‘This Is Us’ Creator Breaks Down Decision to Have Rebecca Die Ahead of Series Finale: All of Mandy Moore and Dan Fogelman’s Revelations

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

'This Is Us' Creator Breaks Down Decision to Have Rebecca Die Ahead of Series Finale: All of Mandy Moore and Dan Fogelman's Revelations

Following their vision. As This Is Us comes to an end, creator Dan Fogelman opened up about the NBC show's true message — and how that influenced the decision to have Rebecca (Mandy Moore) die ahead of the series finale. “To me, the show has been about many things and a lot of people can lock on to different elements of the show. They have favorite characters, they have favorite issues we explore, the dynamics we explore,” Fogelman, 46, explained during an interview with Variety on Tuesday, May 17. The showrunner noted that the plan is to explore all aspects of a family member passing away, adding, “When I zoom out, I’ve always thought that the show was a lot about the loss of a parent and eventually losing parents. And so that isn’t just about the moment of loss, it’s about which comes after.” During a new episode of This Is Us, which aired on Tuesday, the Pearsons gathered to say goodbye to Rebecca. As Randall (Sterling K. Brown), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) all came together to be with their bedridden mother, Rebecca saw herself as a young woman on a train. As she listened to her family's final words, she reunited with Randall’s biological father, William (Ron Cephas Jones), Dr. K (Gerald McRaney), second husband Miguel (Jon Huertas) and, finally, her late first husband, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia). [sendtonews type="float" key="VjBcwoUSHe-2835160-14453"] According to Fogelman, the final episode of the series will also offer a glimpse at life outside of loss. “So much attention that was put on ‘How does Jack die?’ early on. How Jack dies and the big episode where, in fact, he does die. But so much of our series is about what happens after. And I always wanted and always had planned for the final episode of the series to revolve around the epilogue of the continuing story of the family rather than the moment,” he continued. Following the emotional conclusion to her character, Moore, 38, opened up about saying goodbye to Rebecca after six seasons. “This poor woman who lost a child, who lost a spouse, then finds herself at this juncture of her life in cognitive decline, with a degenerative brain disease. It’s just very, very sad,” the New Hampshire native told the outlet. “But I also feel buoyed by the fact that we’re able to represent this situation that millions of people find themselves and their families in and for people to feel a sense of community and not feel like an anomaly and hopefully feel a little less alone.” Moore added, “The way that we were able to model this family caregiving situation, it’s an important conversation and I don’t think that it’s one that’s had enough. In that sense, I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s another legacy that hopefully our show will be remembered for.’” The final episode of This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesday, May 24, at 9 p.m. ET. Scroll down for more revelations about why Rebecca's death had to happen in the penultimate episode: [podcast_block]

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

'This Is Us' Creator Breaks Down Decision to Have Rebecca Die Ahead of Series Finale: All of Mandy Moore and Dan Fogelman's Revelations

Following their vision. As This Is Us comes to an end, creator Dan Fogelman opened up about the NBC show's true message — and how that influenced the decision to have Rebecca (Mandy Moore) die ahead of the series finale. “To me, the show has been about many things and a lot of people can lock on to different elements of the show. They have favorite characters, they have favorite issues we explore, the dynamics we explore,” Fogelman, 46, explained during an interview with Variety on Tuesday, May 17. The showrunner noted that the plan is to explore all aspects of a family member passing away, adding, “When I zoom out, I’ve always thought that the show was a lot about the loss of a parent and eventually losing parents. And so that isn’t just about the moment of loss, it’s about which comes after.” During a new episode of This Is Us, which aired on Tuesday, the Pearsons gathered to say goodbye to Rebecca. As Randall (Sterling K. Brown), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) all came together to be with their bedridden mother, Rebecca saw herself as a young woman on a train. As she listened to her family's final words, she reunited with Randall’s biological father, William (Ron Cephas Jones), Dr. K (Gerald McRaney), second husband Miguel (Jon Huertas) and, finally, her late first husband, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia). [sendtonews type="float" key="VjBcwoUSHe-2835160-14453"] According to Fogelman, the final episode of the series will also offer a glimpse at life outside of loss. “So much attention that was put on ‘How does Jack die?’ early on. How Jack dies and the big episode where, in fact, he does die. But so much of our series is about what happens after. And I always wanted and always had planned for the final episode of the series to revolve around the epilogue of the continuing story of the family rather than the moment,” he continued. Following the emotional conclusion to her character, Moore, 38, opened up about saying goodbye to Rebecca after six seasons. “This poor woman who lost a child, who lost a spouse, then finds herself at this juncture of her life in cognitive decline, with a degenerative brain disease. It’s just very, very sad,” the New Hampshire native told the outlet. “But I also feel buoyed by the fact that we’re able to represent this situation that millions of people find themselves and their families in and for people to feel a sense of community and not feel like an anomaly and hopefully feel a little less alone.” Moore added, “The way that we were able to model this family caregiving situation, it’s an important conversation and I don’t think that it’s one that’s had enough. In that sense, I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s another legacy that hopefully our show will be remembered for.’” The final episode of This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesday, May 24, at 9 p.m. ET. Scroll down for more revelations about why Rebecca's death had to happen in the penultimate episode: [podcast_block]

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

The Human Condition

“It felt important to me to go out making the show about how the human condition and the human spirit kind of endures and moves forward, rather than just a moment that would have everybody hysterically crying because somebody passes at the end," Fogelman told Variety.

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Telling an Authentic Story

For Moore, it was important to highlight the difficult parts of aging and death.

"We’ve seen so many different iterations and chapters. So I think it continued to humanize people at a point in which it’s difficult,” she detailed to Variety. “You see with Kevin and Randall at first, it’s really hard for them to look at their mom, to touch their mom anymore because they don’t recognize her. And it’s a really uncomfortable situation to be in. I love that our show continues to humanize and show this is still the same woman and she deserves to be celebrated and loved in the same way, even if maybe she’s not seemingly the same mother you have known your whole life.”

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

A Greater Meaning

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moore referred to the episode as a "love letter" to the series.

"It’s a love letter to mothers. To Dan’s mother. As much as the final episode is special, and there’s obviously a finality to it, I feel like this one has all of the things that people love and know of our show the most," she said. "It’s all chock-full of everything you’ve come to expect from just a classic This Is Us episode. From that regard, it holds a different weight to me."

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

An Unexpected Reaction

After initially reading the script for her character's final episode, Moore revealed that she "threw up" in response. "I couldn't breathe. I remember seeing Chrissy the next day at work and she had not the same reaction — she didn't get sick — but it was one of those experiences where you're so overcome that your sinuses are completely blocked. You can't catch your breath, really," the singer told Entertainment Weekly. "It wasn't even so much the saying goodbye and her turning and Jack is there at the end. All of that was just exceedingly beautiful, but I think it was being led by William and just all of these little Easter egg details."

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Rebecca's Funeral Is Coming

Fogelman confirmed that the aftermath of Rebecca's passing will be part of the series finale.

“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 detailed to Deadline. “While it will make you cry, it will make you sad, the end of the finale moves me in a way that is different. 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.”