Miguel has been a definite point of contention among fans of This Is Us (series writing: Kay Oyegun, 27 episodes). Who does he think he is, sweeping Rebecca off her feet after her husband (and Miguel's best friend) was tragically ripped away too soon? How dare he think that he gets to dress up as Pilgrim Rick, one of Jack Pearson's time-honored traditions? Still, despite first impressions, one would think fans would have cut his character some slack once they learned this season that Miguel and Rebecca apparently didn't reconnect, even platonically, until 2008 — more than a decade after Jack had died — but some are still eyeing him with skepticism. And, even though it's given us small bits of information regarding their relationship, the show has yet to answer one big question — when did Miguel and Rebecca get married on This Is Us?
The NBC drama hasn't actually shown us their wedding — and how could they, really, after audiences have such a picture perfect perception of Jack and Rebecca's ceremony? Creator Dan Fogelman would likely have an angry mob outside his home if he put us through the torture of watching Rebecca marry another man. He hasn't had much of a problem with fans enduring emotional distress in the past, though, so I guess anything is possible.
Though it remains unclear when the two actually married, we do know that Randall's daughters refer to Miguel as "grandpa," implying that he's at least been in that role for as long as they can remember — it'd be pretty weird if Rebecca and Miguel hooked up when the girls were already semi-formed, thinking, tiny humans and they all of a sudden started referring to him in affectionate, grandfatherly terms. Mandy Moore (Rebecca) herself hinted to Entertainment Weekly that Season 3 is when viewers will start to fill in the blanks with Miguel and Rebecca's relationship, and she seems confident that he'll be able to sway some more fans in his direction once they see the whole picture.
"I’ve heard that next season is going to focus a lot on their relationship, and I’m excited to build that with [actor] Jon [Huertas, who plays Miguel]. He just has such an incredible attitude," Moore told EW. "First of all, he’s so charming and so winning, just as a human, but I’m really excited for what he’s going to bring to this character to potentially win people over — and to at least get people to understand where he’s coming from. I know that’s a real tall order, but I feel like he’s up to the task."
Miguel has been pretty absent in Season 2 as the show gets closer and closer to revealing how exactly Jack died, and, according to Huertas, that was a purposeful move that was important to him and This Is Us showrunners. He wanted to avoid the misconception that Miguel used Jack's death in any way to "work his way into the family," according to an interview with HollywoodLife.com.
"[The showrunners and I] had this talk, and we think having me not be there directly after Jack’s death is a way that we’re going to tell the audience and let the audience accept Miguel a little easier into the Pearson family in a different way than just being a friend," the actor said. "Just the way it’s designed, we’re not going to see a ton of that in the middle part of the season. We see a little bit more of it towards the end of the season, and then the third season is when we’re really going to get into it a little bit more."
Moore and Huertas are both aware that their characters' relationship has not been popular, but they seem hopeful that the perception will change. "Having to step in and fill Jack’s shoes — that’s not an easy position for anyone to be put in," Moore said in the same EW interview. "But I think if anyone’s up to the task, it’s definitely Jon Huertas."
Only time will tell when viewers will finally get a definite timeline locked down on Rebecca and Miguel's relationship, and from the sounds of it, they'll probably be waiting until Season 3.
