With the world on fire, This Is Us is giving us a fun lighthearted episode that doesn’t waste our tissues during this crucial hoarding period.
Just kidding! This Is Us Season 4 Episode 17, “After the Fire,” is out to wreck us with a therapy session that explores a world in which Jack Pearson wasn’t ripped away from his family by a violent smoke-induced heart attack.
As it turns out, Randall’s need to replay the night of the fire over and over in his head is not just the root of his obsession with his mother’s health, it is also the foundation for the nightmare of an episode we are about to witness.
I call it a nightmare because, despite television’s founding fathers, Jack and William, sharing a scene together, they do so knowing their deaths will only crush our spirits more with every word.
The bar is set so low for this already emotional episode, and yet the actors at the center of this fantasy will no doubt go for complete devastation — they always do.
Don’t say This Is Us never gave us anything, because this ambitious what-if episode could just be everything.
Check out the photos and promo video below for a preview!
Episode description: Randall reflects on what could have been.
Photos from This Is Us Season 4 Episode 17:
THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Sterling K. Brown as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: (l-r) Milo Ventimiglia as Jack, Niles Fitch as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Ron Cephas Jones as William — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Niles Fitch as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Milo Ventimiglia — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: (l-r) Niles Fitch as Randall, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: (l-r) Ron Cephas Jones as William, Niles Fitch as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Niles Fitch as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Ron Cephas Jones as William — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: (l-r) Niles Fitch as Randall, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Ron Cephas Jones as William — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: (l-r) Ron Cephas Jones as William, Niles Fitch as Randall, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: (l-r) Ron Cephas Jones as William, Niles Fitch as Randall, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: (l-r) Ron Cephas Jones as William, Niles Fitch as Randall, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: (l-r) Niles Fitch as Randall, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Sterling K. Brown as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)THIS IS US — “After the Fire” Episode 417 — Pictured: Sterling K. Brown as Randall — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Alicia is a Rotten Tomatoes Certified Critic and a Critics Choice Association member. She credits her passion for TV to workplace sitcoms, paranormal dramedies, and coming-of-age stories. In her free time, Alicia loves to curl up with a good book and lose herself in a cozy game. Keep a lookout for her coverage of Ghosts. You can also find her work on Eulalie Magazine and Cool Girl Critiques. Follow Alicia on social media: @aliciagilstorf
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