This Is Us fans were shocked when it was revealed that Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley) had an ex-wife in the wings. And it was an even bigger bombshell when viewers found out that his secret wife was named Sophie—as in his sister Kate’s childhood friend Sophie. Now, it looks like the estranged lovebirds have moved past the “cautiously dating” phase. TV Guide posted new spoiler photos from the upcoming Episode 17, titled “What Next?,” that make it look like Kevin and Sophie are totally a thing again.
One photo shows Kevin and Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge) looking longingly at one another. And, interestingly, another photo of the exes shows them chatting outside the theater that Kevin’s play, The Back of an Egg, is running at. Another shot shows Kevin in front of a dressing room mirror, which means his ill-timed decision to run out on his play on opening night probably didn’t get him fired.
This Is Us: New Photos Sure Make It Look Like Kevin and Sophie Are Definitely Back On pic.twitter.com/mGmAt5Rhg7
— elmahdi annis (@AnnisAnnismhdi) March 2, 2017
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , This Is Us executive producer Ken Olin said there would be repercussions for Kevin’s spontaneous decision to ditch his play to run and check on his brother, Randall (Sterling K. Brown).
“It will certainly be dealt with in the last two episodes of the season,” the This Is Us EP said. “The ramifications of Kevin leaving the show will definitely be played out, and it’s going to be played out in ways that are expected — and maybe some ways that aren’t expected.”
Of course, if Kevin returns to the play he’ll have to face the music—and the wrath of his jilted co-star Sloane (Milana Vayntrub). But based on these new pics, maybe Sophie will be there to help her man pick up the pieces to his broken career.
Hartley previously told Entertainment Weekly he’s rooting for Kevin and Sophie, but that he’s unsure about the current status of the relationship between his character’s longtime love and his sister, Kate (Chrissy Metz). This Is Us fans may recall that a young Sophie ditched her best friend Kate for Kevin in the episode “Three Sentences,” which featured a flashback to the Big Three’s 10 th birthday party. Despite Kate’s Madonna-clad tears (and 10-year-old Kevin’s proclamation that he couldn’t help it that he stole his sister’s bestie, because he was in love with her), Hartley said he hopes Sophie’s relationship with his TV sister has “evolved” in the present day.
“But I truly don’t know,” the This Is Us star admitted. “I was in my head picturing that they were friends by this point, but maybe not.”
Of course, the most diehard This Is Us detectives also have reason to believe that Sophie wasn’t all that nice to Kate even before the birthday party blow-off. In the This is Us episode “The Pool,” a young Kate was bullied about her weight by a group of mean girls who wrote a cruel note that said they didn’t want to play with her anymore because she was embarrassing them in her Care Bears bikini.
A still photo from the episode shows that the heartbreaking note, which included a drawing of a pig, was signed by Vicki, Samantha, and Sofie. A few episodes later when Kevin gets a birthday card from his future love, she signs her name “Sophie,” so it may not be the same girl. But it’s a definite possibility that Sophie was once mean to Kevin’s twin and that she later just used her to get close to him. It must have worked because the This Is Us childhood sweethearts went from puppy love, to teen sex, to marriage, and 25 years later they still have sparks flying.
Expect to see plenty more of the longtime lovebirds and their backstory on This Is Us . While fans previously saw 10-year old Sophie (Sophia Coto) at young Kevin’s (Parker Bates) birthday party, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Amanda Leighton has been cast as a teen Sophie opposite the teen version of Kevin (Logan Shroyer).
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
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