This Is Us 3x11 "Songbird Road: Part One" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

This episode finally has the Big Three together for a meeting with Nick Pearson, their presumed dead uncle. Kevin, Randall, and Kate decide to go out to meet him, while Rebecca and Miguel stay behind to watch the kids. This scene is also paralleled with Jack’s last meeting with his brother after his latest postcard, and how he lied to his family about Nicky being alive.

Strangely, this does not really affect what we know about Jack Pearson or the legacy he left behind. We learned what happened in the aftermath of the boat explosion. Not surprising that Nicky survived, but he accidentally killed a little kid with a grenade. The kid’s mother is the one who gives Jack his necklace, the same one he eventually gives to Kevin. The death of this kid severed the bond between Jack and Nicky forever. A large amount of Jack’s guilt from the war stems from Nicky’s fatal mistake.

I think the show over-explained the flashbacks we already seen, but this is one of the few issues I had with this episode. I thought this episode made great use of their best character: Jack Pearson. The episode had to tread carefully with the Nicky revelation, and how much Jack knew about it. The last meeting between them was full of regret, resentment, and last goodbyes. He doesn’t want his kids to end up like him and his brother. It’s why he pushed them to keep their sibling bond strong.

Rebecca’s heartbreaking regret of not pushing Jack to talk about the war was great. I loved that scene; how they addressed her lack of effort to get Jack to open up about the past. Miguel comforted his wife and assured her that he didn’t completely Jack either, despite him being his best friend.

Overall, great episode devoted to the most intriguing storyline. The episode title called this “Part One”, so next week will deal with the Big Three having Nicky Pearson in their lives, and what he’s been up to in all these years. We might learn a thing or two about Jack too.