Getty
A dark theory following Episode 1 of This Is Us has surfaced and fans can hardly contain their thoughts and feelings on the idea. It all happened in the final few minutes of the Season 3 premiere.
“It’s time to go see her, Tess,” Randall says to his daughter. In the next shot, the two appear to be walking through the hallway of a hospital. Tess tells her dad that she needs to use the restroom. When she walks away, Randall makes a phone call. The phone rings on Toby’s end.
“Hey, you coming down?” Randall asks Toby, who is sitting in bed, looking uneasy.
“Yeah, I don’t know if I should,” Toby responds.
“She’d want you to be there, too,” Randall says.
“Alright, I’ll see you soon,” Toby sighs. The camera pans out and shows Toby in a king-size bed in what looks like a hotel room. The kicker? Toby wasn’t wearing his wedding ring.
Fans were quick to speculate about who “her” might have been — or what might have been going on. One fan theory suggests that Toby’s wife, Kate, portrayed by actress Chrissy Metz, is gravely ill — or that she dies.
@OhItsKianaa No they were too aged… that was the oldest daughter Tess with Randall and she’s an adult. It’s something Kate related clearly but not exactly a baby? My head is spinning happy then sad! #ThisIsUs
WHY ARE RANDALL AND TESS GOING TO VISIT KATE WHY IS SHE SICK UGHHHH #ThisIsUs
Other fans have been speculating that it’s Rebecca who is dying. This seems like it would be the most obvious scenario, given the time lapse.
As for Toby’s role in that, it’s possible that he feels awkward going to see Rebecca because he and Kate divorced.
My theory on the future scenes on @NBCThisisUs : Rebecca’s dying. Tess is upset over this & doesn’t want to see her. Kate & Toby have divorced. Toby values Rebecca’s respect & since he and Kate split he thinks she hates him & is scared to see her. #ThisIsUs #WhatsYourOpinion
My money is on Rebecca. That is Tess’s grandmother, whom she loves, and Rebecca had a good relationship with Toby, even though he and Kate get divorced. #ThisIsUs
Fortunately, for fans who simply cannot wait to find out who “her” is and what exactly is going on, the answers are going to be revealed fairly soon. Plus, creator Dan Fogelman and executive producers and co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger talked with Glamour and gave fans some insight into what might be going on.
“I think it’s totally open to interpretation. Kate could be in the next room [with Toby], or they could not be together, or something could have happened to her. It’s left mysterious on purpose,” Berger told the outlet.
“He’s very neat in the future,” Aptaker jokes. “But that does not feel like a bedroom where someone, a partner, is sharing it with Toby,” he adds.
But who, exactly is “her”?
“Throughout this year, we’re going to be giving more and more answers and ruling people out,” Aptaker explains, adding that no one should be ruled out.
Comments
Does Kate Die on ‘This Is Us’? Dark Theory Arises After Final Scene