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That Was Us

If Jack Survived | "After the Fire" (417) with Pamela Adlon

20 Jan 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What themes are explored in Randall's therapy session?

0.757 - 18.16 Chris Sullivan

On today's episode of That Was Us, we're diving into season four, episode 17, After the Fire.

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Chapter 2: How does Randall imagine life if Jack had survived?

18.981 - 28.654 Chris Sullivan

While in therapy, Randall begins to imagine what life might have looked like if Jack had survived the house fire, revealing just how differently the Pearsons' lives could have turned out.

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32.937 - 52.055 Unknown

Gang, final two. Final two? This episode scrambled my brain. How so? Just all of the different, I mean, it's not just different timelines. It's hypothetical scenarios. It's hypothetical timelines all happening in one mentally ill person's brain.

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54.397 - 59.321 Chris Sullivan

This is interesting. This episode is probably the most upsetting to my wife.

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59.742 - 60.042 Mandy Moore

Why?

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60.865 - 71.589 Chris Sullivan

We'll get to it. Okay. Because it's not for the same reasons why I think it's upsetting to me. Yeah. But there's upsetting things that happen. I think it was upsetting for our audience, too.

71.87 - 82.251 Unknown

Yeah. Sure. I'm telling you, it was upsetting to watch because it's just like, wait, what? Why are we doing that? Because at first it is not revealed... that this is a therapy exercise.

82.391 - 101.378 Chris Sullivan

Well, it does. He just... It starts with Randall, like... It opens with Randall in the therapist's office talking about how he can't stop thinking about his conversation with Kevin since he mentioned it and how... And he wonders what life would have been like if his dad hadn't died. And then it does sort of seem like we go into a vision of that. Kind of.

101.518 - 124.276 Unknown

Yeah, but without explanation. At first. I'm telling you, like, because I had... We're in that foggy area of... it really blindsided me and like scrambled me up. Yeah, because at this point, I don't think we've like heard a prompt yet from her like asking the questions. I think it starts to, that kind of like after we see one scenario sort of play out mostly is when she's like, well, hold on.

124.317 - 131.71 Unknown

And then she starts to question things. So I can understand how it's a little like, wait, is this wish fulfillment? This is strange. What is the show doing?

Chapter 3: What are the emotional impacts of hypothetical scenarios on the characters?

133.433 - 156.387 Chris Sullivan

Are we, yeah, like. Yeah, I see what you're saying. Because for me, I felt like it was, we re-echoed what had happened at the end of 416 with the top of 416, with Niles saying like, dad, so help me God, if you go in there, I'll come in there and grab you myself, right? And so that happens. Jack decides not to go in. Family's okay, right? It begins with that.

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157.669 - 160.875 Chris Sullivan

He's had minimal smoke inhalation damage since he didn't go into the fire.

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160.955 - 169.632 Unknown

Yeah, you see them coming to greet the kids at Miguel's in the same way that they went to Miguel's because mom and dad went to the hospital to get his burn tended to.

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169.872 - 186.802 Chris Sullivan

And then this is interesting. So I want Mandy to speak on this one. Like the idea of like things being put in perspective that life could have ended, you know, that there are things that I've been holding on to that, you know, I may have like taken to the grave or whatnot. It sort of is the prompt. Yes. Right.

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187.583 - 204.848 Chris Sullivan

Let us keep in mind, even though the audience doesn't know this at this point necessarily, but in my mind, it's like, Randall's imagining of what would have happened. Right. Yes. Right? So I'm curious, like, for you guys in the playing, because I guess you can't play what's inside somebody else's head. You have to kind of play what's on the page.

204.868 - 206.17 Unknown

The reality of, like, something's really there.

206.23 - 206.571 Chris Sullivan

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

206.591 - 207.392 Unknown

Something's really happening.

207.552 - 207.732 Chris Sullivan

Right.

Chapter 4: How does the episode address family dynamics and forgiveness?

556.389 - 556.849 Unknown

Yep.

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556.869 - 561.174 Chris Sullivan

Right? Jack and Rebecca and William at Tess's birth.

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561.194 - 561.715 Unknown

Yep.

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561.735 - 563.457 Chris Sullivan

We see everything. It's just like...

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563.437 - 569.087 Unknown

It's not Rebecca just giving that little speech to the baby. Jack and William are both there.

569.107 - 569.367 Chris Sullivan

That's right.

569.387 - 578.023 Unknown

So it's, again, yeah, we're seeing these sort of famous-to-us kind of scenes of our show, of our series, but with the addition of these two gentlemen.

578.504 - 598.798 Chris Sullivan

It's cool. And this is what I love. God bless Randall. God bless him because it doesn't just extend to like, you know, what would happen if you told this? It's like, now I get to make Christmas dinner with my dad because you told me and I got a chance to be around him for a number of times and I can see that something's off. Something's going on. Something's going on with his stomach. What not.

598.818 - 605.241 Chris Sullivan

Oh, let's get in here early. We got early detection of this cancer. We saved the day again. Saved the day. Oh my God.

Chapter 5: What insights does Pamela Adlon share about her character's dynamics?

2651.314 - 2654.838 Unknown

You're lit like a villain in the dark. In the dark. Calling in the, I need you to say it.

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2655.579 - 2667.752 Chris Sullivan

Yeah. Say the words. And she does. And she does. Like quiet as can be with the mirth in the background. Mission to Mars. And she just goes, okay.

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2668.542 - 2670.585 Unknown

I'll do the clinical trial.

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2671.086 - 2671.567 Chris Sullivan

And that was it.

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2671.948 - 2688.576 Unknown

I was telling Taylor, I was like, also not to like spoil the magic, but I was like, you realize when two actors are doing scenes like that, we're not talking to anybody. I was like, we're talking to an AD. He's like, what? He's like, oh, there's never like, Sterling's already done his side and they play it. I'm like,

2688.556 - 2689.237 Chris Sullivan

Rarely.

2689.778 - 2690.019 Unknown

Yeah.

2690.299 - 2697.431 Chris Sullivan

Rarely. Ever. Well, you saw it. We saw it with Kevin and Sophie. Yeah. The practical, like inside and outside of the house. Sure.

2697.471 - 2699.735 Unknown

That is so rare.

Chapter 6: How does the show address themes of therapy and emotional growth?

2717.729 - 2730.268 Unknown

The words. You can say the words. I will do the clinical trial. Say it, mom. I've been a good son. With a sweet AD. His job is not to be an actor.

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2730.609 - 2745.878 Chris Sullivan

I've been a good son. Stillman has a whistle to it. So sometimes when he's saying it. I love the whistle. I've been a good son. It's great. I love it. I'll say it to his face. I love Steelman. This is one of our first ADs. His name is Glenn Steelman.

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2746.499 - 2748.362 Unknown

Also directed an episode of our show.

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2748.382 - 2767.87 Chris Sullivan

Also directed an episode and is also doing Paradise with me right now. And every once in a while, because first ADs have to run a tight ship. Sorry, just making sure we're good. And every once in a while, Steelman will curse. He's like, I need you guys to get this shit together and let's move. And that's when you know. And then I have an impersonation of Sam Jackson playing Glenn Stillman.

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2768.17 - 2785.557 Chris Sullivan

Oh, great. And it's a lot of fun. I'm not going to go into the whole thing. Why not? Because it takes too long. I'm trying to stay on task. It takes too long. We got time. We have 12 minutes. I'll do it later. I'll do it later. Because the episode... He's not going to do it later. I just want to say this. And I'm curious to see what the fan feedback was because I'm upset watching it.

Chapter 7: What challenges do actors face in portraying complex characters?

2785.958 - 2791.507 Chris Sullivan

Like, it was probably the most, well, between this and the next episode. Nasty ass Randall.

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2791.787 - 2793.95 Unknown

Yeah, it's an upsetting run.

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2793.97 - 2794.812 Chris Sullivan

Nasty ass Randall.

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2794.832 - 2802.784 Unknown

I was like, oh, wow. I'm like, and then this is where we ended it, going into the pandemic. Yeah. Yeah, that's what we left people with. Yeah.

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2802.804 - 2802.904

Yeah.

2803.897 - 2804.878 Unknown

It was intense.

2804.898 - 2807.04 Chris Sullivan

Yeah, we'll talk about it. We'll get into the next episode.

2807.06 - 2815.568 Unknown

We'll get into the next episode. If you want to rewatch it, you got to tune in next week. But we have a very special segment.

2815.768 - 2826.779 Chris Sullivan

Yes. We do. We're having a conversation live with my girl, who is an absolute ride and a brilliant actor, beautiful human being. Pamela Adlin will be joining us.

Chapter 8: How does the discussion reflect on societal expectations in storytelling?

2875.057 - 2895.385 Unknown

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2895.586 - 2911.688 Unknown

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2911.708 - 2933.297 Chris Sullivan

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2933.717 - 2941.347 Chris Sullivan

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2941.327 - 2959.918 Unknown

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2962.042 - 2964.145

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2966.318 - 2993.005 Pamela Adlon

Do you guys know Chris Fleming, the comedian? So I just saw him at Largo like three nights ago. He's an absolute genius. He is like a, he's like one of those freeway men. You know what I mean? Like the balloon man. But he's like a lady man because he's got glasses. Genius. So he said- He's a lady man. Chris Fleming. He's a lady man. You would love him.

2993.326 - 3018.329 Pamela Adlon

But he was talking, he was like, this is how I feel about doing podcasts. And there's a picture of a snake being venomed in a glass, like all the venom. And I was like- He's being milked. Yes, exactly. Yeah, he's being milked. I noticed that. Okay, gotcha. So when Sterling texted me, are you rolling? I'm rolling. Everybody, this is Pamela Adler. She's coming in hot. Do you guys use language here?

3018.63 - 3024.102 Pamela Adlon

Yes, anything. When fucking Sterling texted me, he's like, yo, sister. I'm like, oh, God.

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