Susan Kelechi Watson Says The 'This Is Us' Flashforwards Will Have A Satisfying Conclusion

After what felt like an endless break, This Is Us is returning this Tuesday, Jan. 15 to (hopefully) resolve some of the many cliffhangers from the midseason finale. OK, so realistically, there's probably not going to be a ton of answers in the first episode back, but in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Susan Kelechi Watson did promise the This Is Us flashforward storyline will have a fulfilling conclusion, not only for the fans, but for the characters as well. What she didn't say is when the next flashforward will happen, so if you were holding out hope of immediately finding out what's up with that Pin the Tail on the Donkey game, you might want to lower your expectations.

Even without a specific timeline for when the show will once again zip forward to that ominous feeling future where the family is gathering by Rebecca's bedside, it's good to know that Watson feels the payoff will be worth the wait. She told EW, "I would describe it as a completion in a way. For fans definitely. That comes to my mind. But also for us as individual characters, I think there's going to be something very complete that happens in that moment."

Since series creator Dan Fogelman has confirmed that the future timeline is part of the show's endgame, it's nice to know that Watson sees the moment of the family uniting as one of "completion." As intriguing as the mysteries are, This Is Us will always be about the Pearson family, first and foremost. And knowing that they're heading toward a full circle journey is comforting, even if that could mean a bittersweet ending for the series as a whole.

The series ending of This Is Us is likely still quite a long ways off, and the good news is there's no shortage of present day stories to be invested in. Like, how does businesswoman Beth pivot into a career as the owner of a ballet studio? That's one question that will be answered in a timely (and satisfying) manner, according to Watson.

In her interview, Watson revealed that "we're going to get the full story" about Beth's journey toward a career in ballet. She further explained, "People will know why, and it won't feel like something so far removed from what she was doing when we learned it. That's what she always wanted to do."

One question that Watson couldn't answer for EW is what's next for Beth and Randall's marriage. In the present, Randall was last seen sleeping on the couch, and the actor who plays Beth is well aware that fans noticed that in the midseason finale, the couple wasn't shown together in the future. The possibility that Beth and Randall's relationship will fall apart is too heartbreaking to contemplate. Right now, it's still unclear exactly what the future holds for their family — but Watson does warn fans that their first scene together in the future timeline will be "emotional."

Is it emotional because they haven't seen each other in a long time? Or does the emotion come from their reason for visiting Rebecca in the first place? Watson isn't spilling any secrets. That's OK though, because just knowing that the flashforwards are heading toward a resolution of the Pearson family's story that the actor seems to feel is rewarding is reason enough to trust in the journey that This Is Us is taking viewers on.