“Memphis,” The latest episode of NBC’s “This Is Us” made fans of the show emotional, thanks to a beloved character’s death. William Hill, Randall’s (played by Sterling K. Brown) father, succumbed to stage 4 stomach cancer. In the hospital scene, a very distraught Randall accompanied his father until his last breath.
Ron Cephas Jones, who played the older William, told Vulture in an email about the heartbreaking episode, “I wasn’t looking forward to it. I didn’t want to say good-bye. Sterling didn’t wanna say good-bye to Ron! It was exhausting, but I’m glad we got it over with. The rest of the time we just got to enjoy each other’s company.”
But is there a possibility that William will do a “Jack”? Jack, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia, has long been confirmed to die in the series. However, him being a main cast will definitely have him appear in flashbacks. So will William be doing the same thing?
If there’s one saving grace fans will rely on, it would be creator Dan Fogelman’s note, which was attached to the “Memphis” script, E! Reported. It read, “A note to the reader from Dan, and particularly to Mr. Ron Cephas Jones:
It's never easy writing the death scene of one of your favorite characters (and actors). I hope we've done you proud—you certainly always deliver for us. And if anyone is extra sad about the ending, I'd urge you to remember the words of a wise young actor named Justin Hartley (who plays Randall’s brother Kevin in the show) who once said:
“People will die in our lives, people that we love. But it's kind of beautiful if you think about it, the fact that just because someone died, it doesn't mean they're still not in the painting.””
The painting referred in the note is part of the “Memphis” episode where Kevin explains death to Randall’s kids.
But Chrissy Bobic for Romper believed that even though Jones is no longer credited on the rest of the show’s episodes, fans should hope for Randall’s birth father to be incorporated in the show via flashbacks.
