“This Is Us” will soon be This Was Us.
As the hit NBC series stares down the end of its sixth and final season, the producers have four episodes left to wrap up plot lines. For the show’s fans though, one character was never fully unpacked in the first place.
Who, they’ve wondered, is Miguel?
As far as the basic character, Miguel was Jack’s best friend who later married his widow, Rebecca. Otherwise, Miguel has been a bit of a mystery. In fact, viewers still aren’t even sure how Miguel and Rebecca ended up together.
That all looks to change over the remaining episodes, as actor Jon Huertas, who plays Miguel, told Today in a recent interview.
“We’re going to go really far back to a time period that we haven’t seen at all yet with Miguel,” said Huertas, “and we are going to learn about his family and maybe how his family has affected how he responds in situations with the Pearson family.”
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Huertas says that he believes, if watched closely, Miguel has actually exposed hints about his character’s motivation within the Pearson’s overall story.
“There’s always been, I think, a drive in Miguel that, if you’re not paying attention, is not apparent,” Huertas said. “But if you are paying attention it’s very apparent how Miguel’s drive to become successful comes from a very deep place. And he’s always wanted that for Jack, so that Jack could do for his family what Miguel maybe couldn’t even do for his own family."
One of the rare instances of a window opening on Miguel was in season three when he and Rebecca had a tense Thanksgiving with his kids after he divorced his wife, revealing some of the rough relationships Miguel has with his children. Otherwise Miguel has mostly existed on the edges of the Pearson family dramas as the stepfather who could never really replace the seemingly perfect father, Jack.
While a number of the show’s characters struggled to embrace Miguel, many fans have, especially after Miguel showed he would take care of Rebecca once she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
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For Huertas, it’s that very slow reveal that, while sometimes frustrating for viewers, was an ingenious production ploy.
“When you unveil too much on any series too early,” he explained, “then it doesn’t give the audience something to hope for, to root for. Holding out some kind of secret is a very smart, intelligent way that the writers have been able to keep stringing the audience along with something on the show.”
“People that once really did not care for Miguel,” Huertas added, “as far as audience goes, they have definitely come around.”
And it’s those fans who can’t wait for the next four episodes, though of course they’ll be sad when they’ve passed.
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