Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Season 5 premiere of A Million Little Things.
A Million Little Things has exhausted its supply of "bittersweet plot twists," so here's Wednesday's Season 5 premiere, which not only discusses the forthcoming birth of Gary and Maggie's child, but also admits that Gary's cancer will never be relapsed.
The news, while it is gratifying, isn't as immediate as it initially appears — we'll get to that in a moment. First, here's a list of the other major plot points in "The Last Dance."
Jon's Friends give Gary and Maggie an inkling that they understand Gary's condition. Later, they accompany him to his doctor's appointment, where they all learn that Gary's cancer will live for the rest of his life. Maggie jokingly states that they'll have to carry the baby for the rest of their lives.
* Gary's father, Javier, has died at some point in a seven-month time shift. According to the way the post-funeral conversation is shot, Gary might have died. But he didn't! Together, they discover Gene, the guy who loved Douglas, Javier's war buddy who died. They confess their thoughts to their loved ones who have died. Once again, everyone cries.
Anna is released from prison. Instead of moving in with Eddie, as he wants, she decides to move to her sister's house in a different city. They split on good, if unpleasant, terms.
* Rome's father, Walter, is beginning to forget things. Florence, tearfully informs Rome that she will terminate the relationship because her husband, who has dementia, and that she can't take this journey with him. Later, Rome begins to notice signs that Florence's worries about Walter are valid.
Regina offers Sophie a job at the food truck, and Sophie accepts.
Okay, back to Gary. TVLine spoke with James Roday Rodriguez on what his character will face in the ABC drama's final season, and how the latest diagnosis has an influence on the father-to-be's outlook on life. Read on to find out what he had to say!
Gary gets some news at the end of the premiere: He's not advancing, but it's also not going to go away. Take a look inside his head as he'll deal with it as the episode concludes and into the season's finale: I'm writing this as a burden of a dramatization of something that so many people have actually had to deal with for real, which affects families and loved ones and everything: I do believe that a simple fact that I don't have to cross
So, the concept that, "Hey, this is the deal," is what it is, you know? It gives Gary permission to begin living for every moment, without knowing how many minutes he'll have left. Rather than that, "You know what?" and the energy that goes into it.
Do you think Gary realized how much he wanted to be a dad before Maggie's pregnancy? How much it would mean to him? I think Gary has played a father-like role to so many characters on this show that, even if he hadn't looked in the mirror and said "I want to be a dad," it's probably the thing he didn't realize could be so good. I think Maggie is the missing piece of that equation.
Talk about Gary's father's death at the start of the season and how that evolves throughout the season. I agree that Gary's death is certainly complemented by his father's death. And I think that lesson, that reality, "I really, really miss my dad," both inspires him and drives him to make sure that the same thing does not happen with him and his son.
THE TVLINE | In the post-funeral scene in the premiere, Gary is thought to have died, but it's his father. Can we expect any other card-flips during the season, as [series creator] DJ Nash calls them? You can expect as many card flips as 13 episodes can deliver.
TVLINE | The premiere of Gary and Maggie's son is a seven-month delay. Is there anything you can confirm? To my knowledge, this child will be given a traditional nine-month human gestation period. So, if the jump is seven months, you can assume that our child isn't special in that way.
TVLINE | Would there be any more time jumps in this final season, beyond that one? I would expect so. It's always been a part of the show's personality, whether it's forward or backward.
Is the season completely over? We're not. We still have four or five remaining seasons, but I think supporters expect us to continue to do the same things as This is Us did in their last season.
Your and Maggie's kid are going to be a singer in the year 2073. That's right. Get ready for the big fire episode, everyone. — With reporting by Matt Webb Mitovich
It's your turn. What did you think of the premiere? Tell us in the comments below, then leave a comment!