Vietnam

This powerful episode was co-written by Tim O'Brien, a Vietnam vet who later became a successful writer. Much of Nicky's character is drawn from Mr. O'Brien's experience.

I LOVE this show, so I was so disappointed by this episode, which was extremely boring. Did they have to devote the entire episode to the Jack back-story? One of the best things about This Is Us is the way they intercut the various stories and time periods. This seemed like a whole different series. It would've been better if they had let the story of Jack and his brother unfold, instead of throwing so much at us all at once.

This is probably my favourite episode of the series. Yes some of the war scenes in Vietnam were a little 'Hollywood'. However, this back story provides great insight into the Pearson family and their different 'addictions' - be it food, alcohol, work/perfectionism, drugs - it shows just how much what happens to us and how we deal with it shapes who we are. Coming from a multi-generational family of addiction myself, I thought this portrayed sensitively and truthfully Jack's brother, father and grandfather, the impact of addictive behaviours and that even when we want to be different and break the cycle, we can end up hurting the ones we love. To me it has a huge part to play in how we see the characters unfold and develop in future series.

The actor playing Jack's grandfather is Michael Ironside (Total Recall, Top Gun).

To the person who made a smart ass comment about Milo's mouth here is what the issue is. He was born that way with lack of nerves on that side of his face very similar to Sylvester Stallone