This Is Us spoilers: Could Josh Hamilton's character be related to Dr. K?

Dan Fogelman recently revealed that we’ll be seeing more of Josh Hamilton’s character, Dr. Mason, when This Is Us returns for Season 5. So, does Dr. Mason share a connection with Dr. K?

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman sat down with TVLine to give more insight into Hamilton’s role in the series’ fifth season.

We were first introduced to Dr. Mason in the Season 4 finale as he tried to tame a rambunctious horse. Having no luck, he turned the task over to his daughter, who tamed the horse with ease and then urged her father to give him a chance.

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Dr. Mason later gave the same advice to Madison, who refused to tell Kevin that she is pregnant with his children, fearing that this wouldn’t be the love story he envisioned.

However, she did tell him, taking Dr. Mason’s advice, and was pleasantly surprised when Kevin expressed interest in raising their twins alongside her:

"“I want to be a father. I think I’d be great at it. The love of my life will be my child.”"

It’s an unconventional love story that Fogelman tells TVLine will be overwhelming at times, especially for Kevin:

"“The doctor becomes an important character next season to Kevin. He’s having twins with a virtual stranger — not a normal birth experience.”"

If the development of an apparent mentor/mentee relationship between a Pearson family member and a medical professional sounds like familiar territory, you’d be correct! Fogelman told TVLine:

"“It’s no coincidence that he was introduced in the same episode that Dr. K. returned.”"

Of course, he’s referring to the Pearson family doctor that provided much-needed words of wisdom to Jack and Rebecca, throughout The Big Three’s childhood. Dr. K (Gerald McRaney), returned in the Season 4 finale to once again counsel the young couple who, a year after The Big Three were born, were still grieving the baby they’d lost.

After recounting his own experience losing a child before his wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Dr. K had this advice to give:

"“I think the trick is…not trying to keep…the joys and the tragedies apart. But you kind of got to let ’em cozy up to one another. You know, let ’em coexist.”"

It’s sage advice like that, which has made Dr. K a This Is Us fan-favorite. So naturally, we’re left to consider to what extent Dr. Mason will fill that same role for Kevin and Madison? Also, is it possible that Dr. K and Dr. Mason are connected in more ways than one?

In my Season 4 finale episode recap, I criticized the show for giving Dr. Mason extended screen time just to justify his interaction with Madison. I also said that he’d likely have no real bearing on Season 5. However, knowing what we know now, that seems to not be the case.

It’s possible that the show decided to introduce him in this way because he’s more than just Dr. K. 2.0. He may be Dr. K 3.0. That’s right, I think Dr. Mason is Dr. K’s grandson.

On my first watch of the episode, I thought that Dr. Mason was a younger version of Dr. K and that once again This Is Us was playing around with timelines without telling us. However, as the episode went on, that possibility seemed implausible. Yet, I do think that there’s still a case to be made that Dr. Mason is Dr. K’s grandson.

We know he has a grandson, we met him in Season 1, Episode 12, who would’ve been 10 or 11 at the time the episode takes place, in 1980, which would make him around the age of 50 in 2020, which is the same age as Josh Hamilton.

Of course, he’s a doctor and, more importantly, one that puts his patients at ease by espousing wisdom just like Dr. K. It’s not a huge leap to believe that, if Dr. Mason were Dr. K’s grandson, he might have been inspired by him and chosen to follow in his footsteps.

Still, this is all just speculation, and we’ll have to wait a while before we get a clearer picture. What I am certain about is that Kevin and Madison are in for quite the journey, and Dr. Mason might just be the person they need to help them get through it.

Next. This Is Us S4 finale: 5 burning questions. dark

Do you think that Dr. Mason and Dr. K could be related? Do you think he’ll be able to fulfill the mentor role for Kevin? Let us know in the comments!

This Is Us is tentatively set to return for Season 5 this fall on NBC. If you haven’t already, be sure to catch up on Season 4 via Hulu or the NBC app.

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This Is Us spoilers: Could Josh Hamilton’s character share a connection with Dr. K?

By Noah Mussay | Mar 27, 2020

Dan Fogelman recently revealed that we’ll be seeing more of Josh Hamilton’s character, Dr. Mason, when This Is Us returns for Season 5. So, does Dr. Mason share a connection with Dr. K?