engineer) or a plane crash (lots of those) or a terrorist attack (like the World Trade Center bombing in the 90s) or a car crash (one of the biggest causes of death). Heck, he could be like John Ritter and suddenly die of an unknown heart condition or Natasha Richardson who thought she just got a bump on the head.

I just think he dies unexpectedly and quickly leaving tones of unresolved issues - unresolved issues are the bread and butter of this series.

[OtterMommy]

23 minutes ago, kili said:

I'm leaning against Jack's death being from 9/11 because that would leave a sour taste in many people's mouths. While it would be interesting to link the story to a real event, these types of events are tragedies and are tragedies that are still fresh in people's minds.

Many people objected to the story of Rose and Jack (? Leo's character) in Titanic because the movie depicted a real tragedy where real people died and the real stories should be good enough. Why are we weeping over fake characters in a real story when there are lots of real people in the actual story one could weep over? It's exploitation of a tragedy. And that was a tragedy that had happened 80 decades earlier and most people involved or related were dead. Imagine trying to plant "Jack" at 9/11 15 years later? Nope.

So, just as Kevin was on a show that does not exist in our world (while at the same time interacting with real entertainers like Alan Thicke who did (RIP)), I think we are going to get a tragedy that parallels a real tragedy, but is clearly fictional (ripped from the headlines like L&O).  A major construction disaster (scaffolding collapse like at Willow Island or a crane collapse or a roof collapse like the Allsate Arena in Rosemont) - maybe Miguel was the engineer) or a plane crash (lots of those) or a terrorist attack (like the World Trade Center bombing in the 90s) or a car crash (one of the biggest causes of death). Heck, he could be like John Ritter and suddenly die of an unknown heart condition or Natasha Richardson who thought she just got a bump on the head.

I just think he dies unexpectedly and quickly leaving tones of unresolved issues - unresolved issues are the bread and butter of this series.

I just came across the BuzzFeed article talking about the "evidence" for the 9/11 fan theory and it is a little sketchy. There are only 3 items on the list...

1 - Kate gets freaked out on planes

2 - Kevin destroys all his toy planes at some point in his childhood

3 - They live near NYC.

Considering - 

1 - I get freaked out on planes and (thankfully) I did not lose any family or close friends in 9/11--I just don't like planes

2 - If Kevin destroyed his toy planes in his childhood, it would have been well before 9/11

3 - Yeah, them and 10+ million other people

and 

4 - How would they have Jack's ashes?

I think, at best, the 9/11 is just a crazy idea that no one is speaking out against because it serves as a good distraction of what will really happen.  

[kili]

Quote

 

1 - Kate gets freaked out on planes

2 - Kevin destroys all his toy planes at some point in his childhood

3 - They live near NYC.

 

That also fits with TWA-800 in 1996 (747 that blew up shortly after take-off from New York and generated lots of conspiracy theories). If you lift the "must be real" rule, you can just insert a fictional plane accident cobbling together a few real incidents.  Accidents frequently result from a sequence of events, so they could even write a disaster that contributed to unique issues for each kid.

[chocolatine]

58 minutes ago, kili said:

That also fits with TWA-800 in 1996 (747 that blew up shortly after take-off from New York and generated lots of conspiracy theories).

Wasn't that flight headed for Paris? Why would Jack have been on a flight to Paris without Rebecca and/or the kids?

ETA: I'm with those who hope Jack didn't die as part of a historical tragedy. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by chocolatine

[ShadowFacts]

I think whatever happens to Jack isn't going to be a garden-variety accident.  There will be a twist of some sort that makes it extra high octane pulling at the heartstrings.  Either he will be trying to help/save someone, or he will be an organ donor.  Jack is larger than life, so I think his demise will be, too.  Involving 9-11 would not be my preference at all, though.

[Guest]

My money's still on 'drunk driver', with the fake-out being that Jack is the sober one.  And someone in the family will have been the reason he was out on the streets that night-- probably that evil Rebecca.  I almost never accurately guess this stuff, though.  But those seeds about Jack drinking had to have been planted for a reason, I figure.

If it's 9/11 or organ donation is a big part of it, I'm outta here, unless it's done somehow very tastefully and effectively.  And I'm not sure that'd be possible.  

One bit of evidence against it being a plane crash... I didn't remember Kevin talking about toy planes so I looked it up.  He said:  “When he died, I, um, I threw all the models away. I threw all of them away. I don’t know why I did that, you know?”  I think he would know why he did it, if it was a plane crash.  

[Lady Calypso]

Yeah, I think the 9/11 speculation is just that. The one thing I think they'll avoid is an actual real life tragedy-based death. It's a little too absurd for this show to have Jack die in 9/11. 

I agree that drunk driver is the more likely scenario, or some kind of drawn out death. Personally, I'd want the drawn out death because we get more of Milo and he'd get to use his acting chops, but I do think a sudden death would be more realistic for this show and what they're going for. If Jack does die when the kids are teens, that only gives them so many stories to use with Jack and I'd like to think that they would want to use Milo in the maximum capacity of his abilities. 

[AriAu]

I thought the 9/11 thing would have been an interesting yet unrealistic twist (all the real names are known and etched into the memorial), but this kinda ends that thought

Quote

4 - How would they have Jack's ashes?

[kili]

Quote

4 - How would they have Jack's ashes?

There were some bodies recovered and lots of body parts. DNA testing helped identify the body parts.

Again, I hope they don't use the 9/11 tragedy.

[CofCinci]

Probably killed by a drunk driver -- and we eventually learn that Jack was the drunk. 

[Guest]

13 hours ago, CofCinci said:

Probably killed by a drunk driver -- and we eventually learn that Jack was the drunk. 

I actually like the idea of Jack being the drunk over mine, where he's the innocent victim.  Jack needs dirtied up like few other TV characters.  And it'd be good to see the kids have to deal with losing both a parent and their illusions about his perfection.  It might make more sense why Rebecca was angry enough to rebound with Jack's best friend.  Maybe she's the only one who knows Jack was drunk and that's feeding into the kids' resentment of her marrying Miguel.  

[Aloeonatable]

Quote

I just think he dies unexpectedly and quickly leaving tones of unresolved issues - unresolved issues are the bread and butter of this series.

This is my thought too. Probably doing something heroic ;-). 

[CofCinci]

8 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I actually like the idea of Jack being the drunk over mine, where he's the innocent victim.  Jack needs dirtied up like few other TV characters.  And it'd be good to see the kids have to deal with losing both a parent and their illusions about his perfection.  It might make more sense why Rebecca was angry enough to rebound with Jack's best friend.  Maybe she's the only one who knows Jack was drunk and that's feeding into the kids' resentment of her marrying Miguel.  

I figure that this season we'll see flashbacks of the saccharin Jack. Look at the filter they use. Then, next season we get Jack Daniels. 

[Lady Calypso]

On 2/2/2017 at 10:38 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

I actually like the idea of Jack being the drunk over mine, where he's the innocent victim.  Jack needs dirtied up like few other TV characters.  And it'd be good to see the kids have to deal with losing both a parent and their illusions about his perfection.  It might make more sense why Rebecca was angry enough to rebound with Jack's best friend.  Maybe she's the only one who knows Jack was drunk and that's feeding into the kids' resentment of her marrying Miguel.  

Oh, that's good speculation, and something that would be interesting. We'd see a lot more resentment at Rebecca, though, so I'm not sure if I want that. But if the kids knew, I would think that they would try not to drink like in the first two episodes, especially Kate. But I kind of would love to explore that possibility. 

[ShadowFacts]

8 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Oh, that's good speculation, and something that would be interesting. We'd see a lot more resentment at Rebecca, though, so I'm not sure if I want that. But if the kids knew, I would think that they would try not to drink like in the first two episodes, especially Kate. But I kind of would love to explore that possibility. 

I think the kids and everybody would know if Jack was DWI, that would have been public knowledge, in the paper, hard to hide.  I also think excessive drinking like we saw Kate and Kevin do is certainly possible, but less likely, when a parent's cause of death is drunk driving.  I suppose it's possible they drink as much as they want but just religiously do not go behind the wheel.  I don't have much doubt that Jack's halo is going to undergo some tarnishing, I just don't know if it will be this way.  I'm leaning toward him trying to help somebody and something goes awry. 

[Mrs. DuRona]

On 1/31/2017 at 7:09 PM, OtterMommy said:

I just came across the BuzzFeed article talking about the "evidence" for the 9/11 fan theory and it is a little sketchy. There are only 3 items on the list...

1 - Kate gets freaked out on planes

2 - Kevin destroys all his toy planes at some point in his childhood

3 - They live near NYC.

But, they don't really.  In the flashbacks, they live in Pittsburgh, which is where, in theory, they were living when Jack died.  Nowhere near NYC.  
Count me in with those who think it will be a small event, but it will have a huge impact.  From the Three Sentences thread:

"I wonder if Jack died on his birthday: maybe The Big Three's 16th. That would make their birthday in the pilot the 20th anniversary of his death. As I recall, none of The Big Three were too interested in celebrating that day, and each did something self-destructive or risky: Kate ate alone, Kevin "partied" and Randall sought out his other father." User: PALLAS.

I think this makes a lot of sense.

[Guest]

I don't hate that theory but I personally didn't get the impression anyone was upset or mourning on their birthday in the pilot.  I think it was just background on the characters' main traits:  Kate's food issues, Kevin's shallow/star lifestyle, and Randall being disturbed about his adoption.  

Though I wouldn't put it past them to decide it was the case later, or to have known it was his death anniversary all along but also not included any real indications of it in the pilot.  

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I don't hate that theory but I personally didn't get the impression anyone was upset or mourning on their birthday in the pilot.  I think it was just background on the characters' main traits:  Kate's food issues, Kevin's shallow/star lifestyle, and Randall being disturbed about his adoption.  

Though I wouldn't put it past them to decide it was the case later, or to have known it was his death anniversary all along but also not included any real indications of it in the pilot.  

Because lately I have the memory of a gerbil, was it actually on their birthday when Kevin had his freak-out?  Where he lost it after acting the Manny scene about his father abandoning him?  If so, I think it could play into this theory some.  I've always thought that scene would turn out to be significant - at first I thought maybe he was empathizing with Randall's being abandoned, but empathy doesn't seem to be much of a Kevin trait, so I think it being the anniversary of Jack's death could also make sense. 

[Guest]

Yes, it was.  Good point.  But I think Kevin could be harboring resentment and anger over his father's death whether or not it occurred on his birthday, too.  I think the scene he and Thicke did would've brought his mind to those emotions on any day, y'know?   Though it would be more poignant if it was the anniversary of his death, too.  

[OtterMommy]

2 hours ago, deaja said:

Because lately I have the memory of a gerbil, was it actually on their birthday when Kevin had his freak-out?  Where he lost it after acting the Manny scene about his father abandoning him?  If so, I think it could play into this theory some.  I've always thought that scene would turn out to be significant - at first I thought maybe he was empathizing with Randall's being abandoned, but empathy doesn't seem to be much of a Kevin trait, so I think it being the anniversary of Jack's death could also make sense. 

It was the same episode, but I don't think it was on the same day.  IIRC, that episode covered a couple days in modern time.  (I haven't watched it in awhile, so my apologies if I'm completely off-base there...)

[ShadowFacts]

I think it would be a little too heavy on the coincidences to have them all born on the same date, and then have Jack die on his/their birthday as well.  If that happened, and I were Randall, Kevin or Kate, I'd be carrying around lots of talismans every August 31st.  It would kinda take the fun out of birthdays.

[methodwriter85]

But it would feel like sssuuuuuccch a thing this show would do.

Although that funeral scene definitely doesn't look like late August/early September. Then again, it's also Pittsburgh.

Edited February 8, 2017 by methodwriter85

[qtpye]

On 1/28/2017 at 3:25 AM, methodwriter85 said:

They could have so many angles from Jack's death. There could be an episode about the day before. An episode about the day after. An episode from the perspective of Rebecca. An episode from the perspective of the kids. An episode about their First Thanksgiving without Jack. An episode about the first anniversary. An episode about the 10th anniversary. An episode about the 20th anniversary. (If Jack's death took place in 1997.) So on and so forth

You forgot the best trope for milking a character's death.  What if the character HAD NEVER DIED(insert shocking music).

We will be treated to a parallel universe episode where Jack never died and we find out how the characters would be different.

Kevin would be a male stripper, because he never had the nerve to go out to L.A. and pursue his dreams.

Randall would be ruthless cold Wall Street broker with no family, because he never slowed down and smelled the roses.

Kate would have the codependent relationship with her father, that she now currently has with Kevin.

The possibilities are endless.

Quote

I just don't think they are introducing Horse Dick only for nothing to happen.  Chekhov's Dick, as it were...LOL.

Checkhov's Dick will now be the title of the most intellectual porn ever made (of course it is porn, so it will still be pretty stupid).

Edited February 9, 2017 by qtpye