‘This Is Us’: Why Kate Blames Herself for Jack’s Death

Ever since Kate revealed to her then-boyfriend Toby that she felt responsible for her father’s death, This Is Us fans have been dying to find out the reason why.

During the Jan. 23 episode, adult Kate (Chrissy Metz) revealed as she was thinking about getting a foster dog that she hesitated to because the last time she had a dog she lost it at the same time as her father Jack Pearson’s (Milo Ventimiglia) death.

Back in the 90s, before the fire sparks up the kitchen and slowly rages on the Pearson’s home, viewers see Kate’s dog settles into his bed in the living room as Jack finishes cleaning up and goes upstairs to sleep.

Many fans of the show theorized at the time that Jack would meet his death after Kate begged him to go back inside to save her dog. It turns out, they were right.

Sunday night’s episode picked up where that scene left off by showing the family discovering their house in flames.

However, Jack did not die in the fire. After helping his family escape, he goes back in to save Kate’s dog.

Unfortunately, he inhaled too much smoke in the process.

He is taken to the hospital for treatment, and everything seems all right. However, moments later, he suffered cardiac arrest and died.

In the present time, Kate, Toby and their new dog Audio celebrate Super Bowl Sunday. It is an emotionally charged day, and Kate finally tells fiancé Toby (Chris Sullivan) why she blames herself for her dad’s death.

“Because in the scariest moments of our lives, he couldn’t bear to disappoint me,” Kate said. “If once I wanna beat myself up for it, just let me.”

The second season of This Is Us has been a difficult ride for Kate, from finding out she was pregnant and being really scared that she’d lose the baby because of her weight, only to then suffer a miscarriage and temporarily relapse into her binge-eating habits, it has not been the easiest year. But things are looking up as her and Toby’s wedding is around the corner and they both welcomed Audio into their lives.

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.