NBC's gripping family drama This is Us had a major surprise in store for viewers in the episode titled Kyle, when it revealed that Randall's father William actually wanted to be a part of his life. But Rebecca denied his request and asked William to stay away from his son in the future. Randall, clearly, has a false narrative of his existence, and as the season progresses, we see how this has shaped his character.
Previewing what's to come, showrunner Dan Fogelman revealed to Entertainment Weekly that Mandy Moore's Rebecca will be hunting down William once again later in life, and what she finds scares her even more.
"That's maybe our biggest story pulling us through our first season — at least the first half of our first season," he told the publication. "It's exactly that: Randall has a false narrative of his existence. For a kid like Randall, it's a huge formative part of his existence. In the fourth episode, you see that. You see little Randall marking little slashes in a notebook, and what he reveals as a grown man is that as a little boy he was growing up in a very white neighborhood, and whenever he saw a black person he marked it down, and wondered if that could be his father. So he has this false narrative that's defined him."
The next episode is titled The Pool and it will see Jack and Rebecca taking their children to a community pool. Once there, Randall, who is black, reportedly experiences racial tensions. Back in the future, Roby runs into his ex wife while on a date with Kate.
This is Us airs Tuesdays on NBC.
