This Is Us: 10 Questions We Have After the Season Finale

This Is Us concluded its emotional first season Tuesday night with a heartbreaking cliffhanger: Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) got separated. And then there's the other dangling thread: the still-unsolved mystery of how Jack died.

But those are just some of the burning questions we have about the Pearsons and what's ahead for them in the next season of This Is Us. Ponder these with us as we prepare for a six-month hiatus from our favorite tearjerking show.

1. Why does Kate feel ready to sing?

Kate (Chrissy Metz) decided at the end of the episode that she wants to take up singing. The decision came as she was sorting through boxes of her things -- presumably to move in with Toby (Chris Sullivan) -- and found a picture of Rebecca singing into a microphone. It's great that Kate has found a new direction for her life, but is she ready to take this on?

What about seeing that photograph inspired Kate to want to sing? Secondly, in Episode 3, Kate confessed that she doesn't sing publicly because she's afraid of what people would think of her weight. We totally support Kate owning her talent and performing no matter what size she wears, but if that was an issue then, and she hasn't fixed it, how is it not an issue now? Kate shouldn't be obsessed with her weight all the time, but until she addresses and resolves the issues that lead to her weight gain, we don't see how she'll be able to get on stage.

2. How does Beth react to Randall's idea to adopt?

Holy bombshell! Randall (Sterling K. Brown) suggested to his wife at the end of the episode that they should adopt a third child, but we never got to hear Beth's (Susan Kelechi Watson) reaction. Does she want a third child? Would it interfere with her career plans? Is it wise to try and adopt a child while Randall is still figuring out what he wants to do for work? Raising another child is a big responsibility, but Beth has always been supportive of Randall's dreams. It'll be interesting to see how she navigates this new terrain.

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3. What will Randall's new job be?

Speaking of Randall's career plans, what's he going to do next? We can't imagine there are too many firms that predict stocks based on weather patterns, or whatever it was Randall said he did. Perhaps he wants to stay in finance or start his own firm. Or will he take a completely different avenue? One thing we do know: that gorgeous house isn't going to pay for itself.

4. Will Kevin's new movie affect his play and his relationship with Sophie?

Kevin (Justin Hartley) risked a lot to get his play, Back of an Egg, off the ground. It's supposed to be the start of his regaining artistic integrity. All it took was one call from Ron Howard to bring him back to L.A. -- away from Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge) and from his passion project. We don't know if Kevin is going to land this movie, but if he does, what happens to the play, which based its success on Kevin's name? Could it survive if he's not there? The role also puts his relationship with Sophie at risk. She only recently felt safe saying that they were dating again. Is she really ready to trust Kevin to be back in L.A. and not to ruin their relationship again?

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5. Why doesn't Sophie want to see the Pearsons -- especially Kate?

If Kevin was the one that cheated and ended things with Sophie, why is she so afraid of seeing the family again -- especially her former best friend Kate? Sophie's reluctance to see the Pearsons is very suspicious and makes us curious about exactly what happened when she and Kevin ended things.

6. Were Rebecca and Jack still together when he died?

The last we saw of Jack and Rebecca, they were separating and Jack was going to live with Miguel (Jon Huertas). We know that Jack dies when the Big 3 are still teenagers, which means he died within the same year he and Rebecca had this giant fight. Rebecca attends the funeral, but was she still married to Jack at the time of his death?

7. How was Jack's death Kate's fault?

Kate told Toby in the penultimate episode that it's difficult for her to talk about Jack with him because her father's death was her fault. We assumed Jack might die in a drunk driving accident, given how the penultimate accident ended. If he had, we can see how Kate would blame herself for encouraging him to go to Rebecca's show. However, Jack didn't die that way, which makes us wonder why Kate would think she is responsible for her father dying. Does the night of Rebecca's show still figure into Jack's death or is there more to learn about Kate's involvement in another incident related to Jack's passing?

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8. How did being in Vietnam affect Jack?

One of the surprising revelations of the finale was that Jack spent time in Vietnam. It's brought up casually between Jack and Mrs. Peabody while he's fixing her car. He dismissed concern about impact from the experience by saying he was only a mechanic, but it's hard to believe he wasn't affected. It's likely Jack's service days play a part in his tendency to turn to alcohol when he gets stressed -- and issues we've yet to see play out.

9. What is Miguel's relationship like with the other Pearson children?

We know that Kevin is not Miguel's biggest fan, but how do Randall and Kate feel? Randall invites him to all of the Pearson family gatherings and they seem civil enough, but we haven't seen them have a one-on-one conversation yet. The same goes for Miguel and Kate. Seeing more interactions could give us a better idea of how Rebecca and Miguel came to be and whether the other two Pearson children consider the relationship to be an insult to Jack's memory.

10. How did Rebecca and Miguel get together?

It is the biggest mystery of This Is Us besides the circumstances of Jack's death. When and how did Rebecca and Miguel fall in love? A sizable amount of This Is Us fans turned against the Pearsons' stepfather once they realized that Rebecca and Jack weren't together in the present day. Miguel's early support of Rebecca bordered on inappropriate and many wonder if he spent years pining for her while Jack was still alive. If the show wants to connect the past to the present, they are going to have to convince the audience to love Miguel. The first step of that will be proving that he and Rebecca fell in love long after Jack was dead.

What questions do you have?

This Is Us returns this fall on NBC.