The Most Shocking Moments on This Is Us Through the Years [PHOTOS]

They're All Related and Have the Same Birthday — and There Are Different Timelines

This Is US OMG Moments gallery — Ron Batzdorff/NBC

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SEASON 1, EPISODE 1

It was so long ago — Sept. 20, 2016, to be precise — that it would be easy to forget the series' most jaw-dropping twist, which happened at the very end of the pilot. Those of us who tuned in spent most of the episode thinking we had been following three separate, concurrent story lines, about unlinked characters who were all turning 36 that day: Jack, whose wife, Rebecca, was pregnant with their first child; Randall, who had just located his birth father; and Kate and Kevin, twins commiserating about the state of their lives. Except, twist! In a matter of minutes, we realized that Jack and Rebecca were in a completely different timeline than the other three, and she was pregnant with them! One of the triplets, Kyle, didn't make it, and in his place, the Pearsons brought home a newborn who'd been left at a fire station that very day. One family. Two timelines. Lots and lots of smoking in the hospital waiting room. Millions of minds blown.

02 of 20

Rebecca Is Married to ... Miguel?

SEASON 1, EPISODE 2

By episode 2, we were still reeling from the revelation that this show was not what it seemed, but we were at least starting to wrap our heads around the premise. In the 1980s timeline, there's trouble in paradise for Jack and Rebecca — mainly because of Jack's drinking — but after a stern talking-to (and one amazing image of Jack slumped outside their bedroom door because he doesn't like sleeping far away from her) things seem back on track for our No. 1 couple. Except, cut to the present timeline, and guess who's coming to dinner at Randall and his wife Beth's: Grandma Rebecca and Grandpa ... Miguel? Did this mean that Rebecca and Jack had split up after all? Was Jack dead? We didn't know yet, but we were unhappy.

03 of 20

William and Rebecca Have Known Each Other for Years

SEASON 1, EPISODE 3

In present day, Randall is figuring out how to tell his mom that he's found his birth dad. In the past, we know she spotted him lingering outside the hospital after she gave birth. We learn the story of William (Jermel Nakia), a.k.a. Shakespeare, and Laurel (Jennifer C. Holmes), the tragic undoing of their life together and how William came to give up his son. But back in the present timeline, something's rotten in New Jersey: When Randall introduces Rebecca to William and then leaves them to talk, William tells her, "You look well," as in, "You look well since the last time I saw you." But still, blink and you could've missed it. You can't miss what comes next, though: A flashback of Rebecca tracking down William in search of parenting advice. Turns out he was the one who suggested changing the baby's name from Kyle, meant for the original triplet who died. And that's how Randall becomes Randall, named after William's favorite poet, Dudley Randall. And oh yeah, Rebecca makes William promise never to come looking for his son. Uh-oh.

04 of 20

William Has a Boyfriend

SEASON 1, EPISODE 10

After some rough twists and turns, finally: a surprising-in-a-good way development! It's Christmastime — and the fall finale — and we find William in a Narcotics Anonymous meeting bickering with another member, Jessie (Denis O'Hare). It doesn't take long to realize that Jessie and William are in fact in love, and William, who by now we know has cancer, confesses that he disappeared to spare his partner the pain of watching him die. When William brings Jessie to Christmas at Randall and Beth's, the two wonder about the mystery man's identity. It takes wise-beyond-her-years Tess (foreshadowing!) to tell them, "Grandpa is gay. Or at least bi."

05 of 20

Kevin Always Loved Sophie

SEASON 1, EPISODE 13

It's birthday time for the Big Three (and also Jack, technically, though once he has triplets, he doesn't really ever get to celebrate). The Pearsons, in their never-ending quest to be the best parents on the planet, host three simultaneous parties for each of their three kids, all at the house. Barely anyone shows up to Randall's, but Kate's Madonna theme and Kevin's Princess Bride bash are a smash ... with one small caveat: Kate's best friend, Sophie (Sophia Coto), is spending more time on Kevin's side of the house. When Jack asks Kevin to help get Sophie back to the party she was invited to so Kate's feelings aren't hurt, Kevin replies, "I can't, Dad. I love her." In the very same episode, adult Kevin is trying to figure out whether he should be with melodramatic actress Olivia (Janet Montgomery) or brainy playwright Sloane (Milana Vayntrub), and he chooses ... neither! Instead he winds up at the New York City apartment of grownup Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge), who, it turns out, he married, cheated on and divorced 12 years prior.

06 of 20

Jack Makes It Through the Fire

SEASON 2, EPISODE 14

By this point in the series, we know that Jack dies, and in the previous episode, we got a pretty good idea how: After a faulty inherited Crock-Pot went awry (damn you, generous neighbors!), Jack managed to get his family out of the house safely, including — surprise! — himself. The one exception is family dog Louie, who Kate is especially upset about. We were torn, because poor Louie, but on the other hand, Jack survived and we wanted him to stay that way. In true Jack Pearson fashion, he's not going to let Louie languish and goes back inside to get him. And so there we (think we) have it: an answer to how Jack dies. Except, nope! He emerges with Louie and a wee bit of smoke inhalation, nothing a quick trip to the hospital can't fix. Phew. The Pearsons are calm, we're calm, everything is fine. Only the show isn't done toying with our emotions for the night: While Rebecca is at the hospital getting a candy bar at the vending machine, Jack goes into cardiac arrest and dies. The mystery of Jack's death was finally solved, and we were a wreck.

07 of 20

That's Grown-Up Tess!

SEASON 2, EPISODE 14

Randall and Beth decide to foster a child, and we meet Déjà (Lyric Ross), who's been shuffled from home to home ever since her great-grandmother (Pam Grier) died and her mom, Shauna (Joy Brunson), was arrested for gun possession. Things are rocky for everyone, and before we know it, Déjà is sent back to live with her mother. Meanwhile, we see intercut scenes of a social worker talking to a young boy in foster care named Jordan and assume that he'll soon be moving into Déjà's old room in the Pearson home. We should know better by now: It's more This Is Us timeline trickery, and Jordan is going home with another family. His social worker? Tess, who receives a visit from her dad — looking much older — at work.

08 of 20

Nicky Is Alive

SEASON 3, EPISODE 9

Much of season 3 revolved around Jack's time in the war, something he was reluctant to talk about in life. "I was just a mechanic," was his frequent refrain, and this season shows us everything Jack couldn't say: that he enlisted to protect his gentle little brother Nicky (Michael Angarano), who'd been drafted and disciplined, and that he wasn't a mechanic but a U.S. Army staff sergeant. The war timeline is juxtaposed with Kevin in Vietnam in present day, there with his girlfriend, documentarian Zoe (Melanie Liburd), to learn more about his dad. The closest they come is meeting a man who grew up in the village where Jack was stationed but has no recollection of him or the woman in the photo that Kevin got from one of Jack's war buddies. Dejected, Kevin gets ready to head home, but not without one last bombshell from their guide: According to a Vietnam memorial database, Nicky Pearson did not die in the war. A quick cut to a present-day loner living in a trailer in Pennsylvania holding a stack of mail confirms it: All the letters are addressed to Nicholas Pearson.

09 of 20

New Characters, New Questions

SEASON 4, EPISODE 1

The start of season 4 sets us off-kilter, as there are loads of unfamiliar faces, and we have no idea how they fit in yet — but we do know this show deserves the Emmy Award for Best Curveballs. First there's Cassidy Sharp (Jennifer Morrison), as a Marine whose Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is violently interrupted by the very-much-still-alive-and-older Uncle Nicky (Griffin Dunne). Then there's Malik (Asante Blackk), Déjà's soon-to-be love interest (whose dad is played by Morrison's former House costar Omar Epps, for maximum disorientation). Last but not least is an unidentified blind musician, whose life we see progress quickly: from writing songs alone in his apartment to falling in love, getting married and having a baby, to performing onstage to a sold-out crowd. Turns out it's grown-up baby Jack, a.k.a. Jack Damon (Blake Stadnik, right), fulfilling all the musical dreams of his mother and grandmother.

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Randall Confronts Rebecca

SEASON 4, EPISODE 9

We tried not to see this one coming but did. There have been hints of Rebecca's self-professed "senior moments," and now Randall finally talks to his mother about her memory. Though she first resists, she finally agrees to let him make an appointment with a neurologist. In a disorienting episode that flashes back and forth in time without our knowing it — perhaps to mirror the constant state of disorientation Rebecca feels — the Pearson matriarch, with Miguel and Randall by her side, gets a diagnosis: mild cognitive impairment likely because of Alzheimer's. No one knows how quickly things will progress, but everyone knows this is not good news. Suddenly a show that's been fixated on Jack's death pulls the rug out from under us, making us realize that our future with Rebecca isn't guaranteed either.

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That's Kate and Toby's Daughter

SEASON 4, EPISODE 18

Who's that girl? In this episode, titled "Strangers: Part Two" (in "Strangers: Part One," we met Cassidy, Malik and adult baby Jack), the character we're most interested in is a young woman named Hailey, who works at an art gallery and whose coworker has a crush on her. Separately Kate and Toby are celebrating baby Jack's 1st birthday and talking about having another kid. That's when we realize Hailey is in the future. How do we know? Grownup baby Jack and his wife have just had their own kid — a little girl named Hope — and who rushes into the hospital room to meet her? Her Aunt Hailey, from the art gallery, who it turns out is Jack's little sister — and Kate and Toby's future daughter.

12 of 20

Kevin and Madison Are Having Twins

SEASON 4, EPISODE 18

Gotta love that Pearson DNA. In fairness, this revelation was preceded by an equally surprising one — though an obvious one given the result: Kevin and Madison slept together! ("I was literally upside down at one point," is the way Madison describes it to her not-thrilled best friend, Kate.) Madison has learned not to expect anything from anyone and lets Kevin know it — he's off the hook if he wants to be — but children are what he's always wanted. The pregnancy coincides with the pandemic, and podding together turns into something more for these two: They become a happily cohabitating family and decide to get married.

13 of 20

Laurel Didn't Die That Day

SEASON 5, EPISODES 1 & 2

For all we've learned about William, we know very little about Randall's birth mom, Laurel. The last time we saw her, paramedics had pronounced her dead from an overdose in the apartment she and William shared, and William fled with their newborn. But not so fast! All these seasons later, she takes one sharp, surprising inhalation and goes on to live a long, full life back in her native New Orleans with her youthful sweetheart Hai. After Randall's shirtless-councilman video goes viral, Hai reaches out, and Randall and Beth immediately go down to his lake house in New Orleans to learn about Randall's mom. Except, Hai tells them, it's their lakehouse: Laurel left it for her son when she died of cancer.

14 of 20

Kate Had an Abortion

SEASON 5, EPISODE 5

Kevin's and Randall's love lives are well-worn territory by
this point, but we know little about 18-year-old Kate's. By now we've met her boyfriend Marc, her boss at the record store. And though he seemed fine enough at first, it quickly becomes apparent that he's an emotionally abusive, controlling, horrible jerk, and that a grieving, lonely, depressed Kate is his perfect prey. Luckily, Kate eventually realizes it too — though not before he inflicts some major damage, including one night at the cabin that could have resulted in hypothermia — so when she finds out she's pregnant with his baby, she knows she's going to have an abortion. It takes her years to tell anyone.

15 of 20

Madison Dumps Kevin at the Altar

SEASON 5, EPISODE 16

As unlikely a couple as they once seemed, Madison and Kevin are actually pretty adorable together, and the onetime womanizer seems to think his bride-to-be hung the moon. He loves their life, he loves their family ... but, Madison starts to wonder as their wedding day approaches, does he love her? Her mom walked out on her, her dad was barely home — she's been settling for relationship scraps her whole life, and she doesn't want to do it anymore. She loves Kevin, but she will not marry him unless he loves her back in the same way — and he doesn't. So that's a wrap on Kadison, right on their wedding day.

16 of 20

Kate and Toby Split Up — and Kate Marries Her 'Mean Jerk' Boss?

SEASON 5, EPISODE 16

KaToby have been on the rocks for a while — he's no longer a depressed stay-at-home dad, but his weekly commute to a new job in San Francisco is putting a strain on the relationship. Luckily for Kate, her new job — teaching music at a school for children with visual impairment — is filling her cup with love ... if only it weren't for "Phillip Mean Jerk" (that's literally how she has him labeled in her phone). He's smug, he's arrogant, he's dismissive — and by the end of this episode, he's getting ready to walk down the aisle to marry her.

17 of 20

Nicky Finds Love

SEASON 6, EPISODE 2

But not with who you think. In the future timeline, when the family is assembling at the cabin to sit by Rebecca's bedside, characters are revealed little by little. The latest is someone yet to be revealed, just pulling up in a car. But never mind that, let's talk about Sally: Nicky's one true love, who deflowered him in her van, Pearl, and with whom he was supposed to attend Woodstock. Instead, he chickened out, got drafted, and life was never the same. A whimsical road trip to see Sally in present day finds Nicky, Rebecca and Miguel at the world's most awkward dinner party — mostly thanks to Sally's obnoxious husband — but it does bring him enough closure to move out of the Rivas house and head on back to the cabin. On his flight back east, Nicky is busy being the gruff guy we've grown to love and refuses to put his seat back in an upright position for takeoff. And wouldn't you know it, the flight attendant Edie not only finds it charming, but she can give as good as she can take. Sometimes you find soulmates in the most unexpected places. (And yes, that's Edie pulling up to the cabin, and, boy, is Nicky glad to see her.)

18 of 20

An Accident Damaged Kate and Toby's Marriage

SEASON 6, EPISODE 3

We're in the home stretch now, the final season, and things are looking up for KaToby — except that we know she ends up engaged to Phillip Mean Jerk. So what gives? Another flash-forward to adult Jack Damon gives us a clue: As he stands at a smoker grilling meats for his wife, Lucy, she refers to the smoker, where he's cooking, and then touches a scar on his head. "It's like the literal symbol of the day your mom and dad's marriage blew up," she says of the Big Green Egg, which was meant to be one of Toby's grand gestures, to try to finally right things with his family. He wanted to create a Damon-focused activity that all four of them — Toby, Kate, Jack and Hailey — could make memories with, and boy oh boy did he succeed, but not in a good way.

19 of 20

Miguel Moved to Houston Because of Rebecca

SEASON 6, EPISODE 7

When Rebecca reconnected with Miguel, it was on Facebook, and his location was Houston. We already knew the two eventually got married, but almost everything in between had so far been a mystery. We've seen him become her resident handyman and even her speed dating wingman, but we've never known how Miguel ended up in Texas. Now we do: He was in love with Rebecca for a long time, and being near her was too painful. Thanks to — what else? — social media, the two were able to reconnect, and the rest is Pearson history.

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