What does Kate have to do with Jack’s death?

Kate Pearson seems convinced that she caused Jack Pearson’s death in This Is Us.

We heard from Kate Pearson herself at the end of Season 1 that she “caused” Jack Pearson’s death. If you’re like me, this statement has been puzzling you since the minute it was originally mentioned, and you’re anxiously awaiting an answer somewhere in the second season. Maybe every Tuesday night, you spend the whole episode thinking “I know we’re going to find out during this one. We’ve been waiting so long!” Then you don’t.

The biggest question, at least for me, is how Jack died. I am also eager to know how Kate was behind it. After Kate told Jack to go to Rebecca Pearson’s show near the end of Season 1, I thought he would surely die in a drunk driving accident. If Kate hadn’t told him to go to Rebecca’s show, he wouldn’t have driven so far while drunk. Then he lives far beyond that point. So I’ve been racking my mind, trying to come up with some way that Jack could have died and I’ve got several ideas. Then I try to consider how Kate could have possibly been involved, which just complicates things.

Here are some ideas…

One prediction I have relates to the hints about the fire, which showed up early in Season 2. Maybe, during the fire, Kate forgot something and reminded Jack, so he went back in to get it. This matches up with Jack’s selfless personality and reflects the relationship that he has with his daughter.

Another idea is that Jack drifted back into his drinking habits and ended up deeply intoxicated. The alcohol could have led him to make some mistake that he wouldn’t have made when sober. I automatically think back to drunk driving, but it could also be something like him ending up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning or getting into a fight in a bad area of town. Though it’s a stretch, I feel like Kate could be “responsible” based on the idea that Jack was so stressed about work or his marriage or finances that he relapsed and he had to keep working hard for his kids, so the pressure was more intense, leading him to drink. Same kind of deal with his marriage, because he may have wanted to maintain it for his kids’ sake.

So, when will we know what really happened?

I’m thinking that we will find out how Jack really died at some point this season, most likely near the end. And with that, hopefully, it will become obvious why Kate claims responsibility for such a tragic event. I do also think that there’s a high chance that Kate is overreacting, to an extent, and she barely had anything to do with his death. Perhaps she’s just blaming herself because there’s nobody else to blame, and maybe it’s a way for her to better understand or cope with his passing.

So what do you think? How did Jack die, and what does Kate have to do with it? Let us know in the comments!