Entertainment

Mandy Moore's Advice About The 'This Is Us' Super Bowl Episode Will Comfort Fans

There's just no way around it, Pearson family devotees — witnessing Jack's death is going to be brutal, but Mandy Moore says This Is Us fans will be able to move forward after the Super Bowl episode, according to Entertainment Tonight. Despite the heartache to come, that's good news for the viewers and the show.

While This Is Us has gotten its share of story out of the mystery surrounding Jack's death, what viewers need now is closure on this painful chapter of the Pearson family's past. Moore told ET,

"I can't wait for fans to see our Super Bowl episode. People will get a lot of answers and will be able to move forward. I think for everybody's sake it'll be a good thing."

As always, the woman who plays Rebecca Pearson is offering up sage advice. After nearly two years of teasing Jack's death, the day that Jack dies has finally arrived, and it's perfectly OK if you're not prepared. No matter how many hints the show has dropped, the reality of witnessing the death of one of TV's greatest dads is going to be heartbreaking. On the other hand, once the show plays out this final day in Jack's life, This Is Us can get back to the business of being a compelling family drama without a dark cloud looming over every scene in the past. By resolving this piece of the puzzle, the Pearson family and the people who love them can focus on other lingering question, like whatever happened to Jack's brother? And that's absolutely necessary for the sake of the show's longevity.

The good news is, even after his death in the Super Bowl episode, Jack isn't going anywhere. Milo Ventimiglia isn't leaving the show, which means there are plenty of stories about Jack left to tell. His death is a pivotal piece of this family's story, but if the show continued to drag the mystery surrounding his demise out for much longer, This Is Us would be in danger of being consumed by Jack's death, when it should be about the lives of the entire family.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ventimiglia made it clear that he's ready for the fans to find out what happens to Jack too. The actor said,

"I think people want to get to it so they can have acceptance, they can have closure, they can have an understanding moving forward."

Moving forward will be a relief, especially after Season 2 spent so much time establishing the events that led up to the night that Jack loses his life. Since This Is Us relishes making viewers cry, the show is unlikely to be drama free after the Super Bowl episode airs — and who would want it to be? — but maybe that drama can come from a place a little bit less morbid than the impending death of the family's patriarch.

Moore's belief that viewers will be ready to move forward after they finally get all the answers to Jack's death is reassuring. While it's entirely possible that the series will introduce another long-term mystery in the future, the characters deserve a little bit of breathing room, and the fans certainly need something to focus on besides forgotten batteries and dastardly slow cookers. There are far too many excellent stories going on — Kate's wedding preparations, Randall and Beth's journey as foster parents, and Kevin's struggle with addiction, to name a few — for This Is Us to spend more time teasing how Jack died.

Jack's life is so much more important than his death, and the ways in which he touched the lives of his wife and children will always be at the show's foundation. Moore's right; it's time for This Is Us to put the tragedy of Jack's death in the show's rear-view mirror so that it can begin a new chapter for fans to sob over.