"This Is Us" Season 2 premiered on Tuesday with a new time slot and high ratings. Some plot points remain ambiguous, but audiences learned a good deal from the premiere. From adoption to anguish, there was a lot of information shared that could have implications throughout the show's sophomore season.
Another birthday for the Big Three
Much like the pilot episode of "This Is Us" being centered on birthday connections, the second season started out with the Big Three and Jack celebrating their 37th birthdays. This leads one to believe each season might total a year, with another birthday passing by each season premiere.
Beth isn't so against adoption
Since the death of his birth-father, whose voice remains alive through narration, randall has had adoption on his mind. Throughout "A Father's Advice," Beth showed more and more resistance to Randall's wishes. When Beth left the adoption agency in frustration, it appeared Randall's plan was lost. However, it turned out Beth isn't so against adoption, but rather who they are adopting. She would rather take in a troubled teenager than Randall's ideal adoption baby, which Randall humbly agreed to.
Kevin is more successful than ever
The last audiences saw of Kevin, he was struggling with his acting career but had received a call from director Ron Howard for his new film.
In "A Father's Advice," Kevin was shown on set with Howard and the two have now developed a quality, actor/director relationship with each other. Things seem to be on the upswing for Kevin's career.
Toby is a little jealous of Kevin
After Sophie decided not to go to LA for Kevin's birthday, he put all of his attention on Kate.
Kevin barged into the room right as things heated up between the plus-size couple, and then outshone Toby with a fancy dinner. Toby blew up at Kevin in front of Kate for the first time, triggering Kate to leave. Kevin finally let the two share their special moment after having a heart-to-heart with Toby during Kate's audition.
5. Kate could fulfill her mother's dream
Kate tried out for the lead singer of a nightclub band, but was quickly shut down. Although she was late for the audition, she took the instant-rejection as a judgment against her physique. Kate wouldn't take no for an answer, but was proven to be the inferior singer, even compared to the backup singers. The band manager let her know, "I don't care what dress size you wear, you're not good enough, honey." Kate took this as a positive chance to improve her singing ability. With Rebecca's singing dreams being cut short in flashbacks, maybe Kate could end up fulfilling her mother's singing dream.
6. Jack dies in a fire?
The final scene of "A Father's Advice" was meant to be a shocker.
Audiences have been speculating how Jack will die -- the season 1 finale pointed to a car crash -- and they got a huge hint at the end of the premiere. The final scene is a flashback of Rebecca pulling up to a burned-down home, with a "Pearson" mailbox. As she sees the smoke-filled house, with firefighters and an investigator surveying the home, Rebecca wails in agony. The mailbox, Jack's belongings in the passenger seat, and Rebecca's reaction all indicate Jack's death via house fire.
Kate told Kevin about Jack's death
During Kevin and Toby's conversation, Kevin let him know Kate was the one that told him about their father's death. As part of the final scene, the audience was shown flashbacks of Rebecca driving, paired with Kate and Randall crying and consoling each other.
The audience received confirmation of Kevin's story when Kate told Randall, "We have to find Kev. He needs to hear it from me."
'This Is Us' is more watched than ever
The show has been a huge success for NBC, and the hype around season 2 paid off with their highest ratings ever. "A Father's Advice" had a whopping 12.94 million viewers tune into the Tuesday night premiere, according to TV By The Numbers. This record viewership easily surpassed the NBC average 9.98 million and edged out the season 1 finale of 12.84 million.
