Warning: This post contains spoilers from Season 2 of This Is Us, so if you haven't watched yet, proceed with caution.
Ever since Season 1 of This Is Us, fans of the NBC drama were desperate to learn how family patriarch Jack Pearson died. That question was answered in the "Super Bowl Sunday" episode of Season 2, when the writers finally revealed that a faulty slow cooker and a house fire caused him to go into cardiac arrest as a result of smoke inhalation. But now that the mystery of Jack's death has been solved, where does the NBC series go from here?
Justin Hartley, who plays Jack's son Kevin Pearson, wants fans to know that despite this major reveal, there's no slowing down the This Is Us writers in Season 3. "It is the most ambitious season yet, by far," he told GoodHousekeeping.com.
At a MorningStar Farms event in New York, where Hartley partnered with the brand to promote healthy living, the actor said he hasn't received all of the scripts for the upcoming season, which starts filming this summer. But producers have given him a verbal outline of where all of the characters' storylines will go, and he describes the upcoming plot points as "massive."
The actor didn't give away too much about the upcoming twists, but shared that his character will take a deeper look into his relationship with his father and Jack's past as a Vietnam War veteran. "Kevin now has questions about his dad, but his dad’s not there. He can’t answer it," he said. "So, to see him go back to Vietnam is kind of cool, because I’m, like, ‘Oh, he’s going to go maybe on a little discovery about his dad and try to get some clues so that he can answer some of these questions that he has.'"
When asked whether he will fly overseas to shoot a few scenes in Vietnam, Hartley didn't confirm or deny anything. "I’ve heard that idea kicked around," he said. "It would be cool."
In the Season 2 finale, Kevin is seen on a plane headed to Vietnam (likely shot inside of a studio) with his sister-in-law Beth's cousin Zoe, played by Melanie Liburd, beside him.
The pairing sparked onscreen romance rumors between the characters, but Hartley wouldn't confirm that, either. But he did say Zoe has come "at a time in [Kevin's] life where he might need something like that."
Filming for the new season kicks off after July 4, so viewers will have to wait a few months before any spoilers leak about just how "massive" the new season will be. However, if past seasons are any indication, expect fireworks ... and bring tissues.
