This Is Us: Jack Pearson isn't perfect, would be nothing without Rebecca

Despite the outpouring of love that surrounds Jack Pearson, the This Is Us patriarch isn’t the flawless specimen of a man we have chalked him up to be.

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When you ask This Is Us fans what they love about Jack and Rebecca Pearson and what separates the fictional couple from their other television peers, they will name the strength of their marriage and unconditional love. Yes, great. But This Is Us fans will also cite — solely and definitively — Jack as the backbone of their relationship. While not entirely wrong, it’s not entirely right either.

Although it’s an obvious fact, there’s more to a marriage than one member. The successes and failures of that relationship arguably ride on the work put in by both parties, but one half of the marriage can shoulder the weight of the ups and downs, too. To glorify Jack Pearson and vilify Rebecca, however slightly, wouldn’t be a fair assessment of their relationship. Jack and Rebecca are a team who lean on each other to solve problems and provide a healthy home for their children. Some days that partnership goes off without a hitch, and others there’s a thousand forks in the road waiting to prong their teamwork. Jack isn’t responsible for making them “relationship goals” because he’s not perfect and neither is their relationship.

Sure, Jack Pearson appears as the mild-mannered masterwork of a man who will sacrifice his time, energy, and well-being for his family. He has proven that he doesn’t buckle under pressure (see: “Pilgrim Rick”) and he won’t allow the world to steal his children’s innocence (see: “The Pool”). His character isn’t in question. Jack Pearson is a great husband and a wonderful father. But This Is Us and its fans place him on an impossibly high pedestal.

Is he deserving of that high pedestal? Of course, we can all buy into the idea that Jack Pearson stands taller than most fictional depictions of fathers. Still, that doesn’t mean that he is without flaw or that he carries the brunt of their marriage. Whether it’s how Jack has been written or how the audience has perceived him, we have registered him as the stronger of the pair. But don’t let his ace motivational monologues dismiss Rebecca’s strength.

It’s not inaccurate to read Jack as an amazing man, and I’m aware that this is an unpopular opinion, but Jack’s widely deemed “perfection” wouldn’t have ever happened without Rebecca. Judging her for speaking her mind or fighting for what she wants while also applauding Jack does not compute. If they hadn’t met, he might have turned to a life of crime. If they hadn’t met, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to love as deeply as he does. If they hadn’t met, who knows who he’d be.

THIS IS US — “The Best Washing Machine in the Whole World ” Episode 107 — Pictured: (l-r) Mandy Moore as Rebecca, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC) /

In that frame of mind, it’s unfathomable to me that fans can throw out words like “b-tch” or “selfish” toward Rebecca. She isn’t a “b-tch” for vocalizing her opinions or carving out a space for herself in the world. Surely, you’ll find most of us would react similarly to Rebecca if we were to find ourselves in the same situations. I won’t bring Rebecca’s decision to separate Randall from William into the mix. She did what she thought needed to do, as she always does.

Jack isn’t heroic because he gave up drinking cold turkey and bought his wife a moon necklace. He didn’t arrive at that resolve alone. If Rebecca hadn’t defended the integrity of their family, marriage, and livelihood, he might not have realized he wasn’t operating at the necessary 11 on the parenting scale. Jack has demons, flaws, and habits that get him into trouble. Let’s not forget that when he’s being adored for behaving how he should behave.

Some will argue that Jack weathers a lot of Rebecca’s storms. She’s a passionate person prone to bouts of stress, such as when her pregnancy hormones made her forget Jack’s birthday or when her pre-finale pursuits outside of the household obstruct their flow. He’s not a hero for being a supportive partner. He hasn’t unlocked a new level of husband greatness. Flip the coin and you’ll see how much Rebecca breaks her back to weather his storms as well.

Next: This Is Us season 2 spoilers: Will Jack and Rebecca heal their fractured relationship?

I’m not here to discredit Jack’s incredible efforts. But for better or worse, Rebecca maintains the everyday environment of their home, and that warrants more respect than she’s currently getting. When push comes to shove, both Jack and Rebecca have relatable peaks and valleys realistic to most marriages. It’s why we want to see them make it, it’s why we’re so emotionally invested in their lives, and it’s why feel so strongly when either of them fall off course. We’d rather Jack and Rebecca not disrupt their “goals” standing because they are the dream, or so we think.

It shouldn’t be novel to see an audience criticize a woman and champion a man, yet it’s still jarring, even with where we are as a country. Jack’s supposed perfection runs deeper than hoping for that fantastical happy, romantic ending with Prince Charming. It comments on the sexism that frequently permeates our culture and our screens. This Is Us doesn’t need to dismantle Jack Pearson, but it should smooth out the uneven edges of its illustrations of Jack and Rebecca. Now that would be perfect.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments, and keep the conversation going on Twitter!

This Is Us returns for Season 2 on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 9/8c on NBC.

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Unpopular opinion: Jack Pearson isn’t perfect, and he’d be nothing without Rebecca

By Reed Gaudens | Aug 15, 2017

Despite the outpouring of love that surrounds Jack Pearson, the This Is Us patriarch isn’t the flawless specimen of a man we have chalked him up to be.