[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 6, Episode 17 of This Is Us, “The Train.”]
Viewers said farewell to Mandy Moore‘s Rebecca Pearson on the Tuesday, May 17, penultimate episode of NBC drama This Is Us, and emotions were certainly running high.
The episode focused on Rebecca’s final moments as friends and family gathered around her hospital bed to say goodbye. This included Beth Pearson (Susan Kelechi Watson), Toby Damon (Chris Sullivan); fan favorites William (Ron Cephas Jones) and Dr. Nathan “K” Katowsky (Gerald McRaney) also made special appearances.
With her three children by her side, Rebecca passed into the afterlife, where she was reunited with her late husband, Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia). This heartbreaking goodbye had tears flowing, both on-screen and off, with fans taking to social media to share their reactions.
“This episode is giving me chills and bringing me to tears like no other episode ever has. Heartbreakingly beautiful. This show is phenomenal beyond words,” wrote one viewer.
“The writers of #ThisIsUs deserve every accolade for such a beautifully written episode. Transition is hard but they honored the life of Rebecca in such a beautiful way. And showed how the Pearson legacy lives on. Real tears,” added another fan.
This episode is giving me chills and bringing me to tears like no other episode ever has. Heartbreakingly beautiful. This show is phenomenal beyond words. #ThisIsUs #ThisIsUsFinalChapter
— This Is Aure-Anne (@moorepearsons) May 18, 2022
The writers of #ThisIsUs deserve every accolade for such a beautifully written episode. Transition is hard but they honored the life of Rebecca in such a beautiful way. And showed how the Pearson legacy lives on. Real tears #ThisIsUsThefinalchapter
— Urban Elegance LLC (@UrbanEleganceLL) May 18, 2022
Moore, who previously said she threw up when reading the episode’s script, also commented on her character’s final moments. Tweeting a photo of herself and co-star Ventimiglia, she wrote, “’If something makes you sad when it ends, it must have been pretty wonderful when it was happening’”… and with that, one last car. The caboose.”
“If something makes you sad when it ends, it must have been pretty wonderful when it was happening”… and with that, one last car. The caboose.️ #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/5PbewsauTb
— Mandy Moore (@TheMandyMoore) May 18, 2022
Many fans demanded that Moore be awarded an Emmy for her incredible performance. “Give mandy moore the emmy right NOW,” tweeted one viewer, a sentiment echoed by many others, including This Is Us producer/director Ken Olin, who wrote, “Mandy Moore deserves an Emmy Award. Trust me.”
give mandy moore the emmy right NOW#thisisus pic.twitter.com/s0TVLwU407
— jessica (@ohdorothea) May 11, 2022
.@TheMandyMoore deserves an Emmy Award. Trust me.
— Ken Olin (@kenolin1) May 18, 2022
“I’m reading all the crazy beautiful things being said from the east coast about #ThisIsUs & tonight’s episode,” Olin added. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me. I’m broken up. Thank you so much. We poured our heart into this. I’m blown away.”
I’m reading all the crazy beautiful things being said from the east coast about #ThisIsUs & tonight’s episode. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. I’m broken up.
Thank you so much.
We poured our heart into this. I’m blown away. @NBCThisisUs @Dan_Fogelman @ThisIsUsWriters— Ken Olin (@kenolin1) May 18, 2022
The show’s creator, Dan Fogleman, also shared his thoughts, writing, “Well here we go. With a massive assist from our writing staff and a giant idea from @KJSteinberg2, I poured a lot of myself into these last two. And then @kenolin1 fixed all my mistakes. I hope it speaks to you. Thanks for watching. This one is for my mom.”
Well here we go. With a massive assist from my our writing staff and a giant idea from @KJSteinberg2 , I poured a lot of myself into these last two. And then @kenolin1 fixed all my mistakes.
I hope it speaks to you. Thanks for watching.
This one is for my mom. #ThisIsUs
— Dan Fogelman (@Dan_Fogelman) May 18, 2022
Check out more reaction below.
GIVEMANDY MOORE AN EMMY!!!
[#ThisIsUs #ThisIsUsFinalChapter] pic.twitter.com/ZJMlvvFNhB
— aMucc (@amurkymuc) May 18, 2022
#ThisIsUs has penned the best transition of life on television. So beautifully done.
— DemiGodWonder (@DemiGodWonder) May 18, 2022
Don’t let these smiles fool you…we too are in mourning, but to quote the one and only William Hill, “You’ll see that endings aren’t sad…They’re just the start of the next incredibly beautiful thing”…and the beautiful here is that this is family for LIFE!!! #ThisIsUs pic.twitter.com/JwaYxHoxzO
— Sterling K Brown (@SterlingKBrown) May 18, 2022
A truly perfect and beautiful ending for Rebecca even if was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen #ThisIsUs #ThisIsUsFinalChapter pic.twitter.com/PKfSrLz1Mp
— J (@janetca8) May 18, 2022
Why did we have to relive Jack dying? WHYY? Was once not enough? #thisisus pic.twitter.com/PXXwSbUnHa
— Chris Sullivan (@SullivanTweet) May 18, 2022
this week’s episode proved me, once again, that #ThisIsUs is the most special and human-worthy show I’ve ever seen.
every single episode of this last season is tears worthy and that’s on keeping the quality high ‘till the very end 🤍 pic.twitter.com/YWxOBomywC
— denise (@vogueturan) May 11, 2022
Tonight’s #ThisIsUs is so well done I’m just blown away. The whole train plot, brilliant.
— Lisa Marie Falbo (@LisaMarieFalbo) May 18, 2022
Now I totally understand why Mandy Moore truly became sick because of this episode. Omg #ThisIsUs
— Christina (@Chrissy89) May 18, 2022
This Is Us, Series Finale, Tuesday, May 24, 9/8c, NBC
