S03.E17: Chapter Sixty-One

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Jane starts to casually date and receives a pleasant surprise when her date helps her fix things with Lina. Meanwhile, Petra follows a lead that could help her sister's case; and Alba is appalled by a customer's comment, so she takes a political stance.

Promo:

[Primetimer]

If Fabian isn't dishing it out, can Jane take it?

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[memememe76]

This episode was all about Lina and Jane. I lurve their friendship. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Okay, I know Scott was an ass, but I had to laugh that JP stood for Jerky Pants. My sixth grade best friend and I made up similar nicknames for people so we could write notes to each other without anyone knowing who we were talking about (we hadn't read Orwell yet but we were already paranoid!).

Fabian not wanting to have sex until he's in a serious relationship is fine by me. He isn't saying he DEFINITELY won't have sex until marriage, just that he wants to wait until he knows that there are feelings involved. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm so glad that Lina and Jane made up! I wasn't at all surprised when they revealed what caused the schism between them. I love that it was realistic from both their sides. The bigger mystery is how Lina went from cocktail waitress to working for Marchesa in New York. I hate that Lina and Jane always end up on the bathroom floor (in dresses, no less). I don't care how much bleach the staff uses to clean the floor. I am not putting my bare skin on the bathroom floor, people.

Please don't let there be a future storyline where Alba's green card is taken away and she's deported! Matteo and I would not be able to handle it. I'm glad that the show isn't ignoring what's going on in the real world. At first glance, I thought the mean customer was Kelly Rutherford so when she approached the register, I thought she was going to have a much bigger part in the episode. Then I saw her up close and realized it was someone else.

Fun fact for anyone who also watches Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - the actor who played Lina's fiance Danny is named Joshua Chang. I bet he gets so many Josh Chan jokes from his friends!

[Joana]

OK, we're finally going somewhere, but it's still been dragged out way too much. I can't help but think that if this was season 1, it would have all been wrapped up in three episode tops. I think/hope Petra won't be in any immediate danger in next episode, though. There's probably more to Chuck than they've led us to believe now and he's not all bad.

I'm really glad the show ackownledged Lina's absence. The reasons why they've become distant from each other felt very realistic and it was nicely done. On the other hand, I'm really not buying Horndog Jane. That said, I'm not buying her trying to have a real relationship with someone like Fabian either. TBH, it just looks like they wanted someone with a hot body who'd take his shirt off a lot on our screens. And hey, not that I'm complaining about that, but we basically have it on every single show out there, so I'm not sure JtV had to take that route as well.

Enough with Alba and Jorge! Speaking of him, he doesn't sound like Spanish is his native language and it's distracting me a lot. 

Is Xiomara ever going to have a storyline that doesn't revolve around Rogelio or men in general? She's become such a boring character. And the writing for her certainly wouldn't pass prof. Donaldson's test!

[tennisgurl]

Awwww I'm glad that Lina and Jane are friends again, and we saw what happened between them and why we haven't seen her since the time jump. I think it was realistic, with Jane being heartbroken and Lina moving away, that they just grew apart. I hope we get to see her again every once in awhile now, at least for her wedding.

You know, there's a bit of mood whiplash when we are cutting between scenes of Jane being all hot and bothered for her new pretty but stupid love interest, and scenes of Alba dealing with racism at work and in the world, and Jane and Raf having to explain to Mateo why hate exists. Not that I don't want them to deal with those issues (this show has always dealt with immigration politics, and it would be weird if they didn't acknowledge current issues), but its just a little strange to go from such changes in tone so quickly.

I like Jane's new guy, and I like that he's the one waiting until a relationship gets serious, while Jane is the one wanting sex, (and Albas reaction to that) and he seems really sweet, but am I the only one who doesn't find him THAT attractive? He has a great body, and he's certainly good looking, but so are most all of the other guys on the show Jane has been involved with. Yeah this one is famous, but still, he isn't like "OH MY GOD" hot, as compared to anyone else.

I'm sure Chuck is a red hearing, there is no way we would be getting this information so early if he really was the killer. Also, I was really hoping we wouldn't have to deal with Anezka anymore. I love Yael, but her fake accent is just silly now, and I think we have gotten enough out of her character. Honestly, it just seems strange to me that a show that has such a strong pro-immigration message has a character whos whole joke, beyond being an Evil Twin, is having a funny foreign accent, and being from another, apparently super crappy, country.

[Joana]

As far as countries go, Czech Republic is actually not a bad place to be and is slowly becoming a desirable immigrant destination itself. It certainly cannot be compared to the likes of Venezuela. Anezka is just giving them a bad name! :D I really hate it how the show plays her as kinda r******* for laughs when she's in fact known to be more than resourceful. 

I don't find Fabian that attractive either. Sure, he has a hot body, but so does everyone on TV, so whatever. And another thing is that, how to put it, he doesn't give off a vibe of someone who'de be sexually interested in women. For some reason, almost all male characters on JtV apart from Rafael and Michael are like that. 

[Enginerd]

Since Jane wasn't looking for an actual relationship, just a fling, why is she now dating Fabian? Especially if she was thinking he wasn't smart? Maybe this will all turn out great, but if you're just looking for a roll in the hay, do NOT go for your dad's coworker! Pick someone you won't have to see again when you're done with them! And if you decide to actually date someone, then maybe don't be like "well actually all I really wanted was the sex." Although I also think if you don't see it going anywhere or you don't have compatible ideas about what your relationship should include, then you should break it off, regardless of how much you didn't like it when you were dumped in the past or what previous boundaries you've had that have now changed. You're not obligated to stick with someone just because you've been on a date or three. And I slightly suspect Alba mostly doesn't want Jane to dump Fabian so that she'll be in a relationship and NOT having sex.

But whatever. I think she should move on because I don't find Fabian attractive. He is good-looking, but does not appeal to me. Maybe because they've been trying so hard to show us that he's SO HOT but mostly it's a lot of shirtlessness and shirtless abs just aren't really that special. He does seem nice, so maybe he'll turn out to be more three-dimensional and interesting. He just doesn't seem like a great choice for a romantic interest.

I had been wondering all this time where Lina was! I hate it when shows forget that people have friends. The Mindy Project got much less interesting when the friends and neighbors more or less disappeared.

[Bouffe]

Now that was a much better episode compared to last week's. 

It was nice to finally see Lina again and why she had been absent all this time. I think the show dealt with this brilliantly. This kind of riff between friends who are not at the same stage in their life happens all the time... Glad they talked, even if it was yet again on the bathroom floor... I also liked the glowing hearts of friendship love. :)

Count me in as one who enjoys Alba and Jorge. Glad Alba saw right through him and respected his decision. she should know what he feels like, of all people.

Mateo "Can someone come wipe me?" brought me back many years ago... That had me chuckle.

Jane an her lust look cracked me up. I like that the tables have turned and that she has to wait on her beau. I don't think it'll go anywhere more than a fling. I guess we will see.

Xo and Ro... I was so glad it was all a ruse when Alba brought him to the studio. I was NOT in the mood for another round of Xo and Ro are being worst than babies. It was cute and I loved it.

Anezka's writing with all the Zs cracked me up!

Raf pining for Petra = beurk from me.

And chuck... Jerky Pants... Really? I think there must be more to it than what we are told, or being led to believe. 

I agree with a previous poster who said that if this had been the first season, things would have wrapped up already... Still, much better than last week!

[mrsbagnet]

4 hours ago, Enginerd said:

Since Jane wasn't looking for an actual relationship, just a fling, why is she now dating Fabian? Especially if she was thinking he wasn't smart? Maybe this will all turn out great, but if you're just looking for a roll in the hay, do NOT go for your dad's coworker! Pick someone you won't have to see again when you're done with them! And if you decide to actually date someone, then maybe don't be like "well actually all I really wanted was the sex." Although I also think if you don't see it going anywhere or you don't have compatible ideas about what your relationship should include, then you should break it off, regardless of how much you didn't like it when you were dumped in the past or what previous boundaries you've had that have now changed. You're not obligated to stick with someone just because you've been on a date or three. And I slightly suspect Alba mostly doesn't want Jane to dump Fabian so that she'll be in a relationship and NOT having sex.

I didn't agree with Lina and Alba encouraging Jane to continue dating Fabian. He's a good person, but eventually they are going to run out of things to talk about. He just doesn't have a lot going on in his head, especially compared to Jane. I can't see her staying with a guy that's not smart enough for her. They'll be like Rogelio and Dina.

I had completely forgotten about Lina. I'm glad they made up.

[helent]

16 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

At first glance, I thought the mean customer was Kelly Rutherford so when she approached the register, I thought she was going to have a much bigger part in the episode. Then I saw her up close and realized it was someone else.

It was driving me mad trying to think who she looked like, you hit it on the head, thank-you. It threw me off because I kept expecting that character to come back in a bigger plot.

[Paloma]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't think that Fabian is all that attractive. He reminds me of a Ken doll--kind of a plastic look

[Simba122504]

The actress who plays Lena is on OITNB. She also shot a pilot, she hopes is one the lucky few to get picked up. I'm also still glad Xo /Ro's will they, won't they relationship is over. They're together for real and they're getting married. I like Chuck but I doubt he will be around in S4. C/P will end too and I liked them.  Based on next week's preview I doubt TPTB will finally let Jane have sex without being in love. This non sex fling will be over before the season finale or in it. Tyler is coming and I'm sure he will play her first love. He's slated to be around in S4. 

[Anisky]

I am interested in Jane/Fabian because they're pretty much one of the most common romantic tropes gender-swapped, and people are reacting to it very differently. The super hot, kinda dumb/not as well educated, but earnest and kind woman. The (ostensibly-)not-as-hot, more intelligent and educated man. He looks down on her at first, but is charmed by her good-heartedness and zest for life. It's an incredibly common trope in fiction (and real life-- just look at the statistics about how many women with advanced degrees marry significantly less educated men versus how many men with advanced degrees marry significantly less educated women). 

Jane the Virgin just switched the genders of the characters, and voila, the relationship is viewed completely differently. Knowing the JtV writers, this was probably intentional. I'm interested to see how it plays out, both within the show and in fan reactions.

[beadgirl]

It is interesting, and while I think Fabian is not a good match for him, I do like that they've fleshed out his character a bit more from "dumb prettyboy."

I also really appreciate what they're doing about premarital sex attitudes (intentionally or not). For Alba, despite the ridiculous flower metaphor, the issue isn't virginity, but chastity -- the proper context for sex.  Which is why, despite that fact that she is a post-menopausal widow, she still won't have sex before marriage.  For Jane on the other hand, as a result of Alba's ridiculous flower metaphor (but also probably a little bit because of Xo's teen pregnancy), it was just about her status as a virgin.  Now that that's permanently changed, she no longer sees the point of refraining from sex outside of marriage.  For Fabian the issue is the quality of the relationship.  Then there's Xo's approach, heh.

Edited May 7, 2017 by beadgirl

[betsyboo]

On 5/2/2017 at 6:39 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Okay, I know Scott was an ass, but I had to laugh that JP stood for Jerky Pants. My sixth grade best friend and I made up similar nicknames for people so we could write notes to each other without anyone knowing who we were talking about (we hadn't read Orwell yet but we were already paranoid!).

"we call him that because he is always eating the jerk of the gator!" I want this to be my new ringtone!

We had severe thunderstorms in my area, and the alert for the WHOLE SHOW exactly covered the subtitles. My 11th grade Spanish was 30 years ago, so I struggled a bit. So Jorge is undocumented? I'm surprised he told Alba that in the middle of the store.

Also - what was Mateo calling Alba? "Bisa"? or something? Not Abuela? <<<<ANNNND, thank you Google for telling me bisabuela is "great grandmother" in Spanish.>>>>>

I think that Petra flew to Bluebell, Alabama, and bought all of Lemon Breeland's formal shorts. Because, otherwise, where DOES one buy a formal short?!?!?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, beadgirl said:

It is interesting, and while I think Fabian is not a good match for him, I do like that they've fleshed out his character a bit more from "dumb prettyboy."

I also really appreciate what they're doing about premarital sex attitudes (intentionally or not). For Alba, despite the ridiculous flower metaphor, the issue isn't virginity, but chastity -- the proper context for sex.  Which is why, despite that fact that she is a post-menopausal widow, she still won't have sex before marriage.  For Jane on the other hand, as a result of Alba's ridiculous flower metaphor (but also probably a little bit because of Xo's teen pregnancy), it was just about her status as a virgin.  Now that that's permanently changed, she no longer sees the point of refraining from sex outside of marriage.  For Fabian the issue is the quality of the relationship.  Then there's Xo's approach, heh.

You said this much more eloquently than what I've been thinking in my head. When Jane was contemplating dating again, I did wonder if she would go back to no sex before (the next) marriage or if she would go with "welp, the seal's already broken!" so it's been nice to see that Jane and Alba have diverged. While I'm fine with Alba not wanting to have sex before marriage, I'm glad that Jane isn't as hung up on it anymore and that she is honest about it with Alba. No one should be made to feel ashamed for having (legal and consensual) sex, especially a 20-something adult.

Edited May 8, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[AudienceofOne]

On 05/05/2017 at 3:26 PM, Anisky said:

I am interested in Jane/Fabian because they're pretty much one of the most common romantic tropes gender-swapped, and people are reacting to it very differently. The super hot, kinda dumb/not as well educated, but earnest and kind woman. The (ostensibly-)not-as-hot, more intelligent and educated man. He looks down on her at first, but is charmed by her good-heartedness and zest for life. It's an incredibly common trope in fiction (and real life-- just look at the statistics about how many women with advanced degrees marry significantly less educated men versus how many men with advanced degrees marry significantly less educated women). 

Jane the Virgin just switched the genders of the characters, and voila, the relationship is viewed completely differently. Knowing the JtV writers, this was probably intentional. I'm interested to see how it plays out, both within the show and in fan reactions.

That's what I love about it too. This show works because it consistently inverts the tropes it's using. I especially loved that this episode had Xiomara proposing to Rogelio as well. 

10 hours ago, beadgirl said:

I also really appreciate what they're doing about premarital sex attitudes (intentionally or not). For Alba, despite the ridiculous flower metaphor, the issue isn't virginity, but chastity -- the proper context for sex.  Which is why, despite that fact that she is a post-menopausal widow, she still won't have sex before marriage.  For Jane on the other hand, as a result of Alba's ridiculous flower metaphor (but also probably a little bit because of Xo's teen pregnancy), it was just about her status as a virgin.  Now that that's permanently changed, she no longer sees the point of refraining from sex outside of marriage.  For Fabian the issue is the quality of the relationship.  Then there's Xo's approach, heh.

This. I think they pretty well covered the gamut here and all the positions worked extremely well with each character.  My only problem with Fabian is that I think he's kind of Rogelio Jnr. I imagine Jane may have a bit of a problem when she realised she's dating her father.

Raf and Petra - No! Just... no. Please, God. Anybody but Petra.

[dargosmydaddy]

19 hours ago, betsyboo said:

We had severe thunderstorms in my area, and the alert for the WHOLE SHOW exactly covered the subtitles. My 11th grade Spanish was 30 years ago, so I struggled a bit. So Jorge is undocumented? I'm surprised he told Alba that in the middle of the store.

He refused to go to the protest with her in the middle of the store. He admitted to being undocumented (after she guessed/ asked him) later, somewhere more private (I think they were outside).

[betsyboo]

5 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

He refused to go to the protest with her in the middle of the store. He admitted to being undocumented (after she guessed/ asked him) later, somewhere more private (I think they were outside).

thank you!