S01.E04: Chapter Four

[Tara Ariano]

Jane experiences guilt concerning her feelings for Rafael, and she admits this to Michael. Meanwhile, an unwelcome visitor from Petra and Rafael's past surfaces; and Rogelio asks Xo to allow him to be involved in Jane's wedding.

[Valny]

FYI - folks here in the NY area... there's a damn football game taking Jane's timeslot so, boo. 
But I watch I on Demand anyway so it's fine. And the CW usually airs it another time during the week anyway

when a show is pre-empted. They did that once before when the NY Jets took the Vampire Diaries spot.

[LisaM]

I think it is airing on Saturday night this week in NYC .

[Primetimer]

Jane The Virgin's biological father is an international superstar, and an international treasure.

Read the story

[emjohnson03]

"How did you find us?"

 

"You check into FourSquare all the time." HAHA!!

 

I love how the plot moves forward and there's always a twist to every episode. I like how the show has heart but it doesn't take itself seriously.

 

Everyone is great in their roles and I'm glad the characters aren't one note, all has layers. You have to wonder when someone new is on the scene how they are all related. Seems like everyone is connected which is both weird and fun, haha!

 

Jane is adorable and I'm on the Raf train because I like how he's smart and isn't so one note.

 

My Monday is fun with this show!

[kdm07]

"I am sure the linguists among you have picked up on this but they are speaking Czech."

 

Another stellar episode. Really hope more people tune in because this is my favourite Monday show right.

[blugirlami21]

I really love this show.  Jane and Rafael's chemistry is so off the charts imo, that it's hard not to feel bad for Michael because I don't see that same chemistry between him and Jane.  I do think he has some with Petra or Natalia I would say.  Thought it was so great that Rafe turned the tables on Petra, she definitely had that coming.

 

It's just a really tough situation all around. 

 

Poor Xo.  I hope that Jane doesn't stay mad at her for too long, I love the relationship that they have together.

 

I loved Jane and Rafe's moment in the pool and I also love that he was the one having the sex dream at the end.  Serves him right for saying he thinks of Jane as a sister.

Edited November 4, 2014 by blugirlami21

[natyxg]

It's just a really tough situation all around.  Jane and Rafael are both parents to this baby which is so much more complicated than if Petra's eggs had been used with Rafael's sperm.  I wonder why Petra didn't ask for that in the first place?  That would have been a ton more leverage if it was actually her child as well as Rafe's.

 

If Luisa hadn't screwed up and had inseminated her the baby would have been hers and Rafael's.

[Dejana]

Rafael seems not to know that the stepmother was ever romantically involved with Luisa.

 

Rogelio is hilarious. Very self-absorbed but likeably so.

 

Great to see Tony Plana aka Ignacio Suarez as the priest counseling Jane and Michael.

[Irlandesa]

Jane and Rafael are both parents to this baby which is so much more complicated than if Petra's eggs had been used with Rafael's sperm.  I wonder why Petra didn't ask for that in the first place? 

That was Petra's plan. This wasn't IVF with a fertilized egg.  This was insemination. She was at the doctor's officice in order to be inseminated with Raf's sperm and the baby would be theirs.  But due to Luisa's mix-up, the sperm went into Jane and fertilized her egg instead. 

 

So Michael has come around on the possibility of raising the baby.  I have to admit, that surprised me but it looks like they're going to shelve Jane's attraction to Raf right now and possibly move it to him.  I think that's a smart way to go for now.  I have to admit that I cracked up at the little halo that surrounded Rafael throughout the episode whenever he was in a scene with Jane. 

 

Petra/Natalia is fast becoming the most interesting character.  She's cunning and has a huge mystery surrounding her. 

[omgsowicked]

Every week I say to myself, "oh, I'm so glad I decided to check this show out".

 

I loved when Jane was looking at the wedding magazines and it morphed from Rafael's sultry face to Michael's goofy one. I hope she and Xo will make up sooner rather than later because their relationship is so great.

 

I cackled when Rafael told Petra it was over... beautiful. Loved the twist with Petra and the Czech guy, though I'm a little confused about what it all meant. So she helped set up her lover's death? And I still wonder if her mom's involved... when they revealed the dent in the wall, I thought it might be from her wheelchair.

 

Loved the pool scene, Jane was so funny. "Well, I can stand!" And after Rafael told Jane she was like a sister to him, I was wondering how they'd get him to like her that way, so the sexy dream was a good way to keep it all going. Their chemistry is insane and I'm rooting for them.

[paulvdb]

I love Rojelio. "I'm shooting a fantasy scene later. That's why I'm wearing this ridiculous outfit." While wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

[Minneapple]

Great episode, much better than last week. I'm glad Michael redeemed himself this week, because his douche level was getting to be too much for me. I will say that I like how he and Jane work through their issues and stay committed to each other.

It's pretty unbelievable how the writers manage to write such terrific characters and keep the plot moving at the same time. Even characters like Rojelio and Petra, who should be one-note, are three-dimensional and interesting. In fact they may be my two favorite characters in the cast!

I loved the halo around Rafael in all his scenes. And the pool scene was great.

I hope Jane forgives her mom soon. I like their Gilmore Girl-y relationship.

[SilvaVocat]

I loved Jane and Michael's relationship this week. When they backed into each other at the bridal shop you could see them relax when they finally touched, because whatever was wrong they were together and they were going to work it out. It showed how comfortable they are together normally and how much they rely on each other. 

 

And honestly I don't blame Michael for being continually weirded out by his virginal girlfriend's pregnancy with the baby of her sexy boss with whom she one had a flirtation. 

[kirinan]

Okay, I've resisted getting caught back up in the "posting about shows" time-suck since TWoP closed, but this show has finally made me throw that resolution out the window. I love, love, LOVE this adorable show. I love all the characters, I love the narrator, I love the humor, I love the speaking in Spanish (I'm a German/Russian/Romanian/raised Jewish suburban midwestern girl, and it doesn't bother me a bit), I love the craziness, I love EVERYTHING. And I love that there are people out there who feel the same way.

I thought this episode was another perfect one. They do such a good job of showing the strong relationship between the three generations of Villanueva women. I think it's one of the most realistic aspects of the show, and that scene in the bridal shop made me cry. They were all so happy for that moment. I do feel that they redeemed Michael somewhat; I'm honestly not sure yet who I want Jane with, but I do think Michael and Petra have a lot of chemistry.

My favorite character on this show is fast becoming Xiomara. I've only ever seen Andrea Navedo as Nick Amaro's baby mama on SVU, and I will admit I've used the term "wet blanket" to describe Cynthia, her character on that show. But in this show? She's an absolute revelation. She was born to do comedy. I consistently laugh out loud at the things she says, and she just plays the hell out of a very flamboyant character. From the flashbacks to her in in a tux to the moment she had to face Jane about her father, she just nailed everything tonight.

I may have to start going to church and lighting candles to pray that this show makes it, because it makes me love television again.

[galax-arena]

The only two characters I don't really care for are Rafael and Michael. They're both rather dull relative to the other characters IMO.

 

Jane's dad is hilarious. "You're the mother of my only child... that I know of." 

 

I think my two favorite characters are Xiomara and Petra/Natalia, the latter because I feel like she has the most interesting story right now. 

[La Tortuga]

I love that Jane finally called Michael out. She has bent over backward to accomodate his feelings without compromising who she is, but ultimately Michael's feelings and how he deals with them are not her fault. So it was really nice to have her communicate that, and for him to think about it and realize that he was wrong. I felt like they were a real team, and for the first time I felt like Michael cares about Jane just as much as she cares about him.

 

As much as I enjoy Rogelio as a character, I don't think his "benign selfishness" is all that benign, and I think Xiomara is letting herself get swept away with feelings for him when she really shouldn't. Yes, he cares that she's his child's mother. Yes, they had fantastic sex. But I think in his mind those things are separate, whereas to Xiomara they are not, or at least they weren't, right up until he told her she couldn't expect to be his only lover. Now that he's given her an actual personalized bracelet, I wonder if she's going to expect some kind of commitment or exclusive relationship, or if she's going to expect him to keep sleeping around?

[ybrik]

I think I nearly died when I read the phrase SECRETLY BONING HIS SISTER when Rose appeared. Tbe text gags work for now just hope it isn't overdone.

Okay I'm trying to remember if Natalia has been mentioned before finding out about Petra.

Wasn't surprised Rafael and Petra working together but definitely surprised when he ended it with her.

Jane and her family continue to shine every ep.

[kia112]

Jane and Rafael in that pool had me dying.  "Baywatch!"  And the way Rafael flung himself with desperate abandon into that 4 feet of water was great physical comedy.

[Enginerd]

I love this show so much that I stayed up late to watch it even though I should have gone to bed two hours earlier. It never disappoints, it just gets better and better with more twists and turns.

I liked Rafe right from the start for shallow reasons, but the more I see of his character, the more entertaining I find him. Loved the flashback of his jackass playboy phase and meeting Petra for the first time...WHILE she was engaged to his nemesis, no less! And he really turned up the heat with that F-me look he gave her. I also thought he was very funny discussing the mixed-up letter with Jane, and I cheered when he blithely flipped the script on Petra, especially right after his comments about being a false ally, where she was in smug agreement, not knowing SHE was the one being played!

Rogelio is a continual delight. I love that he goes around town on his personal business in his show costumes, like the lavender presidential military suit. And that he thinks jeans and a t-shirt are ridiculous.

Since telenovelas like to tie the relationships between characters into a Gordian knot, I wonder if Michael's partner Nadine will be revealed to have more connections and backstory with some of the others.

And we finally found out some useful information: Rafe owns 20% of the hotel, but his father is still the majority owner.

[La Tortuga]

I'm still trying to figure out why Rafael is so blythely accepting that Jane's lawsuit will result in him losing his 20% share of the hotel. If he simply didn't want to be in the hotel business, I suppose I could understand it, but then why go the extra mile with his expansion presentation this episode and recruit Petra to help him pull a fast one on his dad's lackey? It can't just be about his personal beef with Petra's ex-fiance; his actions sound more like he wants to stay in the business. I think there's a long-game going on there, but I'm not certain what it is. If Luisa owns shares in the hotel, her father can't just take them from her and give them to Rafael. Perhaps Rafael is thinking his father will see that he is upholding all his obligations in spite of the terrible decisions of the people around him, and will (eventually) give controlling interest in the hotel to Rafael as a reward.

[JAYJAY1979]

The most interesting character/story is Petra/Natalia.  While she is the 'baddie' on the show, I still can't help but like her.  I think for the show to work on American tv long term, it has to give all of it's characters some grey shadings... So far, I think the good characters have been given that... but that also has to include the villians/villianess' as well.  Hopefully, Petra/Natalia continues to be shown with such shadings... she could be this show's Willemina... yes, I was a former Ugly Better Stan in the day :)

[anna0852]

I don't think Luisa owns any shares in the hotel. I think Rafe offered his shares as collateral to her insurance company when they refused her policy due to her drinking. If Luisa is sued and loses, then the insurance company gets to sell those shares to make up the loss.

[Irlandesa]

 Now that he's given her an actual personalized bracelet, I wonder if she's going to expect some kind of commitment or exclusive relationship, or if she's going to expect him to keep sleeping around?

 

I quoted this to say that I think she has wised up once she found out about his ex-wife.  But then I remembered she has apparently had terrible taste in men so maybe she will make the same mistake again. 

 

And after Rafael told Jane she was like a sister to him, I was wondering how they'd get him to like her that way, so the sexy dream was a good way to keep it all going. Their chemistry is insane and I'm rooting for them.

 

I think it actually started with the letter and it was a clever way to do that.  From what it sounded like she was writing, I bet he thought of her in a different way after that.  He put her in the "sister" zone but his subconscious was ready to take him elsewhere.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Irlandesa

[La Tortuga]

My husband caught snippets of this as I was watching. His reaction when Michael made Petra hide in Zaz's hotel room when Jane showed up was, "Did the cop just leave the suspect alone in the crime scene?!" In light of the later revelation that Petra is actually Natalia and speaks Czech, I'm curious about just how much false evidence she could have planted with just a few minutes and some spycraft skills.

[Enginerd]

The detectives had already thoroughly examined the scene (did Michael get Petra's necklace out of there?) so I think they would notice if she planted new false evidence.

I don't think Rafael every really thought of Jane as a sister. I think he was telling himself that to keep some distance, but I think he's always been attracted to her but is unused to having romantic/physical relationships with women who are also good, honest, interesting friends with whom he can have meaningful conversations. Petra is cunning, but I don't think he married her for her intellect, nor do I think they ever had the sort of emotional intimacy and comfort he already has with Jane.

[JellyFishQueen]

Realism time, wouldn't Michael go to jail for what he did at the crime scene?

[La Tortuga]

The detectives had already thoroughly examined the scene (did Michael get Petra's necklace out of there?) so I think they would notice if she planted new false evidence.

 

 

My chief argument against that is that it was Petra's idea to even go into the room in the first place. Michael was showing her crime scene photos, asking her to look for something he might have missed that could potentially clear her name. The room still hadn't been released at that point, because the police weren't done with their evidence-gathering. Whether Petra wanted to plant evidence or remove it, she couldn't do either unless she found some excuse to get onto the crime scene.

[rho]

Realism time, wouldn't Michael go to jail for what he did at the crime scene?

 

If he was convicted, the sentence is up to 20 years, but that would require he is caught and convicted. It's Petra's word against his and it's in her best interest to keep that information to herself.

[Enginerd]

The police had already seen everything that was there and taken photographs. They just didn't know if it was any different from how the room should have looked or normally looked, because the police detectives of course have no reason to go until AFTER the crime has been committed. This is why Michael wanted Petra to look at it, since he knew she had been there recently and often. She might notice if anything of Zaz's were missing or if things had been disturbed. Michael had been watching the room through the window before Zaz was killed, but this didn't give him a thorough view of the entire room, nor would he necessarily have noticed Zaz's various personal effects.

That doesn't mean that Petra wasn't trying to plant or remove something, but competent detectives should be able to notice whether something is different from their earlier investigation. Although Michael, for one, has been distracted by other things.

[La Tortuga]

How long had Zaz been staying in that particular room? Because if he lived there for a long time, I can see why the detectives would be uncertain about how the room normally looked--residences reflect the personality and habits of the person who spends all their time there. But if Zaz had only been a guest for a relatively short time, would the police have been able to compare the room to, say, an identical room on the next floor?

[Enginerd]

Did Zaz work for the hotel? I had the impression that he did, and that he had a suite there as his permanentish residence the same way Rafe and Petra do (though his was not as luxurious and customized as theirs is). But I don't know how long he had been there. But someone who had moved in versus staying for a week or two on a business trip or vacation should have more personal effects, probably most of his stuff, there.

[ParadoxLost]

Did Zaz work for the hotel? I had the impression that he did, and that he had a suite there as his permanentish residence the same way Rafe and Petra do (though his was not as luxurious and customized as theirs is). But I don't know how long he had been there. But someone who had moved in versus staying for a week or two on a business trip or vacation should have more personal effects, probably most of his stuff, there.

 

I got the impression that Rafe had recently bought the hotel in the pilot (or his Dad had owned and Rafe recently took over) because Jane didn't seem like a new employee but Zaz introduced himself to the staff like a new boss and Jane had never encountered Rafe before.

[NoNeinNyet]

Gina Rodriguez continues to be the best thing ever. I could watch her face show every emotion. She ran through quite a few of them in this episode.

 

Cunnilingus, or at least implied cunnilingus, seems to be showing up on TV at a much higher rate lately. This is a good development.

[scrb]

Was almost deadly for Tony Soprano.

[KYBlonde]

What in the actual effing hell is going on with the network (CW locally)?  No Jane last night and now no Vampire Diaries!  CW? You will pay for denying me my Ian fix!  **shakes fists!**

[KalEl]

This show caught me off guard for being so absolutely great. Yet another show hindered by a bad title. Sorry, but it is. Even after seeing that it got good reviews I refused to watch it until my younger sister insisted. Now I know how all those people felt when I pushed Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Cougar Town.

[LisaM]

Finally got to watch it after the NYC preemption. It reminds me a bit of the Gilmore Girls, my all time favorite show. Love the narrator...I literally laugh out loud at the comments and the typed descriptions. Liked the introduction of Lachlan and how Petra and Rafael worked together to beat him. Loved seeing Ignacio Suarez because the show also reminds me of Ugly Betty. Glad that Jane told Michael about the sex dream and also glad that Michael finally realized that the baby he wants no part of is part of his beloved Jane.

The Rogelio/Xiomara dance is terrific too.

[rallymantis]

The "Hey, 'Baywatch'!  It's four feet!"  = my new favorite line.

[Lady Calypso]

I liked this episode so much. I laughed so hard at the halo surrounding Rafael, and then it disappearing instantly as soon as he said he thinks of Jane like a sister. 

 

The text that appears when the narrator speaks is also hilarious. "Secretly boning his sister" has to be the highlight.

 

I like how Jane stood up to Michael, because he definitely deserved it. But I love how he realized how wrong he was and went to work it out with Jane. Their moment in the bridal shop was super sweet. Yet, I also really liked the Rafael/Jane pool scene. Good job show; I'm still rooting for Michael/Jane because them staying together would be a twist, but you're giving me reasons to like Rafael/Jane. I also love Rafael a lot and laughed when he ended things with Petra after teaming up with her. This show also was great in showing why Rafael/Petra got together in the first place. It shows that they do have similarities.

 

Petra is also known as Natalia and can speak Czech? Interesting.

 

Poor Jane; I don't blame her for being upset, but at least the secret is out there. I like how fast paced this show is and how it doesn't drag out secrets for long. It's only episode 4 and almost everything secret-related has been spilled. And I love the twists that the show has. It's kind of unpredictable, and I love it.

[Guest]

I'm loving this show.  It reminds me both of Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives.

 

But some silly nits-- Those bellman luggage carts don't leave gold paint on the walls, they're made of brass.  And Rafael would've clearly seen that Jane was about to step backward into the pool and warned her, given that was about her fourth step backwards. 

[CooperTV]

Michael being such an aggressively insecure person, it's almost unbelievable Jane is still trying to marry him, with all his ultimatums and guilt trips.  We know Raf is insecure because he has a life history of people screwing him over resulted in abandonment issues. What's Michael excuse to actively working to push Jane out of her job (so she wouldn't be around Rafael), hiding evidence (so Petra and Raf don't get divorced and adopt the baby) and being oversensitive when his fiance having sex dreams about another man?

At least he finally came to his senses a little, but he still didn't tell Jane the truth about Petra and her's and Raf's marriage.