Kate's Absence From a New Flash-Forward Scene Sparks Concern Among 'This Is Us' Fans

Season 6 of This Is Us broaches philosophical questions about the passing of time, the transformative power of love, and the harrowing nature of mortality.

The episode airing on May 10, 2022, juxtaposes nostalgic montages capturing the childhood years of the Big Three with segments focusing on Rebecca's (Mandy Moore) fast-deteriorating health condition. Season 6, Episode 13 of This Is Us offers a glimpse into Rebecca's experiences with memory loss — and Season 6, Episode 16 returns to the theme.

Season 6, Episode 16 captures the seemingly never-ending conversation the Big Three has to have about Rebecca's care. Kevin (Justin Hartley) treats Rebecca's experiences with aging as a rare opportunity for self-redemption, insisting that she should stay in the house that he built for her. But Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Kate (Chrissy Metz) have different ideas in mind.

Randall wants Rebecca to move in with him and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson), while Kate would prefer for Rebecca to live with her and Philip (Chris Geere) in Los Angeles. After a considerable amount of bickering and back and forth, they arrive at a conclusion: Rebecca will stay in the house that Kevin built, with Kevin, Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge), Madison (Caitlin Thompson), and Eli (Josh Hamilton) moving to the East Coast to look after her.

Season 6, Episode 17 might capture the hours leading up to Rebecca's tragic passing. As a promo released on May 11, 2022, shows, the Pearsons, including Kevin and Randall, will likely have to gather together to say their goodbyes. But Kate is notably missing from the promo — the same way that she went AWOL in the flash-forward scenes included in previous This Is Us episodes. Should we be concerned? Is Kate going to die in Season 6 of This Is Us?

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Chrissy dropped a few strategic hints about the atrocities taking place in Season 6 of This Is Us. As the actress told the outlet, two main characters won't make it to the end of Season 6. Rebecca's long-time partner, Miguel, lost his life in Season 6, Episode 15 of This Is Us. As the past few Season 6 episodes suggest, Rebecca is bound to face further complications because of her Alzheimer's diagnosis.

"People are going to be on the edge of their seats with characters' health issues. Also, what it means for the family and decisions that have to be made — the dynamic of children in the family," Chrissy said. "Two very important characters, we will see the end of their journey and that's always just so difficult. It's going to be a lot."

But was she just trying to confuse us? Could it be that there will be more than two deaths in Season 6? Some fans seem to think so.

"Why haven't we seen Kate this entire time for the episode where they say bye to Rebecca? If she is actually dead like people have guessed the entire time, I will lose it. Only Rebecca should be dying next, I don't want anymore (predictable) surprises," tweeted @bbygirl_1999.

"I don't know why Kate wasn't in the promo for next week, but she's very much not dead because we just saw her in the super flash-forward at baby Jack's concert LOL," tweeted @AmeliaXCV.

According to a popular counter-argument, Kate might have been absent from the flash-forward scene teasing a few details about Rebecca's last hours, but it's not because she is dead. In all fairness, Kate could have arrived later than Kevin and Randall because, say, her flight got delayed.

To counter the counter-argument, however, it's perhaps worth pointing out that Season 6 of This Is Us could include a scene depicting Kate's passing — which would likely occur after Jack's concert.

To find out what will happen to the Pearson family next, make sure to tune in Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.