Caution: This post contains spoilers about the latest episode of NBC’s “This Is Us.”
This is…a twist.
The latest episode of “This Is Us,” titled “Brothers,” may have appeared to draw its title from a storyline about Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) trying to get his sons, Randall and Kevin, to bond during a wilderness adventure, but the final minutes proved there was much more to it than that.
It turns out, Jack has a brother. Or had. It remains unclear if his brother, whom Jack lovingly referred to as Nicky in a flashback, is still alive in the present-day. All we do know is what little we can gather from those key last moments from the episode.
In the revealing scene, young Jack is in the front seat of his dad’s car waiting to get on with their planned fishing trip. As he sits there impatiently, a small head wearing glasses pops up in the backseat.
“Look who finally woke up,” Jack teases.
When Nicky asks where their dad is, Jack points to the bar where their alcoholic dad has set up shop. He’s probably not coming back for a while, Jack says. “But don’t worry, Nicky, I’m not going anywhere.”
Suddenly, the screen cuts back to adult Jack, who — in the middle of a sleepless night — goes down to his basement to retrieve a box of mementos. Among them? Old letters and photos from his time in Vietnam. In one photo, Jack is posing with a group of fellow soldiers. Next to him is a bespectacled man with the name “Pearson” stamped on his shirt.
Pearson, as fans know, is the last name of the family that the show follows.
And just like that, “This Is Us” introduced viewers to a new mystery: What happened to Nicky?
The reveal also brings some ongoing storylines full circle.
For example, if Jack was as close to his brother as they appear to have been, it makes sense that he would want his own sons to form a similarly strong bond, explaining why he seems intent on getting constantly quarreling Randall and Kevin to see eye-to-eye.
Actor Sterling K. Brown summed up the shocking moment appropriately: “Jack and Nicky, brothers, soldiers in Vietnam. Looks like there’s more to Jack’s story than he let’s on. #WhereIsNicky”
Is Nicky alive? Is he dead? Did he die in the war?
The show that teased fans with questions surrounding Jack’s death — which it still has yet to fully explain — has found a new part of the Pearsons’ story to unravel.
Fans of “This Is Us” immediately lit up social media with passionate reactions:
Actress Chrissy Metz likely summed it up best, however: “Niiicky! I must know everything, now!”