‘This Is Us’: Kevin’s Ex-Wife Sophie Makes a Surprise Return

As Zoe and Kevin attempted to work on their growing relationship on This Is Us, a surprise return from a beloved character came with valuable advice.

During “Don’t Take My Sunshine Away,” Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Zoe (Melanie Liburd) headed to couples’ counseling to get some help after the actor’s relapse put a damper on their bond as a couple.

In the past timeline, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) were getting ready to chaperone the Big Three’s first big school dance, and little Kevin admitted he hoped to get his first kiss with his childhood sweetheart, Sophie.

After Kevin returns from searching the city for good Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Zoe tells her boyfriend that she has a concern after he talked about them potentially having children in the future. She admits to him that she never wants to have kids, as she enjoys being free to travel and enjoy his company without having a child.

Kevin says that he might be O.K. with not having children, but Zoe tells him she really has to think about it. She tells him that if he decides not to have children, they can be together, but if he feels that kids will be a necessity later in his life, then they might as well stop wasting time now.

After another AA meeting, Kevin walks in the rain and arrives at his ex-wife Sophie’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) home, just as she gets home. When she asks why he’s lurking outside her door he rambles before admitting where he was. He promises to not bother anymore, but Sophie asks him if he’s O.K.

He asks Sophie if they can get a coffee, and she announces that she’s engaged. She later reveals that she is marrying a kindergarten teacher she met at a party, whom she met about a month after Kevin broke up with her.

Kevin shares Zoe’s reveal and ultimatum with Sophie. Sophie brings up the fact that he has always gotten what he wanted in his life, and that’s why he’s struggling. The show then flashes back to their first kiss during the dance.

Their conversation is interrupted when Sophie gets a page back to the hospital, but before she leaves she tells Kevin to decide what he wants and go after it. When he gets home, he tells Zoe that he chooses her over the possibility of having kids.

Fans of the NBC drama series will remember Sophie as Kevin’s ex-wife whom he reconnected with at the beginning of the episode. The pair met in school and dated through their teens, got married and then divorce as Kevin’s stardom began to spark because of his sitcom, The Manny.

Twelve years after their divorce, Kevin appeared on Sophie’s door and begged her to give him a second chance, which she cautiously accepted at the time. Their relationship seemed to work, with Breckenridge playing a series regular role in Season 2. The relationship ended on bad terms in Season 2 after his first relapse before she forgave him a few episodes later.

What did you think of Sophie’s surprise return? This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.