S04.E03: Chapter Sixty-Seven

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Jane and Adam's relationship seems to be moving at hyper-speed, and Jane thinks that it might be time for him to meet Mateo, but Rafael is not happy with this idea. As the arrival of baby De La Vega Factor approaches, Rogelio's jealousy of Darci's new boyfriend increases as well. Trying to be supportive, Xo encourages Rogelio to step up and be the father he was meant to be. Meanwhile, Rafael is determined to get his hotel and life back and will do whatever he has to do to make it happen.

Promo:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ugh, Rafael is back to being douchey. He deliberately told Petra that Catherine said whatever while they were in bed, just to hurt/annoy her. Then he got all judgmental about Adam based purely on what Alba said about him. I wish Jane had told him that the only reason she didn't marry Adam ten years ago is because Alba and Xiomara threatened him. Hated Raf interrogating Adam about his experience with kids. Raf didn't know shit about how to deal with kids before Mateo was born either. You learn as you go. And then he lied to Catherine and said that Jane is a rageaholic? Sheesh.

Love that Xiomara, who used to be the flighty immature irresponsible one, is now calmly giving Rogelio rational advice, like at least reading about home birthing before saying he hated it. I'm also glad that she told him he couldn't forbid Darci from having a home birth.

I thought it was sweet and so Rogelio that when Esteban said Darci was 32, Rogelio didn't tell him the truth.

Magda is evil, but her matching eyepatches for every outfit were cracking me up.

Awwwww, Mateo made me tear up when he said that Jane cried a lot after Michael died.

[mrsbagnet]

Didn't Rafael criticize Petra for using sex to get things she wanted for the business? Now he's doing the exact same, only he's dragging his children into it. He is the worst kind of hypocrite. When he heard that Katherine rolled up on Jane like that, he should have shut her down immediately. There should have been no access to any of the children until she apologized. He is a coward and an ass.

[Phebemarie]

I liked the narrator's aside regarding love interests brought in late in game. 

Adam is cute and charming, but I'm not enjoying the Jane+Adam coupling.  It seems like Jane's regressing to her teenaged self.  Sure she deserves some fun, but last year there were a few layers to her character that I'm not seeing now.  Maybe the writers decided to give up on nuance and go with the fun.  

[JamieLynn832002]

I hate Adam's retconned existence, nothing we'd seen indicated a first love she almost married. I also hate the show's tendency to make whatever guy Jane isn't with a jackass. 

[Bouffe]

What are the writers doing to Rafael? To have him go back to Douchey!Raf! just like that really doesn't serve his character well at all. 

Mateo's talk with Adam was cute and touching and just plain awesome. I really enjoyed that.

Ro was great with a super hormonal Darcy and a super annoying Esteban. All three of them in the birthing tube was a bit much, but it was strangely touching.

This felt like one of those episodes where all the ducks are put in a row for the following episodes.  A little boring, I must say.

[amaranta]

I miss Zen Rafael.  He was hot; douche Rafael is so not.

And I still miss Michael, guess I always will.  Adam as a love interest just feels like Jane is treading water. I hold out a slim hope that when this show reaches its end they go full telenovela and it turns out that for some reason Michael's death was faked.  Or a secret twin! (Yes, I'm grasping.)

Edited November 1, 2017 by amaranta
typo

[LaughingOne]

I find it so frustrating that every time the writers are driving another love interest for Jane, they write Rafael as a douchebag. Hey JTV writers, it is actually possible for Jane’s baby daddy and love interest to both be good guys at the same time!

[LisaM]

I really loved Adam and Mateo's Time Warp dance and especially Mateo's talk with Adam about Michael. The only issue that I have about Adam is that he seems too young in comparison to Rafael. 

Xo has really matured since the first season. Her entire interaction with Rogelio about Darci was great. Bringing Esteban, Rogelio's nemesis, into Darci's life is an excellent complication. 

Also cracked up at the girls wearing Magda's hook and eye patch. Hysterical. 

Rafael introducing the Bitch Katherine to his kids is so out of character for Rafael. 

[tennisgurl]

I get that Rafael is under a lot of stress, and things are generally not going well, but him acting like a huge dick is so off putting. I can almost understand his behavior towards Adam, but introducing his kids to that bitchy rich chick? Seems like a line he wouldn't have crossed. 

Adam was cute with Mateo, although I am still not super into him as of now. Adam is nice enough, but he isn't anything really special. Plus, him being retroactively some great former love of Jane's is just weird. I guess I still miss Michael. Maybe I can move on in about three years like the show did? 

The girls dressed like Magda was hilarious, and as awful as Magda is, I can really appreciate her color coordinated eye patches. 

Xo and Rogelio were good together. I like the more mature version of Xo and how much Rogelio is trying to work to be with his new baby. 

[DianeDobbler]

I like Estaben. I remember when he was originally introduced, I didn't think he was nearly as handsome as Rogelio, not enough to plausibly be said to have so much in common with him. But the night he helped Xo in the recording studio a couple? of seasons back, I realized he was a good actor and did have charisma. He's funny.

Jaime Camill was good in this episode. I also liked the actress who played Katherine. Lots of times in a role like that they get someone who isn't that great, just looks right, but she was decent, and had a good amount of humor and vulnerability, although I know she's playing a bitch.

I guess I'm just really relieved not to have to deal with any Petra boyfriend. They've all been irritating as hell, whereas Rafael's various hook-ups have been at least marginally better.

[vavera4ka]

wait, weren't we promised a death? lol 

[wonderwoman]

Just now, vavera4ka said:

wait, weren't we promised a death? lol 

Yes, we were. I was thinking about that as I was falling asleep last night. Can't remember if the narrator has ever lied to us before?

[tua20782]

On 10/29/2017 at 0:54 AM, LaughingOne said:

I find it so frustrating that every time the writers are driving another love interest for Jane, they write Rafael as a douchebag. Hey JTV writers, it is actually possible for Jane’s baby daddy and love interest to both be good guys at the same time!

Pretty much my exact thought. I don’t really care about the Jane/Rafael romance but the writers always seem to demonize which ever guy isn’t Jane’s love interest at the time. The only time Rafael is decent is when they’re tryin to advance that relationship and I like Rafael and am interested in his journey separate from Jane.  This season hasn’t been that engaging anyway so I’ll skip a few episodes and  catch up later.

[cardigirl]

9 hours ago, vavera4ka said:

wait, weren't we promised a death? lol 

 

9 hours ago, wonderwoman said:

Yes, we were. I was thinking about that as I was falling asleep last night. Can't remember if the narrator has ever lied to us before?

I rewatched that part of the episode, and there was no timeline given. Just said, in true telenovella fashion, one of these characters will die!  I also thought they meant this week, but maybe the narrator meant this season?  

And it's possible the narrator lies often.  

[ddawn23]

I assumed the narrator meant one of those characters would die by the end of the season.

I’m surprised everyone seems to have liked Mateo’s talk with Adam. I hated it. Remember in About a Boy when Hugh Grant’s character makes up a kid and it’s obvious he made the kid up because he attributes absurd interpersonal insight and English language mastery to a toddler? That’s what this was. We’re supposed to believe that a one-year-old noticed his mother crying a lot, correctly attributed her upset to the loss of her romantic partner, retained this information three years, surmised that a breakup with her new romantic partner would elicit the same response in his mother that the death of the last one did, asked to speak with the new partner privately, and expressed his concerns in a few concise and perfectly constructed sentences. Nope. That’s hack writing. They chose to obliterate the already tenuous suspension of disbelief in regards to Mateo’s characterization in the name of being cutesy and twee. Ugh.

[DianeDobbler]

Really good point ddawn23. During the conversation with Mateo/Adam, I forgot that the kid was still in diapers when Michael died. And even if he were older, no way that conversation happens.

[koganei]

On 10/31/2017 at 1:26 AM, ddawn23 said:

I assumed the narrator meant one of those characters would die by the end of the season.

I’m surprised everyone seems to have liked Mateo’s talk with Adam. I hated it. Remember in About a Boy when Hugh Grant’s character makes up a kid and it’s obvious he made the kid up because he attributes absurd interpersonal insight and English language mastery to a toddler? That’s what this was. We’re supposed to believe that a one-year-old noticed his mother crying a lot, correctly attributed her upset to the loss of her romantic partner, retained this information three years, surmised that a breakup with her new romantic partner would elicit the same response in his mother that the death of the last one did, asked to speak with the new partner privately, and expressed his concerns in a few concise and perfectly constructed sentences. Nope. That’s hack writing. They chose to obliterate the already tenuous suspension of disbelief in regards to Mateo’s characterization in the name of being cutesy and twee. Ugh.

erm.. it is a telenovela, it is meant to be ridiculous and exaggerating. 

[Joana]

8 hours ago, koganei said:

erm.. it is a telenovela, it is meant to be ridiculous and exaggerating. 

1) Kids on telenovelas are not some cutsey wise beyond age little adorable things. 

2) JtV is not a telenovela, as much as it would seem to like do be able to hand-wave every single piece of lazy writing to it being one. 

[ddawn23]

9 hours ago, koganei said:

erm.. it is a telenovela, it is meant to be ridiculous and exaggerating. 

That would be an excellent argument if telenovelas were known for giving adult-level cognition to children young enough not to have object permanence, but they’re not, so it’s not. 

 

Jane the Virgin’s ability to incorporate ridiculous soap opera tropes into the plot without seeming insane or losing any of the show’s intelligence or charm is one of its biggest strengths. You won’t see me dissing that aspect of the show.

 

It’s perfectly fine that Mateo and Adam’s talk didn’t bother you. It’s also perfectly fine that it did bother me.