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‘This Is Us’ Stars React To Miguel’s Vindication, Bandleader Ben As New Villain

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 22:18 PST, Feb 14, 2017

This Is Us fans have had a hate-hate relationship with Miguel (Jon Huertas) all season, but the character is finally getting a little bit of love after the show’s most recent episode, “Jack Pearson’s Son.”

In a heartwarming scene in Episode 15, This Is Us stars Jon Huertas gave his TV stepson Kevin (Justin Hartley) a pre-play pep talk that clearly resonated with the off-Broadway actor. Miguel reminded viewers that Jack Pearson was his best friend and the person he would turn to in times of need, and he said Kevin reminded him of his dearly departed bestie.

“He was my person. He was the one who could steady you when the world felt like it was spinning,” Miguel told Kevin. “Sometimes you remind me of him so much … That’s why it breaks my heart that you don’t like me. … You are Jack Pearson’s son. You have him inside of you. … Think about what he’d do, and you’ll be fine.”

Fan reaction remains mixed—Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack is a tough dad act to follow—but several This Is Us stars hit social media to support the long-suffering Miguel character, including Justin Hartley. After the eye-opening scene, Hartley responded to a fan who was pondering if they might actually like Miguel now.

“Well…I think you do. I think you do,” the This Is Us star replied.

In addition, Justin’s TV brother weighed in on the situation.

“Miguel…not so bad, right?…right?” This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown tweeted.

“Folks forget that @JonHuertas was dad’s best friend,” wrote This Is Us guest star Adam Bartley (Duke). “Misses him just as much. #Miguellove #ThisIsUs”

And of course, Papa Pearson himself, Milo Ventimiglia, has been Team Miguel all along. After the father-stepson scene, the This Is Us star tweeted: “Miguel is the best!”

But now that fans are warming up to Miguel, there’s room for a new villain on This Is Us. And that villain would be Ben (Sam Trammell), the bandleader who’s taking Rebecca (Mandy Moore) away from her husband and three kids for a five-city tour with their band. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, This is Us guest star Sam Trammell said the triangle tension between Jack, Rebecca, and Ben gets turned up several notches as the first season of the NBC drama closes out. Trammell also said he’s prepared for This Is Us viewers to hate him and his character.

“I’m terrified, frankly,” the actor said of the potential backlash. “I’ve heard that fans are extraordinarily supportive and loyal to [Jack and Rebecca]…So, of course, any kind of person that might create tension I can imagine might get the ire of a lot of fans. Yeah, it could be really bad.”

Trammell also revealed that while his character was initially all about the band business, there’s no denying that his singing partner is a beautiful lady.

“Ben didn’t start with wanting to take Rebecca away from Jack,” the This Is Us guest star revealed. “It’s not about that. But you know what? She’s on tour, we’re singing, music is an emotional thing. There are potential problems.”

The This Is Us guest star confirmed that the Jack-Rebecca-Ben situation will turn into a real love triangle by season’s end.

“All I can say really is that it gets turned up a notch to, if you want to call it, a triangle,” he said. “Nothing has obviously happened between me and Rebecca at this point in the show. But the tension gets turned up a notch… If we’re at a five, it goes to between seven and ten. It goes up more than one notch.”

This is Us fans clearly want a happily ever after. They dodged a bullet for TeamToby when Kate (Chrissy Metz) knocked on Duke’s (Bartley) cabin door in the middle of the night only to tell him off, but the triangles keep on coming. And based the fact that Jack Pearson’s lonely Valentine’s Day celebration came with a double shot of Maker’s Mark, Ben could begin to look pretty good to Rebecca in the upcoming episodes of This Is Us.

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

[Featured Image by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for ALAC]

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