S01.E09: Chapter Nine

[Tara Ariano]

Xo meets her idol when she attends an awards show with Rogelio, Jane and Alba. Meanwhile, a secret of Petra's is uncovered by Jane and Rafael, leading them to worry about how she really feels regarding the baby.

[Dejana]

Alba! She had better not be dead. Since this is heavily inspired by telenovelas, I'm going to hold out for amnesia.

 

I thought Rafael taking the drink from the stranger at the bar was a bit of uncharacteristic naivete, but if he actually believed that Petra is just turning 25 then he has a much longer history of being easily duped. Maybe he just thought she had a hard life in the old country? If he's Sin Rostro, I'm going to have a hard time buying it. I'm going to guess Petra's mom, for now.

 

I do like Jane and am glad she's too self-righteous to be a perfect character, but someone really needs to call her out on it.

 

I was wondering why Michael and Nadine were going to start to go at it on the bathroom counter when there were more comfortable places in the hotel room for sexytimes, but a hidden tunnel underneath the bathtub makes more sense logistically than under a bed or couch.
 

[nilyank]

I don't like Rafael and Jane looking smugly down on Petra. Okay, I really just don't like Rafael when he gets to be smug.

 

Poor Rogelio. He totally deserved to win the Oscar for Telenovelas.

[SeanC]

The fact that they've introduced the idea of Rafael being Sin Rostro here more or less means that he isn't.  The flashbacks also kind of make it seem like Magda isn't either, though, which is interesting.

 

I like the way they handle Jane and Rafael's different perspectives on things (also, count me on Team Rafael regarding school choices).

 

Much like last week's throwaway joke about Jane have a cheap lawyer, this week's Petra lawsuit plot was resolved by episode's end, but, for the sake of nitpicking:  getting that lawsuit thrown out of court would take about ten minutes.  Rule 1 of contract law is that a contract only binds parties to it, so it has zero applicability to Jane, who isn't a signatory.

[Dust Bunny]

I'm 95% sure (and have been for about 5 chapters) that Sin Rostro is Petra's mom, since it means "without a face". The standing up didn't really surprise me.

 

That said, Alba better be ok. 

 

Rogelio is probably my favorite character on this show. Jaime Camil plays him with such joy, I love seeing him on my screen. So cute the way he beamed, when hearing Xo met Paulina Rubio.

 

There has to be more about Michael's brother. Right now, he seems to be superfluous, so I'm curious to see what the writers might do with him.

 

I love this show. Hope it gets renewed soon.

[kia112]

#RogelioMyBrogelio

 

Yes.  I fully support that and want it on a shirt.

[galax-arena]

Okay, I really just don't like Rafael when he gets to be smug.

Yeah, smug really isn't a good look for Rafael, it makes his face look so punchable. And while I do like Jane, when you pair her sense of self-righteousness with Rafael's smugness, it's like a perfect storm of nope. But they were pretty cute on the bus ride. 

 

I think my favorite relationship on the show is Xio and Jane's. And I just love Xio in general. 

[Chrissytd]

Alba! She had better not be dead. Since this is heavily inspired by telenovelas, I'm going to hold out for amnesia.

I'm thinking coma then amnesia.

[blugirlami21]

I agree that Petra's case doesn't hold any water.  She used duplicity to get the sperm sample in the first place and now she has no claim on the child biologically or otherwise now that she and Rafael are divorcing.  They should have laughed in her face.  Which they would have if Jane wasn't afraid that the court proceedings would bring attention to Alba.

 

Rafe and Jane continue to be as cute as ever and I like that they have differences that they are working on together.  The bus scene had me rolling.

 

I'm so glad that Rogelio is still looking out for his boo Xo.  I hope they get together soon.

 

Magda hurt Alba.  She has to go.  I really don't think the flashback proved or disproved anything about Magda being Sin Rostro.  Maybe she became the crime lord after they left their home country.  They did say it would be shocking so I'm not sure she would be the one anyway.  I think it's either Michael or his partner.

[Irlandesa]

I don't like Rafael and Jane looking smugly down on Petra. Okay, I really just don't like Rafael when he gets to be smug.

The smugness didn't bother me the way it normally would after such a tragic past about the "villainess" had been revealed. I'd normally be all sympathetic to Petra here.

 

But Petra did something a few episodes ago that is a huge pet peeve of mine--she falsely accused Rafael of domestic violence.  So, IMO, he's got a few smug-a-bitches left in regards to Petra before I'll feel like it's too much. 

 

And Michael did something tonight that normally wouldn't bother me in fiction but my feelings that there isn't much police accountability in real life lately colored my reaction to his breaking into Rafael's office.  I loved that the "evidence" was MIA and I would've loved if Rafael had stuck his tongue out at him--smugly [assuming he moved the stuff in the safe.]

 

In general, I like Petra and Michael as characters.  I just didn't want them to have "wins" in this ep.

 

Going back to Petra for a second, that back story was quite something, wasn't it?  But it also sort of makes Petra's story fall apart. Her history seems tragic and sad.   So why the hell hasn't she told Rafael this information?  It's not like he had a lot of animosity towards her, even when he felt they needed to divorce.  That came when she started fighting it and when he found out about her affair.

[Minneapple]

Alba! Noooooo! Since the previews looked happy I'm guessing she's not dead, but eff you Magda for hurting her!

Since everyone is guessing that Magda is Sin Rostro, I'm going to guess that she's not. I wasn't surprised that she can walk, though.

Rafael and Jane are cute. The bus ride was adorable.

But of all characters, I think Petra may be my favorite. She is impossible to pigeonhole into any kind of trope, which is why I like her so much. Actually all the characters on this show avoid the trope curse.

[natyxg]

What was the point of the bus ride?

 

We know that Jane has a car -- the one Rogelio gave her in an earlier episode.   Rafael probably has a whole fleet, along with drivers.  Is taking the bus somehow suppose to make you more "real" or "grounded"? 

 

I think it was about Rafael being exposed to Jane's day to day life. He is a rich kid, always has been. Jane isn't. Up till very recently she always took the bus, and I think she still takes it on occasion. So it was the equivalent of Rafael taking her in a Limo to a fancy affair of his, which I assume will happen at some point.

 

Magda hurt Alba.  She has to go.  I really don't think the flashback proved or disproved anything about Magda being Sin Rostro.  Maybe she became the crime lord after they left their home country.  They did say it would be shocking so I'm not sure she would be the one anyway.  I think it's either Michael or his partner.

 

I think the flashback DID disprove the theory of Magda being Sin Rostro. First of all, because it established Magda and Natalia as common folk back at their country. From their flashback and the story Petra/Natalia told Jane, it didn't sound like they came from money. And in that case they wouldn't owe money to that guy or wouldn't have to desperately scramble for money now that he's back. they didn't seem powerful. It seemed to me that Petra was just a commoner who got involved with a nasty guy that she's running from now.

 

Secondly, the timing doesn't fit. Sin Rostro is a renown drug dealer who disappeared for 5 years and now is back. So six years ago, when Petra and Magda were still in their country, SR was already established over at the US. I don't think it's coincidence that they picked exactly this episode to start throwing suspicion Rafael's way... I think it's because this episode "cleared" Magda and Petra.

 

I do think Magda killed that guy who got impaled, though. For the same reason she pushed Alba down the stairs: to protect Petra and herself. In fact, both incidents are similar, the other guy was pushed out of a window, IIRC.

 

The only thing that might tie Magda and Petra to SR is that guy who arrived at the hotel in a SR cargo. He was from their country. Maybe it's Petra's ex and the real SR tipped him off?

 

I don't know what they will come up with, but right now I don't think it's Magda. It's obviously not gonna be Rafael either.

[Primetimer]

On the eve of the Palomas -- the highest honour in telenovelas -- Rogelio finds time to honour Xo.

Read the story

[Enginerd]

Awwww, poor Ivan. All that diligent effort, thwarted in a second. I wanted to see how Santos got out of the handcuffs, too! But can't he drag himself with the chair to the door while Petra and Magda are out? What exactly do they have him cuffed to?

I love how the characters are multifaceted. I still think Petra/Natalia is a shady gold-digging shyster who MOSTLY only wanted the baby for money, but she has some sympathy-inducing aspects as well. And I'm pretty sure Magda was shady since long before Milos's attack. I'm going to have to rewatch all the episodes during the hiatus to try to figure out why Petra owes the money and how Milos and Ivan both figure into the current situation. If Petra had been merely a woman desperate to escape an abusive ex and owed the money to Ivan for help with immigrating and maybe Magda's medical expenses, why wouldn't she have told that to Rafael when she married him? He would have helped her out with the money if it were that straightforward.

We didn't get a look at any of those passports inside the safe. Why were Michael and Nadine so sure that meant funny business? I have multiple passports. They expire every ten years. And Rafael may have dual citizenship or something; we don't know where his parents are from and whatnot. And I would think plenty of rich people have a big stack of cash in a safe for emergencies. Not sure about the key sewn into the wallet. A plant? Why would a person SEW the key into the wallet instead of just putting it in a pocket?

I love telenovelas, but one of my biggest complaints about them is that often the main couple will have a misunderstanding and they will overreact and be apart for weeks or months. I like that Jane and Rafael have disagreements but get over it and work through their issues. The other thing that bothers me about lots of telenovelas is the way the villains seem to keep winning all the time and the good guys can never catch a break until the very end. I appreciate how in this show, there are big issues that will take a long time to overcome, but the good people aren't total idiots and they win some battles along the way and at least don't make it easy for the villains through their own stupidity and dysfunction.

Why would any top lawyer even take Petra's case? She has no case. Jane is not a surrogate. It's JANE's biological child, whatever initial misgivings she had about the pregnancy notwithstanding. Jane is no part of the contract between Rafael and Petra. They should absolutely just laugh at her and invite her to take it to court and have a judge laugh at her. And I'm sure a good lawyer and a detective are cheaper than whatever Rafael thinks it would cost to make Petra go away. They should hire Veronica Mars.

I need a Rohuglio.

Were there some hilarious names on those seat cards at the awards venue? I need to watch again. I also need to watch Rogelio trash-talk his rival some more.

[swimmyfish]

I think it was about Rafael being exposed to Jane's day to day life. He is a rich kid, always has been. Jane isn't. Up till very recently she always took the bus, and I think she still takes it on occasion. So it was the equivalent of Rafael taking her in a Limo to a fancy affair of his, which I assume will happen at some point.

 

I thought they also mentioned that XO would be taking Jane's car to her audition?

 

Also, while Rogelio will always be my brogelio, I think Ivan is quickly rising in the ranks. I'm so sorry that he didn't get to escape, but I did love his ingenuity, and that his failure to escape (hopefully!) means he's going to be sticking around for a while.

[gesundheit]

Why would any top lawyer even take Petra's case? She has no case. Jane is not a surrogate. It's JANE's biological child, whatever initial misgivings she had about the pregnancy notwithstanding. Jane is no part of the contract between Rafael and Petra. They should absolutely just laugh at her and invite her to take it to court and have a judge laugh at her. And I'm sure a good lawyer and a detective are cheaper than whatever Rafael thinks it would cost to make Petra go away. 

If it hadn't been for the fact that she arranged for the insemination surreptitiously, she'd still have rights to the child. That said, she'd share rights with Rafael, not with Jane. (In other words, whatever custody arrangement Rafael had with Jane, he'd have to then take that and split it with Petra somehow. But it wouldn't impact Jane's parental rights.)

 

I agree with those of you above who find smug to be a bad look on Rafael. I'm ambivalent about him to begin with and that component is starting to make my decision a little easier. Which sucks! Because it's a pretty important part of enjoying the show.

 

I could not love Rogelio more, though.

[Bouffe]

But Petra did something a few episodes ago that is a huge pet peeve of mine--she falsely accused Rafael of domestic violence.  So, IMO, he's got a few smug-a-bitches left in regards to Petra before I'll feel like it's too much. 

 

Going back to Petra for a second, that back story was quite something, wasn't it?  But it also sort of makes Petra's story fall apart. Her history seems tragic and sad.   So why the hell hasn't she told Rafael this information?  It's not like he had a lot of animosity towards her, even when he felt they needed to divorce.  That came when she started fighting it and when he found out about her affair.

The smugness didn't bother me either because Petra is fighting a fight that should have ended long ago. She's being revengeful and all she wants is money. Also, as you stated, falsely accusing your ex-husband of domestic abuse is not ok.

 

Petra's back story is indeed tragic and sad, and I felt sympathy for her. But why she didn't share this info with Rafael eludes me. Was she worried she'd be found? She could have tell him everything and I'm sure he would have understood. Although if she had told him...  We wouldn't have the delightful drama that we have now, would we? :)

[natyxg]

If Petra had been merely a woman desperate to escape an abusive ex and owed the money to Ivan for help with immigrating and maybe Magda's medical expenses, why wouldn't she have told that to Rafael when she married him?

 

Because she was living under a false identity and such? By the time Petra met Rafael she had a life as Petra and was so into her role that she wasn't going to risk that. Plus, by the time she married Rafael the issue was solved. The problem was that Ivan came back recently and she had no money to give him because she was separating/divorcing Rafael. After she cheated on him and they could no longer stand each other she was gonna ask for his help? I don't think so.

 

We didn't get a look at any of those passports inside the safe.

 

My problem with that scene was that they could've just gone back 5 minutes later, when the cost was clear, and LOOK AT THE STUFF IN THE SAFE. It makes no sense that they would not want to look at it thoroughly, specially considering that they had all night to do it. Even if he opened the safe with a warrant and everything was still there, he could've ended up looking like a fool if it was full of innocent things that he didn't bother to check when he had the chance.

 

Why would any top lawyer even take Petra's case? She has no case. Jane is not a surrogate. It's JANE's biological child, whatever initial misgivings she had about the pregnancy notwithstanding. Jane is no part of the contract between Rafael and Petra. They should absolutely just laugh at her and invite her to take it to court and have a judge laugh at her.

 

I thought the same thing, frankly.

 

If it hadn't been for the fact that she arranged for the insemination surreptitiously, she'd still have rights to the child. That said, she'd share rights with Rafael, not with Jane. (In other words, whatever custody arrangement Rafael had with Jane, he'd have to then take that and split it with Petra somehow. But it wouldn't impact Jane's parental rights.)

 

Why? The child is not hers biologically. Jane signed nothing. Isn't it the equivalent of Jane being "the other woman" and carrying Rafael's child? Jane is NOT a surrogate.  Surrogates sign a contract and if the surrogate is the bio mother they would even have to give away their parental rights, I imagine. None of this has happened.

[Bouffe]

I really enjoy all the characters, villains and heroes alike. They are all well thought out, well executed and can be appreciated for what they bring to the story. Very well done.

 

The only characters we do not know much about are Nadine and Rafael's father. 

 

We are all speculating on who is Sin Rostro and this episode, for me, cleared some suspects. It's not Magda (that would be too obvious - or maybe the fact it would be so obvious is what they are going for and she is SR?) and it's not Rafael. I will most likely change my mind again, but for now, my money is on either Nadine, who seems very shady (why not call their superiors when they were stalking the pier?), and on Raf's dad, who we really do not know much about. He seems like a really tough man, expect Raf to be perfect and trust Lochlan? Speaking of which, where was he this episode?

 

Rogelio is fantastic!

 

Alba better not be hurt...  Magda, you will pay for this!

[Bouffe]

Question - when has Michael's brother started working at the hotel? I do not recall him working there?

[JAYJAY1979]

This episode added more layers to Petra including the reason for changing her idenity...plus the reason she is so easily controlled by her mother. I actually felt sorry for her and see her more as an.anti heroine then a villianess.

I don't think Magda is SR.but I do think she is pretending to still.need the wheel chair in order to continue guilting/controlling Petra. I have a feeling she is going to frame her daughter for her crimes and using the wheel chair, etc as her alibi...revenge for causing her disfigurement and causing them to run and blowing it with Rafael.etc.

Just my theory.

I do wonder if Nadine is tied to SR.. she could be a dirty cop on SRs payroll and could have tipped off SR about the passports being discovered.

[SeanC]

If it hadn't been for the fact that she arranged for the insemination surreptitiously, she'd still have rights to the child. That said, she'd share rights with Rafael, not with Jane. (In other words, whatever custody arrangement Rafael had with Jane, he'd have to then take that and split it with Petra somehow. But it wouldn't impact Jane's parental rights.)

No, she wouldn't have rights to the child.  Petra having rights would hinge on Jane being a surrogate, which she isn't.

 

Likewise, I don't believe that agreement would give her any rights vis a vis Rafael either, because Jane isn't a surrogate, so the child isn't Rafael's and Petra's, it's Rafael's and Jane's; one parent can't unilaterally contract away their share of parental rights to a third party.

Edited December 16, 2014 by SeanC

[Enginerd]

Why would Petra and Rafael have discussed the possibility of a surrogate seriously enough to have actually made a contract about it? Their fertility issue was only that Rafael was sterile after the cancer and he only had one sample stored, right? Petra did have a miscarriage but we haven't heard any indication that she didn't think she could carry another pregnancy to term; in fact, she intended to use Raf's sperm to get pregnant herself. If anything, I would have thought they'd have discussed the possibility of a sperm donor, not a surrogate.

[Enginerd]

My construction industry professional side has a hard time believing someone would create a tunnel under that bathtub (and somehow I thought Zaz's room was on an upper floor. Or is this the crate guy's room?), even rigging it up to lift automatically and still presumably function as a bathtub (because housekeeping would have noticed if the plumbing didn't work), and yet leave the edges of the floor opening raw with insulation and stuff hanging out.

I admit this does have my curiosity piqued! Where does the tunnel go? How much lead time and insider connections would you need to have a tunnel built under a hotel bathtub? Who anticipated this need and executed the construction? Who is in the plastic surgery recovery suites?

[natyxg]

Why would Petra and Rafael have discussed the possibility of a surrogate seriously enough to have actually made a contract about it? Their fertility issue was only that Rafael was sterile after the cancer and he only had one sample stored, right? Petra did have a miscarriage but we haven't heard any indication that she didn't think she could carry another pregnancy to term; in fact, she intended to use Raf's sperm to get pregnant herself. If anything, I would have thought they'd have discussed the possibility of a sperm donor, not a surrogate.

 

Excellent point! When the whole thing started I feared that they would reveal that Jane had signed some papers when she decided to give the baby to Petra and Rafael. But when it turned out that she didn't, because no one mentioned them, I couldn't understand why Jane and Raf didn't just laugh in Petra's face and gave her the finger. Metaphorically speaking, of course. I get that Jane was afraid of court proceedings because of her abuela, but that seemed to be like it could be squashed in one visit to the courtroom. Maybe there is a lawyer lurking around her that could confirm it would've been like that?

[gesundheit]

Why would Petra and Rafael have discussed the possibility of a surrogate seriously enough to have actually made a contract about it? Their fertility issue was only that Rafael was sterile after the cancer and he only had one sample stored, right? Petra did have a miscarriage but we haven't heard any indication that she didn't think she could carry another pregnancy to term; in fact, she intended to use Raf's sperm to get pregnant herself. If anything, I would have thought they'd have discussed the possibility of a sperm donor, not a surrogate.

Exactly. And had she not been sneaky about it and done the insemination behind Rafael's back, she would certainly have a case regarding a child that is her husband's bio-kid that was meant to be hers. That'd be one hell of a lawsuit. (Regardless of whatever this contract was that she brought up -- who's to say what it really said since we only got about one sentence explaining it.)

 

And of course we can all do our legal surmising based on the numerous precedents of cases regarding accidental inseminations that were done on the down-low. Countless!

 

I wonder if this show is going to be as awesome once there's an actual baby. Few shows are. I get nervous, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

 

I miss Luisa again.

[Enginerd]

Why doesn't Rafael countersue Petra for stealing his sperm? Is that not enough to negate any of her divorce demands? I mean that IN ADDITION to her adultery?

What if, after the baby is born, it needs a blood transfusion or something and they discover that it isn't Rafael's biochild after all? Because the clinic mixed up the samples? And his one sample is still safe and sound waiting to be used, and Jane's baby's biodad is...dun.dun.dun...Santiago!

...or Lachlan.

[Tigershark]

 

I get that Jane was afraid of court proceedings because of her abuela, but that seemed to be like it could be squashed in one visit to the courtroom. Maybe there is a lawyer lurking around her that could confirm it would've been like that?

 

I'm less familiar with child custody/surrogacy issues, but the short answer is yes a case where someone tries to bind a non-party to a contract would, in almost all cases, not survive a motion to dismiss.  A lot of times a motion to dismiss just entails a lawyer filing paperwork, and does not entail a visit to the courtroom.  (At least it does in California, I don't know about Florida.)

 

As a lawyer, the whole Alba being afraid of courthouse, so Jane dismissed the lawsuit story was laughable because the writers clearly don't know how the American legal system works.  A case like that would 1. not require Luisa's presence; 2. would probably be settled quickly and out of court, and no one, except possibly the lawyers, would have to go to court, and 3. There is no reason why Alba would be involved.  When it comes to horrible errors in the legal system, I'm willing to forgive a show like this, which is very stylized, but less forgiving when it's a serious legal drama like The Good Wife (usually good, but there was one episode last year that got everything wrong) or How to Get Away with Murder (I lasted one episode).

[natyxg]

Thanks, Tigershark.

[blugirlami21]

I don't think she was afraid that Alba would be needed for the case so much as she didn't want Alba to stress if the court proceeding did go ahead.  I was afraid that Petra would do some digging of her own and find out that Alba was undocumented and use that as leverage.  It actually seems stupid of her not to try to find dirt on Jane considering Petra's character so far.  Anyone with eyes can see that Rafael is following Jane's lead right now and if Petra blackmailed Jane, I have no doubt that Rafael would pay to make it go away.

 

I agree about How to Get Away With Murder though.  None of the things they did and continue to do on that show would ever work in real life.

[commadrama]

I wonder if this show is going to be as awesome once there's an actual baby. Few shows are. I get nervous, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

 

Yes, this! I've been wondering the exact same thing. Because once Jane makes her romantic choice and the crazy, anticipatory baby-related hijinks are over...what else is there? Part of me would be sad if this show only had one season, but the other part of me would rather that the show be short-lived and high quality.

 

On an unrelated note, there's something that really bugs me about the way Jane pronounces "Rafael" when she's talking about him with her family. It's not the accent that it bothers me; it's that she seems to say it with so much unnecessary EMPHASIS.

 

Rafa-EL!

[Enginerd]

There's what's legal, and then there is what vengeful greedy ratfinks will do to get what they want, which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with proper legal proceedings. Jane and Rafael already know that Petra isn't afraid to play dirty. I think they're right to be concerned that if she can't get what she wants with a frivolous lawsuit, she might dig deeper for whatever she can find to use as leverage, and they know there is something to find in the form of Alma's undocumented status. So it's a good idea for them to look for counter-blackmail material and get ahead of her before she resorts to any digging of her own after her ridiculous legal proceedings don't do the trick.

[mrsbagnet]

 

My construction industry professional side has a hard time believing someone would create a tunnel under that bathtub (and somehow I thought Zaz's room was on an upper floor. Or is this the crate guy's room?), even rigging it up to lift automatically and still presumably function as a bathtub (because housekeeping would have noticed if the plumbing didn't work), and yet leave the edges of the floor opening raw with insulation and stuff hanging out.

 

That reveal was one of my favorite scenes in the episode because I saw a news story recently about a drug kingpin who was finally captured, and it turned out that during the pursuit, he had escaped from his house via a tunnel under the bathtub, exactly like we saw in this episode.

 

I am practical and a pessimist, so although I am happy that Jane and Rafael are together, I agree with her assessment that their differences will cause problems in their relationship. I did think it was really cute, though, when Rafael referred to baby as "our peach" because of what the doctor had said about its size.

Edited December 17, 2014 by mrsbagnet

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm a "just tuned in" viewer.  I've seen all the episodes in a matter of days and I'm a fan.

 

I've read most of the episode threads so can I please add my general thoughts that I haven't seen posted?

 

- I hate Nadine.

- Magda looks like Mariel Hemingway.

- I think Petra is so dazzlingly gorgeous.  And I enjoy her acting.

 

Thanks!

[herbaltease]

When it comes to horrible errors in the legal system, I'm willing to forgive a show like this [snip]

 

Just as I'm willing to forgive it for magically assigning Jane and Xo licenses to drive when they didn't own a car before nor displayed an inclination to buy one.  Eh.

 

I'm glad Xo got to meet her idol.  Paulina Rubio has been wise to stick to singing instead of acting, though.  The reveal with Rogelio was predictable, but still sweet.  Jaime Camil remains my favorite part of this show.  

[Enginerd]

When I was in high school (not in Miami, but still), driver education was offered very very cheaply through the school, so everyone took the class and got a license even if they had no car or need to drive anytime soon. If nothing else, it's useful as identification, and it's handy to have because you're hoping that someday you will own a car/go on a vacation or business trip and rent a car/perhaps have a job, and it might involve needing to drive. If nothing else, you didn't want to be the only person in your circle who couldn't drive. And we know Xiomara had a car at one time, because she got a parking ticket that made Alba freak out. I can believe Xo and Jane would both have learned to drive for the just in case convenience and the teen rite of passage of getting a license. Miami is not really THAT convenient, public-transit-wise. Most people there want to be able to drive if they might ever be able to have a car.

[Irlandesa]

If it hadn't been for the fact that she arranged for the insemination surreptitiously, she'd still have rights to the child. That said, she'd share rights with Rafael, not with Jane. (In other words, whatever custody arrangement Rafael had with Jane, he'd have to then take that and split it with Petra somehow. But it wouldn't impact Jane's parental rights.)

I'm confused.  How does what Petra did affect whether or not she has a case? 

 

I'm no lawyer but Petra doesn't have rights or ownership or anything over Rafael's sperm even if they were married. He couldn't go have sex with some random stranger, get her pregnant and have to share custody with Petra as his ex-wife.  Therefore, she doesn't have a claim on Jane's baby either.

 

Now, if this were an embryo where Rafael's sperm had merged with Petra's egg, she'd have a claim.  (And boy, would that have been an interesting premise because that really would shake things up in terms of rights.)  But that's not the case here.  In court, the only thing that would matter is the fact that Rafael was the biological father and that Jane was the biological mother.  Any agreement about a possible surrogacy wouldn't matter because that's not what happened. In fact, had they used a surrogate, they likely would have had the surrogate carry an embryo that included Petra's egg.

 

The problem was that Ivan came back recently and she had no money to give him because she was separating/divorcing Rafael. After she cheated on him and they could no longer stand each other she was gonna ask for his help? I don't think so.

 

I still think she could have asked.  She cheated on him but it's not like she destroyed his faith in her because of the infidelity--all it did was confirm to him that she was only sticking it out for the money.  He thought she was a gold digger for the sake of being a gold digger.  Based on what we've seen of him, I do think he'd be much more sympathetic to the fact that it's a life and death situation for her.

[Kromm]

Alba better not be hurt...  Magda, you will pay for this!

This is a telenovela (well. mostly), so while she's probably not dead, what results could be anything from a coma for a few episodes, to a bump on the head that causes her to forget what happened that day.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Kromm

[penelope79]

I'm not from US, therefore I don't know how law works in these cases, but when Rafael and Jane told Petra they found out she's actually someone else, all I could think of was: "Is the marriage still valid? Rafael married Petra, but the real Petra died in 2008 and the woman claiming to be Petra is actually Natalia. Is the marriage even legal?"

 

I agree that, by now, having Magda being Sin Rostro would be too obvious (and thank you natyxg for pointing out that the timing doesn't work either); still she lied to her daughter for some reason because she can walk and Petra obviously doesn't know. JAYJAY1979 I think you may be on to something.

 

I like Rafael, hence I was happy to see Michael fail this time. My first thought was that his brother was somehow involved in the failure, though, since their relastionship is not exactly idyllic.

 

Considering Sin Rostro must be someone the audience already know and that the cast is not too big, I'd place my money on Rafael's father at the moment. Michael thinks it's Rafael because Sin Rostro has been inactive for 5 years, the same years Rafael had cancer, but if Sin Rostro is actually his father, it would make sense that he focused his attention on his son's illness, rather than the drug trafficking. Besides, we don't know anything about him, except that he's married to his daughter's ex-lover.

 

That said, I'm not 100% sure. But I'm glad to wait and see, because this show rocks! :D

[natyxg]

I'm not from US, therefore I don't know how law works in these cases, but when Rafael and Jane told Petra they found out she's actually someone else, all I could think of was: "Is the marriage still valid? Rafael married Petra, but the real Petra died in 2008 and the woman claiming to be Petra is actually Natalia. Is the marriage even legal?"

 

I agree that, by now, having Magda being Sin Rostro would be too obvious (and thank you natyxg for pointing out that the timing doesn't work either); still she lied to her daughter for some reason because she can walk and Petra obviously doesn't know. JAYJAY1979 I think you may be on to something.

 

I like Rafael, hence I was happy to see Michael fail this time. My first thought was that his brother was somehow involved in the failure, though, since their relastionship is not exactly idyllic.

 

Considering Sin Rostro must be someone the audience already know and that the cast is not too big, I'd place my money on Rafael's father at the moment. Michael thinks it's Rafael because Sin Rostro has been inactive for 5 years, the same years Rafael had cancer, but if Sin Rostro is actually his father, it would make sense that he focused his attention on his son's illness, rather than the drug trafficking. Besides, we don't know anything about him, except that he's married to his daughter's ex-lover.

 

That said, I'm not 100% sure. But I'm glad to wait and see, because this show rocks! :D

 

Very good point. That marriage may not be legal anyway.

 

I think Magda is lying about walking to keep Petra under her thumb, through guilt and by making herself appear helpless so Petra wil never leave her.

 

About Sin Rostro: what about Rose? Rafael's father doesn't seem intriguing to me at all, but I keep wondering what the hell she's about, why did a lawyer just quit to become a trophy wife? Why so adamant to keep her marriage when it's obvious she doesn't love him? Maybe there is some convoluted backstory there about Sin Rostro being her dad and secret rival to Raf's dad, and now she has come back for revenge by taking his place and operating at the hotel to frame Raf's dad.. or something. lol. I used to think she is too unimportant to be SR, but maybe that's the point.

[Bouffe]

This is a telenovela (well. mostly), so while she's probably not dead, what results could be anything from a coma for a few episodes, to a bump on the head that causes her to forget what happened that day.

I know... I was being over dramatic, like Rogelio ;)

[penelope79]

 

About Sin Rostro: what about Rose? Rafael's father doesn't seem intriguing to me at all, but I keep wondering what the hell she's about, why did a lawyer just quit to become a trophy wife? Why so adamant to keep her marriage when it's obvious she doesn't love him? Maybe there is some convoluted backstory there about Sin Rostro being her dad and secret rival to Raf's dad, and now she has come back for revenge by taking his place and operating at the hotel to frame Raf's dad.. or something. lol. I used to think she is too unimportant to be SR, but maybe that's the point.

 

I like your theory! :)

[gesundheit]

I'm confused.  How does what Petra did affect whether or not she has a case? 

If she'd been on the level, it affects a lot. That's a pretty egregious piece of medical negligence. She could make a pretty penny.

[Enginerd]

I believe that in the U.S., a marriage is still valid even if one of the parties used a false name. This is based on one time discussing it with someone when something similar happened on a different show, and that person looked it up. So, you know, solid evidence that this is the case :).

However, not just using a non-legal name but forging an entire identity and lying about anything and everything may well be grounds for an annulment.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I can believe Xo and Jane would both have learned to drive for the just in case convenience and the teen rite of passage of getting a license.

Getting a driver's license is the standard way to have identification. States now offer an ID that's just an ID, but it's really meant for those who need identification but aren't qualified to drive (e.g having poor vision). Not wanting to stand out because of Alba would be sufficient reason for Xo and Jane to have licenses.

[possibilities]

Petra is guilty of identity theft, fraud, and immigration violations. It's not that she just used a name other than the one on her birth certificate (lots of people call themselves by a nickname or have a legal name and an "everyday name" for innocent reasons like they just don't like their given name, or they have a family nickname, or they are famous and don't want to mix work and private life, or whatever-- or they are fleeing from violence); it's that she stole the identity of another person, for the purposes of getting into the country illegally, and deceived her husband about who she was, entirely.

 

We know she was fleeing violence, but lots of people are, and they still get deported. And Rafael didn't know-- and now she's trying to extort money from him. She couldn't reveal Alba's secret without having her own cover blown, so even if she does research it, she's in a bad bargaining position. All this without even considering that she unfroze and "used up" his last sperm sample without his permission, and has now kidnapped someone and has been holding him chained in her apartment.... Though if she thought she could spin the kidnapping as "I caught a criminal" she could maybe have used that as a bargaining chip with law enforcement, giving them a line to a higher up crime boss, and getting her a little leniency on some of her own crimes. But unless it's a really big fish she's helping them catch, I don't think she could trade Ivan for total immunity from everything at this point.

 

Don't forget she was cheating on Rafael with his supposed best friend-- which is indisputably documented by Michael's surveillance. So that also undermines any claims she might be making as Rafael's wife.

Edited December 17, 2014 by possibilities

[Irlandesa]

If she'd been on the level, it affects a lot. That's a pretty egregious piece of medical negligence. She could make a pretty penny.

Without Rafael's support, I still don't think she has a case.

[Dejana]

Maybe the writers are basing Petra's case to have a claim on the child on what can happen when the situation is reversed. Historically, the terrain has been murkier about the legal father, if a woman is married to one man but pregnant by another, especially before DNA tests came along. I didn't even think about the existence of a surrogacy contract making no sense, but perhaps an agreement was drawn up as one of the many options Rafael and Petra explored when he was being treated for cancer? It doesn't square with Petra being inseminated, I agree.

 

Rose as Sin Rostro? I like it!

 

No one is going to believe Alba when she blames Magda for pushing her down the stairs, or they will say the head bump has made her imagine things.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Dejana

[natyxg]

No one is going to believe Alba when she blames Magda for pushing her down the stairs, or they will say the head bump has made her imagine things.

 

Lets be real: that is why she was drunk to begin with (storywise, I mean).

[Kromm]

Lets be real: that is why she was drunk to begin with (storywise, I mean).

Good point. Between a head bump and actually being drunk, that will explain her having no memory of that night to people, and it will also be what gets the blame for her falling down the stairs.

 

Makes it far more likely she's okay, when you think about that.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Kromm