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Deja and Malik have already been through a lot in their relationship as a young couple in This Is Us. But after watching This Is Us Season 6 Episode 5 and reading comments from one of the show’s writers, it looks like their relationship will be put further to the test during the final episodes.

'This Is Us' stars Asante Blackk and Lyric Ross, in character as Malik and Deja, dance together at a party. Malik wears a blue shirt. Deja wears a red dress.
Asante Blackk as Malik and Lyric Ross as Deja | Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Deja and Malik had big news for Randall and Beth in ‘This Is Us’ Season 6 Episode 5

Randall and Beth were furious when they found out that Deja had lied to them about spending the weekend with Malik in Boston in This Is Us Season 6 Episode 3. Eventually, they simmered down, and Randall and Deja had a nice talk. However, just as Randall was bout to leave, he told his daughter that she couldn’t visit Malik for a long time. And she said to him that that was going to be a problem.

Flash-forward to episode 5, Malik returned from college and cooked dinner for the Pearsons. However, during the meal, the young couple informed Randall and Beth that Deja plans to finish high school early and move in with her boyfriend.

This news didn’t sit well with Randall, who later suggested to Malik that he break up with Deja. Malik, appalled, told him that he was not going to do that. And he promised he would not tell Deja what Randall said. Meanwhile, Beth was worried that they were going to lose Deja.

And the drama concerning Deja and Malik will continue to unfold as This Is Us Season 6 continues.

Julia Brownell teases the young couple’s future

Julia Brownell, the writer of This Is Us Season 6 Episode 5, spoke with Deadline about where Deja and Malik go from here.

“I will say that they are very young,” she shared. “And we talk all the time in writers’ rooms about childhood love— the impact that it has, but also how feasible it is as it transitions into adulthood. Why certain relationships last, and others don’t. It’s not going to be a smooth ride for them. They’re not Randall and Beth. They live very different lives, and we are going to try to navigate that in a real way.”

While Randall and Beth have had their fair share of ups and downs throughout the past five seasons, they are the gold standard of This Is Us couples. So even though Brownell said that Deja and Malik are unlike Randall and Beth, that doesn’t mean that their love won’t be a success story. But the fact that drama awaits them does cause concern among viewers.

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Is Malik the father of Deja’s baby in the future in ‘This Is Us’?

As many fans recall, Deja is in the early stages of her pregnancy in the flash-forward scenes. As far as viewers know, only Annie is aware of her sister’s baby. And with Malik nowhere to be found and no wedding ring on Deja’s finger, does that mean that they don’t end up together?

This Is Us has been known to pull a fast one on its audience. So anything is genuinely possible concerning Deja and Malik’s future. Sometimes young love works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. But it does not help that Randall isn’t in their corner right now.

Thankfully, it seems like Randall and Deja will resolve whatever problems await them in season 6 because they are friendly toward one another in the future. So perhaps their closeness is a clue as to whether or not Malik is the father of Deja’s baby. Whatever the case may be, the This Is Us writers will likely keep fans on their toes until the show’s end.

This Is Us Season 6 will return with new episodes on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

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