S02.E15: Chapter Thirty-Seven

[Tara Ariano]

Petra returns to work and appears aloof about motherhood. Meanwhile, Xo reaches out to an old beau of Alba's, but this displeases Alba because she believes the man is cursed; and Jane worries when she can't contact Rogelio, who's been kidnapped by Lola.

[tennisgurl]

Finally Rogelio is alright! And Rogelio and Jane actually got my feeling feels pretty hard, especially when he admitted how he thought he was going to die. No way could she leave to go to her engagement party. Shut up, Michaels parents. You had grounds to be pissed off about Jane ditching Michael before, but her father was almost murdered! Back off! 

 

Rafael...what are you doing? Come on, man. 

[vixenbynight]

So happy that Michael saved Rogelio from Lola.

Rafael is not being cautious about his half brother.

Petra and her fears over bonding and being a good mother to her babies.

I kept thinking that Abula's man would be revealed to be the devil.

Loved that Michael's parents (especially his Mom), had issues with how Jane treated him, when she broke off their relationship.

A lot of parents wouldn't want or support their child to go back in a relationship, let alone get engaged with the same person that previously broke their child's heart.

I also loved how supportive Michael was and determined to not let his parents treat Jane and their love for each other as something that could be tossed aside.

[mrsbagnet]

I'm glad that Jane went to help Rogelio, but that storyline brought home the point that Rogelio really does need some friends. He's known Jane for a little over a year, and she's his go-to person. The Villanuevas and Michael have only been a regular part of his life for a short period of time, and they are the only people who are worried about not hearing from him? No one else was concerned that Lola was blocking access to him? Co-workers and agents don't count. Isn't there anyone else who cares about him? Well, other than his parents, who have their own stuff to deal with. He's spent too much time collecting Twitter followers instead of real people.

 

Jane and Xo may have laughed, but the curse is REAL.

Edited March 22, 2016 by mrsbagnet

[Artsda]

I loved Michael being in Rogelio's life flashes before his eyes. 

 

Surprised they didn't have Rafael find out about the engagement and they skipped over that with the timeline.

[possibilities]

When Jane said she was going to appeal to Michael's mom as a mother, I thought she was going to tell her that Michael had lied to her about Rafael's and Petra's marriage, to avoid having to co-parent her child. Wasn't that when Jane started to lose her commitment to Michael?

[AnnaRose]

When Jane said she was going to appeal to Michael's mom as a mother, I thought she was going to tell her that Michael had lied to her about Rafael's and Petra's marriage, to avoid having to co-parent her child. Wasn't that when Jane started to lose her commitment to Michael?

 

I think the show is hoping you don't remember that.

[AlliMo]

I think that as much as Jane wants them to like and accept her again, she's also too loyal to Michael to bring up to his parents the very valid reasons she had for doubting their relationship.

[possibilities]

I can buy that Jane would not want to throw him under a bus with his parents, but Michael should tell them himself. On the other hand, it's probably true also that the show wants to pretend it never happened, so there it is. This show is usually good about not having people maintain misunderstandings for too long, or having entire relationships revolve around easily cleared up conflicts, so I don't want to see a lot of "hostile in-law hijinks" but I guess it was good to see Jane stop caring, to some extent.

 

I loved that they were talking about the Bechdel Test, and not only wrt Jane's novel, but also wrt the show itself. I wonder if this came from a CW higher-up's directive, because Crazy Ex-Girlfriend did the same thing in this week's episode, as well.

[Gin and Tonic]

Wasn't that when Jane started to lose her commitment to Michael?

That's when she broke up with him, but she started to lose her commitment almost immediately after the show started. She admitted in a later episode that the real reason for breaking up with Michael the first time was because she was falling in love with Rafael.

 

I think the show is hoping you don't remember that.

 

Really? I don't get that vibe at all. It was a major plot point for the entire first season, and I think the show has done a good job showing a change in Michael's behavior because of that experience. He immediately fessed up about Rafael working with the police in the last episode, for example, and I think the show was drawing a direct line from his behavior in season 1 to that moment.

 

I do think the show wants us to forget the reasons for their second breakup. I'm willing to do that for both Michael and Rafael because I thought both actions were stupid plot contrivances because the writers didn't want to commit to a relationship that early in the season.

Edited March 22, 2016 by Gin and Tonic

[swimmyfish]

I loved Michael being in Rogelio's life flashes before his eyes. 

I loved that too! Such a sweet relationship those two have. I was not a fan of this kidnapping story, but from the outset I was looking forward to Michael saving Rogelio. It turned out to be not as climactic as I'd hoped (although still good!), but that little flash of Michael in Rogelio's life was very sweet.

 

I also completely refuse to believe that anyone who can grow as glorious a mustache as Pablo Alonso Segura could be cursed. That mustache was a real highlight of the episode.

 

On the downside, Rafael - your entire family have proven again and again to be terrible. Why are you giving this incredibly rude near-total stranger the benefit of the doubt? Because he didn't actually kill on that boat, even though he easily could have? Oh, Raf - that's how they get you.

[Thalia]

I refuse to accept the following outcomes for Michael: Death. Castration, actual or chemical. These outcomes would not be fair to a young man whose only (current) crime is that he fell in love with the title character in a show about a virgin. I just think Michael turned into a more popular character than expected, due to his insane chemistry with Jane. And Rogelio. And because of that TPTB won't kill him off. But that said, something bad is going to happen at that wedding. Hopefully not due to Pablo Alonso Segura, who appears to be a sweetheart.

[Lady Calypso]

The fact that they mention that the wedding is six weeks away, presumably by the time of the finale, says a lot about what their cliffhanger is going to be, and I think we all realize that someone (most likely Michael, but they could actually make it different and have it be someone else) will get shot. They might not die, but it'll be the cliffhanger for season 3. I imagine for the most drama, it should be Michael. You know, they're at the altar, staring at each other, then shots ring out, Michael jumps to protect Jane, and then Michael is in Jane's arms. Then next season comes around and Michael is either dead or in a coma. Michael's injury/almost death would not only affect Jane, but Rogelio too, and it would cause waves with most of the characters. I just hope it doesn't kill the person who is affected by it. I hope it's also not Rogelio. The only other candidate who would work well is Jane, actually. But again, don't really want anything to happen, but it probably will. It's just a matter of who it will be. I don't think anyone will die, though. Michael probably won't die due to how popular he has become with fans, and the show knows it. I know they have to somehow jump to Jane/Rafael again, which sucks but I hope it's not due to having to kill Michael.

 

As for the rest of the episode, I enjoyed it a lot. I love the fact that Michael saved Rogelio. Who else would it have been? And the fact that he realized Rogelio was in trouble when he saw the cosmetics package outside his door? Amazing. That bromance is really great. I also laughed at how...easy it was to take down Lola. Michael literally just strolled up behind her, grabbed the gun and told her to drop it in a dead-panned voice. No yelling, no theatrics, just a really interesting way to end that kidnapping, and the actors in that scene all sold it well. 

 

I just like Michael in general, and Brett Dier is really a great actor. I'll be honest; I jumped a bit when he and Jane were in the restaurant with his parents and his parents started interrogating Jane, so he full out yelled angrily at them. I mean, we already know he has a temper, but seeing him unleash it on his parents was surprising but also needed. I'm not surprised Jane wouldn't tell Michael's parents of his wrongdoings. That could make them even more angry, and there's little chance it would change any opinion of theirs anyway. But the show has done a good job in subtly reminding us that Michael lied and made that mistake in season 1, through his actions afterward. Plus, Jane is right. She doesn't have to make Michael's parents happy. Michael understanding why Jane couldn't be at the party matters more. 

 

Oh no, Rafael! What are you doing? He's turning down a dark path again, and I don't know if I like it. I genuinely like Rafael, even if I don't really love him with Jane, and I don't want to see him get hurt. 

 

Pablo Alonso Segura is hilarious, but yes Xo and Jane, he is totally cursed. Run, Alba, run! Except please be happy, because you're cute when you're happy. 

 

Petra being scared about being a mom? Totally understandable, especially when she's had a crappy mom, Rafael's had crappy parents, and they have newborn twins to take care of. I imagine she'll continue struggling for a while, which will be interesting to see. 

[elle]

I loved that too! Such a sweet relationship those two have. I was not a fan of this kidnapping story, but from the outset I was looking forward to Michael saving Rogelio. It turned out to be not as climactic as I'd hoped (although still good!), but that little flash of Michael in Rogelio's life was very sweet.

Me too!  When Rogelio heard that Jane and Michael were engaged he had the little love-hearts because he was so happy, which made me happy. <3 this show!

 

The scene where Alba told her story about Pablo and Xo, Jane with Mateo sat down on the bed to listen, I had a flashback/flashfoward moment.  One could see Xo sitting there with a baby Jane listening to her mom as well as a future Xo, Jane, and say 5 year old Mateo also sitting there. (not the same story of course)

[Primetimer]

And other not-quite-burning questions from 'Chapter Thirty-Seven.'

Read the story

[Enginerd]

Jane may have broken up with Michael when she decided she had feelings for Rafael, but I don't think she would have gone down that path at all if Michael hadn't reacted so badly to her pregnancy and deceived her about Petra. It was definitely more classy of her NOT to point that out to his parents, though. He could have said something himself, and could also maybe have said that he wouldn't want to be married to a woman who thought a party was more important than comforting her father who had just been kidnapped and nearly killed, but maybe he figured there was no point and it was none of their business and they needed to get a grip on their own time.

 

I love Pablo, and I loved the tango. This guy is definitely cursed, though. Yeesh, if this is the kind of stuff that happens, no wonder Alba is freaked out about premarital sex! (Although...the biggest thing that happened from Xo's was that Alba got her beloved granddaughter, so I don't know why she'd think the curse applies to anyone but her and Pablo, but anyway.)

 

Raf's new brother certainly is a looker. Raf isn't really trusting him, right? Right? This is an act to get him to let his guard down? To find more information? Because even naive Rafael should be able to see that this guy is shadier than an indoor umbrella convention deep in the rainforest on a cloudy day.

[Kummerspeck]

A little, vindictive part of me is glad to see some of Jane's chickens come home to roost. Actions have consequences, Jane! I enjoyed Michael's parent's objecting.

I also liked that Michael defended her. I think Rafael is amazing, but I could see myself becoming a Jane/Michael fan.

[rallymantis]

I have a theory.

I'm all Raphael/NOT!Michael, even though I like the actor & the character.  Just like I was all Mr Big/NOT!Aidan on SATC, and...eh, I probably could think of more examples, but there you are.   

So anyway, my theory: I think many people (I won't say "everyone") has a "type", and when there's a TV/movie triangle, they tend to gravitate towards their "type".

 

The Curse needs to trim his mustaches.  It's a little bit cartoon-y as is.

Edited March 22, 2016 by gutette1

[possibilities]

One thing I like about this show is that, while Jane is a virgin, she is not portrayed as being sexually uptight, and her identity does not revolve around her virgin status, even if the show does. Because of this, I think it could be possible for them to let her leave behind the virginity -- it served as a set up for the shenanigans of the first and second seasons, but the show really does not depend on her preserving it. Other shows have grown past an original hook, and this one could, too.

 

I realize they may decide to draw it out until the series finale, though. Since that is a possibility, I'm really glad they're not letting her personality be all about her virginity anymore, and I hope that when or if they do de-virginize her, they make it not such a big deal anyway.

 

I would like to see them de-curse Alba's beau. I wonder how they'd do that. It could be a lot of fun to see that play out. They are doing a great job of developing Alba's character lately.

[Enginerd]

I think they could ditch her actual virginity. She'd still be known as "Jane the Virgin" in certain circles thanks to the stepsisters' website and the nuns' promotion. That's a sort of notoriety that follows her even when the label is no longer true.

[Enginerd]

In fact, I think some good comedic awkwardness could result from people who've read about her or whatever still calling her "Jane the Virgin" or treating her like she's sheltered and has no clue about sex or must be protected from grown-up talk (which I have heard from several friends does often happen to people who choose to wait to have sex for whatever reasons of their own; certain people act like they are naive children who cannot even be allowed to hear about sex).

[Enginerd]

I think the narrator would LOVE to make jokes about the title of the show not being true!

[Kummerspeck]

I read that when Jane is no longer a Virgin, they're going scratch it out of the title sequence and replace it with another word (My bet is Jane the Vixen)

[Black Knight]

Jane may have broken up with Michael when she decided she had feelings for Rafael, but I don't think she would have gone down that path at all if Michael hadn't reacted so badly to her pregnancy and deceived her about Petra.

Funny, I see it the opposite way: If Jane hadn't been having feelings for Rafael, she would've actually worked out her problems with Michael instead of dumping him. I think that's what she means when she says now that she regrets leaving Michael. It wasn't that they didn't have problems; they did, which she acknowledged in the same episode where she was spending a lot of time mulling over how she regrets having left him. Jane had valid reasons to be upset with Michael, but, I think at that point in time she was looking for an excuse to leave him - she had already checked out of the relationship emotionally because she wanted to be with Rafael instead. Her hooking up with Rafael immediately after the break-up, and not spending any time at all being sad about the end of her relationship with Michael, pointed to that. I appreciate that Jane's been honest about why she broke up with Michael instead of putting it all on him so that she can look pure. It's not that Michael didn't do some things wrong, but that's really not why Jane left him.

 

I was expecting more Elsa/Anna jokes, but the show's being surprisingly restrained.

[Irlandesa]

Funny, I see it the opposite way: If Jane hadn't been having feelings for Rafael, she would've actually worked out her problems with Michael instead of dumping him.

I think both reasons can be and are true.  

 

She did have feelings for Rafael but she had recommitted and focused on marrying Michael before finding out what he had done. She wasn't looking to break up with him at that point.  I do think she would have dumped him...at least for a while, just as she did when Mateo ended up as his collateral damage in his attack on Rafael.  But just like that incident, I do think she would have eventually forgiven him.  Her feelings and developing relationship with Rafael prevented that from happening.   

 

So basically, they would've likely gotten through their troubles in the first season if she hadn't pursued a relationship with Rafael.  At the same time, I don't think she would have pursued a relationship with Rafael if Michael hadn't broken her trust/faith in him.

[snarktini]

Michael defended Jane in an important way, telling parents to back off, but really did leave her twisting by never saying anything about her not being the only one at fault. It would have been fair to say: "Yes, Jane made mistakes, which I've forgiven. But I also played a part in our relationship ending. I was thrown by her situation, and made mistakes, too. It's not fair to put all the responsibility on Jane." He didn't have to say what he did or fall on his sword. He didn't even have to claim an equal share. Simply acknowledge the complexity that comes with adult breakups. 

 

Letting his parents focus entirely on Jane needing to prove / defend herself felt unfair.  OTOH, the one positive think I'll say about it is he wasn't playing White Knight -- he was letting her speak for herself and handle it.

[smartymarty]

I don't get why Rafael's brother had to *take* him to the boat to explain where he was after their mother was arrested. "I was on a boat." Easy to understand without the field trip.

[AudienceofOne]

Firstly, I don't believe for a second that Jane hasn't heard about the Bechdel test.

 

But secondly, this show subjecting itself to the Bechdel test? Totally brilliant. I loved it. Especially because the fact this show passes the Bechdel test is one of my favourite things about it. It may skirt uncomfortably along the edge of some gender issues (although Alba's premarital sex admission and this Pablo plot have gone a long way to dealing with that) but it doesn't want for representation. Even if the love triangles drive the overall plot.

 

I will say the image of Alba's house falling in because she kissed a guy was, once again, a bit off. Mostly because I can't decide if this show is critiquing the idea that sex should be punished or embracing it.

 

Michael defended Jane in an important way, telling parents to back off, but really did leave her twisting by never saying anything about her not being the only one at fault. It would have been fair to say: "Yes, Jane made mistakes, which I've forgiven. But I also played a part in our relationship ending. I was thrown by her situation, and made mistakes, too. It's not fair to put all the responsibility on Jane."

 

Yeah it annoyed me that both Jane and Michael accepted that Jane dumped Michael solely so she could hook up with Rafael. I only just watched those episodes and it was not the main reason. Yes, if she didn't have feelings for Rafael she may have gone back to Michael and tried to patch things up after the big fight and the separation. But the main trigger was his behaviour. Which was unconscionable. Michael has taken responsibility for that behaviour so it annoys me that neither he nor the show did that here. Not that that would change how Michael's parents felt. She still fell in love with somebody else. But to double down on the breakup being about those feelings annoyed me a lot.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Love love love that Michael was the one to rescue his brogelio from Lola. The cartoon hearts when Rogelio found out that Michael and Jane were engaged were perfect.

Oh, Rafael. I hope you're not as dumb as you're acting. I hope he's just trying to win Derek's trust but we've seen how desperate Rafael is to have a family so there's a strong possibility that he is ignoring all the red flags because he wants to have another family member (especially now that Luisa is in rehab). Honestly, you'd think that since he has two newborns, he would want to keep potentially sketchy family members at arm's length. And what a convenient alibi Derek had. Sure, it could be true but it could also be a big fat lie to cover up whate3ver he was actually up to.

I think part of Petra's reluctance to bond with the babies is that she doesn't want to be a crazy mother like Magda was. It was easier for her to hire nurses and go back to her old routine of working instead of learning how to take care of the babies (which I'm sure is overwhelming when there are two of them).

While I totally understand Michael's parents being concerned/unhappy about Michael and Jane getting married now (especially since they essentially got back together, immediately got engaged, and are having the wedding in six weeks), I don't think that they had any right to get upset with her missing the party. Dude, her father was just kidnapped. I think that takes precedence over most other things.

[CerealKiller813]

Ok am I bugging here? It bugs me that Jane really is trying to judge her new advisor for her requirements former romance writing. It's as if it is completely unheard of that someone would DARE comment on Jane's writing. Give critiques?? How DARE she! I'm currently watching this episode and it just really makes me unlike Jane. She can judge all she wants but let someone have a difference of opinion and its rolling eyes and tears.