‘This Is Us’: Are the Jack Flashback Scenes Getting Stale?
Jack Pearson’s (Milo Ventimiglia) death occurred in This Is Us Season 2. However, the patriarch continues to live on in flashbacks. The NBC Pearson family drama is in the back half of season 5, but Jack’s scenes never end. Some fans believe they are getting stale.
How did Jack die on ‘This Is Us’?
The writers finally revealed Jack Pearson’s cause of death in This Is Us Season 2 Episode 14. In one of the most watched episodes of the entire series, viewers found out how the Pearson family patriarch met his demise. Ultimately, an old and defective slow cooker from the Pearson’s neighbors caused a fire after Jack left it plugged in overnight.
Kevin (Justin Hartley) wasn’t at the house at the time of the fire. Jack and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) made it out alive with their children, Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown). However, Jack went back into the house to save their family dog, Louie. He also grabbed some family mementos.
Although Jack made it out alive, he went to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. While Rebecca was away from his room briefly, Jack had a sudden fatal “widowmaker” heart attack. The doctor informed Rebecca of her husband’s death, and she went into shock.
‘This Is Us’ Season 5: Some fans don’t want more Jack scenes
As This Is Us Season 5 prepares to come to a close, fans are voicing their concerns about Jack’s constant flashbacks.
“I love Milo Ventimiglia, and he portrays Jack perfectly,” one fan wrote on Reddit. “He was the most captivating character in the show by far for me for the first two or even three seasons. But now, I feel that he doesn’t add anything to the show anymore, and the flashbacks he’s in have started getting repetitive.”
Some other fans agreed that they want to see less of the Pearson family patriarch in This Is Us.
“I feel the same,” another viewer added. “I think the flashbacks with him and Rebecca aren’t that interesting anymore. I don’t mind the ones where Nicky and the kids are involved. But Jack and Rebecca’s love story has kinda been played out for me.”
The cast of ‘This Is Us’ wouldn’t be the same without Milo Ventimiglia’s scenes
Other fans love every Milo Ventimiglia scene in This Is Us and feel they are so crucial to the series’s plot.
“It seems like the mystery of how he died was the only attraction for some people, and now he’s irrelevant,” one Redditor wrote. “From the perspective of someone whose dad died, I still connect so much with how they tie in the memory of Jack and how the smallest things, such as the ruined painting at the cabin, can trigger a flashback of memories. That’s so real and so relevant for the people who lived the loss.”
Numerous fans come to Jack’s defense and add reasons why his scenes are critical to the series.
“Just because the character is dead doesn’t mean he holds less relevance to the story the writers are telling,” another fan added. “The point of Jack still being around is to show that even when people pass, they still have an effect on the present-day through their children and family members.”
Many viewers point out that the show is structured to show the past, present, and future. So, it’s vital that Jack remain an integral part of This Is Us.
