‘This Is Us’: Why Marcus Brooks Returns in ‘The Train,’ According to Creator Dan Fogelman
NBC’s This Is Us is nearly complete, and fans are still sobbing over the events that took place in This Is Us Season 6 Episode 17. The episode, titled “The Train,” featured Rebecca’s death — and it also brought forth a revelation regarding Marcus Brooks. So, who is Marcus Brooks in This Is Us? Here’s what to know and why show creator Dan Fogelman included him in the penultimate episode.
[Spoiler alert: This Is Us Season 6 Episode 17, “The Train,” spoilers ahead.]
Who is Marcus Brooks in ‘This Is Us’?
This Is Us Season 6 Episode 17, “The Train,” brought the character of Marcus Brooks to the forefront. While the episode was primarily about Rebecca’s journey on the subconscious train to her death, there was an adjacent story about the Brooks family.
Elite Daily notes the episode showed a flashback to when the Brooks family was driving home together one night. Marcus and his brother, who were just kids at the time, were in the car. Then, the scene shows how an oncoming car lost control and crashed into the Brooks’ car. The crash severely injured Marcus, who was unbuckled at the time due to playing with his brother in the backseat. But Marcus survived the crash. Flash-forward sequences showed him in adulthood.
More flashbacks showed Jack Pearson in the hospital the same night of the car crash. Jack was in the hospital due to inhaling smoke from the house fire he ultimately died from. Jack spoke to Marcus’s father, and it seemed like Marcus would succumb to his injuries. Miraculously, Marcus survived at the exact moment Jack died.
Show creator Dan Fogelman explained why Marcus returned in ‘This Is Us’ Season 6 Episode 17, ‘The Train’
Marcus Brooks making an appearance in This Is Us Season 6 Episode 17 brought an added layer to Jack’s death from earlier in the show. Creator Dan Fogelman explained why he made this choice.
“I always thought that this second to last episode, in a way that hopefully surprises, would tell the story of another person, potentially a child, who had survived in that same moment that Jack had been lost,” Fogelman told People, according to Yahoo. “It’s very much at the center of the show.”
The episode also highlighted the present-day Brooks family saying a phrase that Dr. K and Jack had said in the past. This connected the two families years later in ways they didn’t even fully comprehend. “So, on the very night that the beloved patriarch of the family died, he passed on advice that translated to a whole other family he’d barely know, for the family of a child who was saved that night,” Fogelman added. “It felt important to us to have that story inside this very episode.”
The season finale will feature Rebecca’s funeral
While Rebecca’s death was the main focus in This Is Us Season 6 Episode 17, the final twist with Marcus added a touch of hopefulness. As for the This Is Us Season 6 finale, Dan Fogelman says Rebecca’s funeral is coming. Then, the show will delve into the future and what’s next for the Pearsons way beyond this one sad chapter.
“In the last episode, we will try to capture something simple which, while sad, is kind of a day in the life, which is so much of what the show is about, set against Rebecca’s funeral,” he told Deadline.
The This Is Us Season 6 finale airs Tuesday, May 24, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
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