Last week’s This Is Us ended on a big cliffhanger, as the show almost certainly revealed that the culprit behind the long-foreshadowed death of Pearson family patriarch Jack was a malfunctioning “slow cooker” (or Crock-Pot, as those of us who aren’t afraid of getting sued for associating fiery death with a beloved appliance brand might know it). The Rival Company, the owners of Crock-Pot, seemed a little miffed about the association of their fine brand of “turn it on and leave it alone” cooking products with daddy issues and death, which might explain why NBC offered them an olive branch today.
Said effort of slow-boiling reconciliation came in a promo for the show’s upcoming post-Super Bowl episode, with star Milo Ventimiglia giving a now very recognizable “Boy, the country sure is divided, huh?” speech. The twist comes when Ventimiglia makes it’s clear he’s not referring to the political left or right as the warring parties in question; rather, he’s burying the hatchet with his toasty little nemesis. It’s enough to gently warm your heart (the better to get a good stew going, perhaps.)