S02.E18: Chapter Forty

[Tara Ariano]

Jane and Xo face the outcome of the bachelorette party. Meanwhile, Michael babysits Mateo; Rafael grows upset when he witnesses Mateo do something for the first time; Rogelio lands in hot water at work; and a troublemaker is after Petra.

[AmandaPanda]

I'm getting so many death signals for Michael and I don't like any of them. I get that telenovelas don't have happy endings until the very end, but can we not kill him off? 

 

So glad to see the Jane/Xo fight ended. I still maintain that Jane had a lot of reasons to be upset with Xo, but they probably should have addressed those problems long ago.

[Primetimer]

And more not-quite-burning questions sparked by 'Chapter Forty.'

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[tennisgurl]

Stop taking pictures of Michael, creepy guy! I refuse to pay attention to these ominous "Michael is going to die" omens. Maybe just a coma? I can deal with a coma! Just do not think about killing Michael! 

 

Xo and Jane made up, and all is right with the Jane world. And I love that Rogelio got them back together, and I am interested to see where his thing with the writer is going. 

 

My favorite laugh was probably the telenivela version of Abuela being sexed up, and real Abuelas reaction. 

[elle]

You can see where Jane gets her super organization skills, from her dad. Making sure to remind Michael to remind Jane about the wedding dress appointment then asking Jane if Michael reminded her. Micro managing? Yes, but it runs in the family.

[Lady Calypso]

Oh my god, finally! I wasn't sure how much time Rafael was getting with Mateo, but clearly not enough since Rafael had to ask for more time. I'm thrilled that he did it, even if it was prompted by Mateo calling Michael Dada. It's a sucky situation and I feel for Rafael. That's got to suck.

 

I noticed Michael's reaction to Jane thanking him for babysitting. It's not that he expects to be Mateo's father figure, but I do have to wonder about his role with Mateo. Him and Jane are getting married, so I wonder if he's thinking about his role in Mateo's life. Not that it's a bad thing, because his role with Mateo needs to be answered. On another note, Michael holding Mateo at the beginning was adorable, and so were them wearing the capes.

 

I love Petra's twin, Anezka. She's really great and so much different than Petra is now. As long as she doesn't turn into a villain, I'll be happy. 

 

I do not like Jane's adviser. She says that she can be objective, and then immediately says 'I'll decide if I like your next work'. Like...really? She's an awful person, and I hope Jane gets a new adviser soon.

 

I'm thrilled Jane and Xo made up. I also love that it's Rogelio that brought them back together.

[possibilities]

Why are Jane and Michael at the Marbela instead of in the rental Petra secretly got them?

[maraleia]

Why are Jane and Michael at the Marbela instead of in the rental Petra secretly got them?

Maybe they don't want to move in together until after the wedding.

 

I don't know why but I want Priscilla Barnes to get a twitter account so we can interact with her during the show. It would be so cool to talk to the woman who brought Teri Alden to life on Three's Company.

[elle]

Maybe they don't want to move in together until after the wedding.

 

I don't know why but I want Priscilla Barnes to get a twitter account so we can interact with her during the show. It would be so cool to talk to the woman who brought Teri Alden to life on Three's Company.

Is she the owner of the other hotel who Petra's sister scratched?

[natyxg]

I loved Salsa Jane, she was fun!  And I liked the idea of seeing her characters like that, so I hope they do it again in the future.

 

I'm torn about Petra's sister plot. I like seeing the actress playing another role, but I fear she will get annoying soon. And, like someone said, I do hope she doesn't turn into a villain.

 

Michael and Jane continue to be so adorable. Please don't kill him off, show.

[AnnaRose]

Is she the owner of the other hotel who Petra's sister scratched?

 

I believe she plays Magda.

[slade3]

I don't know why but I want Priscilla Barnes to get a twitter account so we can interact with her during the show. It would be so cool to talk to the woman who brought Teri Alden to life on Three's Company.

OMG, thank you! A few months ago, I was channel surfing and stopped on an episode of Love Boat. One of the main guest stars looked so familiar, so I looked her up and realized she was Magda on this show! But I did not place her as the actress on Three's Company! Now her familiarity makes so much more sense.

[AudienceofOne]

I've been meaning to say it for a while but keep forgetting: the show Rogelio is making looks like some of the worst television ever. "The First Male Feminist", "Killing Baby Hitler", "Clone Family". It cracks me up every time how bad it is.

[Olivia Y]

Can someone explain why so many people are talking about Michael dying every episode? Is that just a telenovela thing or something that was in the original series? I agree the tone of the show would change too much if he was to die though.

[maraleia]

Is she the owner of the other hotel who Petra's sister scratched?

No she plays Petra and Petra's twin's mom Magda. Here's a clip of her on Three's Company https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB_mHIwDpEw

[natyxg]

Can someone explain why so many people are talking about Michael dying every episode? Is that just a telenovela thing or something that was in the original series? I agree the tone of the show would change too much if he was to die though.

 

There was an ominous comment the narrator made once, I don't remember in which episode, about Michael loving Jane until the day he died. And I personally doubt that the show would leave Jane with someone who is not Mateo's father. Which is why all of this wedding talk and all this cuteness/happiness makes me worry. It's a very well known trope in tv in general to give people happiness before a tragedy. Hell, marrying Michael would mean Jane would lose her virginity to him, which... again, I find unlikely. So at the very least that wedding ain't happening, imo.

 

There was no version of Michael in the original.

[Irlandesa]

Can someone explain why so many people are talking about Michael dying every episode? Is that just a telenovela thing or something that was in the original series? I agree the tone of the show would change too much if he was to die though.

It's a television trope thing.  It's the comment in the first season.   And one trope is to give someone a lot of happiness before tragedy.  Jane's relationship with Michael is apparently flawless.

 

What makes me think that tragedy is death has to do with how Michael is being portrayed. The second trope is that characters are often "redeemed" before death.  Now, Michael didn't need a lot of redemption. It's not like he was a villain.  But he did have some flaws in how he acted while he was engaged to her the first time and how he was as a cop.  But now?  He is the perfect fiance.   He wants to be the best husband.  He wants to be the best son-in-law.  He wants to be the best step-father.  He may have bent the rules in the past but now he's planning to play it straight.  He told Raf that he wasn't going to bend the rules again.  He is being written with fewer flaws than even Jane.  The longer writing like this continues, and man has it felt like it has gone on forever, the fewer opportunities the show has to drop hints that some other fall will take place.

Because there is just no way I think writing like this for Michael can continue.  I'm at the point if he doesn't get killed than I'm deleting the show from my DVR.  (As it is, I have quite a few unwatched or partially watched shows stacked up.) I've seen things like "coma" being thrown around and "not really dead" but I think the writing for Michael would be a bit more nuanced than what we're getting if that were the case.

 

[Enginerd]

All this talk of Michael dying is now making me convinced that he won't. The hints from the narrator, the seemingly too perfect happiness that seems to be leading to tragedy...it's telegraphing a possible death a little too much. So I think something else will happen. Which is not to say that he and Jane will get married and live happily ever after together. Any number of things could happen which could drive them apart temporarily of permanently but not mean that he doesn't still love her until dying in old age.

Rafael was definitely not getting enough time with Mateo. Was he really on that schedule for only part of two days in a week? Had Mateo been spending any time with his baby sisters?

[natyxg]

It's a television trope thing.  It's the comment in the first season.   And one trope is to give someone a lot of happiness before tragedy.  Jane's relationship with Michael is apparently flawless.

 

What makes me think that tragedy is death has to do with how Michael is being portrayed. The second trope is that characters are often "redeemed" before death.  Now, Michael didn't need a lot of redemption. It's not like he was a villain.  But he did have some flaws in how he acted while he was engaged to her the first time and how he was as a cop.  But now?  He is the perfect fiance.   He wants to be the best husband.  He wants to be the best son-in-law.  He wants to be the best step-father.  He may have bent the rules in the past but now he's planning to play it straight.  He told Raf that he wasn't going to bend the rules again.  He is being written with fewer flaws than even Jane.  The longer writing like this continues, and man has it felt like it has gone on forever, the fewer opportunities the show has to drop hints that some other fall will take place.

Because there is just no way I think writing like this for Michael can continue.  I'm at the point if he doesn't get killed than I'm deleting the show from my DVR.  (As it is, I have quite a few unwatched or partially watched shows stacked up.) I've seen things like "coma" being thrown around and "not really dead" but I think the writing for Michael would be a bit more nuanced than what we're getting if that were the case.

 

I agree. And I also feel like they're dealing with some issues a bit prematurely because that wedding is so not happening. The plot about Jane and Michael moving, the thing about Mateo calling Michael dada, the plot about the wedding vows... imo they are all happening now because, at the very least, that wedding is so not happening.

[elle]

Thanks to all who explained which character Priscilla Barnes plays.  That said..

 

Magda?

(LLN: I know!)

 

Wow, I never would have guessed that, though, now that I know it is her, I can see her in the character.  I do remember her playing Teri in "Three's Company".

[Enginerd]

Well, Jane is on the calendar also. They need to know when she and/or Rafael will be taking care of Mateo, so they know when they need to arrange for someone else and when they need to pick him up or drop him off with each other. Why wouldn't they calendar that? Theoretically he should be getting 50% time, but he has a job and other things going on also; no one is actually getting 50% of Mateo's time. Having it all on a calendar means they all know what's happening. Since Jane is a type A organizational nerd, of course she's the one documenting it all.

[kitkat343]

 

I have such complicated feelings about Professor Donaldson. I've mostly given this bitter, frumpy caricature of a feminist a pass because Jane The Virgin is indubitably a feminist show, but the way she gets all shrieky about Rogelio's condescending assurances that she might still get married someday and her ungracious rejection of Jane's apologies on his behalf are...not great. Let me tell everyone on behalf of my people that it is possible to be a feminist and still be polite and understand where people are coming from. Still, Donaldson's disdain for Jane is not entirely unwarranted.

The other issue is that Jane needed to switch advisors because she started dating her previous one, and Professor Donaldson was quite unhappy with getting Jane as an advisee from the very beginning.    A professor normally wouldn't agree to advise a student who writes in a genre she doesn't support, but I'm guessing that Professor Donaldson was strong armed into taking Jane on to avoid a possible Title IX lawsuit.  She probably had an appropriate number of advisees before Jane, and getting Jane added means extra work - and if it involves reading someone who writes romance novels instead of the feminist literary work she probably enjoys reading it is going to be a lot of extra, really unpleasant work for her.   If she is teaching at a research university, her job is evaluated primarily upon her own research or writing.  The more time she spends with her advisees takes away time from her own writing or research that she needs to do in order to get tenure or promoted.  

 

Jane's advisor should have turned her down and waited until she graduated to date her, but there was no question Jane threw herself at him so she is at least partially responsible for needing to find a new advisor and being stuck in this not-so-great situation.  I'd have a lot more sympathy for Jane if she was an undergraduate, but this is an MFA program and she's been working for a few years, so she really should have enough life experience to know that there might be consequences to getting involved with her advisor.  Also, we the viewers know her entire complicated history with Michael, but from the school's perspective she was just dating a professor a few months? ago and  is now engaged to another man.  Jumping from a relationship with one man to an engagement with another man is likely to earn a little side eye.  

 

All of those things combined may have factored into why she had run out of patience with Jane and didn't handle the marriage comments as gracefully as she should have.

 

note: the above quote is from the previously.tv's recap of this episode 

Edited April 20, 2016 by kitkat343

[Enginerd]

Doram, I meant to mostly agree with you and say that Rafael definitely isn't spending enough time with Mateo. Part of two days in a week? That's ridiculous; he's Mateo's father. But the calendaring still makes sense since they are all busy and no one can care for Mateo full time or even half time. As for it being mostly Jane's people, who else does Raf have? Petra? The nannies who are taking care of newborn twins? Flaky Luisa who hasn't popped up in ages? I'd never leave a baby with her.

 

Jane desperately needs a new advisor, not just because Donaldson doesn't like her, but because I don't think she's really getting an effective education from her. Their work together seems to consist of Jane writing something and then giving it to her advisor for a "Do you like this? Circle Y/N". Shouldn't they be, I don't know, discussing literary themes and writing techniques and phrasing and construction and whatever? I'm not a writer, but it seems like there should be more substance to their meetings. A professor should be able to discuss stuff like that whether or not they like their advisee's genre. I know television writers often have to go vague and fakey about characters' careers because they don't really know in detail what they're talking about, but when the career is WRITING, and they are professional WRITERS, it seems like they could create some more specific dialogue. Unless the point is that Jane is not getting taught much about writing.

[dr pepper]

Agreed. In fact, this would be a great opportunity for the writers to use anecdotes from their own college days.

[Lady Calypso]

Doram, I meant to mostly agree with you and say that Rafael definitely isn't spending enough time with Mateo. Part of two days in a week? That's ridiculous; he's Mateo's father. But the calendaring still makes sense since they are all busy and no one can care for Mateo full time or even half time. As for it being mostly Jane's people, who else does Raf have? Petra? The nannies who are taking care of newborn twins? Flaky Luisa who hasn't popped up in ages? I'd never leave a baby with her.

 

Jane desperately needs a new advisor, not just because Donaldson doesn't like her, but because I don't think she's really getting an effective education from her. Their work together seems to consist of Jane writing something and then giving it to her advisor for a "Do you like this? Circle Y/N". Shouldn't they be, I don't know, discussing literary themes and writing techniques and phrasing and construction and whatever? I'm not a writer, but it seems like there should be more substance to their meetings. A professor should be able to discuss stuff like that whether or not they like their advisee's genre. I know television writers often have to go vague and fakey about characters' careers because they don't really know in detail what they're talking about, but when the career is WRITING, and they are professional WRITERS, it seems like they could create some more specific dialogue. Unless the point is that Jane is not getting taught much about writing.

 

Agreeing with both of these points. I'm surprised that it took Rafael almost a year to ask for more time with Mateo. It seems like he had been comfortable with it up until recently, or he didn't want to speak up until Mateo called Michael 'Daddy'. Either way, it took him a lot of time and convenience to get him to realize how little time he gets to spend with Mateo. I think the problem lies with how Mateo's schedule seems to be around Jane. It's everyone in her life who gets to take care of him. Xo seems to get the most time besides Jane, followed by Alba. It certainly feels like Jane doesn't put Rafael more on the schedule than her own family members, which gives me the impression that there is not a formal custody agreement. But yeah, it makes sense for Jane to have more people to look after Mateo, and I know Raf has his hotel to run, but he should really get at least 30% of the schedule to take care of Mateo. He clearly has no trouble with taking care of his own son, and it would give Jane's family a little bit of a break. I know it's more convenient for Jane to have her family take him when she has to run off, but Rafael should always be the first person she turns to when making the schedule, or if there becomes a last minute emergency situation. 

 

Also, to add to this whole Mateo calling Michael Daddy thing, it sounds like this is the first time Michael's had Mateo on his own, so it's just odd that Mateo would be calling Michael daddy anyway. I guess it's because Michael's around Jane a lot more recently and Mateo's seen him a lot. But yeah, it's not that Michael's time around Mateo should change, but it's Rafael's time around Mateo needs to change. 

 

Donaldson is completely subjective, and that is why she should not be Jane's advisor. I did point out above that Donaldson becomes hypocritical when she tells Jane that she can be objective, but then in the next sentence, says that she'll make her decision based on how good her next work is. That is completely subjectivity. I also agree that it's also because Donaldson is not helping Jane in any way. She's just giving her dirty looks and making Jane feel like she has to change her genre to suit her advisor. I have a feeling they might start turning Donaldson's character around and have her become better, but it's too tedious now and I don't think I'll ever fully like Donaldson. 

[AudienceofOne]

I got the impression Mateo wasn't calling Michael 'Dad', he was just experimenting with the 'Da' sound. He was heard saying "Dadadada" all the time for the whole episode. It's just it happened for the first time at the worst time.

[mrsbagnet]

I'll admit that it's a pet peeve of mine when people make a big deal out of babies saying the word "dada." Mateo was not calling Michael "daddy." "Dada" is the first word for a lot of babies because D's are easy to pronounce. Who knows what he was really trying to say. He could have been asking for a toy he and Michael played with.

ETA: AudienceofOne, we were writing at the same time!

Edited April 21, 2016 by mrsbagnet

[AudienceofOne]

There's a reason why the words "Mum/Ma/Mom/Mummy" and "Da/Dad/Daddy" are the words for our mothers and fathers. They're the first sounds we say. We then associate them with a person through positive re-enforcement. No one told Mateo to call Michael 'Dad' so there's no way he would. I think Rafael knew that. That's why he wasn't upset with Michael, but just realised he needed more time with his son.

[Black Knight]

I know it's more convenient for Jane to have her family take him when she has to run off, but Rafael should always be the first person she turns to when making the schedule, or if there becomes a last minute emergency situation. 

Jane did mention that Rafael was not available to take Mateo after Xo backed out on her. So it's not that she thought of Michael (well, actually, he volunteered, but let's put that aside for the minute) or anyone else before Rafael, it's that she already knew Rafael couldn't take him.

 

Frankly, I put all this on Rafael. Jane didn't have a problem with it when he said he wanted more time with Mateo. Plus she has a lot going on herself, so there's a lot of time that she can give to Rafael before it even impacts her own time with Mateo. So if he has been having Mateo two days a week while Jane has been having him five days a week, then really, I have to think it's because he hasn't been making time with Mateo a top priority. The "dada" thing meant nothing in itself; we heard Mateo saying it at other points in the episode with other people, including women. But Michael's marrying Jane; if the schedule were staying at five days a week for Jane, then Michael would end up being around Mateo much more than Rafael would and that does carry emotional consequences. Who is around matters, that's just the reality. Until my stepfather passed away I was closer with him than with my father because my stepfather was around more. I agree with AudienceOfOne that Rafael knew the "dada" thing wasn't really significant in itself, it was just a wake-up call that he does need to spend more time with Mateo or else he's not going to be the primary male figure in Mateo's life.

 

I kind of wondered why in the discussions about who/what Michael might/would be to Mateo, no one brought up that he's Mateo's godfather. It seems weird since they had an episode earlier this season where that was a major subplot, with Rafael trying to back out on his request to Michael that he be Mateo's godfather and Jane ultimately deciding she just couldn't see any other man being Mateo's godfather.

[Bouffe]

This felt like a bit of a disjointe episode to me, like the writers were trying to set things in place for more drama/resolution/whatevertheyhaveinstore. I still enjoyed it, but the disjointed pace made it a tad hard for me to fully get into the episode.

 

I'm glad Rafael asked for more time with Mateo. Rightly or falsely pushed by his own son's first words, it will result in more Rafael - Mateo time, and well, that's good! Plus - shallow comment coming - Rafael is HOT when he's holding a baby *wiping brow*

 

I LOVE that Rogelio was the one to get Xo and Jane to reconcile. It was, as Rogelio would say, a genius, glorious moment. :)

 

Aneska (or however it is spelled) is funny and so different than Petra. I do wonder how did Aneska knew to look for a Petra, and not a Nathalia when she was searching for her sister? Is this fishy, or am I nitpicking? 

 

Where the heck is Luisa? 

 

And I'm NOT liking the plot with Rafael using the 5 millions he made without knowing to buy the adjacent property...

[Enginerd]

 

I do wonder how did Aneska knew to look for a Petra, and not a Nathalia when she was searching for her sister? Is this fishy, or am I nitpicking?

She found Petra because someone she knew saw Petra and Rafael featured in a magazine and showed it to her because Petra looked just like her. So she would have known to look for a "Petra", as the magazine would have called her, not Petra's original name.

[Bouffe]

She found Petra because someone she knew saw Petra and Rafael featured in a magazine and showed it to her because Petra looked just like her. So she would have known to look for a "Petra", as the magazine would have called her, not Petra's original name.

Thanks for this, I guess I either didn't registered this being said or  I simply forgot about it! :)

[Pixie Chicken]

Writing isn't math. Numbers are numbers; there's no truly objective way to assess writing. Jane's advisor said she'd make her decision based on how well she liked the next draft, not on Jane as a person. (In response to Jane's question.) That's as objective as it can really be in that discipline.

I'm finding Jane to be less likeable this season. For me, she's teetering on the edge of being a special snowflake, one that expects others to accommodate her personal issues. This is supposed to be a competitive grad program, and it was established that she was fortunate to even have a slot. I don't think the advisor is mean for denying her a deadline extension. Jane's MO is to take on too much at once, then rely on others to get it all done. She doesn't have to rush to the altar. Her fight with Xo is not the advisor's concern, either. Are Jane's peers asking for preferential treatment to handle personal matters too?

I still enjoy JtV, but there are times when I think, "Okay, Show, that's not adorable or quirky; it's actually kinda irresponsible."

[Impish Dragon]

 For me, this show has become watch when I'm really bored and nothing else is recorded/on tv.  Nothing is working for me.  Jane/Michael is just blah.  Rafael feels like he is on another show completely where he continuously gets screwed by "family". Rogelio annoys me (though I think JC does a good job playing him).  Even worse, my favorite ship, Team Villanueva, isn't as compelling as it once was.  *sigh*  I'm going to slog it out until the end but right now I'm undecided about coming back for season 3.

[natyxg]

 For me, this show has become watch when I'm really bored and nothing else is recorded/on tv.  Nothing is working for me.  Jane/Michael is just blah.  Rafael feels like he is on another show completely where he continuously gets screwed by "family". Rogelio annoys me (though I think JC does a good job playing him).  Even worse, my favorite ship, Team Villanueva, isn't as compelling as it once was.  *sigh*  I'm going to slog it out until the end but right now I'm undecided about coming back for season 3.

 

I do like Michael and Jane a lot, but I agree about Rafael being on another show entirely. And I wonder what the point of giving him more children even was. It's another reason why I fear Michael will die in the finale: it feels like they have Rafael on standby in another show, waiting for Michael/Jane to be done with so he can be incorporated back into the main storyline. And then his relationship with Petra and having twins with her would come into play as well, and explain why they even came up with it to begin with.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My issue with Donaldson is that she has made it clear that she doesn't like the romance genre and the few comments she's made to Jane beyond "I don't like it" indicate that she wants Jane to write something that's less romance and more something else. To me, that's would be like Jane being accepted into the dance department because she's a tap dancer (or salsa dancer or ballet dancer - feel free to pick any style of dance) and having an advisor who doesn't like tap who is constantly telling Jane to make her tap dance less tap dance-y. As a person, Donaldson is entitled to her likes and dislikes but as an adviser to a grad student, she should either be able to give useful feedback or not be Jane's adviser. Even though I wasn't crazy about Jane's previous adviser, at least he gave her useful notes about the structure, the characters, etc. You don't have to like the genre in order to do that. And his notes gave her concrete things to revise and improve. Donaldson's feedback is about on par with the emails that Rogelio sent to the Tiago writers.

Poor Anezka. If she is telling the truth (and Magda confirmed the bare minimum, which is that Anezka is Petra's twin sister who Magda put in an orphanage), she hasn't had the easiest life. Now that she's finally found her family, she overheard her sister talk about sending her away.

I am totally fine with Rafael spending more time with Mateo, but based on Jane's reaction to his request it sounds like having him for only two days a week was Rafael's choice (not Jane refusing to let him see Mateo more often). I assume that he didn't have more time because of work but now he's going to make time. Even if it's fear or jealousy that's motivating him, the positive thing is that he wants to spend more time with his son.

I also don't think that Jane was trying to exclude Michael from Mateo's life by referring to him as babysitting or not asking him to babysit until he offered. I think that she simply didn't want to force Mateo until Michael. Obviously she knows that Michael is going to become his stepfather in a few weeks, but she and Michael have only been reunited for a few weeks so I think she didn't want to make him feel like he was instadaddy. We've seen that Michael has been spending time with Jane and Mateo, but I think she wanted to make sure he was comfortable with Mateo and vice versa and that she didn't want to just plop Mateo down and leave him alone with Michael until everyone felt okay with it.