‘This Is Us’ Shows Death of Deja’s Great-Grandmother

This Is Us took an unorthodox approach to Tuesday’s episode, which was centered solely around Déjà’s (Lyric Ross) backstory. As part of the flashbacks, the tragic passing of Déjà’s great-grandmother was shown.

It is revealed that Déjà and her mother, Shauna (Joy Brunson), rely heavily on Shauna’s grandmother (Pam Grier), known as “Gigi.” She is even there during Deja’s birth, with Shauna’s mother nowhere in sight.

When Déjà is 5 years old, she and Shauna are living with the family matriarch. Gigi provides most of the emotional support and care for Déjà, as Shauna does not like being a young mother. At one point, she even leaves Déjà alone while she goes out to party with her boyfriend.

The grandmother scolds Shauna for this action, revealing that Shauna is not carrying her weight in the household.

In the next scene, the trio is seen arriving back at their apartment after a grocery store trip. The matriarch begins to stumble and brace against the wall. The young Deja asks her Gigi if she’s alright. She tells her, “I’m okay, baby.”

However, Gigi falls to the floor and dies in front of Shauna and Déjà.

The mother and daughter are seen mourning during the next scene, as they comfort each other in bed. The two sits together as Déjà reads Goodnight Moon, which Gigi would often do for her.

The remainder of the episode follows the rest of Déjà’s life-to-date, including her time at Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) Pearson’s home.

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, with past episodes currently streaming on Hulu.

Photo Credit: NBC / Ron Batzdorff