Unpopular Opinion: the case for Miguel

I have an unpopular opinion about This Is Us, and that is that Miguel is not the bad guy that everyone thinks he is – so give him a break!

When I first started bingeing This Is Us I had no idea that there was such fan hate for poor old Miguel. I thought he seemed like a good guy and a charming and supportive friend. Sure, he could be a little flirty with the ladies, but as long as that never turned into straight up infidelity there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t even have a problem with him marrying Rebecca. I didn’t know until later that Miguel was a major underdog in the show, and I guess I can see why. When your major protagonists are either politely neutral or actively dislike a character, as a viewer you’re likely to sympathize and feel the same way. Kevin doesn’t like Miguel, therefore I do not like Miguel. But really, what has Miguel ever done to anyone to deserve that kind of treatment?

One major fan complaint is that Miguel isn’t Jack – and he’s never going to be. Well, this one is true enough, but I don’t think he’s even trying to pretend to want to be Jack. So he married Rebecca and yes, that makes him Rebecca’s husband. But logically speaking, while Jack was Rebecca’s husband, not all Rebecca’s husbands were Jack. I think Miguel is just trying to be part of the family and take part in traditions the same way anyone would. He’s not trying to replace Jack or become Jack, he’s just wants to be included.

Another major fan complaint is that Miguel married Jack’s wife, therefore he is disloyal. That is nonsense. There’s nothing disloyal to Jack or his memory or his family about marrying Rebecca. And you have to remember, that Rebecca had a say in all this too and she chose to marry Miguel just as much as he chose to marry her. You can’t be mad at Miguel and not be mad at Rebecca, it just doesn’t make sense. Their relationship may be quite a bit different than Jack and Rebecca’s, but that’s only to be expected when one of them isn’t Jack.

There are a lot more little gripes in addition to these big two that fans cite for reasons to dislike Miguel, but I don’t buy it. Miguel is coming up in the world, and according to Jon Huertas, he’s confident that the upcoming Miguel-centered episode will start changing fans’ minds. I’m super excited to see what Miguel is all about underneath it all.