This is Us has just dropped a huge (and heartbreaking) clue about Jack’s death

 

As if we needed another reason to bawl our eyes out.

The most recent episode of This Is Us may have dropped a massive - and heartbreaking - clue about Jack's death. While fans knew that confirmation of how he died would come before the end of season, the flashback scenes were definitely a tearjerker. Warning: This story contains spoilers for the most recent episode.  Do not proceed unless you have watched This Is Us, season 2 episode 12.  We mean it.  Proceed at your own risk.  There's been a longstanding fan theory that the patriarch of the Pearson family passes away in a fire - especially after the season two premiere. While some viewers thought the house fire at the end of the first episode of the season may have been a red herring, the most recent episode of the drama has appeared to confirm the theory. Near the beginning of the episode, Rebecca is overjoyed when Kate asks her to go to the mall to shop for a winter formal dress. And the mother-daughter shopping trip soon turns into a mini family adventure after Jack wants to go, too. The dad-of-three and Kevin picked out new suits, while Randall asked out the redheaded girl who has popped up in the brief looks at the moments after Jack's death. When they're out and about, Rebecca asks Jack to remind her to pick up some batteries - a seemingly innocent enough request. But fans' stomaches dropped at the final moments of the episode, which saw Rebecca and Jack cuddled up on the sofa. He told his wife how he finally wanted to pursue his dream of starting his own construction company, Big Three Homes. And while Rebecca initially hesitates slightly - after all, they've got three kids who are about to start college and it'll put a bit of a financial strain on them - she completely supports his idea. She smiles, and the pair kiss, before she asks Jack:

“Hey babe, did we forget something at the mall?”

He replies:

"I don't think so."

The show then sets up the last frame of the episode: the smoke detector with its empty battery wires dangling from the ceiling. https://twitter.com/jackyfalahees/status/953469328858468353 https://twitter.com/anhel9anhel/status/953462069831127040 https://twitter.com/em_andreychuk/status/953462336542724099 https://twitter.com/meridien92/status/953462042433916928 https://twitter.com/Corrin218/status/953462698876067841 It had previously been teased that viewers would see how Jack dies "before the season is over". Sterling K. Brown, who plays Randall Pearson on the show, told Ryan Seacrest at the Golden Globes:

“Before this season is over we will see how Jack Pearson dies. “I won’t say too much more about it, but it will happen soon.”

And with only six episodes of the show left this season, it looks like it's going to be a tearjerker...