S06.E15: Miguel

[ProudMary]

2 hours ago, Blakeston said:

And I wouldn't have predicted that Miguel, who clearly wanted the job badly, to accuse the company of bigotry before he even signed the contract. That was definitely a baller move!

I think that Miguel did that for two reasons: Yes, to call out the employer's racism, but also to protect himself legally. Even if they have your resume, which was what the manager had in his hands during the interview, companies require you to fill out and sign an application, which is a legal document and the employer has the right to terminate you if you've lied on your application. I think Miguel "came clean" so he could start his employment truthfully, under his legal name, even if he had to Americanize his name to get the position. 

 

[Empress1]

8 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

The show went too far with hair and makeup on Sterling for those first flashfowards.  They were more concerned with tying those scenes to the marital trouble brewing between Randall and Beth than shooting for accuracy in future seasons.  At that point in filming, the show had not really mapped out yet how the future scenes were going to shape up.  The show did lighten up the grey and wrinkles in later episodes once they had a better hand on the actual date of those scenes.  The aging makeup on Justin is not as harsh as what they initially did on Sterling.   

From Susan’s IG. This is the two of them after filming their last scene together. It doesn’t look like they aged Susan’s face much, if at all - maybe some crow’s feet, if those weren’t already there. Randall looks like a 50something to me; I think those glasses and his wardrobe age him (the sweater and button-down in neutrals are kind of boring; Randall usually dresses better), which may be their intention.

[PRgal]

Why would Miguel's dad have issues with his success?  If my son became, say, the Jeff Bezos of his generation then darn right I'd be proud of him.  I don't see how this is "forgetting" where one comes from?  Or am I coming from a different position?  Is it resentment?  

As for not being sure of where one should be/one's place in society, I think that's an experience many "other culture" people, especially those who were born here or came here as young children face.  Society dictates that they be one way while they hear something completely different at home.  I'm dealing with this to this day, though not to the extreme as some.

And where is that beach towel?  I really needed it. :(

One more thing:  Would the Big 3 have known the Rivas kids, considering that Jack and Miguel were really good friends?  I would have thought they would have played together when they were young. 

[tennisgurl]

I love that Beth could tell right away that Miguel and Rebecca were together, the married into Pearson's have had each others back from day one. I hope that Toby didn't get kicked out of the group chat after the divorce, although I guess it might be awkward now.

[CountryGirl]

One of my absolute favorite parts of the episode was learning Rebecca made the first move, shutting down the theories that icky Miguel put the moves on his late friend's widow. And yes, I had some uncharitable thoughts in this regard in S1.

[peeayebee]

11 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Why would Miguel's dad have issues with his success?  If my son became, say, the Jeff Bezos of his generation then darn right I'd be proud of him.  I don't see how this is "forgetting" where one comes from?  Or am I coming from a different position?  Is it resentment?  

I think there might be some resentment. Miguel's dad might have felt like an underachiever compared to his son. But also, Miguel was straightening his hair. He brought a bottle of wine, "the good stuff," signaling, in his dad's eyes, that their traditional coquito wasn't good enuf. Maybe Miguel had told his parents about using an anglicized name to get a job. I think there were probably other little things that his dad interpreted as leaving behind his background, culture, family. Heck, maybe like with his wife Miguel was so busy working he wasn't visiting his parents and aunt very much. 

Edited May 4, 2022 by peeayebee

[Rootbeer]

14 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I think there might be some resentment. Miguel's dad might have felt like an underachiever compared to his son. But also, Miguel was straightening his hair. He brought a bottle of wine, "the good stuff," signaling, in his dad's eyes, that their traditional coquito wasn't good enuf. Maybe Miguel had told his parents about using an anglicized name to get a job. I think there were probably other little things that his dad interpreted as leaving behind his background, culture, family. Heck, maybe like with his wife Miguel was so busy working he wasn't visiting his parents and aunt very much. 

I agree, it also seemed that Miguel, being busy trying to climb the ladder at work, wasn't spending as much time with the family as his father would have wished. That, along with the fancy haircut, American accent and other signs that Miguel was becoming more 'American' than the rest of the family probably bugged his father; his dad might've even felt like Miguel was ashamed of his roots and wanted to forget his family and their struggles.

24 minutes ago, PRgal said:

One more thing:  Would the Big 3 have known the Rivas kids, considering that Jack and Miguel were really good friends?  I would have thought they would have played together when they were young. 

I'm sure they probably did, although I think that Miguel's kids were fairly young when their parents divorced and I presume that they didn't see much of their father, let alone his friends, after that, especially since it seems they moved to Houston soon afterwards.  Miguel's son certainly knew who Kevin was when he came to the door and not just because of Kevin's career.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Rootbeer

[Aloeonatable]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

I'm sure you're right and people would have tuned out.  The thing is, even with so many millions of Americans inflicted with this disease, as well as their families, our society tunes it out so families are left to go it alone and cobble together some kind of care, none of which is as simple as shown here.  By sanitizing it, it makes it very easy for people to tune out, and believe the epidemic of dementia in this country isn't so bad so we don't need to do anything to support families and provide comprehensive care for patients and families.

I have a dear friend that was diagnosed at 62 with dementia. She has recently, finally, been moved to a long term care facility after her husband cared for her for 10 years. She is bedridden now. Her husband had to sell practically everything they owned to pay for her care. When she was home he took care of her 24/7 with little help because they just weren't ever financially comfortable. They have lived with their son for the past 7 years, but he works a lot and was a little help. Their daughter is disabled and requires part time help herself. My friend's husband is completely worn down. Not a pretty picture. 

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

Quote

  3 HOURS AGO, IZABELLA SAID:

My mom is in the middle of her journey.  IMO, TIU has considerably underplayed and sanitized this difficult, gut-wrenching disease. 

I'm surprised no one else has brought this up. I get that they do not want to show the abyss of darkness of dementia, but I also thought Rebecca was the best behaved dementia patient ever (with her hair always perfectly done).

I had a friend that worked as an activities director at an assisted living facility.  She told me that some dementia patients were like little children and some were literally rewinding in time, going backwards into the teenage/tween years and that they would engage in yelling, screaming and physical attacks.  Some went back into toddlerdom complete with temper tantrums. And I agree that so far Rebecca looked well groomed, even with perfectly flat-ironed hair.

I work with a doctor who came to the US as a child from Cuba. His English accent is perfect even when he launches into Spanish and back to English again.  My mother came to the US from Cuba in her very early 20s and spoke only English and her accent was so strong that most people couldn't understand her.  

I'm guessing Kevin will always look younger since he is an actor and had access to Botox/cosmetic procedures/etc.  Kate's face will be fuller because, well, she's a fuller woman.  

I really loved that Miguel's family "took care of their own" with the aunt with the stroke. That was what he saw growing up  (and is more common in a lot of immigrant  families). 

When "And So It Goes" came on, I struggled to hold back my own ugly cry - a beautiful episode. 

[BetyBee]

When Miguel left briefly and Rebecca freaked out, I thought for a second that she had some special insight and that he was having a heart attack! Thankfully, his death was offscreen and later. I have always thought that Miguel was a cutie, but his devotion to caring for Rebecca made him even more attractive. He was a great guy and I'm glad he found happiness with her and that his kids reconnected with him. 

[3 is enough]

27 minutes ago, Aloeonatable said:

I have a dear friend that was diagnosed at 62 with dementia. She has recently, finally, been moved to a long term care facility after her husband cared for her for 10 years. She is bedridden now. Her husband had to sell practically everything they owned to pay for her care. When she was home he took care of her 24/7 with little help because they just weren't ever financially comfortable. They have lived with their son for the past 7 years, but he works a lot and was a little help. Their daughter is disabled and requires part time help herself. My friend's husband is completely worn down. Not a pretty picture. 

Of course on the show there are seemingly unlimited resources to care for Rebecca.  

I am so grateful that my mother was in Canada where the LTC facilities are government subsidized. Between her government old age pension and her investments money was not an issue.  I know the prices for LTC in the US are prohibitively expensive so people hold off getting help until they truly cannot manage any more.  It's part of the problem no one talks about, sadly.

[BoogieBurns]

1 hour ago, Jillybean said:

Oof. I'm 52 and I thought Randall looked a decade older than that, at a minimum.

Sterling is quoted as saying "have you ever seen a Black man in his 50s?" Because they don't age like that. Black 50 year olds usually look exactly the same as Black 40 year olds. A sprinkle of grey in his beard is all they need.

Justin also disagreed with his aging makeup in the first episode he shows up at the 2032 family thing. He said "Kevin would age like Clooney" (the movie star, not the cat)

So the actors agree with us.

[Rootbeer]

19 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

Of course on the show there are seemingly unlimited resources to care for Rebecca.  

I am so grateful that my mother was in Canada where the LTC facilities are government subsidized. Between her government old age pension and her investments money was not an issue.  I know the prices for LTC in the US are prohibitively expensive so people hold off getting help until they truly cannot manage any more.  It's part of the problem no one talks about, sadly.

That's one of my general complaints about the entire series: that, at least in present day and beyond, the family is so wealthy that they seemingly aren't affected by the sorts of everyday things the rest of us have to deal with almost daily.  They fly cross country at a moment's notice and for virtually every holiday, birthday and goat roping, Kate and Toby do a private adoption practically instantaneously, Rebecca wants to live in the Poconos, so Kevin just whips out his wallet and builds a luxurious family compound for all of them, Kate has a blind child and he's enrolled in all sorts of private enrichment classes practically from birth and apparently will be attending a private elite school for the blind.  Randall and Beth just quit their jobs when they're unhappy with them and Randall runs for office in a distant city and buys an apartment building there on a whim.  Beth starts her own business which fails due to COVID, but the family doesn't suffer any economic hardship at all, ever. It's a fairy tale for most people.

The vast, vast majority of elderly people in this country do not have access to the sorts of goods and services that might make their lives easier, but I guess the show doesn't want to address that aspect of it.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Rootbeer

[StaceyNotStacie]

I gasped when Miguel slipped outside. When he put his head on Rebecca’s lap, I was afraid he wasn’t going to wake up, and again when they showed Rebecca waking up, I thought she was going to fine him in bed not breathing. 
 

Prior to this winter, I hadn’t watched since the early seasons (although I knew what had happened because the show is usually all over social media). I mostly started watching to see how it ended. It’s not a show that I get all emotional over, but I did tear up as soon as the final song started playing since I suspected what was going to happen. 

[Court]

This show hasn't made me cry in such a long time. But it definitely got me with the spreading of Miguel's ashes. 

[Chanandler Bong]

Oh my gosh, I did not expect that episode to absolutely wreck me, but I was sobbing by the end. Jack would have been so proud and grateful to have Miguel by Rebecca’s side, especially in their old age. What a beautiful example of enduring love. The morning coffee and slippers, the daily routines and still enjoying each other’s company, the patience and selflessness. The part in particular where she started calling out for him the minute he left the room just killed me. Their love story from start to finish felt so believable to me. I could knit pick some character choices (Kevin…), but I don’t want to. What a beautiful and poignant episode!

 

[lovett1979]

I just re-watched the bed scene, which leads into the Thanksgiving reveal scene. I absolutely love Jon Huertas' acting in that first scene. His face changes as he's about to mention Jack (not even by name though, they just know) and is sad and worried. And when Rebecca says she thinks he'd be good, there's a tiny little smile. He's so real and vulnerable and it's a conversation they needed to have for their relationship to go forward.

Then there's the reveal to the kids. During my first watch, when Rebecca said "we have to tell the kids," I wondered to myself "which kids?" The last time we saw the kids in this timeline, it was the teen/college versions. It's 8-or-so years later, so we now get to see the "youngest" version of Sterling/Chrissy/Justin. This is BEFORE we first met them at the beginning of the series. They weren't necessarily great people then, especially Kevin. And they've just been told that their mother is living with their dad (sainted) father's best friend. They're allowed to be a little pissy, in a very similar way to how the audience first felt when we found out that they were together in S1. Kate seems to take it the best and shouldn't have really been surprised. When Miguel leaves for Houston and Rebecca is crying on her bed, it's Kate that comforts her when she says "he's gone."

This was a great episode and gave a character we've known since the beginning the life-story he deserved and finally filled-in a missing part of the story we've been following. There's not much left to find out, everyone seems pretty settled down their respective paths.

[Tabbygirl521]

1 hour ago, CountryGirl said:

One of my absolute favorite parts of the episode was learning Rebecca made the first move, shutting down the theories that icky Miguel put the moves on his late friend's widow. And yes, I had some uncharitable thoughts in this regard in S1.

That was a real surprise to me and I LOVED IT!

[mojoween]

All the headlines today said “you’ll definitely need tissues when you watch this week’s episode!” and I said “pshaw, I’ll be fine.”

I am not fine.

[Ohiopirate02]

2 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

One of my absolute favorite parts of the episode was learning Rebecca made the first move, shutting down the theories that icky Miguel put the moves on his late friend's widow. And yes, I had some uncharitable thoughts in this regard in S1.

What else are you supposed to do after Miguel laid his heart bare?  I said last night I liked how adult that dinner scene was.  Rebecca and Miguel had been talking on the phone and online for months before that night.  They were also adults who had both loved and lost before.  They both know how precious love is and how easily it can be taken away from you.  

[Eureka]

3 hours ago, Jillybean said:

Oof. I'm 52 and I thought Randall looked a decade older than that, at a minimum.

Same, I’m 51 and don’t look 20 anymore but don’t look as old as they made him look.

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, 3 is enough said:

Of course on the show there are seemingly unlimited resources to care for Rebecca.  

I am so grateful that my mother was in Canada where the LTC facilities are government subsidized. Between her government old age pension and her investments money was not an issue.  I know the prices for LTC in the US are prohibitively expensive so people hold off getting help until they truly cannot manage any more.  It's part of the problem no one talks about, sadly.

But those facilities can be crap as we’ve seen in the last couple of years (at least in Ontario).  😡

A few more thoughts:

1. Last night’s episode definitely shows that we can have more than one true love in our lives.  

2. Miguel should have gone to med school.  Perhaps money was an issue. Or he didn’t do well in science.

3. Miguel’s son sort of reminded me of Joshua Jackson!  But it could have just been me.  I haven’t seen Dawson in ages

4. I wonder if Aunt Gabi’s stroke at 24 could have been prevented had she been a couple of generations younger.  Until Miguel’s mom said, I actually thought she was born with special needs.  

5. And So It Goes is now on my list of “I can’t get through it without crying songs.”

[debraran]

19 hours ago, Spencer Hastings said:

Miguel deserved better.  Better children. Better stepchildren. A better life. Better treatment over the series. Miguel deserved better everything.

I knew it was coming, but I hate that it took this long to get his story only to kill him at the end. Jon Huertas did a beautiful job. 

I hope he feels the love now  and he and the young actor who played him, did a great job. TIU gets A+ In picking young actors.

I just don't get why we suffered through 2 episodes in the last year for Kate to get married again. Her wedding to Toby was nice, this could have been small and intimate wedding and Sophie still could have been there for Kevin to realize he loves her more than the air he breaths. Why the mystery that really wasn't, why the sleuthing, the 2 wasted episodes? Even Rebecca playing her song could have been at home or small venue. We didn't need the dry cleaners or car ride, Kevin and Sophie could have went anywhere close to home. I just don't get it. Kate's marriage wasn't the end all, something fans were waiting for like many with Sophie/Kevin. I would have loved to see Miguel's wedding to Rebecca that got curtailed twice with scheduling snafus. It's done now but sometimes you just wonder, it's the last year, we have stories in overdrive to finish, let's have Kate get married and throw clothes on Kevin's chair and ignore main characters who didn't get their stories given much time. Even the Deja/Malik stories that were 2 episodes, I mean really? It's the last season and we were supposed to care she ran off like she wasn't coming back? Was it for the "young love comes back" comment? I just scratch my head but hope the last 3 episodes are just as good as Miguel.

Edited May 4, 2022 by debraran

[debraran]

mistake

Edited May 4, 2022 by debraran

[3 is enough]

48 minutes ago, PRgal said:

But those facilities can be crap as we’ve seen in the last couple of years (at least in Ontario).  😡

 

Well I have no complaints about my mother’s.  Maybe it wasn’t pretty but it was clean, the staff were excellent, they had strict Covid protocols and no outbreaks among the patients.  And since they had no visitors for most of the time she was there, they arranged for her to have weekly FaceTime calls with all 5 of her children.  She wasn’t always very responsive but she still knew us by name. I was grateful for that since crossing the border was not happening.

The show was also able to avoid all of the Covid complications experienced by families dealing with dementia. 

[Triviatrish2]

8 hours ago, Tango64 said:

Roberto Clemente's jersey number was 21. Season 6, episode 15. Coincidence, or an easter egg from the writers?

Being a Roberto Clemente fan, who saw many of his games at Forbes Field and 3 Rivers Stadium, including a World Series Game, I too, saw that glaring error!  he will ALWAYS be No. 21!

 

[Shermie]

Quote

Randall also handled getting Miguel some help well. He's usually a bulldozer but I think he handled it deftly. "We're not doing this to you, we're doing it for you."

I loved that line, and will remember it.

8 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I wonder if there will be any conversation among Kevin, Kate, and Randall comparing Jack's sudden death to Rebecca's protracted decline. 

Sudden death is easier on the deceased because there’s usually no suffering, but it’s hard on the survivors. Prolonged death is easier on the survivors because they have time to adjust, but it’s hard on the one who is dying.

Edited May 5, 2022 by Shermie

[maggiemae]

I loved when Miguel accepted the round the clock health care for Rebecca.

He realized he could still be with her 24/7 and I loved seeing them both doing the exercises together with the nurse. Win/win.

Frankly I think Kevin was paying for the help. And Kate was useless. And Randall was awful pompous all knowing Randall.

BTW - I love Beth.

 

[Johnny Dollar]

Miguel is the most selfless character on the whole show, and has been that from the beginning so I don’t know why some viewers didn’t like him at first.

Not only did his ex-wife throw St Jack in his face when they were fighting, that was also the subject of his first post-coital conversation with Rebecca. The guy can’t catch a break. 

[Shermie]

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

those facilities can be crap as we’ve seen in the last couple of years (at least in Ontario).  😡

Don’t paint all with the same brush. A few were crap, but were probably crap before - Covid just pulled back the curtain. My mother and MIL are both in homes in Ontario, and both were wonderful, even with the restrictions.

It’s interesting that self-centred Kevin is the one to bring Miguel’s kids back to him. Since Miguel and his wife were friends with Jack and Rebecca, I’d assume the two families hung out and the kids knew each other too. I wonder how Miguel’s ex reacted when he got together with Rebecca.

As for debating who was the better couple - Rebecca and Jack, or Rebecca and Miguel - I’d say both. Jack and Rebecca were a great young couple - hot and in love, raising little kids, a tragic sudden end. Miguel and Rebecca were a great mature couple - hot and in love, enjoying each other’s company, a tragic slow end.

I don’t agree with those who think this season is terrible. I’m enjoying it as they wrap up the various stories and I’ll miss it. I think This Is Us will be remembered as a classic show that many shows will be compared to.

[Aloeonatable]

I've been trying to figure out how long Rebecca & Miguel were married before he died. They celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary (or were supposed to) when little Jack was 3. The Big Three were then what, 41 or 42? By my calculations Rebecca dies about 10 years later. Do we know now how many years before that did Miguel die? 

They reconnected when Tess was born, but we don't know how long they communicated before getting together in Pittsburgh. It seems they had quite the long courtship. 

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, maggiemae said:

I loved when Miguel accepted the round the clock health care for Rebecca.

He realized he could still be with her 24/7 and I loved seeing them both doing the exercises together with the nurse. Win/win.

It bothered me when he was talking like they were expecting him to leave or something. I wanted one of them to point out that he could just relax and be with Rebecca rather than doing everything all the time. 

Also thought it was interesting that he wanted to help his parents with his aunt because he could afford to hire someone, but when it came time for someone to do the same for him he resisted it just like his parents did.

[Aloeonatable]

2 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

It bothered me when he was talking like they were expecting him to leave or something. I wanted one of them to point out that he could just relax and be with Rebecca rather than doing everything all the time. 

Also thought it was interesting that he wanted to help his parents with his aunt because he could afford to hire someone, but when it came time for someone to do the same for him he resisted it just like his parents did.

My friend's husband refused to leave her for more than a couple of hours for fear she would panic. He also was in a bit of denial about her declining condition. Didn't want her to wear Depends, even though she had forgotten how to use the toilet. He didn't want to embarrass her. He wouldn't take advice from anyone, thinking he knew best.

[qtpye]

12 hours ago, Boo Boo said:

I guess I'm in the minority:  I did not love this episode.  Too many flashbacks, flashforwards and I literally guffawed when Jack's name is mentioned during an argument with MIguel's first wife.  "I'm not Jack!" so now we know even the ex wife worshiped at the shrine of Jack.

Good Lord, Miguel’s kid accuse their Dad of being in love w/ Rebecca but perhaps it was their mom who was obsessed w/ Jack, who was not that great.

[lovett1979]

22 minutes ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Not only did his ex-wife throw St Jack in his face when they were fighting, that was also the subject of his first post-coital conversation with Rebecca. The guy can’t catch a break. 

That wasn't their first time. The restaurant scene where she kisses him is the first time he's been in the area in many years. Then we see them in bed. But it's many months later. She says he should relocate his job to Pittsburgh. He says that he could buy a house with what he's been spending on airfare over "the past few months." So it seems they've been doing a long-distance thing for a while.

[sashabear21]

Damn you Billy Joel!! Now I'm even more pissed that Miguel didn't get to relax and drink wine with Randall on Kate's 12 hour long wedding day! Seriously, just a really solid, good guy that didn't get any credit for it for a long time.  Honestly I don't know that Jack would have been a great caretaker to Rebecca in her ailing years as grand romantic gestures would have the potential to scare the hell out of her at a time when she needed routine with her illness instead. I can kinda see Jack watching and re-watching the Gena Rowlands and James Garner scenes from The Notebook for inspiration on what to do, whereas Miguel took fantastic care of her in her decline, and understood what she needed, but thankfully accepted help from the kids as he couldn't continue to handle it all himself.  Poor Miguel when even his ex-wife was extolling the virtues of Jack. Now more than ever I kinda want a series where background characters we've never met before have flashbacks and flashfowards of them talking smack about the Pearsons, "You know he seems like an okay guy but if I have to hear one more inspirational speech from that sanctimonious douche, I swear I'm gonna shove that Pilgrim hat right up his...."

[memememe76]

Regarding the boss saying he needed someone who would speak Spanish anyway, sometimes you don’t realize what you need in a potential employee until you meet with them for an interview. I doubt there was a Spanish requirement in the job ad.

Loved the episode, and generally loving the season. 
 

Anyone know why the original actress who played Amber could not make this episodes. I knew her from Jane the Virgin. 
 

A flashback scene I would have loved to see: a young Annie or Tess saying Grandpa to Miguel. Annie and Tess, IMO, were the first people other than Rebecca to truly make Miguel part of the Pearson family. 

[chocolatine]

It was great to have a Miguel-centric episode, but there were so many continuity and logic errors that I couldn't get past them.

When Miguel and Shelly originally told Jack and Rebecca that they were divorcing, they said it was amicable and that they just "fell out of love." Their children were also teenagers at that time - they're older than the Big Three - so that scene with young children lurking on the stairs while Miguel and Shelly fought (and Shelly compared Miguel unfavorably to Jack, no less) was a retcon, as was all the subsequent stuff about the kids hating Miguel. The writers just needed a source of conflict for him and weren't able to come up with anything more original.

The job interview scene made no sense whatsoever. The most ridiculous part was Miguel, who was a men's clothing salesman, interviewing for a construction project manager job. Whether his name was Mike Rivers, Miguel Rivas, or Freddie Mercury, he was not qualified for that job. And yet the manager offered it to him on the spot, without interviewing any of the other candidates who were sitting in the lobby. To say nothing of the job requiring Spanish language skills but the manager presumably discriminating against a candidate with a Spanish name. Again, a trite and lazy attempt by the writers to show how some immigrants struggle to succeed in the US.

Speaking of immigrants, the backstory with his father was also trite and cliched. Every immigrant family's story is different and much more nuanced than what the show bothered to portray.

Finally, this episode was really sloppy with everyone's looks. In the 2008 episode when Beth helped Rebecca set up an FB profile and Miguel messaged her, Rebecca had wavy, shoulder-length hair. In this episode, in the same timeline, she already had her old lady bob. And the Big Three, as has been pointed out, looked the same when they found out Rebecca and Miguel were dating - which would have made them 29 or 30 at the time - as when Miguel died, about 20 years later. It felt like whoever was in charge of the characters' styling in different timelines had completely checked out by the time this episode was filmed.

Edited May 5, 2022 by chocolatine

[Norma Desmond]

Aw Miguel! Great episode. Some real emotion. As others have said, a shame that it took 6 seasons for us to get a Miguel centric episode. I love his and Rebecca's love story. It's the kind of mature, deep love most of us aspire to have on day.

I cried :*( and also searched for a coquito recipe :)

[Aloeonatable]

1 hour ago, sashabear21 said:

Honestly I don't know that Jack would have been a great caretaker to Rebecca in her ailing years as grand romantic gestures would have the potential to scare the hell out of her at a time when she needed routine with her illness instead. I can kinda see Jack watching and re-watching the Gena Rowlands and James Garner scenes from The Notebook for inspiration on what to do, whereas Miguel took fantastic care of her in her decline, and understood what she needed, but thankfully accepted help from the kids as he couldn't continue to handle it all himself. 

That's kind of unfair. Jack was more than grand gestures. I think he would have been just as caring as Miguel was. 

[CarpeFelis]

9 hours ago, peeayebee said:

He brought a bottle of wine, "the good stuff," signaling, in his dad's eyes, that their traditional coquito wasn't good enuf.

I’m not Hispanic but after reading a recipe for coquitos I’d rather have that than wine any day!

I wanted to smack Kevin in the “Thanksgiving is canceled” scene. Who the hell did he think he was?! Since when does an adult offspring have the right to dictate who their now-single parent can date? Obviously he came around eventually, but this was just so obnoxious. Even Kate didn’t have a problem upon finding out Rebecca was with Miguel!

[memememe76]

I am rewatching the episode where Shelly and Miguel tell Jack and Rebecca they were divorcing. They said all of the “This is amicable, we are still friends, we will co-parent” platitudes, but they didn’t really mean it. The next scene involved Rebecca and Jack in their bathroom, where Jack did not understand why they were divorcing. Rebecca noted that Shelly had been unhappy for awhile. To me, it was a couple telling bad news to people they care about and putting on a brave and upbeat face. Then we get the Miguel no longer making coffee for Shelly at 6:30am and Shelly not caring scene. I don’t see the inconsistencies. 

 

[maggiemae]

I was shocked by Kevin as well. 

But overall...it has been Kevin taking care of the family emotionally for decades since then. More so than anyone...he grew up.

[CdrJanny]

2 hours ago, sashabear21 said:

Damn you Billy Joel!! Now I'm even more pissed that Miguel didn't get to relax and drink wine with Randall on Kate's 12 hour long wedding day! Seriously, just a really solid, good guy that didn't get any credit for it for a long time.  Honestly I don't know that Jack would have been a great caretaker to Rebecca in her ailing years as grand romantic gestures would have the potential to scare the hell out of her at a time when she needed routine with her illness instead. I can kinda see Jack watching and re-watching the Gena Rowlands and James Garner scenes from The Notebook for inspiration on what to do, whereas Miguel took fantastic care of her in her decline, and understood what she needed, but thankfully accepted help from the kids as he couldn't continue to handle it all himself.  Poor Miguel when even his ex-wife was extolling the virtues of Jack. Now more than ever I kinda want a series where background characters we've never met before have flashbacks and flashfowards of them talking smack about the Pearsons, "You know he seems like an okay guy but if I have to hear one more inspirational speech from that sanctimonious douche, I swear I'm gonna shove that Pilgrim hat right up his...."

Sanctimonious douche with the porn star mustache🤭

 

[circumvent]

This episode...

There is so much that spoke directly to my heart for many reasons, I have nothing else to say, really. 

[bybrandy]

5 hours ago, sashabear21 said:

Damn you Billy Joel!! Now I'm even more pissed that Miguel didn't get to relax and drink wine with Randall on Kate's 12 hour long wedding day! Seriously, just a really solid, good guy that didn't get any credit for it for a long time.  Honestly I don't know that Jack would have been a great caretaker to Rebecca in her ailing years as grand romantic gestures would have the potential to scare the hell out of her at a time when she needed routine with her illness instead. I can kinda see Jack watching and re-watching the Gena Rowlands and James Garner scenes from The Notebook for inspiration on what to do, whereas Miguel took fantastic care of her in her decline, and understood what she needed, but thankfully accepted help from the kids as he couldn't continue to handle it all himself.  Poor Miguel when even his ex-wife was extolling the virtues of Jack. Now more than ever I kinda want a series where background characters we've never met before have flashbacks and flashfowards of them talking smack about the Pearsons, "You know he seems like an okay guy but if I have to hear one more inspirational speech from that sanctimonious douche, I swear I'm gonna shove that Pilgrim hat right up his...."

In my experience it is hard to predict who is going to excel at caregiving and who isn't.  We've never seen Jack have a go at anything like caregiving so I don't see how we could even guess how he'd handle it.  One of my mom's friends had told my mom how lucky she was to have so many daughters because daughters turn up for you... and she worried because she had only sons.   Then she got to where she needed help and the kid who turned up for her, who turned up literally every single day and became the absolute rock she relied on... it was the kid who dropped out of school at 16, left home and was out of touch for a solid decade.  She said she and her husband spent years fretting about what would become of that boy.  By the time I knew him he had a steady job with the city and got off work and came directly to check on his mom every day.   

 

[Tdoc72]

On 5/3/2022 at 9:56 PM, ams1001 said:

Okay, I was okay until And So It Goes started playing...😭

I started crying during the opening credits and cried off and on throughout. My daughter came in after it finished and asked what was wrong. I said “they killed Migs!” 

Edited May 6, 2022 by Tdoc72

[PRgal]

6 hours ago, memememe76 said:

Regarding the boss saying he needed someone who would speak Spanish anyway, sometimes you don’t realize what you need in a potential employee until you meet with them for an interview. I doubt there was a Spanish requirement in the job ad.

Loved the episode, and generally loving the season. 
 

Anyone know why the original actress who played Amber could not make this episodes. I knew her from Jane the Virgin. 
 

A flashback scene I would have loved to see: a young Annie or Tess saying Grandpa to Miguel. Annie and Tess, IMO, were the first people other than Rebecca to truly make Miguel part of the Pearson family. 

The girls already call him Grandpa Miguel.  I think we first heard it season 4 or so?

[Chewy101]

An entire touching episode without a Whining Pierson monologue. Heaven!

When my friend died of cancer, his widow started sleeping with his best friend two months after he was buried. I know grief can cause some crazy, but I was hurt and disappointed in both of them. It was jarring and upsetting seeing them dismiss him so quickly. 

This show initially made Rebecca and Miguel getting together so scandalous, but it really happened over so much time and resistance, it felt organic and sweet.. 

How on EARTH will they handle Rebecca now that her stabilizing force is gone and her condition is terrible? I'm hoping Kevin takes over, since he was inserting himself into her routine when Miguel was struggling. 

[Crs97]

Didn’t we see a Thanksgiving in which Miguel was supposed to have the kids but Shelly had whisked them off to ski, maybe with a boyfriend?  
 

I hated the way the three kept saying Miguel fulfilled his vows, like he was done.  Then they let him say he had failed at everything else and didn’t argue.  I know it was for the drama of it, but their part of that scene wasn’t written realistically IMO.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Rebecca confuse Kevin with Miguel sometimes; he might bristle a little at first and then actually find it’s a huge compliment.