S03.E11: Chapter Fifty-Five

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Jane finds work disappointing at first, but then she hears about a showcase for emerging writers. Meanwhile, Petra rebrands the Marbella; Rogelio's relationship with Xo becomes strained; and Jane and Rafael seek solutions for Mateo's behavioral issues.

Promo:

[Primetimer]

We're ranking everyone according to how well they're doing after a little time travel.

View the full article

[whyjoshua]

Thank goodness, not even a fresh coat of paint is going to take away the Marbella's sterling reputation as "the one with all the murders." I was worried.

Edited February 14, 2017 by whyjoshua

[SeanC]

I think there's good character potential in model child Jane having a poorly-behaved son.  Though Jane's insistence on Mateo being invited to that party is a good example of her taking the wrong approach; that should have been a teachable moment about the consequences of acting poorly for the kid, namely, people will not want to be around you.

Petra's children being perfect is fun too.

Overall, this was a strong resumption of things.  The stuff about Xo being turned into a reality show villain was funny, though I admit I'm not especially enthusiastic about the Xo/Rogelio thing seemingly being restarted.  I don't object to them being a couple if the show wants to do that, but if that's where they're headed, they should just get there.

[anna0852]

Awesome article. But once again, Anna and Ellie are Mateo's sisters. Not cousins. Sisters. They all share the same father which makes them siblings.

[bilgistic]

Welp, I'm going to quit watching this show if it's going to feature three kids, one of whom is a terror and the other two are "perfect". And roving packs of them in the backgrounds of other scenes. Yes, I'm a horrible, child-hating spinster, but if I wanted to watch children, I'd...watch a show about children.

[elle]

I was happy to see the cat!  I actually laughed at Jane's deliberate, very controlled cat petting.  It reminded me of a Bond villain, surprised that the Narrator didn't see it too.

I have mentioned my Alba love before.  She was so great at the beginning of the episode and at the end!  I am very disappointed that we don't get to see/hear the story Jane was writing about her.

And, she is living with Alba.

Edited February 14, 2017 by elle

[bilgistic]

More cats, fewer children!

[Lady Calypso]

So, I opened up my mind to see how the show can fair with such a drastic change, and...you know, I didn't hate it. Ok, the kids will get on my nerves if they're onscreen for more than a couple of minutes each episode, but I thought they handled this episode quite well. Sure, I cried exactly five times: (1) At the Recap; (2) Michael's picture talking to Jane at the beginning; (3) That damn cat showing up unexpectedly; (4) The book being revealed to be about Michael/Jane's happily ever after that they never got; and (5) More Michael pictures talking back to her, but on her phone. Oh, wait! Actually, (6) Jane listened to one of possibly a few Michael messages. I'm impressed that she apparently has the same phone and never deleted these messages. 

Overall, though? I'm sticking with the show for at least the rest of the season. They haven't let me down yet; sure, I'll be sad about Michael and most likely cry whenever he's mentioned (which means I'll now need to keep a box of tissues beside me every Monday), but I might be interested in some of these stories.

Such as Scott. I doubt Petra killed him, and I don't think Anezka did, but it would be funny if she did. I'd try to predict who did it, but that would probably mean that they would throw some twists so I'll wait and see.

I think I could easily get annoyed with Ellie and Anna being the perfect children. They're cute and all, but I've never been a fan of the Perfect Precocious Child. So I'll pass on that, thanks. I'll also pass on Mateo the Terror. He's a cute kid, but I really do find myself missing Toddler Mateo, who was just the cutest. 

I am glad that we'll see Jane/Petra. That is another positive to the time jump, so...I guess that's good. Also, I like Rafael's facial hair. Yep, I may be in the minority or not. I guess we'll see. 

Ok, Pirate Boy looked like Brett Dier for a split second and I almost cried at that. 

I'm honestly no interested in Xo/Rogelio. I never really was and have always been rooting for them to be great friends. 

[Tara Ariano]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

Awesome article. But once again, Anna and Ellie are Mateo's sisters. Not cousins. Sisters. They all share the same father which makes them siblings.

Yep, I fixed it.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, elle said:

 It reminded me of a Bond villain, surprised that the Narrator didn't see it too.

I was expecting that too.  Or at least an Austin Powers reference.  

I kind of hate kids but I'll give the show a pass for this episode as I do like how they made the children of "terrible" Petra such angels and the child of "angelic" Jane such a terror. It's tough enough parenting a child who won't behave but the tension it creates when I'm sure she thinks she should be better at it than Petra.   Was it just me or did it seem like the twins were older than Mateo? 

I ended up liking Petra's new love interest more than I thought I would when I read his description.  I don't think she killed Scott either but I wouldn't be surprised if it were Anezka and Petra later gets accused because someone saw Anezka do it.  Or maybe they'll have a mystery and just blame it on Rose again. 

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

Overall, this was a strong resumption of things.  The stuff about Xo being turned into a reality show villain was funny, though I admit I'm not especially enthusiastic about the Xo/Rogelio thing seemingly being restarted.

I've always liked Xo and Ro with other people.  I knew the Darci actress wasn't likely to stick around but I thought she and Ro were going to be fun.  I just will think it's sad that one of the reasons Xo and Ro couldn't be together was because he wanted another child and she didn't and that may end up meaning nothing.  Is he just going to decide he changed his mind completely after a few years?

I like clean shaven Raf.  I like bearded Raf.  I did like how people were making fun of him for being "zen" and buying linen pants. But if Jane thinks that's the worst beard, I'd like to introduce her to Mark Paul Gosselaar in Pitch. 

[SeanC]

Apropos of the extended family gathering at the episode's end, I've always wondered what total strangers happening upon these characters for the first time would make of Rafael having children by two different women, neither of whom he's married to, with the children being pretty close to the same age.

[annewithaneee]

Oh god. Oh no. Minka Kelly has arrived. Won't someone take pity on me and stop trying to make her happen???

[dakiMel]

If the producers were sincere about giving Rogelio the US version of Passions, they might have considered that Steve = Esteban, aka, Rogelio's enemy.
Don't fall for it, Ro!

[Bouffe]

I knew I could trust the writers - this episode was a good one! The transition from 3 years ago to now was not as harsh as it first appeared to be. It was well done, IMO.

Loved Alba in this one. She relates. She loves. She knows what to do.

Zen Raf cracked me up, I love LOVE the beard and him being hard on Jane about her book reading was perfect. Loved it.

I am happy to see Jane and Petra reconnect... I hope it lasts. I actually really enjoy them being friends.

Xo and Ro together again soon to a  telenovela near you. LOL

[LaughingOne]

Starting off with the Alba-Jane scene was perfect. So heartfelt and genuine in their bonding over lost loves.  And the many references to Michael woven into the episode, from the talking pictures to Jane's book to the cat to the voicemail, felt natural and never gratuitous. It's such a challenge to weave in a sad storyline without making it overwhelm everything else on the show, but yet make it prominent enough so the story has the importance it deserves. I think they struck just the right balance.

I mostly love where the post-jump characters are in their lives now. Seeing troublesome Petra raise the perfect daughters and perfect Jane struggle with the troublesome son works very well. And so does Rafael's evolution into zen BFF to both his baby mamas - the character has never been more charming (or hotter).  I also love the direction of Darci and Rogelio - it's so believable that's where they'd end up and I'm glad she's still around. The only disappointing thing is Bruce still being a thing - oh well.  

Overall, with their track record, I figured the writers would handle this new start well and they totally delivered.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love Zen Rafael, but I can imagine how frustrating it was for Petra to get advice about breathing when what she really needed was a way to fix the problem with the property line. I can forgive Rafael though because he was not being patronizing about it (there's nothing worse than being upset and having someone dismissively say, "Gawd, calm down!"). I also loved when Rafael briefly snapped out of his zen place and gave Jane some tough love so she could do her reading. I wish he and Jane would give some of that tough love to Mateo since he obviously responded to it from his sensei. I'm glad that Jane and Rafael are very calm when dealing with a misbehaving Mateo though. Too often I see parents try to bribe or cajole their kids when they're out of control and while that may be a temporary fix, it's not a good long term solution.

Hee, the narrator's description of Chuck's office as Florida bro chic with douche accents was perfect. And of course he would send Petra a note that says "Happy bangaversary!"

It's nice to see Petra creating something that's her own, so I hope that the Marbella does well (dead body on the beach notwithstanding). Scott's body couldn't have been buried very deep if the kids dug it up that easily, which makes me think that it hasn't been buried there this whole time. Between the construction and the tide, you'd think the body would have been discovered before now. And I'm not 100% convinced that it's Scott either. In other words, I'm skeptical about everything involving this body!

All the reminders of Michael made me tear up. I loved the gentle talk Alba had with Jane. I think they did a good job showing us what had changed during the time jump while also showing us that Jane is not over Michael's death. I'm not surprised that Jane still has his messages saved. I have google voice so I can save all of my messages indefinitely regardless of whether I get a new phone, a new phone number, switch providers, etc.

Jane petting that cat was totally Dr. Evil-esque! Does that mean Mateo is Scottie?

ETA: Bonus points for the #supportplannedparenthood they threw in there!

Edited February 14, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I like clean shaven Raf.  I like bearded Raf.  I did like how people were making fun of him for being "zen" and buying linen pants. But if Jane thinks that's the worst beard, I'd like to introduce her to Mark Paul Gosselaar in Pitch. 

And yet, the beard that consumed MPG is the reason I found him attractive for the first time ever. What can I say, I like beards.

9 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

Oh god. Oh no. Minka Kelly has arrived. Won't someone take pity on me and stop trying to make her happen???

That's who it is. I was struggling to place her, but knew that for some reason I didn't like her (and not because of the role).

I wasn't particularly concerned about whether I would like this episode, until I started watching it. Monster Mateo and Jane's ineffective discipline drove me up the wall (and no, I don't hate kids, and have raised two of them, I'm just not interested in revisiting the worst parts of childhood). Jane's miserable boss bugged too. But then, for some reason, my impression shifted and I ended up liking it.

The opening with Alba and Jane was beautiful, I agree. So, if this new book is Jane and Michael's story - then Jane actually has two books she's completed (at least a first/second draft version), right?

Edited February 14, 2017 by Clanstarling

[truebluesmoky]

I liked seeing Lyla from Friday Night Lights as Raf's probably very temporary girlfriend. Also, Ellie and Anna are played by the Allen Twins, formerly Nora Braverman on Parenthood.

[Irlandesa]

51 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

And yet, the beard that consumed MPG is the reason I found him attractive for the first time ever. What can I say, I like beards.

Oh don't get me wrong, I too found him hot as hell as Mike.  Maybe it was the attitude.  Maybe it was the beard.  Maybe it was both.  But on its own--it was awful. 

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I can imagine how frustrating it was for Petra to get advice about breathing when what she really needed was a way to fix the problem with the property line.

True but he did come through in finding the error in the blueprint even if it wasn't the neighbor who did it. 

[movingtargetgal]

First let me say that I love children, however, I get so annoyed at their parents.  Jane has allowed Mateo to become a brat.  It would be great if Raf or Petra brought in Supernanny's Jo Frost to help Jane acquire some effective discipline techniques.  Jane has been through a lot since Michael's death and she needs help with Mateo.  His behavioral issues are out of hand.

[moyalover]

I find it kind of refreshing that Jane is finally bad at something. I think her struggling with being a parent who is good at disciplining her child is important. She so often is always right, always perfect Jane. I think its nice to give her some flaws and actually have her called out on them. She will grow and learn from this experience. I enjoyed the episode. I haven't really been a proponent of Petra/Jane friendship, but this episode really made me like them. Petra in general is growing on me although her new love interest is icky. 

[Joana]

Damn, the show knows how to manipulate me into caring again with that damn cat. *sobbing* Such a great shout-out to Michael. *still sobbing*

Finally we get to see some real interaction between Jane and Petra and it's great. I'm really liking the dynamics with them and Rafael and I sure hope they're not going to ruin it with any attempt at reviving The Triangle any time soon. Petra and the douchebag guy are kinda gross for now, but I'm sure it will turn out that there's more to him.

I'm not really fond of child actors (the Scavo kids on Desperare Housewives being an exception), so I'm not really looking forward to seeing a lot of the New Mateo. Jane struggling with being a mother of a child with behavioural issues is an interesting storyline. 

In general, the episode was well done. More than well done, even. But I feel the show is just too different now and I might not be able to hang in there. We'll see. I'll try.

[Snewtsie]

I'm in the minority, but I wasn't a fan of this episode.  I felt it jumped around too much.  Too many kids, too- ugh, please make it stop.  I want more romance.  As always, Raf looked hotter than hell even though I am in the anti-beard crowd (my gawd, that man is ridiculously charismatic), and Rogelio always makes me laugh with his over-the-top narcissism (love him) ...but I really missed the sexy vibe of the old Marbella.  I hate that Petra turned it into a kids' paradise, and I am also not big on the scenes with her new boink buddy in his cheesy, dark dive-bar theme office.  But again, all-in-all, I felt the writers threw too much at us in this episode.  

[Ms Lark]

Other than the Alba/Jane scenes and #supportplannedparenthood I wasn't a fan of this one either. Agree with Snewtsie on this, too many kids and jumping around. I kept thinking, "Oh, dear. Has JtV JtS?"

Not crazy about Petra's new storyline although finding Scott's body is very interesting. I always had a theory that Scott was the daddy of the twins. I figured he swapped his own "sample" with Raf's when he had it in his possession and Petra inseminated herself with his sperm. Since Scott never used it as blackmail, it probably didn't happen, but I still think it's possible! Now, who killed Scott and where has Anezka really gone?

[DianeDobbler]

Must strongly disagree with the article NO, four year old boys are not worse than four year old girls. I would like to introduce the author to my recently-turned-five niece who for nearly three years has made Mateo look like Shirley Temple. And not in "girl ways". In every type of way you can conceive of a four year old boy acting out, she has acted out and misbehaved.

[Bouffe]

14 minutes ago, Ms Lark said:

Not crazy about Petra's new storyline although finding Scott's body is very interesting. I always had a theory that Scott was the daddy of the twins. I figured he swapped his own "sample" with Raf's when he had it in his possession and Petra inseminated herself with his sperm. Since Scott never used it as blackmail, it probably didn't happen, but I still think it's possible! Now, who killed Scott and where has Anezka really gone?

That would be a very interesting twist! Scott's blackmail would be taken care of, that's for sure... Could Petra's sleazy friend with benefit have something to do with Scott's death?

[CCTC]

2 minutes ago, DianeDobbler said:

Must strongly disagree with the article NO, four year old boys are not worse than four year old girls. 

I agree, girls can be just as disruptive and bull-headed as boys at that age.  Plus, aren't the twins almost a year younger than Mateo?   There is a big difference in between behavior from a three year old and a four year old, so the fact that a four year old is acting more immature than a pair of three year olds says a lot.  Although to be fair, I think the show might have accelerated the twins age, so they are all suppose to be viewed as the same age.

I also thought it suffered a bit from trying to have its cake and eat it to - showing it was still light-hearted, then throwing in moments of grief that seemed a bit calculated and manipulative.  

[steff13]

Ok.  Random thoughts:

1. I cried throughout the episode.  I miss Michael.  The scene with Jane comforting Petra when Raph went to prison was so touching.  I love that they supported each other.  And Raph supporting Jane when she read her book about Michael.  Abuela tucking Jane into bed.  I'll admit to being an emotional sap, though. 

2. I kind of love that "cold, unfeeling" Petra is turning out to have better behaved kids than Mateo.  Not just better disciplined, but their teacher also called them sweet and kind.  Petra is a good mom and I love it.

3. That said, I don't love kids in tv shows.  I have a 6-year-old; all her shows have kids.  I get my fill of kids on tv thank you very much.  Hopefully in the future they will be off screen until sometime next year when they're young adults, as is typical in soap operas.

4. I'm still hoping that Xo and Ro are end game.

5. Minka Kelly.  I'm not a fan.  Although, the narrator seemed to imply she wasn't going to be around long (saying something about how he had forgotten about her).  Hopefully that's the case. 

14 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

Oh god. Oh no. Minka Kelly has arrived. Won't someone take pity on me and stop trying to make her happen???

I really, really don't like her.  I once had a dream she and I were plural married to Nathan Fillion.  I was totally his favorite wife.  There's some valuable insight into my psyche right there.  :) 

[tennisgurl]

I'm really trying to get through this show, but I think its too soon after Michael. I couldn't stop crying the whole episode, even when the show was trying to be cute and whimsical again. It all feels...wrong. The wacky narrator, Rogelio being dramatic, the soap opera twists, it all feels too soon. I guess I get why they wanted to move three years in advance, so that the characters can have some time to move on, but its only been a week for me! Right now, the wacky hijinks feel so hallow and fake after such a heart breaking event. The scenes where they deal with Michaels death were well done, but they skip back and fourth from the normal bright happiness to the tragedy of Michaels death. Its just not working to me. I was just such a Michael fan, and such a Michael/Jane fan, I feel like the show has left me. Its not that I don't love the other characters, but, again, it feels wrong.

I do like that they are dealing with Jane not being the perfect parent, while Petra is Super Mom with two perfectly behaved daughters. On the other hand, I'm not enjoying bratty kid Mateo. Baby Mateo was my favorite baby on TV, and now that's gone too.

[bettername2come]

I think this was well-handled. I found it believable and fair to all the characters and frankly I wanna read Jane's book about Michael. But I really can't help but think about how badly I want to see Jane get revenge on Rose. I mean, Rafael can help, but please, please let Jane be the one to bring down that lying, manipulative, murderous bitch. Like it probably won't happen before the series finale, especially given how little interaction Jane has with the Sin Rostro storyline. 

[JustaPerson]

Yes! I hope there's a scene where Jane tells Luisa off for trying to bring Rose back into the family

[Lebanna]

Of course Petra's kids are good - they instinctively know that their mother would destroy them and everything they love if they misbehave. This might be a problem when the girls are teens, when Jane and Mateo will probably be besties. But after that, the girls will probably recognise how great it is to have a Mom who terrifies people. Just wait until one of their boyfriends cheats on them and faces the wrath of Petra.

I think it makes a lot of story sense for Mateo to be messed up. He lost his step-dad who was one of his primary caregivers at an early age and temporarily lost his dad at the same time. That's going to mess a little guy up. Add to that that Jane was out of things and not going to be behaving normally for some time - how could she discipline her favourite person in the world, when she'd just lost her other favourite person and half her support network? Mateo would have got his own way all the time because she was too sad, too exhausted or too soft to say 'no' enough.

But she's got to get over it, because if even Alba can't stand Mateo sometimes, he's really in deep water. Meanwhile, Rafael is also responsible for all this, obviously. He disappeared from the kid's life for months and is now so chilled out that no tiny baby dictator is going to respect him. Some stepping up is in order.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Lebanna

[jb0495]

Does anyone think that Mateo is very light skinned for having Jane & Raf as parents? Just a weird observation since I notice things like that. 

I think the time jump was very well done. I'm interested to see where it goes. 

[saraslizabeth]

Anyone else have 90210 flashbacks with #deadscott?

[taragel]

I did think that. About Mateo being very light.

I thought it was a well-handled episode but there was a bit more lightness from the forward skip that I could see annoying people. 

I'm a romance novel publisher so I love that Jane is so proud/desires to be a romance novelist. But they never ever get the publishing stuff right, which just kind of irks. There's no way in hell some prestigious literary reading series is going to put a basic romance (and that fake cover for it was basic af) in their program. Her advisor would not be interested/proud of a traditional happy-ending romance--that was her claim to Jane all season long and that's why Jane switched to a quasi biographical story about her abeula. And it didn't make any sense that her editor, who HAS NOT EVEN OFFERED TO PUBLISH HER BOOK, would bump one of her own titles to give Jane this slot. Ugh. It's so easy to get this stuff right but they don't even bother. 

And what was up with the pirate? I felt like we were supposed to recognize him or he was going to whip off his face to be the new Rose...or something.

Edited February 15, 2017 by taragel

[LisaM]

Watched both episodes back to back. I miss Sweet Face Mateo. 

Liked the brunch with Petra, Rafael, Jane and the kids and how the girls call Jane "Auntie Jane". They really are one big extended family. 

Still can't believe that Michael's numerous physicals didn't pick up the aortic dissection. 

Thought that the 3 year time jump was a good idea. Liked seeing Professor Donaldson watching Jane's reading. Good continuity.

[kieyra]

Hmm, tried but I can't. I liked the old show. I skimmed but can't find much to care about in the new show, and I'm not a kid person. I needed the old show. These changes were too much.

I guess I'll check back in when they bring Michael back in a few episodes or next season or whatever. 

(I'm not spoiled, but this is a telenovela and all.) 

[Snewtsie]

21 hours ago, taragel said:

And what was up with the pirate? I felt like we were supposed to recognize him or he was going to whip off his face to be the new Rose...or something.

I kept wondering who he was, too ...thinking I should recognize him, because he had so much camera time.  But no.  Anyway, I really disliked that entire segment.

Although the dead body was wearing Scott's vest and name tag, I am betting it wasn't really him.

[taragel]

2 hours ago, Snewtsie said:

I kept wondering who he was, too ...thinking I should recognize him, because he had so much camera time.  But no.  Anyway, I really disliked that entire segment.

Although the dead body was wearing Scott's vest and name tag, I am betting it wasn't really him.

Maybe the pirate will whip his face off in the future and be.... THE REAL SCOTT, who is not dead at all.

[elle]

On 2/14/2017 at 7:06 PM, jb0495 said:

Does anyone think that Mateo is very light skinned for having Jane & Raf as parents? Just a weird observation since I notice things like that. 

No. Nor do I find the girls being too pale for having Petra & Raf as parents.

[chocolatine]

14 minutes ago, elle said:

No. Nor do I find the girls being too pale for having Petra & Raf as parents.

I'm paler and blonder than both my parents (though all three of us are blue-eyed), so that doesn't bother me either.

[Tikichick]

You guys were absolutely no help in reassuring me that the shiver that went down my spine at the end of the episode when Jane was being tucked in by Alba was all in my head.  I swear I saw anvils starting to fall the moment Jane asked her how long she would still be tucking her in. 

Really struggling with Alba and Xo standing back and allowing Jane not to get a firmer handle on parenting Mateo.  I'm sure they've cut her a lot of slack in light of losing Michael, but at this point I can't buy they haven't put their feet down.

Interesting everyone had the same urge to key in on the pirate.  I got thrown off also by  the fact I would swear they had Gina voicing the parrot, so thrown off I thought at one point we were going to see her take off the costume and we would see she had assumed those duties for the opening.

[Clanstarling]

On 2/14/2017 at 6:06 PM, jb0495 said:

Does anyone think that Mateo is very light skinned for having Jane & Raf as parents? Just a weird observation since I notice things like that.

 

13 hours ago, elle said:

No. Nor do I find the girls being too pale for having Petra & Raf as parents.

The only observation I've made is that the little girls are clones of Petra - which doesn't surprise me given that I have a number of friends whose children are basically a clone of one parent or the other. Seriously, some of them are kind of eerie - you'd swear the other parent had nothing to do with it (and yes, in one case where the parents were as differently complected as Raf and Petra). Genetics are weird that way.

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, Tikichick said:

Interesting everyone had the same urge to key in on the pirate.  I got thrown off also by  the fact I would swear they had Gina voicing the parrot, so thrown off I thought at one point we were going to see her take off the costume and we would see she had assumed those duties for the opening.

There was a lot of focus on the pirate. So much so that I honestly thought that he was the one who sabotaged the kids club and not Cowboy Dude (and that brief two minutes at the beginning where I was convinced that it was Brett Dier in disguise and we'd just randomly see Brett play different extras for the rest of the season). 

[DianeDobbler]

It seems that Yael Grobglas has been instructed to speak very rapidly in an extra clipped, sharp voice. It feels forced to me. She naturally speaks that way, no need to push it. I don't like the forced feeling I get from this show right now.

I thought Jane's way of coping with Matteo was good - the chart, the thunder. However, we weren't told what penalty Matteo would receive for a rainy day. Doesn't have to be major, but a time out or a withholding of a privilege is pretty typical.

I completely understand Jane not wanting Petra to discipline Mateo. At the same time, Petra is the mother of his half-sisters, so some leeway there might be allowed. When my niece interacts with her cousins, my brother will order them all to shape up if they're out of line. If Jane's method isn't enough to stop Matteo from dumping carrots on his sister or pulling hair, I think it's fine for the mother of the kid to say something.

[elle]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

. Genetics are weird that way.

Yes they are, so why call out how Mateo looks but not the Ellie and Anna?  Or anyone else on the show?`

[ParadoxLost]

23 hours ago, Tikichick said:

Interesting everyone had the same urge to key in on the pirate.  I got thrown off also by  the fact I would swear they had Gina voicing the parrot, so thrown off I thought at one point we were going to see her take off the costume and we would see she had assumed those duties for the opening.

I didn't key in on the pirate.  I did key on the fact that there is a guy in a parrot costume running around the hotel with a big M on its hat.  And I don't care that the hotel's name also starts with an M.   The parrot with a big M on its hat just happens to be there to discover Scott's body after a prolonged treasure hunt where none of the characters were present.  Yeah, right.

I present the following, arguing the case of Crime-fighting Michael the Parrot

Michael's death is far from ironclad in a telenova can't reverse way because:

1. He collapsed which could have been an act or a drug

2.  One person said he wasn't breathing which could have been a witness protection agent or a villain or their minion

3. Jane got a phone call about his death which just seems an unorthodox way to notify a widow

4. The narrator didn't say anything on Michael's "death" that could preclude a return from the "dead" or be called a lie. 

5.  They did a convenient time jump over all of the post-death realities that would either prove Michael's death or be highly suspicious to the audience.  Did Jane view the body?  Did Michael get accidentally cremated?

I'm not in any deep emotional denial.  I just view this show like a M Night Shyamalan movie.  I know its trying to trick me.  And for every real twist they throw out, I come up with eleven false theories.  

I am so deeply convinced that the show is trying to fake out that I need someone with access to go back to the talking parrot wallpaper in chapter 38 and determine if there were any clues.

[Enginerd]

Hey, Petra, I think I know how the property line screw-up happened: you hired some totally hack design team operating in the last century, possibly in a time warp from before the current property lines were established. Who in the Hades uses BLUEPRINTS anymore?! I haven't seen any new ones in decades. Construction drawings are printed in normal black on regular large-format printers, and have been for some time, except maybe some weirdo small shop somewhere that insists on being retro for whatever reason. Even little firms that can't afford their own large format printers send their drawings to a print shop. Blueprints. As if.

I love Raf's new linen pants, er, I mean zen attitude. He's much better when he's relaxed than when he's angsty.

Jane needs to let Mateo experience real consequences for his actions instead of goofy discipline systems. He obviously does not care about thunderstorm stickers. Missing the party all the other kids are attending because they don't like him because he's mean might make more of an impression on him.

I loved the Marbella before and hate the new kids' club. It's cheesy. I hope we won't have as many kid scenes in future episodes. Shrill children running around are not that exciting to watch; I don't need them on my TV screen. I'm definitely suspicious of the pirate and the parrot, though. Seems like an obvious route for a Sin Rostro plant.

Why is Xo still with Bruce 3 years later? He's such a nonentity. To each her own and all but I do NOT see the attraction. Does he even have a personality?

Edited February 18, 2017 by Enginerd
edited for weird spacing

[amaranta]

Quote

Why is Xo still with Bruce 3 years later? He's such a nonentity.

So far they are wasting Ricardo Antonio Chavira.  I know Xo and Ro are likely end game but in the mean time make Bruce a real person, give him some dimension.  And yes, Chavira was my favorite of the husbands on Desperate Housewives.  He has an A game; let him bring it.  If Rogelio is going to have to fight for Xo at some point it will only be interesting if he has a worthy opponent.