‘This Is Us’ Reveals Why William Never Contacted Randall

One the most emotional moments in Tuesday night’s This Is Us episode came when Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown) learned why his biological father, William “Shakespeare” Hill (Ron Cephas Jones), never tried to contact him.

Fans knew that Randall’s adopted mother Rebecca (Mandy Moore) had told William to stay away not long after Randall’s birth, but a whole new dimension was just added to the story.

As William tells Randall in a flashback, Rebecca went to see William a second time but left quickly. At that time, William (played by Jermel Nakia in flashbacks) was in a better place in life and wanted to have a presence in Randall’s life.

He followed Rebecca home and was going to knock on the door. He hoped that the Pearson family would allow him to be around for the major moments in Randall’s life, such as birthdays and Christmases.

However, William confesses that he backed out at the last minute.

He had looked over at the three Pearson siblings’ bikes, which were labeled with the kids’ “number” nicknames. He had no idea which number Randall was. That made him realize it would be inappropriate for him to intrude on Randall’s stable life when he had no part in raising him.

Randall uses this memory to help him figure out how to handle a situation with his foster daughter, who could possibly be sent back to her biological mother’s home.

Photo Credit: NBC / Ron Batzdorff