'This Is Us' Promises Marc Is Gone "For The Time Being," But What Does That Mean For Kate?

The slow roiling of Teenage Kate's first relationship finally hit a full boil on This Is Us' episode "The Cabin." The series took the long route to get there, dropping red flags during every scene where Marc and Kate were together. From controlling her food intake to belittling her every opinion, the show made it clear even before the two took off for the getaway during "A Hell of a Week, Part 3" that Kate was in an emotionally abusive situation. But after the showdown between Kate's family and her boyfriend, This Is Us promises Marc is gone, at least for the time being. Warning: Spoilers for This Is Us Season 4 follow.

Heading into "The Cabin," viewers assumed Kate would not have to spend the night with Marc, or that if she did it would be at the expense of the relationship she had with her family. But when a tree turned out to have fallen across the road, blocking Rebecca, Kevin, and Randall from reaching Kate that evening, it made the situation worse. Here was Kate, trapped in the snow and the cold with an unstable man who was drinking heavily and openly disrespecting her by breaking her father's mug. And the cavalry wasn't coming until dawn.

But the delay worked in the Pearson family's favor. Without them, Kate lived through facing being locked out outside overnight. She had to break a window to get back in and injure herself without Marc caring. By experiencing that, she'd already inwardly realized she was in a relationship that needed to end, even if she had no idea how to find the door.

That meant, when her brothers (and mom) realized what happened and stood up for her, she didn't fight back. Rebecca could be her daughter's avenging angel, throwing Marc out. And Kate didn't pick him over her.

And according to the This Is Us producers, Rebecca's edict will stick. Well, in the short term, at least. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, producer Isaac Aptaker confirmed:

For the time being, that’s the last we’ll see of Marc.

But what does that mean for Kate going forward? She's single again, with no college education, no prospects, and she's not going to be working at the record store after this. Meanwhile, Randall and Beth are on track for marriage, and Kevin and Sophie are probably on track for divorce. Things aren't going to get easier with Marc gone, and fans are worried this is just the beginning of Kate's spiral in the wake of their break up.