This Is Us Season 6 episode 15 recap: Miguel’s Special Story

This article contains SPOILERS for This Is Us season 6 episode 15.

Audiences get a special look into Miguel and how he went from a little kid in San Juan to a de facto Pearson in this week’s episode of This is Us season 6.

Catch up on everything from the last episode here!

Given the episode’s title, it is no surprise that the fifteenth episode of This Is Us season 6 starts with a flashback to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We start by seeing an adolescent Miguel returning home from playing with friends.

He finds out that his impoverished family is moving to the States so he can work and provide for his family. The episode jumps to Miguel today coping with the fact he’s getting older and how he balances his medical issues while taking care of Rebecca and hers.

This also means dealing with the Big Three and their understandable concern and care for their mother. Adolescent Miguel hangs out with his dad as he works as a landscaper/groundskeeper for a big house belonging to a rich, old, white man.

The old man is understanding of Miguel wandering around his house and the two bond over the Pittsburgh Pirates and Roberto Clemente. Miguel says he wants to see a game live not even caring about where he sits.

The old man responds by saying where one sits means so much.

This Is Us season 6 episode 15: Miguel finds work in any way he can

A young adult Miguel walks into a job interview going by the name Mike Rivers to sound more American and white. The interviewer offers him the job.

When Miguel accepts, he reveals his real name and explains how “Miguel” never got a callback but “Mike” did even though they have the same credentials. When Miguel visits his family for Christmas, his father gives him a hard time for trying to fit in within the United States by styling his hair and buying a fancy car.

Miguel calls his dad out by saying he didn’t choose to move here, his dad did. Because of this he had to figure out who he was between the two cultures he was surrounded by.

After this young adult Miguel leaves his family’s home and goes to meet Jack and his new girlfriend Rebecca for drinks. Jack goes to look at his best friend’s new car leaving the two most important people in his life to get to know one another and thus they begin their friendship.

There is then a montage of Miguel and Shelly’s relationship. It starts with the two meeting in a bar, then looking at the beautiful birth of their two kids, before it ends with their marital issues that lead Miguel to feel alone in his own home.

As described in episode 7, Miguel went down to Houston to be close with his kids because he was mourning his best friend while being reminded of him every day with Rebecca. Miguel lives down there for years, trying to be there for his kids, but they do not want anything to do with their father because of how he messed up during their childhood.

This Is Us season 6 episode 15: A mother’s job is never done

When Miguel gets the call that his father has passed away, he experiences some culture shock as they all are speaking Spanish together. He unfortunately hasn’t been around this environment in a long time.

He has a private conversation with his mom that reminds him of the good-hearted nature that made him love and admire her growing up.

That night, Miguel sees Beth post pictures of newborn Tess wearing the onesie that Rebecca made for her grandchild. With an adorable look on his face, and through the power of Facebook, Miguel can reconnect with his old friend.

This involves constant messaging before evolving into phone calls while they eat dinner. A little clip shows a Thanksgiving in the not-to-distant future where Randall is arriving on the Wednesday before the holiday.

Miguel has a bad back from slipping on some ice while taking care of Rebecca one night. When he leaves to go find some meds, Rebecca becomes confused in a room filled with her children.

Miguel quickly returns and Rebecca’s episode subsided just as quickly. After months of communicating, Miguel reunites with Rebecca for dinner while he is in town for business.

There is some awkward small talk before he explains how he never felt like he fit in or had a home because of the cultural warfare going on in his mind and soul. However, the first time Miguel felt homesick was when he left Rebecca on the porch that Thanksgiving before he left for Houston.

Rebecca responds by walking over to her longtime friend and kissing him. Following this night, Miguel and Rebecca form a relationship in which he flies back and forth from Houston to Pittsburgh so he can work and spend quality time with his girlfriend.

This Is Us season 6 episode 15: The Big Three talk with Miguel

The two make plans to tell the kids during Thanksgiving at the cabin but that goes out the window when the kids walk in on their mom kissing their dad’s best friend. While Randall and Kate are initially shocked by this news (with Beth shipping them hard) Kevin is appalled at everyone for being ok with this since he sees it as a betrayal to his dad.

Back in the modern-day, Kevin sees Miguel’s bad back and is concerned for both Miguel and his mom. Kevin and his siblings talk about his health and how he needs to focus on it so he can be there for Rebecca.

Miguel listens and begins entrusting the in-home nurse to look after both him and his wife.

As Kevin is around helping when he can, he notices Miguel’s health declining. Because of this, Kevin reaches out to Miguel’s estranged son making it aware that he should not miss any opportunity to spend time with his father.

This results in another beautiful montage filled with family moments with all of Rebecca’s children and grandchildren, along with Miguel’s children and grandchildren. The montage ends with the Pearson and Rivas family mourning Miguel’s passing up at the cabin.

To memorialize Miguel and his legacy, half of Miguel’s ashes are spread by the tree he and Rebecca planted at the cabin, while the other half is spread in the field in San Juan where a young Miguel dreamed of being like Roberto Clemente.

How do you feel about Miguel now that he has earned a special episode? With the preview of next week’s episode, do you think Kate will side with Kevin or Randall? Let us know your answers and opinions in the comments below!

Watch the new episode of This Is Us season 6 next Tuesday, only on NBC