S02.E01: Chapter Twenty-Three

[kia112]

Just watched this last night and I'm still Team Rafael, if for no other reason than Justin Baldoni's physical comedy.  The way he just ran into the pool instead of jumping in like a normal person killed me.  He did the same thing when Jane fell in, didn't he?

[jjjmoss]

I do like Petra and I wouldn't be upset if she had tried to win Rafael back in a normal manner.  Trying to rekindle whatever feelings led them to get married in the first place.  But I can't get behind her if she's always using these underhanded tactics.

I'd be bored with her if she did that. She'd just be the third wheel. Scheming and plotting make her exciting and separates/differentiates her from the Good Characters who need to be balanced out.

 

I mean, ideally she'd plot and scheme for things other than boring Raf, but I'll take what I can get.

Edited October 17, 2015 by jjjmoss

[Irlandesa]

That's why I'm hoping this season, we can see Rafael try a little harder with Xo, and try a little harder with her family. It doesn't necessarily have to be a complete success, but if he tries for more than just a single episode, I think it would be beneficial. Plus, I'd love for Rafael to stand up to Xo for being too overprotective and I'd love a storyline where Xo is being overprotective with Mateo and Rafael has to stand up to her. And yes, I realize it could backfire horribly on him but oh well.

My sister has been dating her boyfriend for a year and the idea of him going out alone with my mom for lunch strikes me as weird which is why I think the relationship Raf and Xo and Raf and Rogelio have feels realistic right now. 

 

But I will agree with you that I think it'd be better for the show and for the character of Rafael to integrate him more into Jane's family and give him stories with them, especially since he doesn't really have much of a support system. (A complaint I had last year as well.)  Perhaps the baby will open up some doors that simply dating Jane didn't. 

[wingster55]

Just watched this last night and I'm still Team Rafael, if for no other reason than Justin Baldoni's physical comedy. The way he just ran into the pool instead of jumping in like a normal person killed me. He did the same thing when Jane fell in, didn't he?

I don't know what you mean. In this ep he (and Michael) both jumped in like anyone would. Although Michael didn't jump so much as literally run (but wasn't played for comedy).

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Who Wins And Who Loses As Jane The Virgin Pays Off Its Mother Of A Cliffhanger?
Let's rank the characters of Jane The Virgin after the events of the season premiere!

[natyxg]

I seriously considered dropping this show after last season got so stale in the last stretch, but I saw gifs on tumblr from the pool scene and I had to check wtf was that about, so I watched it. I liked it a lot, more than I thought I would. I thought they made the effort to be funny, and I enjoyed it. The donuts floating in the pool as Michael and Rafael swam by just killed me, lmao. So, I hope they keep making the effort to be funny. I don't care about love triangles or telenovela love stories, it's why the last stretch of last season didn't work for me, but I could work with them if they're funny, if the show doesn't take itself too seriously.

 

I'm not too excited by whatever new villain that mystery person was, tbh. And i'm mostly disappointed by how they dealt with Sin Rostro's plot after that awesome reveal that it was Rose. I felt that way with this episode, too, when we got yet another mysterious call from a Rose whose face we aren't allowed to see anymore. Yawn.

 

I loved Michael in this episode. I guess the time for Jane/Michael is coming, again.

 

I assume Petra will get pregnant, cause otherwise things wouldn't keep getting complicated. but talk about miraculously successful inseminations that just happen to occur when the women are ovulating, even though the inseminations are basically unplanned.

[JohnnyBravo]

Love this show and the narrator is top class.

[Shades of Red]

Glad the show is back and it's actually one I watch in real time vs on the PVR.

 

I suspend belief in so many things, but the semen sample thing here is irritating me to no end.  The sample has thawed, been kept in a container that doesn't have any cooling properties, has been out for several days and generally hasn't been taken care of very well since leaving the clinic.  Having worked in a lab for years I know how difficult it is to maintain any kind of stability in such a sample, let alone one that you want to use to get pregnant.  Just not happening - sorry, can't fan wave that one.   There isn't a chance in hell that Petra could use it to get pregnant after all this time.  

 

The narrator still makes me laugh, so that's a good thing.

[XtremeOne1]

So I spent all weekend watching this show, and just watched the latest episode.

 

I LOVE THIS SHOW!

 

Gina is AMAZING! Seriously, she's just perfect in the role of Jane; she handles the comedy and the drama with precise perfection.

 

And every member of her family is top notch to. I love Xo and Rogelio.

 

And  though I'm not really on a team per say(I'm #TeamJane), but if I had to pick a side it would be Michael. Not only because I find his solo stuff more intersting aor because he's got the bro-mance going on, and Xo is clearly Team Michael, but I just find his scenes with Jane more fun and him more fun, and the chemistry between Jane/Michael easier. Plus, I feel Brett Dier is a better actor than Justin Baldoni by a lot. Honestly, I find Baldoni to be the weak link of the cast.

 

I like Rafeal, don't get me wrong but I just find him to be the weakest actor in the batch.

 

I hope we get more Luisa this season. She cracks me the heck up. And Petra makes a great foil, one I actually root for sometimes haha.

 

But yeah, Jane herself is perfection. What a great lead. I watch this show mostly because I can't wait to see where she'll go, what she'll do next. I haven't been this invested in a main character since Veronica Mars(and yes, MIchael got poitns for me for calling Jane, Veronica too haha). I'm not counting Orphan Black because you know, there are so many main characters(played by one phenominal actress).

 

Gina was terrific in this episode. She had the full range of emotions this one; from drama to comedy(the hospital scene before going to save Mateo, running to Mateo, the "leaking" scene.) Gina is the CW's finest find. It reminds me of the old days of the WB; where they'd find the next big stars(Katie Holmes, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kerri Russell, Michelle Wiliams, etc)....She makes me excited to watch the show.  Can't wait to see more of her.

 

Now I'm torn who I want to win that second lead female role in Star Wars...I want them to create a third female role so Tatiana and Gina can be in Star Wars together(along with Gugu!)

[kia112]

I don't know what you mean. In this ep he (and Michael) both jumped in like anyone would. Although Michael didn't jump so much as literally run (but wasn't played for comedy).

 

You're right. My DVR was being really sketch so the person I thought ran into the pool was Michael, not Rafael. Still Team Rafael.

[AudienceofOne]

So I just binge watched Season 1 on Netflix and decided to wade into Season 2. So I'm a little late to the Jane party.

 

Firstly, this episode was hilarious. The narrator had been rolling around with laughter. Scenes like Raf standing there with the sperm framed between his legs and an arrow pointing down from his groin to the container? Unbelievably funny. Petra's 'pros and cons' list? The Michael 'translation'. All amazing.

 

Having said that... there were two big telenovella/soap things they did at the end of the last season that I loathed. The first was the baby kidnapping. The second was Petra possibly impregnating herself with Raf's sperm. The first just felt unnecessarily cruel in a show that's played for laughs. And the second re-ignited the awful misogynistic nun/whore dichotomy between Jane and Petra with Petra once again using sex and fertility to manipulate her man. This show has always walked the fine line between the genre it's both emulating and parodying. And that genre can be inherently misogynistic.They resolved the first plotine quickly and with sensitivity. But the second seems here to stay. And it's leaving a massively bad taste in my mouth. This show is better when it treats Jane virginity as a fact rather than a virtue. So Petra having Raf's baby re-enforces the contrast between them and it's bordering on offensive.

 

 

TPTB have made a definite attempt to rehabilitate Michael but I still can't get over him skulking around during the murder investigation and being an asshat to Rafael. Still Team Rafael.

 

They've obviously realised the mistakes they made with Michael's character last season and are trying to rectify them. But he was such an ass all the way through Season 1 that they have their work cut out for them. During the 'three options' narration, when he said, "Did you have any doubts? He's a mensch!" I couldn't help thinking of how many times he used Rogelio to be seen by Rafael as being accepted by Jane's family (when Rafael isn't). All those awful smirking moments when he knew Rafael was upset about him being somewhere he wasn't supposed to. Would he give Rafael deliberately bad advice last season? Fuck yeah. In a heartbeat. And then he'd be standing there smirking when it all went to pot so Raf would know it was deliberate.

 

Personally, Raf overcoming his pride to ask Michael for help was as admirable as Michael giving it. Both came off well in that encounter. But still... what have Jane and Raf been talking about for nine months if they haven't got any logistics sorted out? And why hasn't Raf read a baby book before this?

 

 

I might be projecting and filling in blanks that the show will fill in differently later but I thought he had Nadine get rid of her tracker because he knew the cops risked breaking up the exchange if they tracked her.  And by telling her that, he likely broke police procedure so he's not sharing that info with his superiors. 

 

Michael was handing over evidence from a crime to the criminal. He could go to jail for it. That's why he cut off Nadine's tracker. Because if they saw he was at the church, the cops would know it was a handoff and would want to know what he was handing off. He told them Sin Rostro abandoned the baby in a church and he just went to pick it up. The tracker would show he was lying.