These Theories About Beth In 'This Is Us' Season 3 Will Make You Sob

The last few moments of the This Is Us Season 2 finale were deceptively terrifying. What was initially a sweet family wedding gained a slightly morbid twist when several less-than-pleasing flash forwards in the Pearsons' lives were shared. The most significant peek at the future showed Old Man Randall meeting with the adult Tess and telling her, "It's time to go see her." While the majority of fans seems to consider Deja as "her" in this exchange, there's another possibility: Are Randall and Tess going to see Beth? Twitter theorists have suggested that Beth is the one Tess isn't ready to see at this unknown point in the future.

The most popular theory about the foreboding father-daughter exchange is that the pair are going to see Deja, who is in prison for - as some fans have guessed - murdering Beth. The theory has only been amplified by the finale scene introducing present-day Randall and Beth's worst case scenario game. Somewhat jokingly, the couple both listed Deja murdering them as the worst thing that could happen to them.

I'm hoping that this twist is way too intense and gritty to be true, but other fans have thrown out less violent but just as heartbreaking theories about why Randall and Tess may be seeing Beth.

Some have wondered if Beth has passed away, which explains earlier theories about why older Randall's hands weren't shown in the first flash forward. Could he be a widower not wearing his wedding ring by this time period? Like with Jack's death, perhaps Beth's passing was sudden, which would support Tess not feeling ready to presumably see her mother's grave.

It's debatable if people usually refer to visiting loved ones' graves as "seeing them," so This Is Us viewers have taken the Beth theories to a further level. Although she's sharp as a tack in present day, some fans have suggested that Beth develops Alzheimer's or dementia in the future, and that it's time for Randall and Tess to visit her in a nursing home. One Twitter user even pointed out that the background of the photo of old Randall resembles a hospital room.

One theory suggests that Beth is dead and Deja is in jail, but that Deja wasn't responsible for the loss of Beth. There's always the possibility that Beth unexpectedly dies, and losing both her and her biological mother then triggers a dangerous streak in Deja's actions.

And to think that all of these "Beth is dead" theories came from Randall just wanting lunch alone with Tess! Some of the insane guesses about Beth's grim future are enough to make me believe when I see it. I'll hold off on theorizing until we're well into Season 3.

Given the show's love for last-minute twists no one saw coming (grown-up Tess, for example), some viewers have crafted theories that are totally believable yet unexpected. As she's likely in her late 80s in the flash forward timeline, a dying Rebecca could be the "her" in Randall and Tess's conversation. There's also the chance that Tess has a complicated relationship with her own child and has been away from her for some reason.

Co-showrunner Isaac Aptaker has previously assured fans that Beth isn't going to die anytime soon, while Susan Kelechi Watson has discussed what she thinks of the rumors about her character:

It’s really interesting. I had no clue what was going on! … I had no clue that this was a fan theory that Beth may die. So I thought it was like, 'Oh, funny, haha. They’re being funny.' But then it was like, no, seriously, they’re posting that she might be dead. I was like, 'Dan [Fogelman], did you know people think that Beth might be dead?' And he was like, 'I’ve heard.' And we both just kind of had a laugh about it. As far as I know, there’s no plans for Beth to die, but I do appreciate people looking out for her.

I'm still skeptical about all of these heartbreaking theories, but I've obviously learned that no one can predict what's in store on This Is Us. Fingers crossed that major tragedies steer clear of Beth and Randall for now.