This Is Us: 6 Questions Ahead of the Finale

This Is Us' Season 1 finale airs in a matter of days and while we're all bracing ourselves for a kick to the emotions, we're also itching to get answers to some pressing questions. It's hard to imagine all the show's dangling threads will be rectified by the time we go to bed Thursday, but we're still holding out hope we get some resolution to the following so we're not complete wrecks waiting for Season 2.

1. Is Jack's (Milo Ventimiglia) foolish drunk drinking just a huge red herring?
While it sure does look like Jack is careening towards his demise -- we last saw him tipsy and getting into his car -- it's unlikely we're going to see Jack meet his maker. This Is Us, for better or for worse, loves an unexpected swerve (no pun intended) and, sorry, having Jack die in a drunk driving accident -- as Sufjan Stevens sings "Every road has an end," no less -- feels super predictable. Series creator and showrunner Dan Fogleman has hinted it'll be a while before we find out exactly how Jack died, and giving that huge reveal away now seems like an anti-climactic way to gear up for Season 2, don't you think? Oh, and Chrissy Metz has flat-out said in an interview with Us Weekly that the finale won't fully explain how Jack dies. A much less obvious, and entirely probable scenario, is thatJack makes it to see Rebecca (Mandy Moore) without incident... and things go downhill from there. Could Jack find Rebecca in some compromising situation with her ex, triggering a series of unfortunate events?

This Is Us: Who caused Jack's death?

2. Assuming KevinJustin Hartley has enough sense to not turn down a role in a Ron Howard movie, will Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge) uproot her life to go with him?
Perhaps we shouldn't get too attached to these two just yet. Why was she so sheepish about seeing Kevin's family again, going so far as to creep out of the back door of his play instead of seeing them face-to-face? It's possible she's less of an angel than she currently seems.

3. What's Randall (Sterling K. Brown) going to do for a job now?
It's obvious that being a jazz singer ain't in the cards for him, but will Randall try some other artistic pursuits in honor of his father? Will Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) become the breadwinner?

4. Does William (Ron Cephas Jones) have any more surprises from beyond the grave coming?
This we should bet on -- if not in the finale, then soon. Fogleman has already said we haven't seen the last of William. And given that he continued to make his presence felt already -- through the emotional mailman, his former partner Jesse (Denis O'Hare) and that postcard from Memphis Beth received -- it's probably not a bad idea to consider having a little stick under our necks so that when William's ghost affects the present we can keep our jaws from falling to the floor.

5. Could Kate and Toby (Chris Sullivan) break up?
As adorable as they are together, Kate and Toby haven't always been on the same page in their relationship. They're at a good place now, following Kate's trip to the weight loss camp, but consider in the last episode Kate just got to a place where she was able to tell Toby her biggest secret. As a swell of emotions bubbled up, Kate asked Toby to hang back so she could talk to Randall about it. And while Randall is obviously the only one who can truly understand where she's at, her not going to her intended life partner for emotional support could spell a shakeup for the couple. Kate is changing, and she's serious about it, which is great; Toby doesn't take much seriously, which is great in its own way too. But her admission that she's just beginning to deal with issues she's buried for a long time sounds like the kind of crack in one's veneer that leads to a radical transformation -- the kind that can sometimes leave current partners behind.

6. Will we see how Miguel (Jon Huertas) and Rebecca came to be?
It seems reasonable to believe that Miguel and Rebecca look to one another for comfort after Jack dies -- and it's just as unlikely we'll find Rebecca and her husband's BFF getting hot and heavy behind Jack's back. That said, this is This Is Us! Anything can happen. Miguel is no longer married, Rebecca is clearly unhappy (and good at keeping secrets) and as it stands now, Jack is on his way to surprise his wife -- while drunk and full of resentments he's buried for way too long. Jack won't flat-out die in the finale, but he will do something irrevocable and stupid. And with Miguel on a slow path to redemption, could it be possible that Rebecca finds that the best shoulder to lean on is that of his best friend? Just saying!

This is Us' Season 1 finale airs Tuesday, March 14 at 9/8c on NBC.