This Is Us has a knack for connecting the past and present. Everything we’ve seen in the past has some impact on the characters in the future, especially when it comes to Jack. Reddit user Irisveile14 has come up with a theory that could have consequences for Kate. “Jack’s past is about connecting his past hardships to the present day hardships,” the Reddit user writes. “Jack’s dad had a drinking addiction and alcoholism just like Kevin. Jack used to be anxious and had his friend help him calm down like Jack does with Randall… Then Jack has a heart problem that we think Kate will have. Kate will pass on a piece of her dad and that will be his underlying heart condition.”
During the Oct. 16 episode, fans learned that Jack was never drafted to fight in the Vietnam War because he suffered from tachycardia, which means he had an abnormally rapid heart rate. Jack got around the medical clearance and went off to war. Jack eventually died of a “widowmaker’s heart attack” after going back into the Pearson house fire years later and inhaling tons of smoke. Jack’s tachycardia diagnosis could be a foreshadowing of Kate’s future. If you have a family history of tachycardia or other heart rhythm disorders, you may have an increased risk of tachycardia, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Kate and Toby have been trying to get pregnant again, even turning to IVF to help. Kate is adamant about having her own child, even though there are risks involved. When Rebecca didn’t understand why Kate wanted to take such risks to have her own baby in a previous episode, Kate said: “I’m the only one in the family who’s gonna carry on a piece of dad.” Could this be a hint at more hardships for Kate to come? Gosh, we hope not. Kate’s been through enough. This Is Us season 3 airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.