'This Is Us' fans learn that they don't want Jack Pearson alive after all

On This Is Us, during a therapy session, Randall Pearson imagined what life would be like if the beloved Pearson family patriarch, Jack Pearson, never died in the fire. When Tuesday's episode was teased last week, fans were already sobbing. So, it was a total surprise that, after this week's episode played out, viewers were actually not down with Jack surviving after all. In two different versions of Jack surviving the house fire, Randall imagined that his mother Rebecca immediately told Randall about his birth father, William Hill. However, in the not-so-perfect version, Rebecca withholding knowledge of William ultimately makes Randall resent his mother all the way into adulthood, leading him down a way different path and lifestyle that was more like a present-day Kevin Pearson. Instead of giving a speech at Randall and Beth's engagement party, Jack is giving a speech at Kevin and Sophie's party, while Randall is sitting in the back with a woman who is definitely not Beth and – wait for it – he's wearing an earring. However, as quickly as we realized we were not fans of the alternate-universe Randall, we were brought back to present-day, sans Jack, Randall, who, following his therapy breakthrough, realized there was nothing he could have done to save his father. Meanwhile, viewers also were reminded of a positive message as well.