So, who’s the lucky (and, let’s assume, very patient) lady who we saw alongside Nicky in that flash-forward at the end of Season 5? Keep reading our recap to find out who Nicky is married to on This Is Us, what happens with Sally, plus what we think happens next!
Who is Sally on This Is Us?
In the end of Episode 2, titled “One Giant Leap,” Nicky’s dog-headed pursuit of Sally ultimately results in a very unexpected kind of happily ever after for him. The episode opens with Miguel and Rebecca (following through on Rebecca’s challenge from the previous episode) taking Nicky to visit Sally, the woman he’s been carrying a torch for since the summer of 1969. (As a reminder, the episode where Nicky first traveled out to California was titled “One Small Step,” so it’s fitting that “One Giant Leap” sees him embarking on a similarly significant journey.) Nicky claims that he finally got in touch with Sally the previous night, after weeks of Facebook stalking; in the car on the way to see her,Nicky workshops his opening line, unable to figure out what to say beyond, “It took 50 years, but I finally made it to California.” However, Nicky soon reveals that he’s got bigger problems than small talk: He actually never connected with Sally online. Not only does he not know whether she’s married or not; he doesn’t even know whether this is the right Sally Brooks—plus, whoever this Sally Brooks is, she has no idea he’s coming to see her. Seems like “Sally Brooks” is way too common of a name for this sort of gamble, but Rebecca says they’re only 20 minutes away, so there’s no point in turning back now. Bold call, Rebecca! Fortunately, as soon as Sally opens the door, Nicky is sure she’s the right one, and triumphantly delivers his opening line… or something close enough: “I finally made it to California and boy are my arms tired.” Yeesh. “I’m sorry, do I know you?” Sally asks in return, foreshadowing just how awkward this encounter is about to become. Never one to be shy, Rebecca gives her the rundown of her shared past with Nicky (including that “he’s been pining for [her] ever since” the 1960s; way to overshare, Rebecca!), which seems to spark some recollection in Sally, who invites the trio to stay for dinner. Of course, nothing is ever simple on This Is Us, so no sooner have Nicky, Rebecca, and Miguel entered Sally’s house than her husband, Eric, shows up. Nicky is clearly mortified and tries to leave, but gets quickly outvoted. At dinner, after Sally asks for a refresher on how they know each other, Nicky decides to give the whole table a detailed play-by-play of his date with Sally back in 1969, including that she “deflowered” him in the back of a van named Pearl (given Déjà’s storyline with Malik, “deflowering” seems to be a theme of this episode). Nicky’s uncomfortably intimate narrative finally jogs Sally’s memory, but it also prompts her husband Eric to muse, “Maybe it’s better to love an idealized version of your partner,” implying that Nicky’s romanticized version of Sally is superior to the real thing. Sally strikes back by snapping at Eric, “Nicky is an old friend who has pined after me for 50 years, while you have treated me like a line cook,” before storming out of the room. Before “the most awkward dinner of all time” ends, Nicky finds a picture of himself among Sally’s collection of photographs. All it captured is the back of his head, but the idea that Sally has kept a picture of him all these years bolsters his spirits. Bidding Sally farewell, Nicky kisses her on the cheek, and instead of goodbye, he says “see you in 50 years?” He may have flubbed the opening line, but at least he nailed the closing.
Who is Nicky married to on This Is Us?
Soon after, Nicky announces to Rebecca and Miguel that he’s ready to head back east. “They’re breaking ground on the new cabin,” he says, referring to Kevin’s promise to build Rebecca the cabin that Jack designed, which we see all the Pearsons return to in the flash-forwards. Before heading to the airport, Nicky says he thinks Jack would really like that Miguel and Rebecca found each other. Rebecca, in turn, is certain that the right person is still bound to cross Nicky’s path, although Nicky has his doubts. Sure enough, although “One Giant Leap” hinted at the possibility that Sally and Eric may not stay together, it turns out that the future Mrs. Pearson isn’t someone from his past at all. On his flight back to the East coast, Nicky meets a flight attendant named Edie, who asks him to put his seat up. Nicky, being Nicky, gives her a hard time about it, arguing that an upright seat back is unlikely to make much difference in the event of a crash. “Are you going to be a problem, sir?” Edie asks. “Absolutely,” Nicky answers. It seems that Edie is actually a fan of problematic men, because in the future, she is revealed to be the driver of the car that Déjà and Randall saw approaching the cabin at the end of Season 5. She greets them both familiarly, then is welcomed by Nicky with a kiss before they go visit an ailing Rebecca together. So “the wife” that Nicky referred to in the five-year flash-forward in the Season 5 finale is actually Edie, a brand new character! Although knowing This Is Us, we won’t rule out a surprise relation to another established character that will be revealed at some point down the road.
Does Déjà have a baby with Malik on This Is Us?
Meanwhile, Déjà secretly travels alone via bus to visit her boyfriend Malik (Asante Blackk) in Boston. Upon arriving in Beantown, Malik and his daughter Janelle meet Déjà at the bus stop, with Janelle jumping into Déjà’s arms as soon as she sees her. Seeing Déjà with Janelle brings to mind her pregnancy in the flash-forward—seems like she fits right in with Malik and his daughter, right? However, after that enthusiastic reception, Malik tells Déjà that Janelle’s mother Jennifer will be watching the tot for the day so that Malik and Déjà can have some time alone. After a tense meeting with Jennifer, Déjà seems to relax once it’s just her and Malik. She comments on Malik’s graveyard of to-go coffee cups, mentioning that she’s never really developed a taste for coffee. “It’s all about the beans,” Malik assures her, implying that she’ll join the dark-roast side once she gets a taste of the good stuff. (Are we still talking about coffee? Maybe not, considering where the episode goes later.) Eventually, the two head to a party, with Déjà looking “incandescent” in the red dress we saw her packing earlier. After spending some time dancing, Déjà tells Malik, “I’m ready.” It takes the Harvard brainiac a second to figure out what she means, but once he does, they eagerly skedaddle back to his apartment, where it’s implied that they have sex. The next morning, as Déjà returns to Philadelphia on the bus, she receives a text from Randall asking how “breakfast at Tiffany’s” was. “Life changing,” she texts back, sipping coffee. (Guess she developed a taste for dark roast after all?) Of course, in the future scenes at the cabin, Déjà is pregnant, although we haven’t yet heard anything about the father. Since she and Malik seem to be still going strong after their weekend together in this episode, does that imply that the two of them are still together in the future? Will Malik be revealed to be the father of Déjà’s baby? That the couple is still so happy right now actually works for and against this theory. After all, This Is Us loves childhood sweethearts and epic romances almost as much as it loves out-of-left-field twists like Edie. So while Malik being Déjà’s partner in the future would definitely be in the Pearson family tradition of meeting their life partners young, he may be too predictable for the likes of This Is Us. However, until any better candidates present themselves, he still seems like the most likely person to have fathered Déjà’s baby. At least for now.
What happens next on This Is Us?
Episode 3 of Season 6 is titled “Four Fathers,” and according to the synopsis provided by the network, it will focus on Jack, Randall, Kevin, and Toby as they “struggle to connect with their children.” Of course, Jack has already been established as the World’s Best Dad, so it will be interesting to see which member of the Big Three he had trouble with. (Given how similar he is to Jack, our money is on Kevin.) We saw Déjà lie to Randall in “One Giant Leap,” so it wouldn’t be surprising to see some fallout from that next week. And while Kevin and Toby’s kids are still in diapers, neither one is in an optimal parenting place right now, with Toby splitting his time between L.A. and San Francisco, and Kevin having recently moved out of Madison’s garage. Plus, every indication is that Toby and Kate’s relationship is going to eventually fall apart (perhaps after slamming into a Phillip-shaped speed bump?), which is sure to only complicate matters. Then again, we can never discount future drama on This Is Us. There’s always the possibility that some of the issues with the kids happen down the road, when they’re a little older, rather than right on the heels of the first two episodes of the season. Will you miss the tear-jerking drama of This Is Us after it ends? Check out these 27 sad movies on Netflix guaranteed to provide a cathartic cry.
