‘This Is Us’ Season 4 Premiere: 5 Questions About the New Characters and Twists

Credit: Courtesy of Blake Stadnik/Instagram

'This Is Us' Season 4 Premiere: 5 Questions About the New Characters and Twists

Warning: This story contains spoilers from the This Is Us season 4 premiere. This Is Us pulled off yet another giant twist during its Tuesday, September 24, premiere. After introducing a plethora of new characters, each connection to the Pearsons were revealed. Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison) is a military officer who suffered in Afghanistan and couldn't adjust to her life back home. When she returned, she began drinking and alienated her husband (Nick Wechsler). She even became so frustrated that she lashed out at her son and was kicked out of the house. Later, she recounted her time overseas in a veteran's support group, but was interrupted when a chair was thrown through the window from outside — by a drunk Nicky Pearson (Griffin Dunne). Audiences were also introduced to Malik (Asante Blackk), a teenager trying to attend high school while also raising his own child. Luckily, he has extremely supportive parents, who even volunteer to babysit while he goes to a cookout. Did we mention they live in Philly? At the cookout, Malik met Deja (Lyric Ross). The third new story of the episode was that of a blind man, who was romantic, funny and interested in music. He fell in love, got married and found out his wife is pregnant. At the end of the episode, it was revealed that that man was Jack Damon — the son of Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan) who was born premature and blind. It made sense that he was funny, just like Toby, and that he was musical, just like Kate and Rebecca (Mandy Moore). While new actors were announced ahead of the premiere, the actor playing Jack was not — in order to keep the secret. "It was an interesting casting process because we wanted to cast a blind actor. We had started our casting process very early, even in our off-season. I was looking for a leading man who was without sight and who could be funny, charming, accessible and sweet," creator Dan Fogelman told reporters on Tuesday. "One of the wonderful things about our casting department was it wasn’t like they only found Blake [Stadnik]. There were a bunch of really viable, wonderful casting choices that came through our casting department. Blake, when he came to us, was clearly the guy." While some dots were connected, the new characters also introduced many new questions. Scroll through below for the biggest questions and (some) answers!

Credit: Courtesy of Blake Stadnik/Instagram

'This Is Us' Season 4 Premiere: 5 Questions About the New Characters and Twists

Warning: This story contains spoilers from the This Is Us season 4 premiere. This Is Us pulled off yet another giant twist during its Tuesday, September 24, premiere. After introducing a plethora of new characters, each connection to the Pearsons were revealed. Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison) is a military officer who suffered in Afghanistan and couldn't adjust to her life back home. When she returned, she began drinking and alienated her husband (Nick Wechsler). She even became so frustrated that she lashed out at her son and was kicked out of the house. Later, she recounted her time overseas in a veteran's support group, but was interrupted when a chair was thrown through the window from outside — by a drunk Nicky Pearson (Griffin Dunne). Audiences were also introduced to Malik (Asante Blackk), a teenager trying to attend high school while also raising his own child. Luckily, he has extremely supportive parents, who even volunteer to babysit while he goes to a cookout. Did we mention they live in Philly? At the cookout, Malik met Deja (Lyric Ross). The third new story of the episode was that of a blind man, who was romantic, funny and interested in music. He fell in love, got married and found out his wife is pregnant. At the end of the episode, it was revealed that that man was Jack Damon — the son of Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan) who was born premature and blind. It made sense that he was funny, just like Toby, and that he was musical, just like Kate and Rebecca (Mandy Moore). While new actors were announced ahead of the premiere, the actor playing Jack was not — in order to keep the secret. "It was an interesting casting process because we wanted to cast a blind actor. We had started our casting process very early, even in our off-season. I was looking for a leading man who was without sight and who could be funny, charming, accessible and sweet," creator Dan Fogelman told reporters on Tuesday. "One of the wonderful things about our casting department was it wasn’t like they only found Blake [Stadnik]. There were a bunch of really viable, wonderful casting choices that came through our casting department. Blake, when he came to us, was clearly the guy." While some dots were connected, the new characters also introduced many new questions. Scroll through below for the biggest questions and (some) answers!

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Who Is Grown-Up Jack?

Stadnik is a legally blind theater actor who is made his television debut on the premiere. He has starred in theater productions of Newsies, Sweeney Todd, 42nd Street and Guys and Dolls. "We wanted to find an actor who could be a leading man and [was] very handsome and very funny and looked great with his bare abs on national television, but also be able to stand in the Greek [Theatre] in front of a live audience and actually perform and sing a song. There were a lot of boxes to check," the creator revealed.

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Why Did the Series Make Him Blind?

It was actually Fogelman's plan for quite some time. "We’ve always known for a while now that Kate’s son was going to be born prematurely and blindness retinopathy is a very common thing that would come from that. It wasn't a debate about what type of thing may or may not happen. It was always part of the character and the story that we were planning on telling," Fogelman said. "But certainly, music has always been a big part of this family's story generationally and it continues on down the line." 

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

How Far Ahead in the Future Is This?

In the flash-forward at the end of season 3, when Rebecca was on her deathbed, Jack would have been "approximately 12 years old," Fogelman said; the new scenes are "about 10 years-plus after that."

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

How Is Cassidy Tied In?

Will Kevin (Justin Hartley) meet Cassidy when he goes to bail Uncle Nicky out? Many fans assume this is a set-up for a new romance for Kevin — could she be his child's mother? — but their relationship may be different than assumed. "The relationship is complicated, it’s formative, and it’s a very deep, interesting, bizarre relationship," Fogelman told Entertainment Weekly. "She’s going to be somebody who adjusts a part of the course of Kevin’s life. As is the entire first half of the season that he’s embarking on."

Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

Will Jack Win Over Rebecca's Dad?

After that dinner where Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) perfectly put Rebecca's parents in their place while impressing them and informing them that he "wasn't going anywhere," her father (Tim Matheson) told him that his daughter could do better and that he'd be doing anything possible to make sure they don't work out. (Little did he know, Jack was exactly the man Rebecca deserved.) So, did that ever change?

This Is Us airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.