*This article contains spoilers*

This past Tuesday night, many viewers who tuned into NBC's hit drama, "This is Us," were left disappointed when the cause of Jack's death was not revealed in the season one finale, "Moonshadow." The series, which premiered on NBC September 20, 2016, attributes much of its popularity, as well as a bit of notoriety, from its twists and teasing of major reveals that leave fans both engaged and frustrated. "Moonshadow," primarily evoked the latter from over 12 million viewers. While I wasn't too upset that the cause of Jack's death wasn't explored in the finale, I was a bit disappointed with the end of what was otherwise a solid first season.

"This is Us" is a character study that explores every aspect of the Pearson family, frequently switching from the past to present-day. The purpose of last week's episode was to give Jack and Rebecca some backstory, leading up to the night they first met. While Jack embodies a strong, supportive father, and is one of my favorite characters on the show, his backstory is not interesting enough for nearly half an episode devoted to it.

Desperately trying to move out of the house of his abusive father after returning home from Vietnam, Jack goes with his friend, Darryl, to gamble the money he has saved up working odd jobs. After winning a large sum of money off of one hand in a poker match, the two leave the seedy bar, only to get mugged outside for screwing the owner over. Going against the morals Jack typically abides by, the two try to steal the money back with a convoluted stick-up scheme. As Darryl distracts the bartender on the phone, Jack heads for the cash register, but is too distracted by Rebecca's performance at the bar.

The episode attempts to be an emotional powerhouse like "Memphis," arguably the greatest episode of the series, but fails to replicate the magic. "Memphis," follows the past of Randall's dying biological father, William. It depicts his early life as a musician in Memphis, Tennessee performing and writing songs with his cousin's jazz band. When William's mother becomes ill, he returns home to take care of her.

He soon meets the woman shown to be Randall's biological mother and turns to a life of heavy drinking and drug abuse. In the present day portion of the episode, William and Randall go on a road trip to Memphis to see where William grew up and make amends with his cousin. The episode ends with William's death and Randall's discovery of the poems his father wrote to him many years ago.

"Memphis," had the payoff factor that "Moonshadow," failed to deliver. From the first episode, we knew that William was dying and only had so long to live. While it was sad to see him go, his death was satisfying because we were able to see him get redemption for mistakes he made in the past and go out the way he wanted to go out.

If Jack died the way the writers wanted us to think he would have (getting in a car accident from driving drunk to Rebecca's show), the death would have been more tragic because he wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to make things right with Rebecca, which may not have been as rewarding as many viewers anticipated. Regardless, the episode left us with frustration and slightly empty. The strongest point of the finale was the caustic verbal argument between Jack and Rebecca. "The next time you tell me that you love me, make sure you're not just doing it out of habit," was particularly biting.

While "Moonshadow," wasn't the season finale we hoped for, it was still a decent episode that gave us something to leave with. Hopefully, as the build-up to learning the cause of Jack's death continues, we are given a satisfying departure similar to the treatment William received. It just gives us more to look forward to next season.