‘This Is Us’ Viewers Believe the Pearson’s Pool Visits Have a Deeper Meaning

In the second of a trilogy of episodes surrounding This Is Us‘ Big Three, a neighborhood pool frequented by the family will once again be a focal point of the past. After an installment where Kevin (Justin Hartley) was prominently featured, it’s his sister Kate’s (Chrissy Metz) turn to tell her story. Once again, the series will utilize the pool to link together the Pearson siblings’ past, present, and future. However, fans believe the Pearson’s pool visits have a deeper meaning than revealed in the series.

This setting is where the family’s internal struggles are highlighted

During Kevin’s installment of the trilogy, the pool is a euphemism for not jumping into the deep end until you can swim. As a child, Kevin wanted to go off the diving board. However, not knowing how to swim put a damper on his plans. It wasn’t until his father, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), allowed him to try and swim, and he almost went under that Kevin realized he could have been in danger without his father’s protection.

In a second scene, Kevin returns to the pool as a teenager. He’s drinking too heavily, his marriage explodes, and he contemplates his place in the world.

Fans wonder why the pool has become a secondary character in the Pearson’s story

In a Reddit post titled “Why Do You Think This Story Keeps Revisiting The Pool?” fans wondered about the continued significance of the neighborhood family water area on The Big Three as they grew up.

Fans shared their remarks about why this particular setting is essential to the family’s storyline.

“The Pool 1 [season 1, episode 4] and The Pool 2 [season 4, episode 2] are the two episodes that pretty much spell out the whole family’s story in a very compact way. This is why these are some of my favorite episodes of the whole show,” wrote one follower.

“I think if you had a limited time to show someone what the show is about, then these are the episodes you should get them to watch to explain it to them. I believe that these episodes are so important because it is the catalyst of all the stories on the show,” they concluded.

“my thoughts are the pool is what I think is considered the first time they all had realizations that would last in their minds for a long time if that makes sense,” penned a second viewer.

“I think it’s an important place to the big 3 in their childhood. It gives us a central location to watch the characters grow & interact with each other,” mused a third Reddit user.

The pool is where Kate finds her courage

In a teaser clip for “The Hill,” Kate is seen as a child, a teenager, and an adult.

In a flashback, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) holds Kate at the pool and asks her if she could put her face in the water during their pool visit, telling her he believes she can do it.

“I look into my future, and I see nothing,” a teenage Kate admits to her brothers Kevin and Randall visiting the now-empty pool after a particularly tense Pearson family Thanksgiving.

As an adult, Kate faces difficulties in her marriage to Toby (Chris Sullivan). She says, “I have a full life that I could have never dreamed.”

However, she muses, “I miss the old Toby.”

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.