The This Is Us Super Bowl episode may not be entirely depressing

Based on the promotion that has been done to date for the This Is Us Super Bowl episode, there is one easy conclusion to draw from most of it: We’re gearing up for a heck of a depressing hour of television. That probably won’t help fans of whatever team ends up losing. All early indications suggest that this episode is going to deal with the aftermath of the fire and, beyond that, you’re also going to have an opportunity to learn if this is, just as it appears, how Jack dies.

There’s going to be a lot of pain in losing Jack — even though Milo Ventimiglia may not be leaving the show, a big part of his story is now filled in. From here, the rest of the story will probably be backtracking to other key moments along the way.

What you may not have known before now is that there will actually be a few moments in this episode that actually do make you smile — we don’t imagine too many of them will be in the past, but apparently the intention with this episode isn’t just to make everyone cry themselves to sleep.

For a little more news on this subject, just be sure to see what executive producer Isaac Aptaker had to say to Entertainment Weekly:

“It’s one of the most emotional episodes we’ve ever done, but there is a silver lining to it, and there’s an uplift to the episode … While it’s incredibly intense in a lot of ways, there is beauty to it, and there is optimism to it. That’s so important to us — to always find the lighter side of things too.”

How can you find hope within devastation? By remembering the past and applying some of the lessons that you’ve learned. We’ve known about Jack’s death now for well over a year, so this episode shouldn’t just be there for the sake of shattering souls. It also should be a reminder for why Jack matters and what makes his life so unbelievably important. He created a legacy and a pattern for being a good husband and father — he wasn’t perfect, but so few of us are. He acted out of love.

Related – Check out the This Is Us Super Bowl episode synopsis

How do you think the This Is Us Super Bowl episode can be uplifting given the subject matter? Share in the comments! Also, be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook for some additional insight regarding the show. (Photo: NBC.)