S04.E02: Chapter Sixty-Six

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Jane’s burgeoning relationship with Adam  helps bring out her fun side and reminds her that she isn’t just a mom. However, when Adam gets a job opportunity, he asks for Jane’s opinion on if he should stay or go. Rogelio is facing issues with his co-star at work and things are about to get even worse for him. Xo is helping to take care of Darci to prove that Rogelio is committed to being a father to the baby. Meanwhile, Petra and Rafael are working together to try and buy back the hotel, but are running into trouble, causing tension between them.

Promo:

[elle]

For as many cringe worthy moments there have been, I do not think I cringed as much as when Jane jumped off the roof, too close to home (the break, not the jumping off the roof part)

My goodness, Rogelio was a pretty woman!

[SeanC]

The way school funding is handled in the US (or, at least, most US states, from what I can tell) has always seemed self-evidently wrongheaded from my Canadian perspective, since provinces here apportion funding on a per student basis.  The idea of parents strategizing to get into "good" public schools is pretty ridiculous.  Of course, schools in wealthier areas will always be better off, what with parent fundraising, etc., but the baseline should be consistent.

Rogelio triumphantly pulling his wig off and telling Fabian to say hello to his grandmother is a Top 10 Rogelio moment.

[Anisky]

28 minutes ago, SeanC said:

The way school funding is handled in the US (or, at least, most US states, from what I can tell) has always seemed self-evidently wrongheaded from my Canadian perspective, since provinces here apportion funding on a per student basis.  The idea of parents strategizing to get into "good" public schools is pretty ridiculous.  Of course, schools in wealthier areas will always be better off, what with parent fundraising, etc., but the baseline should be consistent.

Rogelio triumphantly pulling his wig off and telling Fabian to say hello to his grandmother is a Top 10 Rogelio moment.

Sigh, for some reason today is the day of Canadians Tantalizing Anisky with the Decency and Sanity She is, as an American, Unable to Have. I am currently jealous of all Canadians. 

The strategizing to get into a good public school done in this episode is very small potatoes for an American family with young children, honestly. For a young couple with young children or expecting to have children soon, the quality of the school district is a huge consideration when buying a home.

The house I grew up in meant additional hour to hour and a half daily to the round trip work commute for both of my parents compared to other homes in a similar price range they were considering. The #1 reason they chose the house I grew up in was that it was in a better school district. We lived there 16 years. That's 2-3 hours daily between them, five days a week, for 16 years. Think how much wasted time that is. 

Anyway. Ahem. 

I liked this episode. I will be just fine with the death next week as long as it's Anezka, Magda, or Luisa. Any of them can go away any time. If it's one of the other options, I won't be too happy. 

I appreciated how, when arguing for his character against Fabian's grandmother, Rogelio chose things that would make her feel a little sour towards Fabian, like that he never gives her massages and doesn't take out the trash, so that she wouldn't be as quick to defend him while she's like, "Yeah, why doesn't my grandson ever give me massages?"

I also loved how Rogelio listened when the women were talking about what they'd like from men! And did something about it! Now, if he keeps doing the things he learned, I will adore him. It does seem like he might just make one big gesture and then forget about it, but even if he does, Xo will still have that Room of her Own to go to! 

Edited October 21, 2017 by Anisky

[Simba122504]

Jane, hold that L. I didn't know letting a kid use another address was up there with arm robbery. Everyone knows someone who does it. She again accused Rafael of being shady because he grew up rich. As long as Rafael has money, Mateo will attend the best private schools but without it, Mateo is just like every other kid. Alba had to tell Jane this. I'm shocked that R/P ended before it even begun. I actually liked that Petra was the one to walk away because she's the one that held on the most. Ro looked good in drag. A second career if the telenovela world ever gets tired if him. lol I knew Jane was going to break something when she made that jump. The comic book Adam made was cute. Somebody is going to die. It definitely won't be Raf, Alba or Petra. Too bad Rose isn't an option. I think one us could own Marbella if we wanted to because that's how easy it is. 

Edited October 21, 2017 by Simba122504

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I laughed way harder than I should have at Rogelio going totally Meredith Grey.

I'm glad Jane finally (1) realized how much she has benefited from Rafael's money and (2) apologized for being a jerk about it.

When my family moved to another state, my parents prepared for it by researching the school districts in the city (which was a lot of work pre-internet) and then flying there to visit and check out the neighborhoods where the better schools were. That's how they decided where we would live (we moved to a large city with MANY school districts so they made sure to investigate the districts as well as the individual schools).

Loved that Petra broke up with Rafael because when he brought up the fact that she has slept with people to get ahead and cheated, I was like OH NO YOU DIDN'T. So much for mature relationship Rafael because bringing that up made me give him one million demerits. Either trust the person you're with or don't be together. If you're bringing up past transgressions, either you're not over it or you think they're going to do it again. Whichever one it is, you shouldn't be in a relationship if either of those things are an issue.

Heh, but I'm really glad that Rafael, Petra, and Jane are no longer in a love triangle or pining after each other. Let them be a family but let these three date other people so that the three of them can stop with all the jealousy, competitiveness, and back and forth.

[Simba122504]

12 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I laughed way harder than I should have at Rogelio going totally Meredith Grey.

I'm glad Jane finally (1) realized how much she has benefited from Rafael's money and (2) apologized for being a jerk about it.

When my family moved to another state, my parents prepared for it by researching the school districts in the city (which was a lot of work pre-internet) and then flying there to visit and check out the neighborhoods where the better schools were. That's how they decided where we would live (we moved to a large city with MANY school districts so they made sure to investigate the districts as well as the individual schools).

Loved that Petra broke up with Rafael because when he brought up the fact that she has slept with people to get ahead and cheated, I was like OH NO YOU DIDN'T. So much for mature relationship Rafael because bringing that up made me give him one million demerits. Either trust the person you're with or don't be together. If you're bringing up past transgressions, either you're not over it or you think they're going to do it again. Whichever one it is, you shouldn't be in a relationship if either of those things are an issue.

Heh, but I'm really glad that Rafael, Petra, and Jane are no longer in a love triangle or pining after each other. Let them be a family but let these three date other people so that the three of them can stop with all the jealousy, competitiveness, and back and forth.

J/P are done. They're never ever getting back together. But J/R are not. 

[Joana]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Heh, but I'm really glad that Rafael, Petra, and Jane are no longer in a love triangle or pining after each other. 

That's what we said the first 75 times Ross and Rachel broke up and look where it got us!

Love triangles are always going to be a part of this show in some form for as long as it airs, that is clear by now. I intensely dislike it, but I'm willing to overlook it if other things work well, and that is pretty hit and miss at the moment. The show has A LOT of dead weight going all the way back to season 1 that it just refuses to get rid of (Luisa/Rose, Magda etc.), while being unable to seriously commit to any new storylines - for example, this was the first we heard of Xiomara's dance studio since God knows how long. Also, I feel like they've been retconning a lot lately (Fun Jane is not someone we know) and I find it off-putting.

On the other hand, this episode had more genuinely LOL-worthy moments than I've seen in a long time ("spot the difference" between Real Alba and Fun Alba totally cracked me up), so not all is lost. I just wish they'd tighten it up a bit. The show can still be at least nearly as good as it once was.  

Also, I was pleasantly surprised they didn't use the tired "Anezka pretends to be Petra" trick. When they were about to enter the room at the end of the episode, I was almost convinced that they're going to walk in on Rafael making out with what's her name (after Anezka posing as Petra had broken up with him) and that she was going to be disappointed in him and blah. Instead, it turned out that Magda had returned. Not that her comeback is much better option, but you have to take what you get at this point.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Joana

[bybrandy]

My mom bought the house she lives in now when I was in college.  There are 20 years between me and my oldest sister.  I remember when she was looking she said it was literally the first time she'd ever looked at houses without the school district being her primary concern.  

I really enjoyed this one.  Jane having to eat some crow. Alba's bromance with Raf. Ro in the focus group, Xo just in general.    

[DianeDobbler]

I'm super relieved they didn't do "Aneska pretends to be Petra" as I was positive they were doing in the last episode. Agree, bybrandy, with the enjoyment of Xo. I think this is a case where the writers ended up modifying both Rogelio and Xo in response to attributes the actors project in the roles. Due to the actors who play the roles, both Rogelio and Xo are obviously a couple of homebody mensch types not nearly as wild or sexually unreliable as originally conceived, so they've been toned down, and their maturity emphasized a bit more (Rogelio's less so than Xo's, but I'm not sure the original conception of Rogelio would be believable even as far along as this season as a guy who was happily married and settled. But I believe it because I think it's more natural to both performers.)

I think Gina Rodriguez is extremely talented and very versatile, and a strong leading lady, but this season is sort of confirming for me what I've felt before, that her one weakness is generating chemistry with leading men. Yael Grobglas generates chemistry with almost everybody, the actress who plays Xo is good at sparking up with anybody opposite her, male or female. I LOVED Michael but it was down to Brett Dier's playful chops and how versatile and charismatic HE was. It was - do I want to watch (zzzzzz) Rafe and Jane, or do I want to watch the endlessly entertaining and resourceful Dier's Michael with Jane. Thus far I think Gina Rodriguez has had her best chemistry with Melanie Mayron's professor, and in her scenes when Petra was giving birth. I can still watch the scenes where Gina Rodriguez reads aloud from Jane's novel while Petra is screaming, and laugh my head off. I don't really care about Adam, even though I can't fault Rodriguez's performance. It's just that with her leading men so far, I think a certain je ne sais quois  is absent. Plus Tyler Posey ain't that great an actor. Not that one needs to be, but even if you're one note, it should be a good note. For all I've ragged on him through this show, I think Justin Baldoni has figured out what he's doing and is now delivering a good Rafael. Not that I think he has chemistry with Jane.

[Bouffe]

Douche Bag Jane was awesome. After Jane ragged on Rafael of having money, it was nice that she finally realized what that same money did for her. I was pleasantly surprised it was Alba who made her realized all of that.

Fun Jane and Mom Jane had me cracking up big time. It was so perfect to see those two polar opposites standing behind Jane.

I too liked that Petra was the one to break it off with Rafael. I hope the writers keep writing her in that way.

This whole Darcy/Xo/Ro thing is weir. But I kinda like it. A lot.

And I don't like Adam.

[DeathQuaker]

I liked the way Petra broke up with Raf, but part of me wonders if she did it only to manipulate Raf into sleeping with the lady investor. I think she knows there was a fair chance that's how he'd react, and she is that twisty.

I thought the Ro plot dragged too long. I just read what I wrote. Ha! I loved his solution to the situation though. Not keen on seeing more telenovela rivalry. The show within a show aspect of JTV has never been compelling to watch for me, as fun as it is to watch Jaime Camil perform.

Mainly rooting for Anezka to die. While I love Yael Grobglas's portrayal of her, and how different it is to Petra, she has largely served her purpose and her schtick is getting old. And the others don't make sense. It would be weird for Magda to show up only to immediately die (though I guess it's possible). Petra has so much invested in going on it would be a waste of a lot of buildup to kill her. Luisa is still needed for the ongoing Sin Rostro plot (which, unpopular opinion, I still enjoy, but I'd enjoy watching a plot involving someone reading the phonebook if it involved Bridget Regan, let alone both her and Yara Martinez, so.), and the writers seem invested in drawing that out. Alba or Raf would be way out of left field--which doesn't mean it's impossible, but it'd be really strange, and I'm not sure what developments could come of those deaths that would be interesting to watch.

[Joana]

1 hour ago, DeathQuaker said:

 The show within a show aspect of JTV has never been compelling to watch for me, as fun as it is to watch Jaime Camil perform.

I found it interesting in the beginning because "Passions of Santos" looked like something that could be an actual telenovela, but all the later stuff with space combat and time travel and whatnot feels way too gimmicky. BTW, killing off a main character in a telenovela is not "the oldest trick in the book", it's in fact done extremely rarely and is almost always a result of some external factors. 

As for who's going to die, I think the only one we can absolutely count out is Rafael. Alba is extremely unlikely too. Petra dying would obviously be horrendous, but I wouldn't completely write it out. The direction the writing for her character has taken over the last season has been rather weird. Still, I don't think so. I too hope it's Anezka, but I have a feeling it's going to be Magda. I don't think they're going anywhere serious with that storyline and Magda's death would have by far the least impact - honestly, who would ever notice that she's gone?

[cardigirl]

Does anyone else think the writing is off a little so far this season, or is it just me?  Not enjoying the show as much as I have in the past.

[LaughingOne]

15 hours ago, DeathQuaker said:

I liked the way Petra broke up with Raf, but part of me wonders if she did it only to manipulate Raf into sleeping with the lady investor. I think she knows there was a fair chance that's how he'd react, and she is that twisty.

That's an interesting idea and wouldn't be totally out of character. Although, I do think she's just sick of the Rafael drama and her reservations about him are real. She was understandably worried about getting back together with him at the end of last season. And those concerns are already bearing themselves out. It hasn't even been a month and they're already dealing with jealousy, cheating, and insecurities. Regardless of why she did it, I was glad to see Petra dump him. Just like I was glad to see Rafael turn Jane down last week. Both of those relationships needed some role reversal.

[twoods]

I don't get why these writers give us cute scenes with Jane and her love interests when we all know that it will end in heartbreak (still not over Michael) because Rafael is endgame. Regardless, I really like Adam because he is sweet and brings out a fun side to Jane. Plus, Tyler still has that adorable smile that melted my heart in Maid in Manhattan. 

I liked Jane finally apologizing to Raf for being a douche to him for getting judgmental about money when she benefited from it all these years. Since I took a break after Michael's death, is Jane even working right now? I also liked how Alba was the one who pointed this out to Jane. She needed to be knocked down a few pegs.

Xio is such a sweet and supportive wife. 

I hope Louisa bites the dust. I'm sick of her ungrateful ass.

[rove4]

8 hours ago, twoods said:

I liked Jane finally apologizing to Raf for being a douche to him for getting judgmental about money when she benefited from it all these years.

Me too.  Frankly, I've always thought the Jane's views on money and rich people was a bit hypocritical.  Going all the way back to S1,  her own father turned out to be a famous and wealthy telenovela star. Her mother had no qualms about moving into Rogelio's 5000+ square foot mansion. Jane had little problem with capitalizing on Rafael's power and influence in order to get Xo a singing gig at the hotel, to get her and her friends into an exclusive club, and to try to intervene in Frankie getting laid off (granted she felt awkward about that one but she did it anyway).  And those are just S1 examples.  So yeah, I was glad that Abuela set her straight on her own bias.  To Jane's credit though, she's always known she has a tendency to be "judgey" and she didn't hesitate to apologize for it. 

I can't say that I'm a Tyler Posey fan so the sooner Adam is gone the better.  I hope he's just here long enough to help Jane learn to loosen up and have fun again before moving on. 

[vavera4ka]

On ‎10‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 10:49 PM, SeanC said:

The way school funding is handled in the US (or, at least, most US states, from what I can tell) has always seemed self-evidently wrongheaded from my Canadian perspective, since provinces here apportion funding on a per student basis.  The idea of parents strategizing to get into "good" public schools is pretty ridiculous.  Of course, schools in wealthier areas will always be better off, what with parent fundraising, etc., but the baseline should be consistent.

I've just recently read Tony Danza's  book about his year teaching English in HS. One fact that makes no sense and that I have never heard of is that school's status and I guess funding (at least in Philly area) depends on some stupid test results. And it's not the kids that go to school that count towards that metric, but all the kids that live in that district including those that for some reason or another go to a different school.

[Raja]

On 10/20/2017 at 8:49 PM, SeanC said:

The way school funding is handled in the US (or, at least, most US states, from what I can tell) has always seemed self-evidently wrongheaded from my Canadian perspective, since provinces here apportion funding on a per student basis.  The idea of parents strategizing to get into "good" public schools is pretty ridiculous.  Of course, schools in wealthier areas will always be better off, what with parent fundraising, etc., but the baseline should be consistent.

Rogelio triumphantly pulling his wig off and telling Fabian to say hello to his grandmother is a Top 10 Rogelio moment.

It is more involved than just funding. Once upon a time it was called white flight as you wanted your kids with the "proper" social environment, In Jane's case English instead of Spanish spoken in the home of fellow students, etc.

[nonnybaby]

Jaime Camil was in a telenovela called "Por Ella Soy Eva" a few years ago where he dressed up as a woman in order to reclaim his life. It was such a fun show!

So, I was excited to see Jaime dressed exactly like his character and would have died if he would have said that her name was "Eva" instead of "Judy."

 

[AudienceofOne]

So something weird happened this episode. I think I'm... over it.

There was something tired about the notes this show is hitting. I supposed that was true of the first episode but that I found funny. This I just found boring. I don't feel like Adam is adding anything to the show. It's not Posey, I quite like Posey. He's not a great actor but I enjoy watching him and managed to get through all of Teen Wolf because of it.

It's more like this is the first relationship where I felt like we're not learning anything new about Jane or developing her as a character. He's coming across to me as a delaying tactic to what I assume will be Jane and Rafael's reconciliation. This show has surprised me before but I can't help feeling that Jane and Raf are OTP and the show is just throwing up random roadblocks keep the show going because the writers only want them to get together at the end.

[AuntiePam]

On 11/28/2017 at 4:42 PM, AudienceofOne said:

It's more like this is the first relationship where I felt like we're not learning anything new about Jane or developing her as a character. He's coming across to me as a delaying tactic to what I assume will be Jane and Rafael's reconciliation.

I agree.  I think it's unfair of Jane to encourage Adam to give up a dream job, or even allow it.  They've only been together a short time, and like Jane said, they haven't been in any "real life" situations.  He hasn't met Mateo.  If Mateo doesn't take to him, we know it'll be over. 

Also, the writers haven't shown me any reason for Adam to make this choice, this sacrifice.  He hasn't been pining for Jane for the last 8-9 years, has he?  These two are in their late 20's, not their teens.  Time to make adult choices.

Jane's just being selfish.  She's pissed at Rafael, but that anger never lasts. 

I'm kind of over Jane, seeing selfishness and faults where I used to see strength and courage.  Maybe it's a result of the binge. (I just discovered the show a couple weeks ago.  Late to the party but at least I don't have to wait to see how it all ends.)