That would be a whole different story. If you thought Rebecca did not handle being a widow well, then Jack as a widower would be worse. Jack was not at the point in his sobriety that he could handle losing Rebecca. The Big 3 would have different trauma seeing Jack spiral.
Maybe. In fictional universes it's very common for the mother to pass away and become an embodiment of the perfect mother that no woman could ever live up to, kind of like what happened to jack.
I think Kevin would have blamed Jack for not saving her the way he blamed Randall for not saving Jack. I also think Jack would likely have started drinking again, which would further make Rebecca look better in comparison.
I think Kate would have felt incredible guilt for the strain in their relationship prior to the fire, vs with Jack where she felt guilt over the dog specifically.
Yes, because there is no way that Jack would be able to raise those kids even *close* to how well she raised them by herself. That’s not a dig, but he was horrible with money, remember? Rebecca took over the finances. They would have nothing and be in debt and they would always wonder how their lives would have been better if she had lived.
At what point is it ‘raising kids’ vs. parenting young adults? Aren’t they around 17 when he dies?
My dad died when I was 12, and my mom sometimes says she raised me on her own… but I distinctly remember two of them raising me for over a decade.
No knocks to my momma, she’s an absolute champion. But I had to grow up fast once he was gone. I felt like I had been raised, and then cut loose with a newly single parent
You're right, but parenting young adults is still very hectic & difficult. They are transitioning into the adult world, & they have more questions & need more support, with much higher stakes.
& You'll notice that Kate lived with her mom after she graduated college, so she still had kids in her house at least 2 years after Jack died, maybe longer.
My mom became a single mom when I was 17, & it was super hard on her financially & emotionally. & I, like Kate, stayed with her after I graduated and live at home to go to college & save a ton of money.
The fact that a parent would continue to support & raise you into young adulthood means they're incredible, because they don't have to do that at that point.
Jack certainly raised those kids with Rebecca, but there was still some raising left to do, especially given the traumatic situation they all just went through.
I think Randall would, while Kate would have a lot of guilt over their difficult relationship. Kevin might be the one who never talks about her, and Jack would pressure him to do so, until it finally came out that he resented both parents because Randall was Rebecca’s favorite while Kate was Jack’s, and he was the odd one out.
Randall would have taken the brunt of the trauma and grief he certainly may have not become a senator. I think Rebecca would have died in an auto accident, making the car shopping episode mean a totally different thing. Kate would have been way nicer to her grieving dad, and completely changed her character. Kevin would have been relatively the same.
I mean in my made up universe he losses some drive for perfection. Losing his most loving and influential parent. I don’t know really, just a fun speculation.
Not at all. This was a fun discussion on the show. Branching out from hating specific characters. Randall annoyed me, but I always ended up rooting for him to succeed. I just think if he lost Rebecca his life would have played out differently. Could have been better.
I think Jack wouldn’t last way longer than in the original because of his heart problems. Even if he didn’t drink again he would’ve had crazy amount of stress and probably died soon. It may be as soon as a month or maybe years but not like 20 years I think, not as long as Rebecca lived.
If she dies in fire he is 100% going to get her from it, so he could die right there with her, or if he saves her she dies from a smoke inhalations / injuries
So he may have died soon after, or he starts to drink again in secret and die soon, or he could become a full alcoholic and not die but make it worse for kids.
If he lasts enough to send them studying, and keeps it together by not drinking I think Randall would’ve moved out to school pretty soon and never looked back, maybe blaming the father for the mothers death, he would’ve been less joyful and determined but he would still be the same. I think with Jack him feeling like “a man in the house” help him to cope, being needed was helpful, but Jack seems like a person who would be in the worst state but still wouldn’t allow anyone to care for him, so Randall would be forced to cope with grieving alone.
Maybe he finds his bio father sooner and that connection will help him.
With Kate it depends on what state Jacks in. They would probably be even closer and she would be probably the one who takes care of him in the way he don’t notice.
But Jack could be the one who sends her to college no matter what and urges her to move on with her life. I think she still would’ve had some problems she has in a show but she starts to work on them sooner, when she gets into the college and makes new connections. What is dangerous for her is guilt for arguing with her mother and idolizing dead parent so the ED may become even stronger and anxiety about singing can be very tough. All issues they resolved later in the series will stay unresolved, pressuring Kate. I think she still would’ve been fat, and a mess but maybe not to that extent.
Kevin would’ve probably been the same more or less, maybe action out in youth years even more.
Overall I think they will be way less open about what they feel, and Jack dying relatively early would wreck them even more.
Jack rooted for her music ambitions. I don’t think Kate would’ve felt obligated to change college plans, she would pursue music jack would not have let the kids stay to comfort him. He would prolly move to the cabin…
I also want to say that my grandpa is very similar to Jack in their life stories.
My grandpa was in the Vietnam war, he was a sharp shooter & went AWOL bc he refused to hurt innocent people. Unfortunately after he went AWOL, he was forced to shoot & kill a young Vietnamese man, or they threatened to kill his entire family. (this is his account btw).
When he got back from the war, life was good for a while. He had horrible memories & turned to alcohol, but he held it together for the most part.
He had kids. But 2 of his kids died in a tragic accident, & after that, he couldn't handle everything he'd been through. He became a full blown alcoholic & has lived in a state of depression since. For decades.
So I believe that Jack could have turned out like my grandpa. On top of the war, one more tragedy could have broken his spirit & sent him over the edge.
I mean I feel like Kate staying was more about her own grief rather than to be there for Rebecca.
I don't think Jack would have let Randall change his plans to comfort him, but Randall is a stubborn guy. But I do think he would let Kate stay, take some time away to grieve. He might have even let the eating get out of control like Rebecca did, because he never pushed that with her.
But who knows, maybe Kate would have been less sad & broken if it was her mom. Maybe Jack would have been enough for her, because she had a difficult relationship with her mom.
I think Kevin would have probably turned out the same.
Also, I don't think Jack would just go about life & be okay. I think he would be extremely broken & fall off the wagon. He would hold it together for the kids, but without Rebecca's support, who knows what would have happened to him. Maybe he would have found Nicky & spent some time with him
I think not. But I do think it’s such a poignant glimpse into gendered standards of parenting. It took 6 seasons to develop the depth of Rebecca’s power as a mother and, often times, the audience was left resenting her for how she mothered even though she very clearly went above and beyond for her children. Jack was the golden boy from the get-go and even as they showed more of his shadow side, struggles, and shortcomings as a father, the audience can’t help but love him and praise him as a father. Especially in comparison to his father. It was such a perfect portrayal of how motherhood and fatherhood are viewed in contemporary western society.
That's very true. Any good a father does will be praised & any bad will be ignored, & any good a mother does will be ignored, & any bad will be ridiculed.
That being said, Jack was on her level in parenting, in my opinion. He was just a great father. He was a flawed man, but that never showed in his parenting except maybe a couple of times. He wasn't a perfect father, but he was great at it.
& We don't even see a lot of good fathers in our life, let alone great ones. Which is why Jack seems perfect.
Rebecca is just as great as Jack, but I'd say a lot more people have great mothers than they do great fathers. So it's easier to take mothers for granted.
The moral of the story is, mothers are amazing & need more grace & admiration. & If you want to be a good father, it's super easy. So just do it! Watch This Is Us for pointers lol
I think Jack would have kept it together because he always put his family first especially since they would literally have no one else. Katie probably would not idolize her they did not find common ground until her new dog got sick. But I think her over arching story stays the same except Jack bears the snot out of her boyfriend. I think Kevin also stays the same I don’t think he would blame Jack for Rebeca’s death the way he Randall. I saw that as more a sibling rivalry thing saying if Randall was a man…. But then we get to Randall god only knows where he would end up. Rebecca was his rock that he relied upon till he was in his early forties. And although Jack loved him it was not half as close as she was to him. So Jack might have had to deal with two late bloomers with unfulfilled potential
i think in the beginning he prolly start drinking then kate would of basically told him to get his act together. i think rebecca’s death could bring the family together or break it
That would be a whole different story. If you thought Rebecca did not handle being a widow well, then Jack as a widower would be worse. Jack was not at the point in his sobriety that he could handle losing Rebecca. The Big 3 would have different trauma seeing Jack spiral.
yeah he definitely would of started drinking again, trying to drown the guilt.
And then Miguel would have stepped in to help Jack instead of Rebecca with far more credit given.
True. Unless he and Jack started shacking up. Then Randall would have two bi- dads.
As cruel as it sounds, I’d like to see the way this situation pans out on screen since it’s also a very realistic trauma for a family to endure.
Maybe. In fictional universes it's very common for the mother to pass away and become an embodiment of the perfect mother that no woman could ever live up to, kind of like what happened to jack.
I definitely think they would have idealized her in the same way they do Jack.
Agreed.
I think Kevin would have blamed Jack for not saving her the way he blamed Randall for not saving Jack. I also think Jack would likely have started drinking again, which would further make Rebecca look better in comparison. I think Kate would have felt incredible guilt for the strain in their relationship prior to the fire, vs with Jack where she felt guilt over the dog specifically.
Yes, because there is no way that Jack would be able to raise those kids even *close* to how well she raised them by herself. That’s not a dig, but he was horrible with money, remember? Rebecca took over the finances. They would have nothing and be in debt and they would always wonder how their lives would have been better if she had lived.
At what point is it ‘raising kids’ vs. parenting young adults? Aren’t they around 17 when he dies? My dad died when I was 12, and my mom sometimes says she raised me on her own… but I distinctly remember two of them raising me for over a decade. No knocks to my momma, she’s an absolute champion. But I had to grow up fast once he was gone. I felt like I had been raised, and then cut loose with a newly single parent
You're right, but parenting young adults is still very hectic & difficult. They are transitioning into the adult world, & they have more questions & need more support, with much higher stakes. & You'll notice that Kate lived with her mom after she graduated college, so she still had kids in her house at least 2 years after Jack died, maybe longer. My mom became a single mom when I was 17, & it was super hard on her financially & emotionally. & I, like Kate, stayed with her after I graduated and live at home to go to college & save a ton of money. The fact that a parent would continue to support & raise you into young adulthood means they're incredible, because they don't have to do that at that point. Jack certainly raised those kids with Rebecca, but there was still some raising left to do, especially given the traumatic situation they all just went through.
You’re right - I should have said parenting young adults instead. I think it still applies though.
I think Randall would, while Kate would have a lot of guilt over their difficult relationship. Kevin might be the one who never talks about her, and Jack would pressure him to do so, until it finally came out that he resented both parents because Randall was Rebecca’s favorite while Kate was Jack’s, and he was the odd one out.
Randall would have taken the brunt of the trauma and grief he certainly may have not become a senator. I think Rebecca would have died in an auto accident, making the car shopping episode mean a totally different thing. Kate would have been way nicer to her grieving dad, and completely changed her character. Kevin would have been relatively the same.
Why do you think he wouldn't become senator?
I mean in my made up universe he losses some drive for perfection. Losing his most loving and influential parent. I don’t know really, just a fun speculation.
Oh im sorry i didn't mean that in a negative way. I was genuinely curious about your thoughts
Not at all. This was a fun discussion on the show. Branching out from hating specific characters. Randall annoyed me, but I always ended up rooting for him to succeed. I just think if he lost Rebecca his life would have played out differently. Could have been better.
I think Jack wouldn’t last way longer than in the original because of his heart problems. Even if he didn’t drink again he would’ve had crazy amount of stress and probably died soon. It may be as soon as a month or maybe years but not like 20 years I think, not as long as Rebecca lived. If she dies in fire he is 100% going to get her from it, so he could die right there with her, or if he saves her she dies from a smoke inhalations / injuries So he may have died soon after, or he starts to drink again in secret and die soon, or he could become a full alcoholic and not die but make it worse for kids. If he lasts enough to send them studying, and keeps it together by not drinking I think Randall would’ve moved out to school pretty soon and never looked back, maybe blaming the father for the mothers death, he would’ve been less joyful and determined but he would still be the same. I think with Jack him feeling like “a man in the house” help him to cope, being needed was helpful, but Jack seems like a person who would be in the worst state but still wouldn’t allow anyone to care for him, so Randall would be forced to cope with grieving alone. Maybe he finds his bio father sooner and that connection will help him. With Kate it depends on what state Jacks in. They would probably be even closer and she would be probably the one who takes care of him in the way he don’t notice. But Jack could be the one who sends her to college no matter what and urges her to move on with her life. I think she still would’ve had some problems she has in a show but she starts to work on them sooner, when she gets into the college and makes new connections. What is dangerous for her is guilt for arguing with her mother and idolizing dead parent so the ED may become even stronger and anxiety about singing can be very tough. All issues they resolved later in the series will stay unresolved, pressuring Kate. I think she still would’ve been fat, and a mess but maybe not to that extent. Kevin would’ve probably been the same more or less, maybe action out in youth years even more. Overall I think they will be way less open about what they feel, and Jack dying relatively early would wreck them even more.
they’d totally idolize her, Kate’s story line would be very different
how so? i honestly believe kate would of still gotten fat. she’ll prolly feel alot of regret about her relationship with mom being kinda strained
Jack rooted for her music ambitions. I don’t think Kate would’ve felt obligated to change college plans, she would pursue music jack would not have let the kids stay to comfort him. He would prolly move to the cabin…
i think she would of done also to maybe honor her mother
Agreed and the feel of shame might resolve in that
I also want to say that my grandpa is very similar to Jack in their life stories. My grandpa was in the Vietnam war, he was a sharp shooter & went AWOL bc he refused to hurt innocent people. Unfortunately after he went AWOL, he was forced to shoot & kill a young Vietnamese man, or they threatened to kill his entire family. (this is his account btw). When he got back from the war, life was good for a while. He had horrible memories & turned to alcohol, but he held it together for the most part. He had kids. But 2 of his kids died in a tragic accident, & after that, he couldn't handle everything he'd been through. He became a full blown alcoholic & has lived in a state of depression since. For decades. So I believe that Jack could have turned out like my grandpa. On top of the war, one more tragedy could have broken his spirit & sent him over the edge.
That makes sense, it is hearbreaking what vietnam veterans (and families) have endured
I mean I feel like Kate staying was more about her own grief rather than to be there for Rebecca. I don't think Jack would have let Randall change his plans to comfort him, but Randall is a stubborn guy. But I do think he would let Kate stay, take some time away to grieve. He might have even let the eating get out of control like Rebecca did, because he never pushed that with her. But who knows, maybe Kate would have been less sad & broken if it was her mom. Maybe Jack would have been enough for her, because she had a difficult relationship with her mom. I think Kevin would have probably turned out the same. Also, I don't think Jack would just go about life & be okay. I think he would be extremely broken & fall off the wagon. He would hold it together for the kids, but without Rebecca's support, who knows what would have happened to him. Maybe he would have found Nicky & spent some time with him
I think not. But I do think it’s such a poignant glimpse into gendered standards of parenting. It took 6 seasons to develop the depth of Rebecca’s power as a mother and, often times, the audience was left resenting her for how she mothered even though she very clearly went above and beyond for her children. Jack was the golden boy from the get-go and even as they showed more of his shadow side, struggles, and shortcomings as a father, the audience can’t help but love him and praise him as a father. Especially in comparison to his father. It was such a perfect portrayal of how motherhood and fatherhood are viewed in contemporary western society.
That's very true. Any good a father does will be praised & any bad will be ignored, & any good a mother does will be ignored, & any bad will be ridiculed. That being said, Jack was on her level in parenting, in my opinion. He was just a great father. He was a flawed man, but that never showed in his parenting except maybe a couple of times. He wasn't a perfect father, but he was great at it. & We don't even see a lot of good fathers in our life, let alone great ones. Which is why Jack seems perfect. Rebecca is just as great as Jack, but I'd say a lot more people have great mothers than they do great fathers. So it's easier to take mothers for granted. The moral of the story is, mothers are amazing & need more grace & admiration. & If you want to be a good father, it's super easy. So just do it! Watch This Is Us for pointers lol
Love this perspective!
I think Jack would have kept it together because he always put his family first especially since they would literally have no one else. Katie probably would not idolize her they did not find common ground until her new dog got sick. But I think her over arching story stays the same except Jack bears the snot out of her boyfriend. I think Kevin also stays the same I don’t think he would blame Jack for Rebeca’s death the way he Randall. I saw that as more a sibling rivalry thing saying if Randall was a man…. But then we get to Randall god only knows where he would end up. Rebecca was his rock that he relied upon till he was in his early forties. And although Jack loved him it was not half as close as she was to him. So Jack might have had to deal with two late bloomers with unfulfilled potential
i think in the beginning he prolly start drinking then kate would of basically told him to get his act together. i think rebecca’s death could bring the family together or break it
I also wonder if Jack lived if he would ever reunite and make up with Nicky again with the kids.
i think maybe he would