This Is Us: 1 Detail Reveals the State of Kate and Toby's Future Marriage

This Is Us has never shied away from wringing viewers' hearts, and the third season premiere is no exception. With storylines taking place in the past, present, and future, there's a lot to unpack. One plot point that's been on our minds since last season's finale? What's going to happen to Future Toby — and, more specifically, what's going on with his marriage to Kate.

In the last minutes of the Sept. 25 season premiere, we get another flash-forward that's incredibly telling. Throughout the episode, Kate and Toby struggle in the present day with fertility issues. Between her weight struggles and PCOS and his antidepressants likely lowering his sperm count, their doctors tell them they were not good candidates for IVF treatments. Toby offers to go off his meds to increase their odds, but Kate vetoes that idea immediately. But later in the episode, after the IVF doctor relents and agrees to take them on as patients, Toby secretly flushes his antidepressants — not a great sign when taken with what we know about his future self: scruffy and weary-looking, and alone.

The state of Kate and Toby's marriage in the flash-forward is not explicitly discussed, but there are a couple of details that seem pretty revealing. When Randall calls Toby to ask if he's coming to see the still-mysterious "her," Toby is alone in a sparse room and a bed that is completely empty and unruffled on the other side. The crucial detail is a split-second shot of Toby's left hand, where no wedding ring can be seen.

While it's not clear if Toby and Kate are divorced, separated, or something else in the future, it looks more and more likely that their marriage is on the rocks at the very least by the time the flash-forward time period rolls around. Knowing This Is Us, we've got plenty more twists on the way before we'll know the truth.