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This Is Us is no stranger to twists and boy do I love them for it. For example, Kate and Toby (KaToby) are going through some hard stuff. After Kate's miscarriage in Season 2, the pair turned to IVF which was successful (yay!) except for Toby's devastating depression (boo!) and the pregnancy is high-risk (double boo!). Fans want these two to have everything they deserve but it likely won't come without another twist. If you're a deep theory dweller like myself, you'll join me in unpacking This Is Us theories about Kate's "unconventional pregnancy" because it's what true fans do.
First things first: Now that the midterm elections have passed and regulalry scheduled programming has returned, Episode 7 of This Is Us, titled "Sometimes," follows Jack and Rebecca on a road trip and maybe, possibly, more heartbreak with Kate and Toby's storyline. Chrissy Metz spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the parenting struggle that hasn't come easily saying, “Toby and Kate are going to have a bit of an unconventional parenting situation. Not unconventional in that people aren’t doing it, but not what I think either of them ever had in mind.” If you're already jotting down notes, This Is Us detectives, I'm with ya. She followed up by adding the storyline is, "something I don’t think we’ve ever seen, at least not on network television." Showrunner, Elizabeth Berger weighed in saying Kate and Toby will have "very specific struggles," though "nothing about Kate and Toby’s journey thus far has been pretty conventional, and it’s going to continue to be something that they have to navigate very carefully." Sorry, but what? Let's not forget about that flash-forward scene with an older-ish Toby without his wedding ring and no Kate in sight. But again, the twists are never what you'd think — that's the beauty of the writing.
This looks like a case for the internet and luckily, there are a few This Is Us theories about Kate's "unconventional pregnancy" that totally make sense, such as:
Kate & Toby Will Use A Surrogate
I've seen this one circulating in quite a few places but Levicorpyutani posted about it on a This Is Us Reddit thread about the "parenting twist" saying if the couple had another unfortunate miscarriage and another viable embryo that wasn't initially mentioned (for good reason), they may choose to go with a surrogate as a backup. Although this seems like an incredibly expensive way to go — especially since they've just done IVF.
The Baby Could Have Special Needs
A lot of conversations are going around about the baby and if he, or she, will be born with some issues (or not born at all — and I can't take another miscarriage, please). Referring to the "who is her?" hype, some commenters think "her" could be the child (who is in a hospital or institution), or Kate who's exhausted from the care of the child. One user even mentioned if Kate and Toby are faced with a possible problem before birth, would they have to decide to terminate the pregnancy or not? And if so, what would it do to their relationship down the road if one isn't fully on board (hence the missing wedding ring)?
Kate Has Cancer
As bleak as it sounds, it's out there, floating along the web. And sure — it's been done before in medical dramas, but if it's the case here, maybe there will be a twist on top of a twist. What if Toby loses Kate and the baby? What if the twist is there is no twist? What if we're all losing our minds trying to decipher every last intentional detail in every scene and there's nothing to find?
Kate Could Have The Same Heart Condition As Jack
First of all: No, please. It was recently revealed that Jack enlisted in the war knowing he had tachycardia — the heart condition that, combined with smoke inhalation, eventually killed him with a "widow-maker" heart attack. If Kate were diagnosed with the same heart condition, as pointed out by Reddit user Irisveile14, then it could be hereditary. And maybe this is why they might need a surrogate carry the baby to term and not Kate.
The Baby Doesn't Make It & It Will End Kate & Toby
The most obvious theory is that Kate loses the baby and their marriage doesn't survive the grief. With Toby's already debilitating depression, losing a child might put Kate in the same state and then neither could be there for each other. It's hard to forget Toby's ringless finger in that flash forward but even still, I think this is a classic red herring theory meant to drive fans away from what will really happen.
The "Unconventional Pregnancy" Is Due To A Controversial Transplant.
I know — hang with me a sec. There are a few stories out there about real life womb transplant babies and the dangers involved. It's still a fairly new procedure, with the first U.S. baby boy born from a uterus transplant in 2017. It's really expensive (around $250k) and again, dangerous. But with all the other theories swirling about Kate, Toby, and the future of their marriage and this baby, I'm not discounting anything.
My two cents may not mean much here, but if I were to sit in that writer's room (aka if dreams came true), I'd bet it's actually none of these. Show runners are always a dozen steps ahead. So really, theories, schmeries.
