This Is Us' "Brothers" Twist: Nicky Looms Large in Jack's Past

What other secrets are lingering in Jack's life?

By Chris Harnick Oct 25, 2017 1:40 PMTags
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This Is Us can't stop with the twists. From drug addiction to pregnancy and in the Tuesday, Oct. 24 episode another revelation: A brother. Spoilers ahead!

In the appropriately titled "Brothers," Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) went camping with Kevin and Randall. While in the woods, the two boys seemed to work out their differences. But back home, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) received news she wasn't sure how to deal with: Jack's father was dying. When she finally reached Jack, he said the man was already dead to him. Throughout the episodes viewers saw flashbacks to kid Jack watching his dad in a bar while he was left in the car, only to find him talking to somebody else in the car—his brother, Nicky.

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Turns out Nicky was also in Vietnam with Jack. The episode ends with adult Jack looking at a photo of his unit, Nicky right next to him.

"Nicky lives large in Jack's past and it ties into Jack's psychology as we explore the issues that maybe contributed to his alcoholism," executive producer Glenn Ficarra told The Hollywood Reporter.

Expect more exploration about Nicky and Jack in the future.

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"We're going to meat that story out. It's just going to come out in drips and drabs. What they're really getting at are the larger themes of, here's the best of the man, as manifested in his son Randall, and a courage with the Deja relationship, and then here is also the bad side of the man in his son Kevin, who is dealing with his addiction and keeping secrets and lying," executive prouder John Requa said. "The reveal at the end [of the episode] really makes the link. Here's where this comes from. This is a manifestation of this part of Jack. That's how it works in the composition of this episode."

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Their childhood and Nicky's seeming death in Vietnam still hold secrets about Jack, that "clearly this looms large in the person that he is," Requa told EW.

"The big thing is that he keeps secrets, that he has compartmentalized and hidden away this part of his life, which obviously was his brother, and it was a big part. Obviously a major thing happened, some trauma of some sort," he said.

What do you think about the Nicky reveal?

This Is Us airs Tuesdays, 9 p.m. on NBC.

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