Still alive? This Is Us fans have been bracing themselves to eventually find out how Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) dies, given that the beloved character is no longer in the present-day story. The NBC drama’s season 1 finale on Tuesday, March 14, included plenty of tense moments for him and wife Rebecca (Mandy Moore) — which you can relive in our video recap above — but not the dreaded death scene, leading fans to take to social media to start kicking around a startling theory.
After the March 7 episode, fans were convinced that Jack would die in a drunken-driving accident because the patriarch was shown in his vehicle with several empty beer cans in the passenger seat. The This is Us Twitter account even teased fans after the episode with a video, saying, “This is it,” furthering speculation that fans’ death theories might soon be confirmed.
While the death is still apparently on the horizon, the season’s final episode ended with the death mystery unanswered. Because Jack was as vigorous as ever in the finale, some viewers have started to wonder if he somehow faked his death, meaning he’s alive out there somewhere.
It’s hard to believe Jack would ever voluntarily leave his children behind, but maybe there is more to the story than the show has so far revealed. Many show devotees still have trouble understanding why This Is Us would get rid of him, so fans would presumably rejoice if somehow their favorite TV dad appeared in the present day.
Check out the tweets from people hoping Jack’s death was some kind of hoax.
Twist plot … Jack is still alive?! Can everyone just come out and say it was all a bad joke. #dontleavemejack #ThisIsUs
— Jessica Strittholt (@jesrogerss07) March 15, 2017
Hot take on #ThisIsUs finale. Jack going to fake his own death. Cold open for S3, Jack on a beach reacting to ‘Trump Elected’ headline
— Juggalo_Scientist (@malformed_babby) March 15, 2017
I’m kinda hoping Jack Pearson faked his death and is going to come back and reclaim his family #thisisus
— Stacy Potter (@StacyMPotter) March 15, 2017
Is it bad that part of me hopes Jack faked his death and got a better wife? #ThisisUS
— Rian (@Its_RianM) March 15, 2017
Think #ThisIsUs can figure out how to keep Jack alive and knock off Rebecca?
— Danny Toy (@NYDannyToy) March 15, 2017
Tell Us: Do you think there’s a way for the show to bring Jack back from the dead?
