This Is Us season 2, episode 13 recap – That’ll Be the Day: The moments that made us cry

Here’s everything that happened on This Is Us season 2, episode 13 “That’ll Be the Day” that sees Jack and Rebecca talk about their future.

The clues have been mounting that Jack’s death would soon be shown on This Is Us. The end of the season 2 premiere showed the night of Jack’s death but left many of the clues covered up that were slowly and methodically revealed as the season progressed.

Viewers saw Kevin hurt his leg and get the cast on his leg, Kate had the dog, recurring references to the blown fuses, the “game over” from the video game on the TV, Randall dating a redhead and lastly, the soul-crushing reveal that Rebecca and Jack forgot batteries at the mall for the smoke detector.

In the promo for “That’ll Be the Day,” Rebecca is seen wearing the Steelers jersey she had on when she was driving home with Jack’s personal effects in the passenger side of the car before stopping curbside of the burned-out shell of their house. All week I was bracing for this to be the week Jack died.

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Jack didn’t die this week, but we know what started the fire. An old crock pot that was gifted to Jack and Rebecca when they moved into the neighborhood as a young couple by an older couple that was selling their house. The crock pot had a faulty switch and after Jack turned it off the night of the Super Bowl party, a fire was sparked and quickly spread in the kitchen to towels and the drapes and spread throughout the home.

“To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra played in the background as the home Jack and Rebecca built was about to be destroyed and their lives irrevocably changed.

Next week’s episode picks up with the house engulfed in flames and Jack trying to rescue his family. We know the kids and Rebecca are safe and we know Jack doesn’t make it out alive. We’ll have to stay strong for one more week when This Is Us returns after the Super Bowl.

Until then, these are the other moments that made us cry from this week’s episode of This Is Us.

Kevin and Randall carrying out Jack’s dream

Jack wasn’t able to get Big Three Homes up and running before his death, but his boys are putting his dream into action. With Randall and Beth’s new project as building owners of William’s old building, Kevin and his brother took on the role of the super. And with that, they began rehabbing the residences of so many people and bringing some smiles to people’s faces. If Jack could see them now, he’d be so proud.

This is especially heartwarming, not just because Randall and Kevin are doing something together, but because Kevin is on the road to recovery. He’s making amends to the people he’s hurt and he’s keeping busy. This is what Jack did when he wanted to drink. Instead of grabbing a glass, he’d grab a hammer and go to work. It’s exactly what Kevin’s doing.

“He’s been gone longer than we had him”

Randall tells Kevin he can’t picture himself as an old man because he never saw his dad live to be old. He’s almost 40-years-old and he’s starting over with a new career. He’s scared, but Kevin is there to offer support. Randall tells Kevin their dad has already been gone for 20 years. That’s more time than they got to have their dad. That’s a punch to the stomach to think they’ve been on this planet without their dad longer than with him. That’s not fair and another cruel reminder to cherish every moment with the people you love, especially your brothers, sisters and parents. Kevin and Randall have had a number of blowups in the past but I sincerely hope these two can grow old together and doing the thing that their dad didn’t get to see come to life.

Kate gets Toby a puppy

After Kate walked in on Toby smirking at his computer, she suspected her fiancee was watching something naughty. He wasn’t, he just fell down the rabbit hole looking at puppy pictures. Toby and Kate have already been through a lot, so it was great that she could bring some joy to each other. Kate rescued Audio from the pet shelter, where she met guest star Lena Waithe, who made the introduction to the adorable and handsome pupper you can see below.

Kate sees how her dad looks at her

Katie girl has a final audition to get into music school so she has to record a new song. Jack offers to record it but she’s bashful and doesn’t want to be on camera. Jack gets a short clip as he spies from outside the door. Kate is mad at her dad and storms outside where she tells her dad that he needs to stop talking to her like he does. Jack sees his daughter like all great dads see their little girl. She’s perfect in his eyes, but Kate doesn’t get that same feedback from other guys so she wants him to stop.

After Kate watches the tape of her dad’s recording, she can see Jack’s reaction in the mirror. He’s beaming like any proud dad watching his pride and joy doing something she loves. It’s entirely heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time because he can’t look at Katie girl like that again.

Be my partner

Jack asks Rebecca to be his business partner. He needs her by his side. She handled all the finances and design for the remodeling of their own home. They are dreaming of a bright future, together. An office with a view as Jack puts it, and now he’ll get to work with the love of his life by his side every step of the way. They had to go upstairs because they’re so incredibly so into each other and love each other so much.

You were the name

Kevin has to make amends to the people he’s hurt. He’s crossed off one name after another but still, Sophie remained. He stands outside her door ready to make amends when she tells him to leave her with a memory of when things were good. There will not be a romantic happy ending today. Probably not ever. No one can take away all the good times they had together though. Kevin assures Sophie that she just wasn’t a name on his list that he had to cross off. She was the name. No one has ever meant more to Kevin than Sophie. No one likely ever will, and the same very well is likely true for Sophie. It’s just not going to happen with these two. Not now. Maybe they’ll have a third chance. They are soulmates, even if they aren’t together, those people always tend to gravitate back to each other, so I’m going to keep my heart open for this reunion in season 3 or 4.

Kevin gets his necklace back

Kevin hit what we thought was rock bottom when he lost his necklace, the last thing he had from his dad, and was crying on Charlotte’s lawn after they hooked up after they were honored at their high school. Kevin told his mom that he lost it and he tried to get it back but couldn’t.

When Kevin returned home, he had a special delivery waiting for him. He opened up the letter and pulled out the chain and letter from Charlotte. He had made amends with her, and he began crying knowing he had the chain, but also because he still has to make amends with his dad.