Randall to be Rocked by 'Unexpected Twist' on 'This Is Us'

This Is Us will round out the 'Big Three' trilogy with a “shocking” Randall-centered show that [...]

This Is Us will round out the "Big Three" trilogy with a "shocking" Randall-centered show that doubles as the fall finale.

In the previous two episodes, fans watched Kevin (Justin Hartley) do some shady business to upkeep his addiction and saw Kate (Chrissy Metz) struggle to deal with the pain of a miscarriage.

The three-part saga continues Tuesday following Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and his wife Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) as they navigate being the parents of their own three little ones, including foster daughter Deja.

And just as the plot turned dark for Kevin and Kate, This Is Us executive producer Isaac Aptaker warns that Randall isn't free from harm yet.

"Randall and Beth's world is rocked by a shocking an unexpected turn of events," he told Entertainment Weekly of the final episode.

In the preview for the episode, titled "Number Three" Deja's mother looks to be out of jail and looking to reclaim her daughter. Whether this "unexpected" surprise means good news or bad for the Pearsons is yet to be determined, but the parents' previous actions have made it clear they won't give Deja up without a fight.

The third installment in the trilogy will also throw things back to the triplets' teenage years, just as the previous two episodes showed. For Randall, the flashback centers around his sights for college and the bonding time he'll have with his father Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) during a college visit in Washington D.C.

"Randall reveals to Jack that he's interested in going to Howard University, which is a historically black college," Aptaker said. "[It] takes Jack by surprise because in Jack's mind, his kid was always going to be an Ivy Leaguer."

As the father-son duo tour Howard together, they get the rare chance to connect — before Kevin's football injury cuts their visit short.

"It's a chance for these two men to learn about each other on a deeper level than we've ever seen them learn about each other before," This Is Us executive producer Elizabeth Berger adds.

Though the episode is all about Randall, "Number Three" will also serve as the fan-favorite drama's fall finale until season 2 returns in January. For the showrunners, the challenge came in mixing the closure of the special trilogy with the mystery of a cliffhanger.

"We also wanted to feel a competition to this trilogy of episodes that we just told, so hopefully by the time that the third one ends, all three will feel very of a piece, and also feel like we're propelling toward the second half of the season," Berger said.

"It's a rare blend of everything feeling resolved — and yet completely up in the air," Aptaker teased.

This Is Us' "Number Three" airs Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo credit: NBC

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