‘This Is Us’: Season 5 Episode 11 Will Give Fans a Major Clue About Nicky’s Past

This Is Us is notorious for its big reveals and its shocking moments. One of the most shocking revelations on the show was when fans realized that patriarch Jack Pearson’s (Milo Ventimiglia) younger brother Nicky (portrayed by Michael Angarano and Griffin Dunne) didn’t actually die during the Vietnam War, as Jack had implied for years.

Instead, we learn about a shocking incident fueled by Nicky’s alcohol and drug addiction that led to a young Vietnamese boy being killed. As a result, Jack cut Nicky out of his life. The brothers never reconciled before Jack’s death.

Though we’ve been given some idea of what Nicky did following his return home from the war, this new episode of This Is Us titled “One Small Step…” is set to reveal even more of his past.

Uncle Nicky returns to ‘This Is Us’ in Season 5

In Season 3 of This Is Us, the Big Three, Kate (Chrissy Metz), Randall (Sterling K. Brown), and Kevin (Justin Hartley), along with their mother Rebecca (Mandy Moore), discovered that Jack had not been truthful about his brother and that Nicky was very much alive.

With Kevin pushing to discover the truth, the siblings visit Nicky to learn about the circumstances around his and Jack’s estrangement. Though Kate and Randall went on with their lives from there, in Season 4, Kevin and Nicky formed a special bond as they began seeking help for their respective alcohol addictions.

Thus far in Season 5, we’ve seen a glimpse of Nicky when Kevin called him to tell him he’d named his newborn son after him. Now, it seems that this news has given the reclusive veteran the courage to trek across the country to meet his new grand-niece and nephew.

‘This Is Us’ Season 5 Episode 11 will focus on Uncle Nicky visiting Kevin and Madison

In the preview for “One Small Step…” we can see a glimpse of Nicky heading to the airport and later arriving at Madison (Caitlin Thompson) and Kevin’s doorstep. “I cannot believe that you flew across the country to meet our kids,” a shocked Kevin says after opening the door.

This Is Us writers Casey Johnson and David Windsor shared a small glimpse of what fans can expect from the episode. “When we see him at the end of the episode, we will continue to find out more about what his journey was getting to see the babies, Kevin and Madison, and the rest of the family,” Windsor told People. “But I don’t think we should give that away just yet.”

Johnson and Windsor also revealed that as an older veteran, Nicky has received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine which means he’s safe to travel.

‘This Is Us’ is set to reveal more of Uncle Nicky’s past

In addition to seeing Nicky’s journey from his trailer to Kevin and Madison’s doorstep, it looks like we will also see more of the years between Vietnam and the Big Three appearing into his lives, with Angarano stepping into Dunne’s shoes as a younger Nicky.

“We’re going to see Nicky in the weeks leading up to the trip,” executive producer Casey Johnson told Entertainment Weekly. “We’re also going to go back into the past and perhaps find out what happened to him and how he ended up at his trailer.”