Where’s Kate in ‘This Is Us’ Flash-Forwards? 3 Theories for Her Absence
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 4, Episode 15, of This Is Us, “Clouds.”]
This Is Us gave fans a lot to chew on from the most recent episode, “Clouds.” At the end of the installment, viewers were once again transported into the future via the music studio Toby (Chris Sullivan) built for Kate (Chrissy Metz) as an apology for his struggles over Jack’s blindness.
We watched as the room transformed from bare-bones garage into a professional recording studio Kate and her son could each enjoy. But over time, Kate disappears from the montage, with a growing Jack taking over — is it by choice or circumstance?
We have a few theories regarding Kate’s absence in this flash-forward, as well as the future gathering at Kevin’s (Justin Hartley) home where the Pearsons spend time with a seemingly dying Rebecca (Mandy Moore).
Kate Has Died
(Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
It’s sad to consider, but Kate could actually be dead in the future, which would explain some of the future timeline. The red flag that hints at this is Toby’s reaction to being invited to the Pearson family gathering in the Season 3 premiere. What would make him want to skip out on bidding Rebecca farewell? The only answer that makes sense supports the idea that either Kate’s dead or she’s divorced from Toby, and if they’d split, there’d likely be some mention of her by now.
We haven’t seen Toby’s left hand, which doesn’t help us determine their marital status. Further support of the death theory would be Kate’s closeness with baby Jack and their bond over music. As fans know, Jack goes on to become a successful singer and musician — what better motivation for this endeavor than to make his late mother proud?
Considering the show’s knack for mirroring the past and present, perhaps Kate’s role in her son’s life will be similar to her father Jack’s (Milo Ventimiglia) in her own life.
Kate and Toby Are Divorced
(Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Just like the death theory, the theory that Toby and Kate are divorced is also plausible. Fans have seen them going through a difficult time dealing with their son’s handicap. While she’s trying to hold it together, he wasn’t strong enough to face the reality and admitted to her that being around Jack made him sad. Though they ended this week on a more positive note, that doesn’t mean there won’t be more bumps in the road.
Toby has an interesting reaction to Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown) call in the flash-forward, asking him to the gathering. He first questions if he should, spurring Randall to reply, “She wants you to be there, Tobe.” Up until that point, the identity of “her” had been a mystery, though she was later revealed as Rebecca. But what if “she” in Randall’s line indicated someone else, like his ex-wife Kate?
It’s possible and This Is Us is no stranger to throwing curveballs of that scale. After all, fans believed Randall and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) were possibly divorced when the flash-forward sequences started popping up in the midst of their marital struggles.
It should be noted that when Toby arrives at Kevin’s future house, he comments on how big the place is, suggesting he’s never been to the home before. If he’s never been, that could mean he’s never been invited… or it’s so new that there’s no reason for Toby to have visited. Either way, the comment could be seen as suspicious.
Kate Is Just Fine (and Married)
(Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
It’s possible Kate could be just fine and married, and spending time with her son, as Toby tells Randall upon arriving at Kevin’s house, “I just talked to Jack and they’re on their way.”
“They” in that scenario could just be a blanket statement for Jack and his wife or it could mean Kate, Jack, and his wife. Either way, we know Kate’s not been seen in the future, and it doesn’t appear that we’ll be getting answers anytime soon. Let us know what you think about her mystery whereabouts in the comments below and don’t miss This Is Us on NBC.
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Conversation19 Comments
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It cannot be Jack and his wife, if Kevin announces a pregnancy on his 40th birthday and that child is the one in the flashback that speaks to Randall he is only around 12 or 13, Jack would only be around a year when Kevin's child is anounced so Jack would be 14 or 15 and not married.
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C
Your assuming that Kevin only had one child, the kids we see in the flash forward could be a younger brother
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G
It's sad to say but I think they are waiting on Kate to lose weight and want to show a slimmer her. She did sign her name as Kate Pearson when the police brought Rebecca back in the Thanksgiving episode.
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O
Kate is definitely not in the deathbed scene...and that leaves us wondering WHY. How could she possibly be dead? Yet that is the only reason she would not be with her mother. 😔
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B
If Kate was still a around, you could believe she would have been there as one of the first holding her mom’s hand.
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O
you are incorrect. she lost 100 lbs several years ago after her role on american horror story, but then she gained it all back. google recent photos of her, she looks exactly the same as she did a year ago. i suspect you probably saw that BS ad for diet pills masquerading as an 'article' which shows off a huge weight loss. except that's not her...they used melissa mccarthy's body & photoshopped chrissy's head on top.
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O
Check on Kate in real life. She has lost over 100 pounds and the producers are fine with it because of the weight issue for Kate her life on the show. So that could be the disappearing act. Until she loses more. Not because the show said so because Chrissy said so.
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W
I hadn't even picked up on this until now. I guess we'll see how this turns out.
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B
I love This is us and all its characters. Can any one tell me what kind of purse Beth she has when talking with Randall on S4P15
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P
Funny, I said to my husband "I like her purse!".
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The purse is very original.
I will look it up and let you know.
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The Brahmin brand is very beautiful. After looking the brand up, I am sure that is Beths purse. Prices seem reasonable.
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The Brahmin brand is very beautiful. After looking the brand up, I am sure that is Beths purse. Prices seem reasonable.
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G
It’s looks like a Brahmin. I also focused on the purse!
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Thank you, I will look it up
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Maybe Kate is out of the country on tour with her singing career.
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O
I agree. I think she’s slimmer & married to someone else. Hailey’s father.
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I think Kate is out having bariatric surgery and is going to return a much thinner Kate before or in season 6.
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I think that Kate is either dead or she has gained so much weight that it is not possible for her to leave the house. Her weight and eating has always been an emotional trigger for her and I think that with all of the drama going on in her family life that her eating gets out of control and she becomes bedridden. Her family is has been tiptoeing around her weight issue her whole life and no one wants to come out and say that she needs to lose weight or even get her the help she needs to get over her eating issues. I don't think that Chrissy Metz wants to be forced to lose all of that weight just for her role.
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