Warning: don’t continue if you haven’t watched the two-hour premiere of « This Is Us » Season 5 on Tuesday, you are entering major spoiler territory
« This Is Us » saved the most shocking surprise of all in the dying seconds of the Season 5 premiere – and that is a game-changer
Remember Laurel, Randall’s birth mother, who we thought died in childbirth? In Tuesday’s two-hour comeback, it was revealed that she wasn’t dead – at this exact moment, at least – as we’ve been led to believe for four seasons in a classic version of « This Is Us » « , the new information was filed at the end of the episode, just when you thought the episode was over
After young William leaves Laurel – who is presumed dead by paramedics after unsuccessfully trying to revive her – to drop baby Randall off at the fire station, one of the first responders notices that something is wrong Not going As he checks his pulse to declare his death, the young paramedic’s eyes widen in surprise
« Wait, wait … I have a pulse, » he says as the camera zooms in slowly on her In the last moment, she longs to breathe What just happened ?!
The revelation that Randall’s biological mother did not die in childbirth, as William, Randall and everyone else thought, changes the tale of her story and what happened to her, and raises the question of whether She’s Still Alive Today Over the course of the series, we discovered tidbits about Laurel – how she fell in love with William, how she went down into a drug spiral – but we didn’t know what had happened to her until now
All of those questions swirling in your brain about Laurel and what it means for Randall, as he struggles with his identity these days, will all be addressed and, more importantly, answered quickly.
« There is obviously a story to be told, which will continue from this point on, » creator Dan Fogelman told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. « It’s not something that is going to be [dragged] Answers will be obtained quickly enough; without spoiling too much, well into the first half of the season It’s definitely not something we’re going to drag out like a mystery on multiple seasons or whatever. So there is a pretty quick response and I think it will be executed elegantly «
« This is one of those last things we always talked about, in that this is the area where we would reveal this information and dive a bit into the story of his birth mother. » , Fogelman explained to ET during the call“For us, Randall’s story, as a whole, has always been a story of identity. He is a man who, like many people from different walks of life who are looking for who he is and where he comes from, it has always been part of his story – the story of his birth mother – that we never really filled out and told I think for Randall, for this character, until he can get answers and sort of closing, this will be a final step in answering some of his own questions about his identity »
« This is something that, if you look back on the show, we’ve always talked a little bit about where her mom is, why isn’t her mom a part of this story because she is that character died in childbirth? and we never really looked at that. This first half of the season is our opportunity to do that and it’s our conscious plan of the when, how and why in terms of Randall’s overall arc ” , he continued
Because « This Is Us » doesn’t shy away from mystery, questions about Randall’s birth mother status will naturally be asked, which will spark speculation about her true fate. But, Fogelman promised, there will be no no « How did Jack die? » embers here
« It definitely answers if she’s still alive today and definitely answers what happened in the future, and honestly, who was this woman long before this moment, long before she met William? » he teased to ET, « This woman who is Randall’s birth mother and who hasn’t played a big part in our story so far: who is she? » Where is she from? What is his story? That’s a big part of Randall’s journey into the first half of the season. «
As Randall tells Beth in the scene before the big reveal, « I think we could all use a year with no surprises » It looks like that wish will have to wait a bit longer
« This Is Us » returns Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 9 pm ET / PT on NBC For more on Season 5, watch ET’s exclusive interview with Justin Hartley
This is Us, Randall Pearson, NBC, Sterling K Brown, Kevin, Dan Fogelman
World news – CA – ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 premieres ends with Mother Of A Twist