‘This Is Us’ Recap: Nicky’s Fate Revealed & The ‘Her’ Mystery Is Solved In Gripping Final Moments

The ‘This Is Us’ fall finale was full of so many jaw-dropping moments. The final seconds of the Nov. 27 episode revealed what happened to Nicky and the big ‘her’ reveal in another flash forward.

Jack’s time to get Nicky back on track is up. As much as Jack is trying, Nicky is just not putting forth any effort, except to punch Jack in the face. Jack tries to talk to his brother. He wants this war to just be “a distant memory.” Just finish this tour, stay alive, and get home. This is a mission they just need to complete. Nicky can’t get out of the hole he’s dug. He steals some drugs in the middle of the night, and Jack finds him high the next day. Jack, ever the optimist, thinks he can get Nicky clean again. Nicky doesn’t want to get clean. That drug-induced fog is better than his reality.

In the present day, Kevin is anxious to get to the village where his dad served. Thanks to their guide, Kevin and Zoe meet a local historian who was a young boy during the war. Unfortunately, he doesn’t recognize Jack or the mystery woman.

Kate and Toby’s baby is healthy and doing well, but Kate’s doctor doesn’t want her doing Adele-agrams. Sitting down in the car and driving for hours is against doctor’s orders. Kate begins to look for another job, and Madison mentions a chorus teacher opening at a high school. There’s just one thing holding her back — Kate never finished college. The school won’t hire anyone without a college degree. Toby doesn’t want her to worry about a job, but he knows this is important to her. He later brings her to a community college to enroll so she can get those final credits!

Meanwhile, Randall is prepping for his debate, and Beth is the most supportive wife. Randall and Beth overhear Deja talking to her mom, and they agree to approach the subject later. Randall makes a comeback in his debate, but his campaign manager tells him that his opponent is still going to win.

On the way to the debate, Rebecca reveals to Tess that Kate told her about their conversation. Tess is understandably upset that Kate broke her promise. She snaps at her grandmother and refuses to talk about it. After the debate, Rebecca tries to talk to Tess again. She knows what it’s like to keep your emotions all bottled up. She used to do it all the time. Rebecca tells Tess that she “kept secrets from my husband and your father.” After a while, this internalizing turned into aches, and she doesn’t want Tess to carry that with her either.

Deja admits to Randall and Beth that she wants to go visit her mom in Delaware. They agree without a fight. Tess comes downstairs to apologize for how she’s been acting lately. “I feel uncomfortable around you guys all of a sudden,” she says. She tells them that girls at school have started getting boyfriends, and she doesn’t want one. “I think I might like girls, not boys,” she says. The look of relief on Tess’s face is just so powerful. Randall and Beth accept their daughter as they always have.

As the day comes to a close, Randall reveals that he doesn’t want to give up the campaign just yet. Beth knows the odds are against him, and with everything going on at home, continuing this campaign is not a good idea. Beth puts her foot down, “I am not longer on board with you running.” Randall says that he needs to see this through and doesn’t listen to his wife, who makes him sleep on the couch. YAS, BETH.

Kate and Toby learn they’re having a boy! In Vietnam, Kevin is disappointed that he’s come out of this trip empty-handed regarding answers about his father. Zoe doesn’t think this trip was for nothing. This is just the middle of the story. Speaking of Jack, he goes looking for Nicky one morning and hears a massive explosion on a boat. One of Jack’s men is on that boat. He begins to swim out to the boat, and that’s all we see for now.

Before Kevin and Zoe head home, their guide reveals that he checked a database and no Pearson died in the war. Nicholas Pearson didn’t die in Vietnam like Jack said he did. The truth is, Nicky Pearson is alive and living in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

In a brand-new flash forward, Randall asks Tess if she let her mom know they were on the way. Beth is teaching ballet to a group of young students. She tells her employee that the family is going to see Randall’s mother, Rebecca. Rebecca is “her!” This Is Us season 3 returns in Jan. 2019.