THIS Is Us is almost over for good, and the penultimate episode was an extreme emotional rollercoaster.
On episode 17 (May 17, 2022) fans said goodbye to one of the show’s central characters, and we also met Marcus Brooks for the first time.
Who is Marcus Brooks from This Is Us?
WARNING: Contains MAJOR spoilers from episode 17 of This Is Us.
The Marcus Brooks connection to the Pearsons became clear when present-day Marcus met up with his siblings, lamenting his inability to cure cancer on the first try.
His sister and brother reminded him of their dad’s favorite saying… something about there “not being a lemon so sour, you can’t make lemonade”.
The three laughed and wondered where their dad got the saying from, and whether the saying even made sense.
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Although Marcus didn’t actually meet the Pearson family, his father ran into Jack Pearson at the hospital on the day he died from smoke inhalation, following their housefire.
Marcus’ family had been in a car accident that same night, and Jack told Marcus’ dad the lemonade story, which he then passed onto their kids if they were struggling with something.
After Marcus failed to find a cure for cancer, he was inspired by the lemonade line and, in the end, appeаred to hаve developed an Alzheimer’s treаtment thаt is far more effective thаn аnything currently аvаilаble.
While it was too lаte for Rebecca (who had been battling Altimeter’s throughout the final season), this treаtment could help others live longer аnd heаlthier lives.
So in all, Jаck’s famous lemon line connected Marcus to the Pearsons as it encouraged him to continue his medical research to help others.
Who plays Marcus Brooks in This Is Us?
The actor who plays the young version of Marcus is called Jonigan Booth.
This was the young star’s first role, and marked his debut to TV.
The name of the actor who plays the present day Marcus hasn’t been released at this time.
What will happen in the final This Is Us episode?
During the penultimate episode This Is Us, the Pearson family gathered to say goodbye to Rebecca one last time on her deathbed.
The matriarch of the family has been battling Altimeter’s throughout the final season, and in episode 17 she sadly passed away.
During the episode, which was called The Train, as the family each said their goodbyes, Rebecca, in her dreams, saw Randall’s biological father, William.
He walked her through a passenger train which included those in her life she loved the most as she could hear their goodbye messages.
Even Dr. K (who delivered her babies) was on board, making her a vesper martini.
William guided her to the caboose of the train, which represented the end of her life, where she reunited with her beloved Jack in the afterlife.
Fans had all thought Rebecca would die in the final episode, so are slightly thrown by what will happen now.
Speaking at a press conference, the show’s creator Dan Fogelman teased the grand finale.
He explained how the new material was blended with footage he had famously filmed four years ago.
Dan said the last two episodes of This Is Us are “very different” but that “they speak to each other.”
“In the last episode, we will try to capture something simple which, while sad, is kind of a day in the life, which is so much of what the show is about, set against Rebecca’s funeral,” he said.
The show intentionally resolved all major mysteries ahead of time “so people can sit with the family in the final episode in the simplest of way,” Dan said. “While it will make you cry, it will make you sad, the end of the finale moves me in a way that is different.
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“I think the cast and crew captured something about the human condition and the condition of being a person in the family that I am really proud of.”
The final episode of This Is Us will air on NBC next Tuesday (May 24) at 9pm ET.
