S03.E10: Chapter Fifty-Four

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

When Jane realizes that she and Michael are both stressed out, they decide to recreate their first date to help them relax. Rogelio makes a big scene on the red carpet of his film premiere and his rant goes viral, which leave him to make a choice about the direction of his career. Rafael wants to set a good example for his children leaving him to make a big decision with the ultimate sacrifice. Meanwhile, Bruce's daughter finds herself in trouble leaving Xo and Bruce's to discuss the future of their relationship.

Promo:

[nilyank]

Bastards!

I couldn't stop crying since they first showed Michael in the first scene.

They have to find Rose. Because she killed Michael.

[mariah23]

WTF?!!!!!

[NeenerNeener]

Holy crap, didn't see that coming! I haven't been reading spoilers for this show for awhile; I guess it's time to start again.

[Valny]

Well that just happened. 
When the narrator said that thing about Jane and Michael, I thought, oh no... not again... is this a red herring or they will be killing Michael off in the future? But I didn't think they'd do it in THIS ep!

I didn't read any spoilers so I was definitely surprised.  Poor Jane.

That was some heartbreaking acting from GR. 
 

[Lady Calypso]

That's seriously bullshit. No way they disrespect a good portion of the fanbase like that, no way. 

Such bullshit. I knew something was going to happen, and so the spoilers were true. 

Part of me thinks that they wouldn't kill Michael off that easily in the last scene. And sorry show, but I am not going to accept that we'll see Jane mourn Michael in flashbacks for the next portion of the season. No way. 

I'm going to assume, therefore, that there is more to it, Michael went undercover, something that makes me want to continue with the show. 

I just...yeah, I'm pissed off because I knew it was coming. 

[SeanC]

Well, the most logical interpretation of that Season 1 line turned out to be correct.  Though I was surprised at how sudden it was; I kept assuming that if it was going to happen, it'd be as a result of Rose's return or something similarly action-y.

[natyxg]

Wait, I just saw the promo for the next episode... did they kill Michael???

I FUCKING KNEW IT, I KNEW THEY WOULD. They just trolled and waited a little longer. I kept saying it last season.

I KNEW it would be Jane/Rafael in the end. *eyeroll*

Edited February 7, 2017 by natyxg
spelling

[blugirlami21]

The show actually went there. I'm really surprised. They really made me like Michael and Jane as a married couple just to pull the rug out from under us by killing him off. Not sure how I feel about that.

I'm so glad that Petra realized that she can be a good parent. She just has to commit.

I'm still trying to figure out if Louisa is severely brain damaged at this point. I'm completely over the Louisa/Rose thing. Their relationship has never ever been interesting. No matter how many different faces Rose wears.

Next week looks like an emotional hour. Not entirely sure I like Jane with the shorter hair but shearing one's hair is usually a sign of grief.

[Ms Lark]

Noooo! Oh, man. That sucks.

[nilyank]

Seriously, what kind of asshole calls a woman and tells her that her husband died. Michael was a police officer who was shot in the line of duty. You are going to tell me that the cops couldn't have told her in person.

I seriously hate Rose.

[Valny]

This returning Rose stuff is pretty laughable. When the graphic said it was Rose, I was like, on come on!

[natyxg]

3 minutes ago, blugirlami21 said:

The show actually went there. I'm really surprised. They really made me like Michael and Jane as a married couple just to pull the rug out from under us by killing him off. Not sure how I feel about that.

I'm a few episodes behind, but I gotta say that I'm not that surprised. What surprised me was that they did marry and Jane lost her virginity to Michael. I thought that maybe the show did decide to be a bit different rather than just pairing the obvious Jane and Rafael. But it was a weird thing to do because Michael is not the real protagonist, Rafael and Jane are, and it left Rafael with no real story. They just figured out a way to make it more unexpected by creating a false sense of security. But the narrator spoiled Michael dying a long time ago.

[nightowl1989]

This is bullshit.

[swimmyfish]

If we have lost Michael for real - and it looks like we have - and ALSO have to put up with the increased presence of child actors due to the 3-year time jump, I am going to be PISSED. 

(Sorry - I go right to the "anger" stage of grief. It's my process.)

[stagmania]

4 minutes ago, natyxg said:

I'm a few episodes behind, but I gotta say that I'm not that surprised. What surprised me was that they did marry and Jane lost her virginity to Michael. I thought that maybe the show did decide to be a bit different rather than just pairing the obvious Jane and Rafael. But it was a weird thing to do because Michael is not the real protagonist, Rafael and Jane are, and it left Rafael with no real story. They just figured out a way to make it more unexpected by creating a false sense of security. But the narrator spoiled Michael dying a long time ago.

Have to agree. I'm also behind on the show but when I saw cryptic comments on Twitter my first thought was "Did they finally get around to killing Michael?" The foreshadowing was pretty straightforward, but it was smart of them to do it randomly in the middle of the season. 

[bettername2come]

Michael! Michael! No! Take it back, Narrator! Take it back right now!

Will someone please kill that bitch Rose? And Luisa what the hell is wrong with you?! Her one redeeming quality is her unadulterated love of Rafael, but she keeps bringing the murderous bitch who killed their father back into his life, like what the fuck?! Be better, Luisa!

[cardigirl]

So -- I'm  gutted. I know it's a telenovella, but I loved Michael, and Michael and Jane together. 

Sigh.

[taragel]

15 minutes ago, natyxg said:

I'm a few episodes behind, but I gotta say that I'm not that surprised. What surprised me was that they did marry and Jane lost her virginity to Michael. I thought that maybe the show did decide to be a bit different rather than just pairing the obvious Jane and Rafael. But it was a weird thing to do because Michael is not the real protagonist, Rafael and Jane are, and it left Rafael with no real story. They just figured out a way to make it more unexpected by creating a false sense of security. But the narrator spoiled Michael dying a long time ago.

Yes, i was very confused when they decided to marry her off to Michael, because it rendered Rafael a rather useless part of the story. But I feel like people are going to be even more upset that they were lulled into a false sense of security with the way they handled it and the way they talked about Jane and Michael's love story (despite the hints about his dying breath). The show may be a telenovela, but Jane's a romance novelist and they totally broke the romance contract. 

[Gin and Tonic]

I'm afraid that I just won't be able to enjoy the show as a comedy any more. This is far darker than the the show normally goes and, while the plot is twisty-turny, Jane the Virgin is tonally a straight forward romantic comedy (with admittedly more pathos than weaker examples of the genre). I'm supposed to laugh at Rogelio's cluelessness and well-manning narcissism? Or get invested in Petra's scheming and machinations? Won't happen for me.  My suspension of disbelief is shattered and it's not coming back anytime soon. 

And lord knows one of my biggest hang ups about the show was it turning into yet another example of happy biological famlies all ending up together. I can see that in pretty much every other television show. 

Edited February 7, 2017 by Gin and Tonic

[natyxg]

2 minutes ago, taragel said:

Yes, i was very confused when they decided to marry her off to Michael, because it rendered Rafael a rather useless part of the story. But I feel like people are going to be even more upset that they were lulled into a false sense of security with the way they handled it and the way they talked about Jane and Michael's love story (despite the hints about his dying breath). The show may be a telenovela, but Jane's a romance novelist and they totally broke the romance contract. 

I haven't watched it yet, but I read there was also some sort of time jump? ??

Like, this is all shark-jumping material, I think. Big risk.

[taragel]

3 minutes ago, natyxg said:

I haven't watched it yet, but I read there was also some sort of time jump? ??

Like, this is all shark-jumping material, I think. Big risk.

Yes, there is. I think that will further anger people. Supposedly there will be flashbacks to the grieving time, but to have a well-adjusted Jane who's already healed from this loss ... I dunno. I think this was bad narrative choices/execution. (And I don't particularly care for Jane/Michael or Jane/Rafael.) 

[Lady Calypso]

3 minutes ago, natyxg said:

I haven't watched it yet, but I read there was also some sort of time jump? ??

Like, this is all shark-jumping material, I think. Big risk.

A three year time jump. Supposedly, they'll use the episodic flashbacks to see Jane mourn, Rafael probably go to jail, etc. 

I think they handled this all wrong and there was no reason to plan to kill Michael off. Love triangle always being part of the show? Yeah, right.

This is next level How I Met Your Mother series finale stuff here, except this show is not in its series finale. 

[natyxg]

3 minutes ago, taragel said:

Yes, there is. I think that will further anger people. Supposedly there will be flashbacks to the grieving time, but to have a well-adjusted Jane who's already healed from this loss ... I dunno. I think this was bad narrative choices/execution. (And I don't particularly care for Jane/Michael or Jane/Rafael.) 

They sound like really weird choices that might have worked better in a season finale, cause at least people would have time to adjust over the break. But then again, then there would be no ~shock~.

[Gin and Tonic]

Quote

I haven't watched it yet, but I read there was also some sort of time jump? ??

Like, this is all shark-jumping material, I think. Big risk.

A time jump of a few years, so the show doesn't wallow in the grief this kind of traumatic event causes. They're skilled writers so I know Jane's grief with be addressed, and probably in a moving and adept way, but the time jump is 100% happening so they don't have to actually deal with the fallout of the protagonist's newlywed husband dying tragically. We can deal with the trauma in flashbacks and Jane will have pushed forward with her life.

Which just makes the whole thing even more ridiculous to me. If your show isn't capable of dealing with a death you plotted without jumping ahead, maybe the plotting is crappy. 

[Parachutes]

Hm... well, I came across the spoiler a couple of weeks ago, so no surprise about what transpired with Michael. This show is such a joy especially post-US election and for the most part, very well-written (aside from the handful of episodes that dragged in the lead up to Jane and Michael's wedding and then, a couple of tertiary subplots.) I trust the writers to still take the show to interesting places, but weirdly, the way the whole thing played out has really harshed my mellow. The writers did kind of start writing themselves into various boxes with the amount of extraneous characters this season but the timing is a little too jarring for me to really get on board with a reset. I think I'll probably bow out for the remainder of the season and catch it in the post-season break when I can binge it and not have to wait week to week.

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, Gin and Tonic said:

A time jump of a few years, so the show doesn't wallow in the grief this kind of traumatic event causes. They're skilled writers so I know Jane's grief with be addressed, and probably in a moving and adept way, but the time jump is 100% happening so they don't have to actually deal with the fallout of the protagonist's newlywed husband dying tragically. We can deal with the trauma in flashbacks and Jane will have pushed forward with her life.

Which just makes the whole thing even more ridiculous to me. If your show isn't capable of dealing with a death you plotted without jumping ahead, maybe the plotting is crappy. 

Yeah, and it's a punch to the face to the portion of the audience who likes Michael. We'll only get a couple of minutes each episode, most likely, dealing with Michael's loss. Then we'll have to see moved on Jane, at least to some extent. It feels very contrived and it'll just feel wrong. Again, they've done this before with their last, shorter time jump when we didn't get to see single Jane, but the show could still say that Jane got to be single for four months. 

It's also risky to do a time jump and do something just for shock value, especially in the middle of a season. It has been known to backfire. I want to give the show a chance here because they've never let me really down before, but...you know, it's going to be really hard. I think for me, it's going to feel like they killed off Michael for Rafael/Jane and even though it's probably not true, that thought will remain in the back of my mind.

[natyxg]

11 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Yeah, and it's a punch to the face to the portion of the audience who likes Michael. We'll only get a couple of minutes each episode, most likely, dealing with Michael's loss. Then we'll have to see moved on Jane, at least to some extent. It feels very contrived and it'll just feel wrong. Again, they've done this before with their last, shorter time jump when we didn't get to see single Jane, but the show could still say that Jane got to be single for four months. 

It's also risky to do a time jump and do something just for shock value, especially in the middle of a season. It has been known to backfire. I want to give the show a chance here because they've never let me really down before, but...you know, it's going to be really hard. I think for me, it's going to feel like they killed off Michael for Rafael/Jane and even though it's probably not true, that thought will remain in the back of my mind.

I think it's precisely that.

I personally don't like time jumps. They usually feel wrong and shark-jumpy. This one feels really wrong, specially.

[possibilities]

I'm gutted. The show has always zigged and zagged, but in the end it was always a happy show. I don't think this is workable for me. If it's real and not another fake out, it just feels disappointing and contrived. If Michael was that fragile, he should have been aware of it when he flunked his physical. They would have been worried about it, he would have had regular monitoring etc. And if it's a fake out, it's just not funny to me and it goes too far.

I feel the same way about bringing Rose back. It's not funny. It's degrading. Luisa is a fuck up but this is just not funny. She can fall in love with someone else now; explain away the whole Rose obsession as being part of Luisa's insobriety, and move on.

I also didn't like Rogelio's outburst. I could buy him losing his cool over the edit, if I have to. But him deriding his girlfriend and then her forgiving him like that? NO. Too easy, and makes her look pathetic while he comes off as having crossed a line from amusingly vain to flat out abusive.

[Artsda]

Nooo, wtf. They killed Michael!  Then did a 3 year time jump!

I don't even know what to say about this move. People foreshadowed it, but with the surviving the gunshot it seemed like they realized it would be stupid. As much as I love Michael and Jane's relationship, I think I loved Michael and Rogelio's even more. Their bromance was so fun to watch, I loved it. Now they've lost that as well as the Michael/Jane dynamic. All for a twist to do a flash forward? I think this was a big stupid gamble that will take the show too dark.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Artsda

[vixenbynight]

I think for me, it's going to feel like they killed off Michael for Rafael/Jane and even though it's probably not true, that thought will remain in the back of my mind.

I just don't believe that the writers purposely killed off Michael, in order to make Jane/Rafael happen. I just don't see it. Rafael wants, needs a "clean slate" in order (in his mind) to be a better father to his three kids. Wouldn't that also factor into his  chance at exploring his romantic life, without it having to be either Jane or Petra?

Again, even after all this time, I still think that Rafael would always think of himself as "second place" in Jane's life and heart after seeing how much she loved and adored Michael. He was the one that witnessed Jane's utter heartbreak when she first heard the news about Michael.

I think we're going to see new folks introduced for Jane, Rafael and Petra. 

As for his sister and Rose: I'm so done with that BS. Everytime Rose is introduced, makes me roll my eyes.

[LaughingOne]

I completely empathize with Michael and Jane shippers. It sucks when a couple and character you love is killed off, and it can even feel like you lost a loved one. I once cried off-and-on for two days after a favorite character was killed on a different show. The pain is real even if the  character wasn't.

On the other hand, I totally get the writers' decision. It's hard to have a true telenovela when your 24-year-old main character is happily married. Yes, a married couple can still be enjoyable to watch (as Jane and Michael were), but it's limiting on this type of show to lose the romantic tension angle for your star. And the other alternative of breaking up Jane and Michael again would've felt wrong and completely disingenuous to their relationship at this point.  So yeah, I totally get the decision.

And really, I don't think Michael was killed off because of Jane and Rafael. I think it was because having a telenovela without romantic tension for your main character would be limiting. 

[AnnaRose]

I don't watch telenovelas, and it seems all the elements of this show that I hate the most are telenovela like.  I think this show just isn't for me.

I'm glad I was spoiled for what happened, but it was still very stressful to watch the lead up. The end was brutal.  (And I'm not even a Michael/Jane shipper.)

I hate that Rose is back, but I guess that's just more telenovela crap that I despise.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Valny said:

This returning Rose stuff is pretty laughable. When the graphic said it was Rose, I was like, on come on!

The only thing I look forward to with the Rose return is the inevitable #IsItBecauseShesALesbian joke. 

Otherwise, it'll be beyond ridiculous. It was pushing belief when she was responsible for killing Emilio which I think Luisa would care about but I guess he was shady enough that they could kind of get away with it.  But now Michael?  Based on Jennie's preview of this season, I knew it was coming but I am less in love with Rose than TPTB are.  I think Ep 13 or 14 of S1 was the last time I cared about her.

2 hours ago, natyxg said:

But it was a weird thing to do because Michael is not the real protagonist, Rafael and Jane are, and it left Rafael with no real story. 

Except I don't think Raf was the one left without a real story.  We can debate how interesting some of the stories were but he routinely had stories about his journey as a character that both involved Jane and didn't involve her.  The same could be said for Xio, Petra and Rogelio.  But when it came to Michael, so much of his airtime was dependent on being with Jane.  When he wasn't with Jane, we'd see him briefly for a crime story but those crime stories weren't really about Michael's journey as a character. Otherwise, he'd disappear and we'd get filled in on what he was doing when he reappeared.  It was that, combined with all the foreshadowing, that signaled to me his limited shelf life as a character. I think they would have developed him more if they had intended to keep him for the long haul.

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

I think for me, it's going to feel like they killed off Michael for Rafael/Jane and even though it's probably not true, that thought will remain in the back of my mind.

I get that feeling because that's exactly how I felt when they had Rafael torpedo his relationship with Jane in the second half of the first season. But it wasn't about Jane/Michael then (even if I knew they'd get a round 2) and killing Michael isn't about Jane/Raf right now (even if I do think they get at least a round 2 even if it doesn't end as OTP).  Nope, everything is done for Jane and Jane alone.  The insemination, Michael lying about Raf and Petra's marriage, Raf telling her he didn't love her, the marriage and Michael dying.  

In the interviews, the death and the time jump is meant to shake up Jane's POV.  Even though I liked Michael (although the least with Jane) I'm ready for it.  

[mrsbagnet]

Jennie Urman has posted a letter to fans regarding Michael's death:

http://cwjanethevirgin.tumblr.com/post/156916276515/dearest-jane-fans

I hope the jump means that we'll miss out on some of the angst re: Xo moving out (or not) to live with Bruce. I assumed it was their wedding, though the show does have other potential couples.

Edited February 7, 2017 by mrsbagnet

[twoods]

2 hours ago, cardigirl said:

So -- I'm  gutted. I know it's a telenovella, but I loved Michael, and Michael and Jane together. 

Sigh.

Seriously. This is the first episode that I did not see the comments on here beforehand and that ending gutted me. I went from shock, to sobbing, to pissed off. I said that I would be done with this show if they killed Michael off, so that's it. I just cannot enjoy this show that actually went there to killing off one half of one of the best couples on TV. 

Now I'm crying again and not making any sense. That bitch Rose needs to die. And fuck you, writers, for giving us so much Jane and Michael cuteness and taking it away. I feel emotionally manipulated.

Edited February 7, 2017 by twoods

[nasir jones]

My opinion on Michael's death involves me using the word "FUCK!?!??!?!?!?!" 653 times in a 653 word sentence.

[natyxg]

9 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Except I don't think Raf was the one left without a real story.  We can debate how interesting some of the stories were but he routinely had stories about his journey as a character that both involved Jane and didn't involve her.  The same could be said for Xio, Petra and Rogelio.  But when it came to Michael, so much of his airtime was dependent on being with Jane.  When he wasn't with Jane, we'd see him briefly for a crime story but those crime stories weren't really about Michael's journey as a character. Otherwise, he'd disappear and we'd get filled in on what he was doing when he reappeared.  It was that, combined with all the foreshadowing, that signaled to me his limited shelf life as a character. I think they would have developed him more if they had intended to keep him for the long haul.

In theory Rafael, and everyone else, could have stories about anything and everything all the time. BUT, the show is about Jane and Rafael. Primarily Jane but Rafael is the second protagonist. They are the two pillars of the show, the windows into both "worlds" of the show. They each have their worlds and those worlds intersect because Jane was impregnated with his sperm. So yeah, Rafael could keep having plots on his own, but it felt... weird. What was his story gonna be in the long haul? More random stuff about about his criminal family? Another random endgame for him? A family with Petra? What? It's weird. Shows don't work like that, usually. It's why I was so sure last year that they would kill Michael before the wedding, because the wedding felt too final and I didn't think they would slam the door on Rafael/Jane like that. Also, I thought they wouldn't let her have sex with Michael for her first time and not Rafael. 

So that's what I meant, I guess maybe I worded it wrong. I guess I meant he would have no real story relevant to the show because he wouldn't be tied to jane. Like they would just making shit up with him to fill his couta, but it would feel like he was part of another show, with the exception of little Mateo plots and maybe stuff about his family, but it just isn't the same.

And I DO think they killed Michael for Jane and Rafael. Not right away, but eventually they will get there. It was either kill Michael or destroy their marriage to bring Rafael back in there. They decided to preserve Michael and Jane's love. In a way it was almost kinder.

[Black Knight]

Well, I hadn't read any spoilers, so I had no idea Michael was going to die until his last scene with Jane when the narrator said that stuff about how Jane would replay that moment constantly in her mind. And now I'm thinking real hard about whether I'm going to continue with the show or not.

I understand the point about having the lead settled down in a telenovela. But the thing is that the "romantic tension" stuff with Jane was always the part of the show that I disliked and found weakest, as I never thought Jane worked with any of the men she's been paired with apart from Michael. The thought of going back to all that nonsense, whether with Rafael or a new guy or, most likely, multiple guys so we can have another freaking love triangle or two, depresses the hell out of me. I loved this season because the show had put all of that to bed: Jane and Michael were married, and Jane and Rafael were out of love with each other. Jane and Michael's marriage had that magical balancing act where they were in love and reasonably happy, yet still interesting. And the chemistry between Rodriguez and Dier, and how Jane and Michael were written to be damn near a perfect fit - by which I don't mean the unrealistic "perfection" of never fighting, because we saw they had their problems and their conflicts, but they would work through them. I'm deeply skeptical the show will manage anything close to that with any future relationship of Jane's, and again, the thought of going through the romantic drama nonsense just depresses the hell out of me.

I'm still very interested in some of the other characters - Petra, Xo, Rogelio. (I used to include Luisa in that, but I'm over the show's refusal to allow her to move on from Rose.) But they aren't the leads, Jane is, and her romantic drama will suck up the majority of the airtime. Oh, and more airtime for the kids, because watching three 4-year-olds is also something I'm really interested in...except not.

Only one thing is certain: It's going to be a different show after the time jump. Whether I want to watch it, I don't know.

[Artsda]

Quote

But the thing is that the "romantic tension" stuff with Jane was always the part of the show that I disliked and found weakest.

I agree, we've seen her date before and I didn't feel the chemistry or bond like it was with Michael. If the new direction is to see her move on and date again, I won't find that entertaining or want to see that again. 

[JyDanzig]

When I got accidentally spoiled for this a week or two ago, I thought that might kill the show for me.  But I'm now eager to see more.  This was both incredibly upsetting, and a great episode.  I do fundamentally trust these writers... the storytelling has occasional rough patches, but they always right the ship.  And this is going to be the biggest test of that yet!  Don't let me down, show!

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I also liked that Rose twist, which I somehow did not see coming.  And now that Rose is responsible for Michael's death, there is no way she will not ultimately receive a satisfying comeuppance.  Though I enjoy her character enough that I wouldn't mind if that doesn't happen till the series endgame.  (Somehow I have much more animosity towards Anezka and am far more eager for her to be punished... I was actively rooting for her to die all episode)

Another minority opinion, but I'm also open on time jumps... I've seen time jumps executed wonderfully and terribly, I don't find anything inherently problematic with the device.  It feels like the right choice for this moment in the series.

I thought it was interesting that Jennie Urman letter specifically apologized for the timing of this episode -- that fans have recently been talking about how JtV is a nice bit of lightness every week, in an increasingly dark world.  I have felt similarly about the show.  But I guess what I truly love most is how skillfully they juggle such a diverse array of tones... the romance and the drama and the comedy and the telenovela camp.  They really have everything in there.  Tragedy can fit as well.

Edited February 7, 2017 by JyDanzig

[NUguy514]

Dear show,

Fuck you.  Hard.  With a chainsaw.

With sincerest antipathy,

NUguy514

[Indi]

I don't watch the show for this.

Jane & Michael grounded this crazy series as much as the Villanueva women. I still love Jane, Xo, Abuela and Rogelio, but I was never a fan of Rafael's part of the story and TV kids get on my nerves. I'm afraid Michael's death is a huge hit on my enjoyment of this show.

[chocolatine]

I was spoiled about the death, so my stomach was in knots through the episode. I'll really miss Michael and his dynamic with all the other characters, but I thought the death was well done. I liked that the cause of death was complications from the gunshot wound, because having an unrelated emergency happen so soon after the shooting would have been over the top. The doctor on the phone told Jane that it was a blood pressure spike, and it makes sense that his blood pressure was higher due to the stress of the job loss and LSAT nerves, and that the "off" feeling he had attributed to a bad meal was actually something far more serious.

I wonder whose wedding Jane and Mateo are getting ready for in the flash-forward. I know it'll probably be a Xo/Bruce or Ro/Darci wedding, but I'm hoping it's Alba's - her romantic life has been given short shrift in the show so far, and I want to her to be happy.

[BkWurm1]

3 hours ago, LaughingOne said:

I completely empathize with Michael and Jane shippers. It sucks when a couple and character you love is killed off, and it can even feel like you lost a loved one. I once cried off-and-on for two days after a favorite character was killed on a different show. The pain is real even if the  character wasn't.

On the other hand, I totally get the writers' decision. It's hard to have a true telenovela when your 24-year-old main character is happily married. Yes, a married couple can still be enjoyable to watch (as Jane and Michael were), but it's limiting on this type of show to lose the romantic tension angle for your star. And the other alternative of breaking up Jane and Michael again would've felt wrong and completely disingenuous to their relationship at this point.  So yeah, I totally get the decision.

And really, I don't think Michael was killed off because of Jane and Rafael. I think it was because having a telenovela without romantic tension for your main character would be limiting. 

In a real way the writers have made selling Jane and Rafael a lot harder by basically preserving this perfect memory of Michael at the height of their happiness.  

I was completely unspoiled, I didn't even see the promo for this week, but I've been expecting Michael to die all year.  The real swerve was how long they let him live.  

That said, boy oh boy was that a gut punch, even with the very heavy foreshadowing in this episode.  I cried right along with Jane and I've never really shipped Michael or Rafael as long term options.  To each and every Jane and Michael fan, you have my sympathies.  My BFF has already called and cursed me out for his death since I wouldn't shut up about him probably dying, lol  

 

Edited to add:

Just read the creator's letter to the fans.  What a great letter.  I think if I wasn't already watching, I'd start just from how respectful and invested she is in the fan's experience as well as telling a her story.  

Edited February 7, 2017 by BkWurm1

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was completely unspoiled for this so I had no idea what was going to happen. Sometimes I will post the episode thread for the following week (including the promo) before I actually watch the current week's episode so I'm really glad that I didn't do that this week. Even though the narrator has been warning us about Michael's death since S1, this was still devastating to watch for multiple reasons. First, there are way too many dysfunctional relationships on tv and in movies. This was one of the few that was a healthy, happy equal partnership where both people clearly respected and supported each other. From that point of view, it's really disappointing to lose this relationship.

On a realistic level, for me it's so scary to think about someone as young as Michael dying. A friend of mine lost her boyfriend when he was in his 30s (he exercised, ate healthy food, and had a heart attack) and it was devastating. I know that losing someone you love is always terrible no matter how old you are or how long you've been together, but I want to believe that once you find the right person, you get to spend years and years together and grow old together.

[vixenbynight]

On a realistic level, for me it's so scary to think about someone as young as Michael dying. A friend of mine lost her boyfriend when he was in his 30s (he exercised, ate healthy food, and had a heart attack) and it was devastating. I know that losing someone you love is always terrible no matter how old you are or how long you've been together, but I want to believe that once you find the right person, you get to spend years and years together and grow old together.

Agreed. The above is one of the very many reasons why I'm going to stick around to see how Jane and her family cope with their lives during the initial aftermath of Michael's death. Jane fantasized about a long, wonderful, loving marriage and life with him. 

I think that this show can explore the pain of tremendous loss and still be able to have Jane get through it, without making Michael's death seem trivial or just a stepping stone for her to move on to someone else.

[Jillybean]

4 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I was spoiled about the death, so my stomach was in knots through the episode. I'll really miss Michael and his dynamic with all the other characters, but I thought the death was well done. I liked that the cause of death was complications from the gunshot wound, because having an unrelated emergency happen so soon after the shooting would have been over the top. The doctor on the phone told Jane that it was a blood pressure spike, and it makes sense that his blood pressure was higher due to the stress of the job loss and LSAT nerves, and that the "off" feeling he had attributed to a bad meal was actually something far more serious.

I wonder whose wedding Jane and Mateo are getting ready for in the flash-forward. I know it'll probably be a Xo/Bruce or Ro/Darci wedding, but I'm hoping it's Alba's - her romantic life has been given short shrift in the show so far, and I want to her to be happy.

I listened to the phone call twice and all I could make out was "blood pressure" and "aortic separation." It's amazing how they were able to determine Michael's cause of death before Jane was even notified. Only on a TV show...

I think Alba is the most likely one to be getting married. I think they'll probably want to keep hope alive for Xo and Ro. 

[slade3]

8 hours ago, Gin and Tonic said:

And lord knows one of my biggest hang ups about the show was it turning into yet another example of happy biological famlies all ending up together. I can see that in pretty much every other television show. 

This is a good point. I liked watching Jane, Michael and Rafael navigate parenthood in such an unusual situation. It sent a positive message because Mateo was so happy and there was no sense that any family issues had anything to do with Jane and Rafael.

I just found out about Michael an hour ago after reading a comment on a different forum. I'm two episodes behind and have never been spoiled for the show because I didn't think anything could really stun me. I remember in season 1 when the narrator said Michael would love Jane until he died, or something like that, and the assumption was that he would be killed off. But after he survived the shooting, and they were married, I thought he was out of the woods and they would last. But this news stuns me.

I won't give up the show because of this. I wasn't a huge Michael fan, but I liked him, and I was beginning to enjoy his relationship with Jane and Mateo. And, as some pointed out upthread, Michael's relationship with Rogelio was great. What may prompt me to give up the show is the flash forward. I hate flash forwards. And I hate flashbacks, especially when they involve mourning.

I will watch the two episodes on my DVR to see how it all plays out, and I'll watch next week to see what I think of the flash forward. If it feels off to me, I may stop recording it every week and just binge watch when it shows up on Netflix.

I'm sorry for Michael fans.

(OT, but does anyone know why season 2 isn't on DVD?)

[Acceleration]

4 hours ago, LaughingOne said:

I completely empathize with Michael and Jane shippers. It sucks when a couple and character you love is killed off, and it can even feel like you lost a loved one. I once cried off-and-on for two days after a favorite character was killed on a different show. The pain is real even if the  character wasn't.

On the other hand, I totally get the writers' decision. It's hard to have a true telenovela when your 24-year-old main character is happily married. Yes, a married couple can still be enjoyable to watch (as Jane and Michael were), but it's limiting on this type of show to lose the romantic tension angle for your star. And the other alternative of breaking up Jane and Michael again would've felt wrong and completely disingenuous to their relationship at this point.  So yeah, I totally get the decision.

And really, I don't think Michael was killed off because of Jane and Rafael. I think it was because having a telenovela without romantic tension for your main character would be limiting. 

I agree.

Now, I can honestly say that for the longest time I was Team Raf, but the work that Brett and Gina put into season 2 made me a believer and I was excited to watch their journey. However, since I knew that Michaels days were limited, because this is a telenovela and the forshadowing has been up on display, I felt that this was the only logical conclusion to go in the story.

It didn't hurt less, but I get it. And I still want Michael back.

One thing that I do want to do is defend the writers, because they have shown us, time and time again, that they can and will write compelling stories and arcs for their characters and they know what they're doing. I believe them when they say that the time jump is necesseray and I agree. Mostly because spending a season where Jane is just fresh of the mourning would not move the story forward, because as we know, Jane will never let this go, but she'll be able to deal with this after a while. So I for one, like the time jump and am excited to see where it goes. Now, do I wish for them to reveal that Michael is alive, undercover and faked his death? Sure. But if I can't get that, then at least I can follow Jane on the adventure called her life. And hopefully not with Raf. At least not as I know the character to be now...but who knows, I am one of those people who actually started liking him their second go-around, so what do I know?