This Is Us (2016–…): Season 5, Episode 11 - One Small Step... - full transcript

Previously on This Is Us...

It was originally for someone else.

The trailer.

Sally.

We, uh, started dating
before I got drafted.

Make me proud, son.

I hated the war.

I hated myself.

And your father tried to clean me up.

He should never have come for me.

This handsome young man right here,



this is Nick.

How about that.

Let me get this straight.

You only named one baby
after your favorite uncle?

Uncle Nicky, what are
you... what are you doing here?

Well, I came to see my namesake.

And-and the girl.

Oh. Uh, yeah, of cour...
Yes, come in. Come on in.

- Yeah?
- Yeah, come in.

Well... I mean, I got the invitation

to the kids' baptism,
so, you know, I booked a flight.

Oh. Yeah.

No, I-I guess you didn't see
the Zoom link, then,

on the back of the...



- The what, now?
- Oh, nothing, nothing. It's, uh...

We're glad you're here. This is great.

And this is the first time
you're meeting Madison, right?

Oh, wow. So tiny.

You had twins... that must
have done a real number on you.

Nice to meet you.

So, listen, I know
everybody's freaking out

about the virus thing.

I get it. But you don't have to worry.

I have been vaccinated...

twice... and I-I...

I get tested up the nose twice a week

at the VA for my meetings,
and I didn't eat on the plane,

I didn't pee on the plane,
I didn't touch

- a damn thing on the plane.
- Okay, understood.

Uncle Nicky, I cannot believe
that you flew across the country

to meet our kids. It's...

It's incredible.

It was nothing.

♪ This is for all the lonely people ♪

Ah.

♪ Thinking that life
has passed them by ♪

Hey, kid, can you talk?

Sure. I'm just cleaning
Matty's disgusting shoes

for his soccer game.

Apparently, it's not a good look
when your kid

comes to the field caked in mud.

Listen, I need your help.

Can you explain to me now, in detail,

♪ All the single people ♪

And speak really slowly.

♪ Thinking that love has left them dry ♪

♪ Don't give up until you ♪

♪ Drink from the silver cup ♪

♪ You never know until you try ♪

♪ Hit it

- How are you with shots?
- I was a medic in Vietnam,

so cut the chitchat and jab me, Doc.

Okay, so I'm good? I'm safe?

Not for a while. And you have
to come back in three weeks

- for a second dose.
- There's a second one?

Yep.

♪ This is for all the lonely people ♪

♪ Thinking that life
has passed them by ♪

It'll be two weeks
before you're fully protected,

so if you're gonna see anyone,
you need to continue testing.

Got it.

I'm going to California.

My nephew named his kid after me.

That's nice.

♪ Never give you up ♪

♪ You never know until you try. ♪

Hey, that's a good
view of Mr. Collins down there.

We can finally see him again.

Hmm?

What is it? Looks like a spider.

No, Pop, i-it's the lunar module.

The LM. It's the spacecraft

that Buzz and Armstrong
are in right now.

See, it-it's two parts

that separate...
the top is the "ascent stage,"

where the astronauts are,

and the "descent stage" has
the rocket power in it. See?

I even used pieces
from my old World War II bomber

model planes to build it.

Here, let me see it.

I like the ladder.

Thanks.

- It's nice.
- Hey.

I didn't miss it, did I?

Jack, no, the LM hasn't even landed yet,

so the astronauts won't walk for hours.

Hey, Pop.

"Hey" back.

What, are you hoarding your beers now?

Jacky! Oh, so glad you came.

Hi, Mom. You look great.

Hey.

Nicky, the meatballs on the
right don't have olives, okay?

Oh, thanks, Mom.

Unbelievable. You got to make
two of everything for this kid?

I'd make four of everything
if he wanted.

Jack, have a seat

next to your little sister...
it's starting.

Okay, engine stopped.

ACA out of detent.

Remote control both autos,

descent engine command override off.

- Engine arm off.
- We're home.

413 is in.

Man on the Moon!

We copy you down, Eagle.

Houston, uh...

Tranquility Base here.

The Eagle has landed.

Roger, Tranquility.

We copy you on the ground.
You got a bunch of guys

about to turn blue.
We're breathing again.

Thanks a lot.

- Oh, boy!
- Thank you.

- Want one?
- No.

No, I got to go home soon.

Have you... you thought about moving out

of Mom and Dad's house at any point?

No.

Unlike you, I-I like having hot water.

Yeah, but, Nick, come on,
you don't want to be

Dad's lapdog, fetching him beers

the rest of his life, huh?

I mean, you got to leave
the nest at some point.

Yeah, well, I may be
forcibly removed from the nest

- if I get drafted to Vietnam this year.
- You're not getting drafted.

- I could.
- You're not getting drafted.

And also, it's really not that bad

living at Mom and Dad's right now.

I mean...

He's a lot better
with her when I'm around.

You wouldn't know, trust me.

Could you at least just...
Do me a favor.

Get yourself a girlfriend or something.

Yeah, sure,
you got Raquel Welch's number?

Oh, come on,
there's got to be a nice girl

works the vet clinic with you, right?

Oh, there is.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Sally.

Sally. Nick...

there is a guy...

walking on the Moon, right now.

Ask Sally out on a date.
Get the hell out of the house.

Come on, if he can do it,
you can do it. Okay?

Whoa. Wait.

Aren't you supposed to fold the corners

- into little triangles?
- Would you like to take over?

I'm just saying, I think
you could be a little neater.

You know? It took me weeks
to build this gift,

and I suck at wrapping, not that...

babies are gonna know
the difference, but, you know,

- still.
- I'm very curious about these mystery gifts.

I'll mail you a photo.

I was an intelligence officer.

I could get this out of you
if I wanted to.

Yeah, good luck with that.

- All right.
- All right.

Is this up to your standards?

Yeah.

I am proud of you.

You know? Getting out of your routine

and getting out of this trailer,
it's a...

- it's all a big deal.
- Thank you.

No, kid, really, thank you.

I haven't been able

to count on many people
since I got back from the war.

- Hello?
- Don't hang up, Pearson.

It's Townie.

Vietnam?

- Alpha Company Third Squad?
- Yeah, yeah.

No, I know who you are.
What the hell do you want?

I'm doing okay. Thanks for asking.

God, you try to do a guy a favor.

I'm calling because some
of the guys from the area

are getting together
to have a few drinks

and celebrate
Lieutenant Sheehan's engagement.

I drove all the way from Chicago.

I know you don't go
to these things, but...

it's in your neck of the woods.

Erie.

I heard Jack'll be there.

I haven't seen Jack in years.

At least write down the address.

Fine. Just go slow, 'cause
I-I got a splitting headache

right now.

777 Lake Pleasant Road,

Erie, PA.

Ready, old man?

Ready as I'll ever be.

Okay.

Pumpkin, you are a landlord

to an entire colony of fleas.

You need a bath.

Okay? You have to work with me here.

Bath time.

You got to work with me, baby.

Bath time for Pumpkin! No?

- Aah. Okay. Okay, Pumpkin.
- Do you need some help?

Sally. Hi.

Yeah, Pumpkin needs a bath,

but I don't think we can
lift her, even if we both tried.

Oh.

- She's very stubborn.
- Yeah.

She's a willful lady, all right.

You can't force a willful lady
to do anything.

There's only one thing to do.

Hmm?

Okay.

Oh, the water's so warm and refreshing.

This feels great.

Come on, Pumpkin! Come on.

- Pumpkin, come on.
- Wow.

Come on. Oh, good boy.

Good boy. Come on.
Come here, baby. Come here.

- Good girl.
- You're so good.

Cover up your eyes, 'cause
I'm gonna put it on your head.

Good girl. Where'd your...?

There is slobber all over.

Ah.

Water's so healing, no?

Yeah, yeah, totally. So healing.

Did you see the men
on the Moon last night?

I thought it was poetic,
and it was sort of surreal.

Yeah, it was.

And if you thought that was exciting,

in two days, the module's gonna
come zooming back to Earth

with the astronauts and it going
25,000 miles per hour,

and everybody's hoping
that it doesn't, um,

disintegrate or bounce back into space.

- Whoa. That's so intense.
- Yeah.

I'm driving up
to Mount Washington tonight

to go look at the Moon.

Do you ever do that kind of a thing?

Um...

I'm a Cancer, so, uh,

I've always felt very close to the Moon.

Far out.

Uh...

Yeah, uh...

Well, I... You should have
a great night, but I-I...

My brother's probably waiting
for me, so...

Okay.

- Bye.
- Bye.

- Hey.
- Hey. Hi.

Hi. Uh, Sally, I'm Jack.

I'm Nicky's brother.

Jack. You have a very proud,
determined energy. Cancer?

Uh... no. I'm... fine.

Uh, listen, I didn't mean
to eavesdrop, but

I overheard you say
that you're gonna be, um,

- checking out the Moon tonight.
- Jack?

Um, there is no better person
to do that with

than my brother Nick.
I mean, this guy... he knows...

Jack... I'm perfectly capable
of asking your brother out

- all on my own.
- Yeah.

- Nicky...
- Uh...

...how would you like to come meet Pearl

and gaze at the Moon with us tonight?

Yeah.

Yeah, I... I would love that.

Groovy.

Here's my address.

Okay, um...

Oh. Yeah, bye.

- Thank you.
- I'll see ya.

- Who's Pearl?
- Who cares?

Just remember, you got to take
your shoes off at security now.

Oh. What an idiotic country.

You sure you don't want to call Kevin?

He's got two newborns.

I mean, a heads-up might be nice.

- Yeah.
- Someone should know

- you're traveling across the country.
- You know.

Someone in your family should know.

Cassidy, come on. Give me a break.

I haven't been on an airplane

since I got medevaced
out of Vietnam. Yeah.

Oh.

You know, in case I don't make it,

I don't want to disappoint him.
Can't do that to him.

- Just remember to breathe, okay?
- Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

- Sir?
- Huh?

Arms up, please.

Oh.

Uh, sir, is-is this your box?

Yeah. Why?

Wait! Okay, it's very, very fragile,

- so please be careful.
- I'm sorry.

- I'm gonna have to unwrap it.
- What?! No!

Come on, don't... Aah!

Ah. Oh, come on.

- Ah.
- I'm sorry, sir, but you can't

take these on the flight.

No more than 3.4 ounces of liquid.

If you give us an address,
we can mail them.

I can't go there emptyhanded.

Look, what if I just
dump the liquid, okay?

Yeah, look, I'm gonna do that,
it'll take two seconds.

Sir, what are you doing?

Oh, God!

Oh, no, no!

Oh.

Okay. Sorry.

- Hey!
- Sorry.

Hi.

- Hi. Sally? Hi.
- You found us!

Oh, yeah.

Oh. Sorry if I freaked you out
with the honking.

It's just Pearl's got
to make her presence known.

- Oh, Pearl's your van?
- Mm-hmm.

- Oh.
- Do you want to get inside her?

- Come on!
- What?

- Um...
- Come on, come on, come on!

Ah. Oh, boy.

Come on in.

Make yourself at home, man.

♪ And talk about the things
you did today... ♪

Oh. These are great.

Oh, these are my photographs.

Pearl and I have been all over together.

Yeah, we started in Kansas
and got to Pittsburgh

and have gone pretty much
everywhere in between.

Oh.

It's like I can see a little bit
of you in each one.

♪ I couldn't bear to wait... ♪

It's like I can...

see how you see the world.

♪ My darling, be home soon... ♪

Um...

well, that... that's it.

You... pretty much nailed it.

♪ Of having you to talk to ♪

- ♪ And now... ♪
- Look at that beauty.

♪ A quarter of my life ♪

♪ Is almost past... ♪

All right, Nicholas Pearson,

tell me your best Moon fact.

Oh, I know a million facts.

Do you want to know
about its gravitational pull?

Tell me why you love her.

♪ Was the time that I spent
without you... ♪

- Why I love the Moon?
- Mm-hmm.

Well, I love the Moon because...

it's... Earth's personal satellite.

♪ I couldn't bear to wait
an extra minute... ♪

It's like the nightlight
we can all count on.

It's always there...

♪ It's not just these few hours... ♪

...but different every night.

And no matter where you are
in the world,

we're all looking up at that same Moon.

I really want to kiss you now.

♪ So darling ♪

♪ My darling, be home soon ♪

♪ I couldn't beato wait ♪

♪ An extra minute if you dawdled ♪

♪ My darling, be home soon ♪

♪ It's not just these few hours ♪

♪ But I've been waiting ♪

- ♪ Since I toddled ♪
- Mmm.

♪ For the great relief
of having you to talk to... ♪

I think I'm falling in love with you.

You think or you know?

I know.

♪ And see beyond the houses
and your eyes ♪

♪ It's okay to shoot the moon... ♪

Mrs. Pearson, I consider myself
to be a Salisbury steak devotee,

but this may... this may be...

Yeah, I mean,
that's the bite that did it.

This is the best
Salisbury steak I've ever had.

Oh, thank you, Sally. Thank you.

It was good, Mom.

♪ Of having you to talk to. ♪

I mean, that went better than
I could have ever imagined.

- Yeah.
- It's like she hypnotized him.

- I'm pinching myself, man.
- Yeah.

Girl lights a fire in you.

I'm happy for you, little brother.

Honestly, I have no idea
how it happened,

but I know it's all thanks to you.

No, come on.

It is.

You two must be up to no good.

Can I take a picture

of the famous
Pittsburgh Pearson brothers?

- Yeah.
- Famous.

- Sure. Yeah.
- Sure.

Okay.

Hmm.

Something...

Oh. Here.

50 years from now, you guys will
look back at this photo,

and you will remember the taste
of your mom's Salisbury Steak,

and you'll be taken back
to this exact moment,

this... exact... feeling.

Hey, Jack, um...

I'm better now.

I'm not the monster that you think I am.

Yeah.

Hi.

Hi.

I, uh, noticed that
you don't have headphones.

Remember when people
used to talk on planes?

- Uh-huh.
- Mm-hmm.

Is this your first time flying

since COVID?

Uh, no, uh...

since 1971.

Wow.

I just can't believe
the Moon's a destination now.

Like Chicago or Toledo.

- Huh.
- Okay, I have something mind-blowing

to show you,
but you have to close your eyes.

- Close my eyes?
- Close.

Okay.

Open them.

- "Woodstock."
- Three days of peace,

- love and music.
- Whoa.

Jimi Hendrix
and Richie Havens are playing?

I want to hear Janis sing the blues.

I want to see Janis sing the blues.

I...

I... it sounds amazing.

So, you'll come?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll come.

And then...

after Woodstock...

I think that you and I

should just pack up Pearl
and hit the road.

I think we should
just leave Pittsburgh behind

and go to California.

My cousin has this farm there
outside of San Francisco,

and, well, he said that we could
come, and we could help out

with the animals, and...

And anytime we get bored, we could just

pack up Pearl and hit the road.

So, y-you want to drive to California

and move there for-for good.

"For good." What does that mean,
"for good"?

My Grandma Pearl used to say,

"Sweetie, you can do anything
you want with your life,

or you can do nothing."

Yeah.

Yeah? Okay,

so, we have to leave Wednesday night,

because the festival starts on Friday,

and we want to get a good spot.

Okay.

Okay, I'll meet you here at 11:00

right after my parents... go to sleep.

Look at these guys.

Jack!

- Is that you?
- How many years it been?

- Oh, too many.
- Hey.

Sheehan's gonna be
over the moon to see you.

You think?

You know, you were his favorite.

Go take a walk.

- See you inside?
- Yeah.

- I'll see you guys in there.
- All right.

So, tell me about her.

Oh, Carolina's, uh...

smart, beautiful.

She loves bicycles, of all things.

Wants to ride bikes
in every city we travel to.

That's funny.
Can't picture you on a bike.

- It's not so bad.
- Yeah.

Hurts your balls, but not so bad.

Sir,

I need to ask your advice on something.

Um...

There's this girl that I've been seeing.

I've wanted to propose to her

for a while now.

And...

You that afraid she'll say no?

You're not that bad-looking, Pearson.

♪ Best not look
at everything you start... ♪

On our first date,

she asked me about my time in Nam,

and I lied to her.

I told her I was just a mechanic.

I mean, to this day,
I-I still don't think

she thinks I ever fired a weapon.

Then, um,

she asked me about my family.

I lied to her, too.

Uh... told her
my brother died in the war.

♪ Getting ready on 30 now ♪

♪ And you just want to say... ♪

I've had a million opportunities
to tell her the truth,

and I just... never did.

Couldn't find the words. Never came out.

Any excuse.

Now it's just...

Too much time has gone by.

Carolina always knows
when I'm thinking about the war.

I guess there's

a certain look I get on my face
when it happens.

Sometimes, she asks to hear about it.

♪ And I love her with... ♪

So, I tell her
about the biggest waterfall

I ever saw in Cao Bang Province.

And how they always served us
that chipped beef

that tasted like old pennies.

♪ It's the same good behavior... ♪

The rest, I keep to myself.

♪ Yes, I will ♪

♪ Go one day... ♪

Lot of these guys,

their bodies are here, but their minds

are still over there.

The trick is to not let yourself
get lost in it.

Not to relive the same
horror show over and over.

You owe this girl of yours

the future, not the past.

- Are you sure? Because I...
- I'm sure. Yeah.

Want my advice?

Take every memory you have,

photos, whatever, and lock it away.

Visit it when you have one too many.

But keep it separate
from the life you're building.

Go propose to that girl, Pearson.

Hey. I got you a Samsonite.

- What?
- Yeah.

I don't, I don't know much
about suitcases,

but I-I feel like this thing's

gonna last forever.

I had to sneak it

past Mom and Dad.

Ooh.

Wow.

This is great, man. Thank you.

- Yeah.
- Wow.

They know yet?

No. I was just gonna watch

the astronauts' coming home parade,

and then I was gonna wait
for them to fall asleep

and then go meet Sally.

Truth is I-I didn't really want
to tell them unless I got there

- just in case I got cold feet.
- Hey,

come on. You're gonna have
the time of your life, kid.

Open road, nice girl. I...

Just remember to write me a postcard

every now and again, okay?

Am I gonna stick out like
a sore thumb out in California?

I-I... I don't surf. I don't...

I don't know any hippie lingo. I...

I feel like Sally's
probably just gonna dump me

and then dump me
somewhere along Route 66.

- Like, I'm not...
- Nicky, stop.

- I don't feel like it's a realistic...
- Stop. Just stop,

man, stop. Come on.
You're gonna be fine.

I'm telling you, a...

a girl like that,

she asks me to go to California,

I'm gone in a heartbeat.

Thanks, Jack.

...great moments.

We have honored many voyagers before.

Men who sailed around the world,

men who flew alone across the ocean.

But today, we honor three men who forged

the first link

between Earth and the stars.

Today, we honor three men

who have affirmed the best we have

within us.

And all that New York

has given today...

its cheers, its praise...

What?

...its glory...

No, nothing.

I just...

I can't believe I was your age
sitting with my old man,

listening to the radio

when Roosevelt come on,

told us that Pearl Harbor got bombed.

Everything changed.

Now, I'm the old man

sitting here with my son,

watching three Americans

fly home from the Moon.

Yeah. Life's wild.

- Hon, come. Sit.
- Thanks, Mom.

- Look how many people are at this parade.
- Oh.

...for your support,

support that made our mission possible.

- Hi.
- You're gonna have

to move your van to a new spot tomorrow.

Okay? You've been parked here too long.

Sure. I was about to leave anyway.

- Thanks.
- Yep.

It was nothing.

- Hmm.
- It's just...

tiny fancy fish.

So, you-you just... you just went online

and you booked a plane ticket
to Los Angeles, just...?

Hey, you named your son after me, kid.

I had to come.

- I am gonna say good night.
- Yeah?

Mm-hmm. I'm gonna feed the twins,

and then pass out from exhaustion.

Uh, I'm sorry that I
just showed up unannounced.

I recognize it's kind of weird.

No. No, Kevin was just saying
he missed having family around,

and then you showed up, so
that's a good weird in my book.

I'll let you guys catch up.

Good night.

Well, a lot's happened
since I saw you in the flesh.

Yeah. Yeah, a lot has happened.

And I-I can't wait for you
to meet Nick and Franny.

I mean, oh, they're perfect.

It's, like, you stare into their eyes,

and it's like there's nothing
wrong in the world, you know?

- Yeah?
- Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, it's really something.

Oh, and I want to take you
to this dog park.

It's right around the corner.
We'll go tomorrow.

We take the twins there
every morning, and we just,

we go there and we watch
the dogs just kind of run amok.

You know? It's like
a Pixar film, it's great.

You like dogs, right? Didn't you say

you worked at a vet clinic
before the war?

- Yeah, I did.
- Yeah. Yeah.

Oh. And-and we got to figure out
what it is

that you want them to call you.

It's not "Grandpa," obviously,
but, uh, it could be...

it could be "Chief," it could be "Toot"

or-or, um...

it could... "Pops."

You must be exhausted.

You're probably dead tired from
the traveling, I would imagine.

You want me to go make up your
bed, get that ready for you?

- Good idea.
- How about... Yeah, I'll do that for you.

It's 4:00 a.m. here, old man.

Ah, you suck at sleeping just like I do.

- I knew you'd be up.
- It's true.

What's going on?

I'm thinking that
this whole thing was a mistake.

You know, I thought that the plane ride

would be the hard part,

but now I'm thinking
I might just sneak out of here

while everybody's asleep, and I'll just,

you know, I'll call Kevin

- once I land...
- Are you certifiably insane?

It's just different now that I'm here.

I mean, Jack's kid
named his kid after me.

I mean... God, Jack
must be rolling in his grave

around that one.

Now the kid wants me to go to the park

and take pictures and be "Grandpa."

- Ugh, it's too much.
- Nicky...

You've hated yourself for so long,

and now you have all this love
coming at you,

and it feels weird,
and you want to go AWOL.

And then what,
go back to your trailer alone

and stare at the same plot
of land until you die?

I...

I didn't know this brother of yours,

but I do know two pretty decent men

who have spent their lives

wondering if he would be proud of them.

Deep down...

don't you think
he'd be proud of you, Nicky?

Took a while, but you made it.

You made it all the way to California.

Hey there, babies.

Don't worry, I won't get too close.

FYI, I've been vaccinated, twice.

Um, I-I...

I made these
really special gifts for you,

but, um, this country is kind of idiotic

about its rules sometimes,
so I got you...

I got you these instead.

Well, my favorite John Grisham novels.

That's The Firm.

Okay.

And, uh...

and The Rainmaker.

Uh, I'm sorry they're in paperback.

It's the only thing they had
at the airport gift shop.

I-I jotted some things down in...

in the book.

Uh, no great words of wisdom.

But...

when you're an old man

and you're looking out a plane window...

...you think about all the

mistakes you make in life.

I lived alone.

Every day, the same routine
for 50 years.

But then...

I got an invitation to meet you two.

And you know,

you know what it got me thinking about?

It got me thinking about the Moon.

July 20, 1969...

...I watched a man walk on the Moon.

One day, we'd never been to the Moon.

It was impossible to even fathom
walking on it.

And the next day,

we're walking on it.

The impossible became possible,

just like that.

For 50 years,

I lived in a trailer.

A trailer that went nowhere.

Whatever the opposite is
of an astronaut,

that-that's...

That's what I became.

And then I got that invitation

in the mail...

for a Zoom...

...apparently,
whatever the hell that is.

But an invitation to meet

my great-nephew

and my great-niece.

My big brother's grandchildren.

I've lived alone a really long time,

and I've been...

I've been stuck.

And...

anything...

anything good
that would ever happen to me,

it just seemed...

it just seemed impossible.

But here I am. I made it.

You two...

You two were my Moon.

Okay, that's it.

You just call me "Uncle Nicky," okay?

No stupid nicknames.

Okay?

♪ This is for all the lonely people ♪

♪ Thinking that life has
passed them by ♪

♪ Don't give up until you ♪

♪ Drink from the silver cup ♪

♪ And ride that highway in the sky ♪

♪ Well, I'm on my way back home ♪

♪ Hit it ♪