This is Us season 4 premiere recap: Strangers

This is Us is back with a brand new season! It premiered Tuesday night on NBC. SPOILERS AHEAD!

Just when you thought you knew the whole story on This is Us, they throw us a curveball, in the form of new characters!

The fourth season of the popular NBC drama premiered with what we thought would be a traditional episode: back flashes to Jack and Rebecca (Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore), and three present-day stories of their children, Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Randall (Sterling K. Brown).

Instead, we were introduced to new characters: a soldier, a teenage boy, and a blind man.

First, let’s talk about Jack and Rebecca’s story.

The two have just arrived home from their road trip to L.A., and Rebecca invites Jack to dinner with her parents and their best friends at the club. Jack can’t afford a nice sports coat, so Miguel (?) tells him to keep the tag on and bring it back the next day.

Hold up. Why is Miguel a clothes salesman now? Don’t he and Jack already know each other at this point? Wasn’t he there the night Jack and Rebecca met? Help me out here!

Back to the dinner with the parents, played by Tim Matheson and Elizabeth Perkins.

It goes well, although a bit awkward at times. But then Becks dad drops a bomb: Jack isn’t good enough for his little girl, and he’s going to stop it at all costs.

Obviously, he doesn’t succeed.

Now for the newbies. My friends and I were texting throughout the episode, talking about how confused we were. But, of course, it all makes sense in the end!

We meet Cassidy, played by Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time), who is a military vet struggling with the transition back to home life after she returns from Iraq.

She’s drinking too much, and after she hits her son in the face, her husband kicks her out. She ends up at the V.A. hospital, the same one where Uncle Nicky throws a brick through a window.

We figure out that this is taking place in the present day because then Kevin gets a call saying he needs to bail Uncle Nicky out of jail. Could Cassidy be Kevin’s baby mama?

Also, Uncle Nicky (Griffin Dunne) is being promoted to series regular for season four, so this makes sense that Kevin will be spending a lot of time there.

We also meet Malik, played by Asante Blackk (When They See Us), a Philly teen who lives with his baby daughter, mom (Marsha Stephanie Blake) and dad (Omar Epps). Eventually, Malik ends up at a friend’s BBQ and meets Deja, and they seem to fall for each other.

We also meet an unnamed blind man (Blake Standik) who meets Lucy in a diner after his dog broke his breakfast plate. The pair begin to date, get married, and ultimately, she becomes pregnant.

It isn’t until the end of the episode that we find out his name is Jack Damon. That’s right; it’s Kate and Toby’s son grown up! Yes, he’s blind but can see some light and shapes. And he’s also a musician/singer who performs for huge crowds. So, Kate and Rebecca may not have done it, but Jack will.

Lastly, it’s the Big 3’s 39th birthday! Happy birthday Kevin, Kate, and Randall!

How did you like the season premiere? Were you shocked by the reveal? Be sure to tell us in the comment section below!