This Is Us: 7 Theories About Jack Pearson's Mysterious Death
Lizzy Buczak
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Viewers were given a huge clue about Jack Pearson's death on This Is Us Season 2 Episode 1.
As promised, the premiere offered up the first piece of the puzzle into his mysterious, but unavoidable, death.
And it might have to do with a house fire!
The closing scene, set in 1998 when the Big Three are 17 years old, shows Rebecca driving home solo with Jack's belongings in a plastic bag on the seat next to her.
As she pulls up to the house, we see it's been burned down.
Our first instinct is to think that Jack died in the fire, but given the show's penchant for red herrings, this is probably just the tip of the iceberg. The fire might not be the direct cause of his death!
We have a few theories based on the clues that were sprinkled in throughout the episode.
1. Jack's Drinking Led to a Fire at the Pearson Household
This one almost seems too obvious. According to the episode's timeline, Rebecca finds out Jack has a drinking problem and promises to help him get through it and make things "normal" again. Then, a few month's later, we see the fire on the night of his death. However, I don't think Rebecca would speak so fondly of him after all these years if he hadn't curbed his drinking and redeemed himself before he died. I think he fought his battle and things were getting good again when tragedy struck, permanently this time.
2. Randall Was Smoking & Forgot to Put Out His Cigarette
At first, I thought Randall and Beth's "fake smoking" was just for laughs, but then it occurred to me that maybe it was a huge clue. What if Randall wanted to impress his girlfriend at the time and tried smoking in his room. They could have forgotten to put the cigarette out and it ended up burning the house down, therefore, Randall now-refusing to smoke.
3. Jack Ran Inside The House To Save Kate (And Her Puppy)
During the scene where Kate and Randall are crying after finding out the news of their father's passing, Kate is holding a puppy. Sure, puppies are great for emotional support but where did she get this dog? Is it hers? Is it Miguel's? Did Jack go back into the fire to save the pup and perished because of it? That would explain why Kate told that his death is "her fault."
4. Jack Died The Night of the Fire But Not in a Fire
When Rebecca pulls up the scorched house, our brains immediately assume that the fire was the cause of Jack's death. But if you look closely, his belongings aren't the least bit damaged by the fire. If he was inside at the time, his wallet and watch would have been nothing more than ashes. Rebecca is also wearing a Steelers jersey, which makes me think that maybe they were out at a game and Miguel was babysitting the kids. Maybe his death and the fire happened the same night but weren't related. That would be such a terrible coincidence!
5. Something in Kate's Room Caused the Fire
Kate has been carrying around the guilt of her father's death because she believes she's to blame for what happened that night. Could she have possibly left o a curling iron or something in her room that led to the fire? Maybe Jack was the only one inside at the time. That would also explain why she was the one to receive her father's ashes and not the other siblings or Rebecca.
6. Jack Didn't Die in the Fire, But His Death Was Caused By It
Jack could have been injured in the fire and succumbed to those injuries at the hospital. Maybe it was smoke inhalation? He could have inhaled so much smoke, he went into a coma, and Rebecca had to pull the plug. Or maybe he suffered from fourth-degree burns and there was nothing the doctors could do. House-fires can cause many life-threatening injuries.
7. Blame The Washing Machine
There's a theory going around on Reddit that the washing machine, which Kevin mentioned was "possessed," malfunctioned and caused the fire. Rebecca said she was going to fix it but when her family fell apart and Jack needed her guidance, it could have slipped through the cracks. Maybe Kate was putting in a load and an electrical problem occurred causing the fire. Or maybe Jack finally got around to fixing it and was injured in the process. There was a whole episode titled "The Best Washing Machine in the World," and maybe that was a major clue!
