This Is Us rang in 2018 with quite the emotional episode—but would you expect anything less? (Read our recap here for a full breakdown.) For the actors, it was just as intense IRL. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, these are really authentic moments,'” Justin Hartley tells us. “They’re talking about really hard things to people they love. They don’t want to hurt each other, but it’s going to hurt.”

One moment in particular—a 12-minute scene of Kevin’s family therapy session without a break in the action—is rarely done on television. “You can’t pick up that momentum [if you stop at any point when filming], so we just did take after take all the way through,” Hartley explains. “I don’t think anybody dropped a line.”

The scene—which prompted a devastated Rebecca to admit that Randall was an easier child to love than closed-off Kevin—also revealed that Kate’s addiction to food runs deeper than anyone was truly aware. “We all have struggles in our lives, and I think being honest with the people we love is the only way to face those issues,” Chris Sullivan says. “Being transparent and honest [with yourself and others is] really [the only way to] overcome something like that.”

Adds Hartley, “It’s a life-long struggle. It’s one moment at a time. It’s the same with Kevin. He knows the man he wants to be, but he just puts a lot of pressure on himself when he doesn’t need to.”

PHOTO: NBC

The episode ended on an uplifting note for the big three, but the hard work is just beginning. While it remains to be seen if Kevin has a future with ex-wife Sophie, Hartley played coy but noted that “you’ll be seeing her again.” Still, Sophie isn’t the only woman in Kevin’s life that he’ll need to work on repairing a relationship with. His sister-in-law Beth isn’t quite ready to forgive him after he unknowingly drove under the influence with her daughter in the backseat of his car. “There is going to be a tension there until [they really sit down to talk things out], Susan Kelechi Watson tells us. “It’s not like she hasn’t had tension with him before, but this was definitely a lot more serious. She’s definitely not as willing as Randall is [to take the stance that], ‘Oh, he’s getting help.’ She still feels like it’s all about Kevin in a way. There is going to have to be some kind of a stronger resolution for them.”

With only seven episodes remaining in season two, it remains to be seen if Beth and Kevin will have that opportunity, but one thing we do know is that the details about Jack’s death are closer to being revealed. “All I can say is be prepared,” Milo Ventimiglia says cryptically. “And yet, I know there is no real preparation for something like that. At the same time, we all know it’s coming. Just remember, it doesn’t mean the character is leaving or I’m leaving. It’s just one chapter in Jack’s book, and there’s a lot more to learn about the man.”

Speaking of Jack, Ventimiglia says that as vulnerable as we’ve seen the character this season, he actually has a tough time pulling back that emotion. “Jack is not one to cry, and I myself am more emotional than Jack. The hardest moments for me are where I personally have to hold my emotion in. When Jack opens up about his drinking problem [to Kate]…I’m welling up thinking about the experience, but thank God I have partners like [teen Kate] Hannah Zeile, [10-year-old Kate] Mackenzie Hancsicsak, and all the kids both ages. And Mandy, Mandy, Mandy…she’s a God send.”

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