This Is Us season 6 episode 2 recap: One Giant Leap

This article contains SPOILERS for This Is Us season 6 episode 2

With a focus on road trips, Déjà visits Malik in Boston, and Nicky leads an adventure to visit his former love in this week’s episode of This is Us season 6.

Catch up on everything from last week’s episode here!

This week’s episode opens with parallel scenes of two parties preparing for a little road trip. Rebecca, Miguel, and Nicky are preparing for a drive to go see Sally, Nicky’s love that got away when he was much younger. Rebecca is showing little glimpses of cognitive impairment, something that will likely play a part through this trip, while Nicky is clearly anxious about confronting another part of his troubled past. And this is all happening while Déjà is taking a bus up to Cambridge, MA, to go see Malik at Harvard.

When Déjà arrives in Boston, she is greeted by her beau, his daughter Janelle, and the news that she is meeting Janelle’s mother during this adventure. The three of them arrive at Malik’s apartment, where Jennifer is waiting to pick up Jannelle. Malik’s room is a mess, and Jennifer is mocking him while alluding to Déjà being the cause of Malik’s crazy life. However, Déjà pays Jennifer no mind because she sees that Malik is struggling with school work, a job, being a parent, and being a partner to Jennifer and to Déjà. Because she understands what should come first, Déjà tells Malik to take two hours and finish his schoolwork, even though she is only going to be around for a day.

This is Us season 6 episode 2: Nicky’s truth is revealed

During the California road trip, Nicky asks to stop at a pawn shop just outside of Sally’s home so he will not arrive empty-handed. After some bartering with the cashier about a vintage camera, Nicky reveals that he was lying to Becca and Miguel because Sally has no idea he is coming and that he never actually contacted her — only Facebook stalked. Rebecca does not let her formerly estranged brother-in-law wimp out of doing this and (healthily) forces him to mentally get back on track because Nicky is seeing Sally today. When they arrive, Sally is a little taken aback since she doesn’t recognize this man from 50 years ago. However, after Nicky gives her the camera, Sally’s dots are connected.

The four of them are conversing and doing some superficial catching up when Sally’s husband Eric walks in. Nicky’s anxiety spikes, and he tries to rush out of the house. Being hospitable, Sally offers them to stay for dinner. During the meal, Sally asks Nicky for some clarification, and Nicky explains in detail how he and Sally met and their passionate, yet short-lived, relationship. Rebecca appears to be slightly envious of Nicky since she will soon be unable to remember things. As she expresses this, everyone goes around the table and they all express how they sweat the small things when in actuality, everything will be okay. When it’s Sally’s turn, she explains how Eric has been a distant and occasional non-existent partner before leaving the dinner table.

Rebecca chases after Sally, and the two of them have a heart-to-heart about their respective lives and romantic partners. While Rebecca revels humbly in her fortunate two husbands, Sally explains that Eric used to be obsessed and enchanted by her, but they just grew apart over the years. The two women then go on to talk about how their older age has led to some shame of their older bodies, and it feels monumental for both of them and like they have been unable to express these concerns and emotions with anyone else like they are doing right now.

This is Us Season 6 Episode 2: Déjà is ready to take the next step

When Malik returns from finishing his college paper, Déjà is waiting for him wearing a stunning dress that he expertly says makes his girlfriend look “incandescent.” The two embrace before going out to a house party. Déjà says she wants to go back to Malik’s place, and he is confused since the two of them just got there. After some not-so-subtle hints that Malik struggles to pick up on, he eventually picks up on it, and the two leave the party.

Back at Sally’s house, Rebecca and her host are seen drinking some wine and having a wonderful conversation. Nicky interrupts and says they have to get going. Rebecca takes a polaroid that Sally took of the two of them (one without her scarf where you can see the natural wrinkles on her neck). Nicky looks around the room and notices he is on Sally’s picture board from their magical night 50 years ago. Before they leave to go back home, Miguel ensures to his wife that he will always love her “in sickness and in health.” Also, after Nicky gets some 50-year-old closure, he states that he should go back east to the Pittsburgh area so he can help Kevin build The House audiences have seen on the land their cabin is.

The episode ends with Déjà making the bus trip back to Philidelphia a brand new person and looking at some pics of her and Malik. Also, after saying goodbye to Miguel and Rebecca, along with saying Jack would be happy they found each other, Nicky is on a plane back to the East Coast where he is seen flirting with the flight attendant, Edie, over his chair being the upright position. With a flash-forward to the Pearson party at the house, audiences find out that the person in the mysterious white car is Edie herself, and it turns out the two of them are in love and together. This also means Rebecca and Nicky are not together, as one might have expected before this episode.

How do you think Randall will deal with Déjà being intimate with Malik? What does Nicky being with Edie mean about Miguel? Let us know all of your answers or any other thoughts about This Is Us season 6 in the comments below!

Watch This is Us season 6, with the next episode airing Tuesday night, January 18th, only on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock and Hulu!