Mothers play a major role on This Is Us, from the Big Three matriarch Rebecca to Randall's wife Beth, new mom Kate, soon-to-be mom Madison, and Randall's biological mother Laurel.
The story of Randall's relationship with his mothers is the most complicated. While he's extremely close with his adoptive mother Rebecca, their relationship became strained when he discovered, well, into his 30s, that Rebecca not only knew who his biological father was but had been in contact with him and kept Randall from ever meeting him.
Meanwhile, his mother Laurel sadly passed away from an overdose the day after giving birth to him. Or did she? The shocking ending to the season five two-hour premiere suggests that William may have prematurely believed Laurel was dead. There's a lot that will likely happen in episodes to come for Randall's two moms.
Laurel: She Went To Rehab
If Laurel did indeed survive, the most logical explanation for her absence from both William and Randall's lives would be that she was sent to a rehab program and dedicated her life to getting clean. It might have been a long and tough road and one that, once she finally made it out, had her wanting to erase everything from her past.
Sure, It would be a selfish move. But if Laurel thought seeking out William could put her sobriety in jeopardy, it's possible she could have decided to dedicate a few years to turning her life around only to look back and realize that decades had passed and she felt it was too late to try and track either William or Randall down.
Rebecca: She Takes A Really Bad Turn Quickly
It's obvious that at some point in the next decade or so, based on the ages of Kevin's kids, Rebecca will take a really bad turn for the worst, and her dementia and/or Alzheimer's will get the best of her. The question is does it happen suddenly and soon? Or is it a slow progression?
One prediction is that it will be like a flipped switch and Rebecca will go from the bubbly, great mom that she is to a frantic person who doesn't know who she is, where she is, and doesn't recognize anyone around her.
Laurel: She Had Another Family
Imagine if Laurel survived, cleaned up her act, and went on to have another family. Perhaps she got a good job, got married, and even had a child or two. That would mean that Randall has half-siblings who are biologically related to him.
It's entirely plausible this is the case and Randall may discover they exist. It would be bittersweet for the man who only recently got to meet his presumed only living biological relative – his father – only to have him pass away not long after.
Rebecca: Her Decline Is Slow
Conversely, it's entirely possible that Rebecca lives a full and happy life for several years to come, with only tiny bits of memory loss here and there. Maybe the decline seen in the flash-forwards is somewhat new and she had only gotten to that stage over the last few years.
If that's the case, there's plenty more story to tell with Rebecca as grandmother to more babies, including Kate and Toby's adopted daughter and Kevin's twins.
Laurel: She Passed Away Recently
It would be a stab to the heart for Randall, who is such a warm and loving person, but it's possible that Laurel had actually been alive all this time but passed away recently. Perhaps her son or daughter from another relationship finds evidence of Randall's existence when looking through her belongings and tracks Randall down.
It would be bittersweet as Randall would, on the one hand, meet a blood relative, only the second ever in his life next to William. He would also get to learn more about his mother and who she was as an adult. But on the other, it would hurt so much knowing that she was so close for his entire life and he never got the chance to meet her and build a relationship.
Rebecca: Miguel Dies First
One person noticeably absent from the flash-forward scene where Rebecca is lying in a bed in Kevin's home is Miguel. It's actually Jack's brother Nicky who is sitting beside Rebecca, holding her hand. He also interestingly is wearing a wedding ring. This might be to purposely mislead viewers, or perhaps he's just playing the role of Jack to help soothe Rebecca during her bouts of confusion.
Maybe Miguel just went to the bathroom, or maybe he is out running errands. But it is entirely possible that Miguel dies long before Rebecca and the kids are left to care for her as her health continues to deteriorate.
Laurel: She Becomes Randall's New Therapist
This one is far-fetched but in the premiere episode, Randall called his therapist and let her know that he has decided to seek out a black therapist because he feels that there are some things he isn't comfortable talking to her about. It's entirely possible that, after cleaning up her life, Laurel goes on to become a therapist and she could be the one Randall ends up seeing.
Seeing as Randall is back in Pennsylvania, it's entirely possible he could cross paths with his biological mother in some way if she is still alive. This would be an interesting way for them to meet, especially if she realizes who he is (since she knows he's alive) but he doesn't put two-and-two together about her (since he's under the assumption that she's dead.)
Rebecca: She Forgets Jack
It is inevitable given the disease Rebecca has and the fact that it is slowly but surely (or rapidly) taking over her mind. But it will be a tear-jerker episode when she officially forgets Jack, the man she loved for so long and could never get over.
Is it possible that she forgets everything in her life except him? That might be just as heartbreaking. Nonetheless, given that Rebecca and Jack's love story is one of the sweetest, if not the sweetest, on the show, it's predicted that at least one episode will center around Rebecca forgetting Jack or trying desperately to do something to make sure she never does.
Laurel: She Had Last Words
Maybe this is all a total cliff-hanger with no substance behind it, used for shock value alone. And maybe Laurel did indeed pass away that day, or at least later in hospital. Then what would be the point of her taking a breath and presumably getting revived just after William took off with baby Randall?
She could have had time to say some final words before passing on, maybe wanting verbal confirmation that Randall was left in good care and would not be a burden on William. The paramedics on the scene might very well have been in contact with the firefighter who found the baby outside of his station, making him realize the importance of taking the baby to the hospital where he'd be well taken care of and be given to a loving family.
Rebecca: She Keeps A Journal
It would make sense for Rebecca to start keeping a journal that chronicles all of the most important memories of her life so that when her memories start to fade, even if she can't remember her life, she can read about it as if it were stories.
It's like The Notebook combined with the third season of True Detective: a way for her to maintain some semblance of her faculties while also never forgetting about the people she loves. Whatever the outcome, it will be important to find out what exactly happened to Rebecca.