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This Is Us Season 5 returns with an all-new episode on May 11, and NBC’s new photos of Randall and Beth reveal multiple timelines will be involved. So here’s what to expect next.

What happened to Randall and Beth in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5?

Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson looks at Deja (Lyric Ross) and Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth Pearson dancing at the ballet studio in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 Episode 14, ‘The Music and the Mirror’
Sterling K. Brown as Randall and Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 | NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) have been solid throughout This Is Us Season 5. Beth stood by Randall as he explored his birth mother’s story in New Orleans. She also supported her husband as he made amends with Kevin (Justin Hartley).

Meanwhile, Beth has been navigating her relationships with Tess (Eris Baker) and Carol (Phylicia Rashad). It also seems Beth and Randall will spend more time with Mama C, as she is now staying with the family indefinitely. 

‘This Is Us’ Season 5 Episode 14 photos tease young Beth and Randall’s return

Rachel Hilson as young Beth and Niles Fitch as young Randall talking in their university dorm room in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 Episode 14
Rachel Hilson as Beth and Niles Fitch as Randall in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 | NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

For the most part, Randall and Beth’s relationship hasn’t been a focal point of This Is Us Season 5. But it seems the couple will take center stage in the next new episode, “The Music and the Mirror,” on May 11. 

In the This Is Us Season 5 Episode 14 promo trailer, Randall asked Deja (Lyric Ross) to keep an eye on Beth. Then in response, Deja told her father that Beth didn’t need a hero. Beth just needed someone to be there for her.

Now, it appears Beth and Randall’s present-day storyline will parallel their past. New photos provided by NBC teased an important conversation between young Beth (Rachel Hilson) and Randall (Niles Fitch) during their university years.

‘This Is Us’ Season 5 Episode 14 will focus on Beth’s career

Faithe Herman as Annie practicing ballet in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 Episode 14
Faithe Herman as Annie in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 | NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

While This Is Us Season 5 Episode 14 will highlight Beth and Randall’s past, the new episode will also focus on Beth as she navigates her career. The beloved character opened up her dance studio in season 4. But given the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many fans have been wondering about Beth’s job now.

Luckily, it seems the May 11 episode of This Is Us will finally update fans on Beth’s career. NBC’s new photo teasers not only highlighted Beth in her studio, but also little Annie (Faithe Herman) following in her mother’s footsteps. 

What’s next for Beth and Randall’s family in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5?

Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth teaching in her dance studio in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 Episode 14
Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth in her dance studio in ‘This Is Us’ Season 5 | NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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For now, This Is Us fans will have to watch how Randall and Beth’s storyline unfolds in season 5 episode 14. But Brown previously suggested the couple will have to “adjust” because of the pandemic. 

“While Beth and Randall are in a very good place, 2020 … took its toll on every relationship,” Brown told The Hollywood Reporter in January 2021. “You had to adjust. So I’m sure we’ll see that as well.”

The actor also questioned whether Beth’s dance studio “can recover from the economic hardships of 2020.” Then when speaking with Entertainment Weekly in March 2021, co-executive producer Casey Johnson teased what happens in the next Beth episode.

“We have a really interesting Beth episode coming up in the pipeline, where we’re going to delve into how it’s been for her during this past year. Being a small-business owner and trying to balance everything in her life,” Johnson said. 

This Is Us Season 5 returns Tuesday, May 11, 2021.