Evidence That Jack's Necklace Is Straight Up Cursed on This Is Us

It's not unusual for This Is Us to connect the dots between the people and objects that affect the Pearson family's lives — never forget the slow cooker of doom — but a recent overview of the history behind Jack's necklace has some viewers wondering if the family heirloom is cursed. The season three episode "Sometimes" opens with the necklace Jack gifts to Kevin being made in Vietnam. A soldier is then seen buying it for a woman he likes, but by the time he gets back from making his purchase, she's with another man. He then leaves the jewellery on a bar counter, where another soldier picks it up and puts it on — he dies shortly after, and the Vietnamese woman takes it off of his body. She later passes it on to Jack, who gives it to Kevin. In Jack's eyes, the necklace is a symbol of finding hope in a dark time, but is it really a coincidence that everyone who has ever possessed this piece of jewellery has experienced some serious bad luck?

Reddit user BoxpoxDriver shared the following theory:

"Why go through the effort to show us the history of the necklace pre-Jack if it wasn't meant to symbolize something?

What we know so far is that it brought heartache and death to its possessors early on. We can imagine what it might do to the village woman and/or Nicky. After it comes into Jack's possession he loses a baby at birth and later dies tragically (shortly after giving the necklace to Kevin). Kevin's life has been series of tragic short plays since."

They're not wrong. Aside from the person who made the necklace, all of the owners thus far have had seriously bad luck. It could be argued that the necklace doesn't just bring pain into Jack's life though. After all, he meets and falls in love with Rebecca after the Vietnamese woman gives it to him, and he spends 17 years as a father to three children he loves more than anything. He doesn't immediately get murdered by the slow cooker, and alcoholism runs in his family, so his disease can't be pinned on the charm he wears around his neck. Still, it is disconcerting that every person who wears the necklace, including Kevin, faces an unusual amount of misfortune.

Is the necklace really cursed? Probably not. This Is Us is a grounded show that focuses in on the heartbreak and beauty of life. It seems more likely that the necklace's history is shown because it's such an important piece of Jack and Kevin's relationship. Like everything else on This Is Us, it has a story that's full of unexpected twists and turns. Still, Kevin might want to try taking it off for a few days just to see what happens. After he lost it in season two, he did find the strength to enter rehab. That charm connects him to Jack in a tangible way, but it may be bringing more than a few bad vibes with it, too. The only way to truly test the theory is for Kevin to pass it along to someone else . . . if he ever does and they instantly face a string of heart-wrenching tragedies, then we'll stamp this theory confirmed.