S05.E10: Chapter Ninety-One

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Jane struggles to balance her time between writing a script for the network and writing a novel; Rafael is furious with Jane after she makes a medical appointment that he doesn't agree with; JR lands a job interview out of state.

Promo:

Original air date: 5/29/19

[cardigirl]

Until about halfway through this episode I was really not liking Rafael. He turned it around at the end though. 

Poor Petra. I still love her interactions with Rafael though. 

[miasth]

After tonight, I may be done with Jafael.  Jane was wrong to go behind his back, but based on his attitude I can see why she did it.  His I am putting my foot down comment made me see why some people do not like him and his behavior towards Jane. 

I really do question what is the writer's goal.  In nearly every episode this season, they have taken the characters to such an unlikable extreme that for me them being set straight before the end of the episode does not make up for it. 

Jetra is done and I am glad. It became abundantly clear they were never going to move past the disbarment and after last episode I got tired of their constant drama.

 If Luisa has gone back to Rose that would be extremely stupid and pathetic even for her so here is hoping that she is playing Rose with the intent to bring her down and get her out of their lives once and for all.

Edited May 30, 2019 by miasth

[tennisgurl]

At this point, I dont really know why we should be rooting for Jane and Rafael to be a couple anymore. They just keep doing the same crap over and over again. Jane oversteps her bounds, Rafael gets super pissy, yells at Jane and storms off in a huff, Jane apologizes, rinse and repeat. Jane is self riotous and oversteps everyone's boundaries, Rafael is a whinny jerk who is super quick to tell Jane to fuck off, then she has to grovel and apologize. Rafael especially has just become such a jerk lately. Yeah he got it back together in the end, but him not wanting Mateo to be tested just because he didnt to deal with it and "putting his foot down" and not even listening to Jane was really dickish, and then threatening to bring lawyers in? He is just so quick to assume the worst in Jane, and while Jane hasn't been Miss Likable lately either, watching him stomp all over her is just sad.

Poor Petra. 

[CooperTV]

Will Jane ever learn to respect other people's feelings and their boundaries? Will she ever stop doing things out of spite because something doesn't go her way? I guess, the writers wants us to watch the last season and find out!

The entire situation with Mateo being tested is a pure obnoxious Jane, Like, girl, Rafael freaked out, give him some time to adjust to the idea and calm down. Instead she willingly worsens the issue by making an unilateral decision and expect Rafael just to fall in line.

Rafael's also acting out because he just found out Luisa is allegedly works with Rose and is lying to him. Plus his son is having some issues, and his co-parent doesn't try and talk to him about that but just starts a fight to hide her feelings. I'm glad he and Jane came to an agreement and made up, and that Rafael was serious about the medical issues custody.

BTW, it's interesting how they show Petra helping Rafael the way Jane was supposed to support him in the moment. It got way better results.

The entire episode was weird and hectic, probably by design, though. Yes, the Narrator is Mateo, I knew that already, show, stop!

[tennisgurl]

1 hour ago, CooperTV said:

BTW, it's interesting how they show Petra helping Rafael the way Jane was supposed to support him in the moment. It got way better results.

Honestly, Petra and Rafael seem like a much better match at this point than Rafael and Jane. I know they have a weird often crappy history, but they seem to do much better at co-parenting, they seem to be able to talk to each other in ways that make sense to each other in an honest and respectful way, and now that they have both grown a lot as people since the first season, I think their personalities are very complimentary.

Of course we all know that Jane/Rafael are end game, no matter how little sense it makes, but still. 

[chocolatine]

It really rubbed me the wrong way how Rogelio used Xo, Darci, and River to guilt-trip Dina into working with him again. So a woman should make nice with a man who'd treated her badly because other women whom he'd also treated badly have made nice with him - great lesson there, show!

[peace355]

Yep they've really made Rafael and Jane the worst couple this season. One of the few character's that has been consistently good this season is Petra. Love her relationships with everyone. Wasn't a massive fan of her and J.R. but at least they were trying to communicate, Petra put well being of her children first and even this episode she was considering JR's happiness over her own and was still willing to make it work.

Like her and Jane's closeness now, was glad to see her go to her first. Also agree Rafe and Petra seem like the better co-parents this season. Funnily enough when Michael first came back this season, I thought maybe him and Petra would end up together as "Jason" had an attraction to her and he did save her life in first season. Think if Rafael and Jane are endgame, then it would fit with telenovela drama to have Petra and Michael be together a switch around from season 1.

[jaigurudeva]

Ugh, Rafael puts his own self-interests, fears, and reservations over the well-being of his son, and then gets mad at Jane for having the initiative to make the appointment for Mateo? Rafael thinks he gets to "put his foot down" and Jane just has to fall in line? If they're equal partners in a stalemate over medical intervention for their child, the professionally recommended course of action should be the automatic tiebreaker. She was 100% in the right to get Mateo the medical help he needs, with or without Rafael's approval. If Rafael were an anti-vaxxer, would Jane also have to put Mateo's physical health at risk for the sake of Rafael's opinions and feelings? The child's health, physical or mental, should always come first.

Poor Petra. It seemed like JR was never fully committed to their relationship. She was always the one putting up walls, avoiding a relationship with the twins, pushing Petra away and forcing her to run after JR and beg for another chance time and time again. The relationship was too one-sided to last. They had a chance to "start over" with the new job in Miami - their inequal (a low-key unhealthy) emotional dynamic of Petra always feeling guilty and trying to make amends for JR losing her job could've been started fresh with the new immigration job - but I think JR was looking for an out even before her trip to Houston.

Jane and Petra are better off without their broken relationships, wasting so much time and emotional labor desperately trying to put together pieces that no longer fit. I'm thinking (or at least hoping) they're going to end the series with Jane being single, but finding fulfillment in her new novel, Mateo doing better in school, and her and Rafael finding a good, amicable co-parenting routine. She and Petra have ladies' nights every so often, leaving Raf with all the kids, and they take some time to enjoy the single life a little. After all they've been through in their crazy strings of romantic relationships, they deserve to take a little breather and just find joy in their careers, children, family and friendships. Then, when Cupid comes knocking, they'll be in a better mental and emotional place to try again.

[mrsbagnet]

14 minutes ago, jaigurudeva said:

Jane and Petra are better off without their broken relationships, wasting so much time and emotional labor desperately trying to put together pieces that no longer fit. I'm thinking (or at least hoping) they're going to end the series with Jane being single, but finding fulfillment in her new novel, Mateo doing better in school, and her and Rafael finding a good, amicable co-parenting routine. She and Petra have ladies' nights every so often, leaving Raf with all the kids, and they take some time to enjoy the single life a little. After all they've been through in their crazy strings of romantic relationships, they deserve to take a little breather and just find joy in their careers, children, family and friendships. Then, when Cupid comes knocking, they'll be in a better mental and emotional place to try again.

This is my hope, too, although given how good Petra and Rafael's relationship is now, I also think it'd be a nice twist to have Petra and Rafael reunite and have Jane move on to other things in her life.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved that when Rafael was poo-pooing the idea of having Mateo tested, Petra very matter of factly pointed out that it's possible he needs professional help. While I totally understand that there is an issue with kids being overmedicated, it doesn't hurt to have a doctor have a professional medical opinion based on testing. That carries more weight to me than Rafael just ASSUMING that there's nothing wrong with Mateo (you know, with his extensive education in medicine and child development).

As a parent, your job is to do what's in the best interest of your child. Mateo's teacher already said that he's struggling with reading. That means school is difficult for him. Testing could uncover an underlying cause and that in turn can help Mateo's parents and teacher understand WHY he's having problems and better address them through strategies that are specifically geared toward whatever issues he has.

But instead, Rafael's first instinct was to say that Mateo is just a kid and to FORBID his child's mother from getting him tested. Nothing bad comes of being tested! If you disagree with the diagnosis, you can have him tested elsewhere and get another opinion. You can even ignore the diagnosis and do nothing. Refusing to let your kid get tested after a teacher recommends it feels like willful ignorance. Rafael didn't want to believe there was anything wrong with Mateo and continuing to have a lack of a medical diagnosis allowed him to keep believing that.

What really gets me is that if the teacher had told Rafael that she thought Mateo needed glasses, had a hearing deficit, or had lice/chicken pox/any other medical issue common in elementary school, Rafael would have most likely taken Mateo to the doctor immediately. But for some reason, he was willing to just believe that Mateo had a hard time reading and that there was nothing more to it.

One of my best friends is an elementary school teacher and she deals with this every year - there are kids who she recommends for various testing and the parents don't want to do it. Never mind the fact that if they are diagnosed with certain learning disabilities, the kids gain access to specific assistance. Nope, just keep living in denial and let your kid struggle on his own instead of getting the help he needs.

Poor Petra. I understand why JR needs a clean break, but I still feel for Petra. The fact that she told Jane she just wanted JR to be happy showed how selfless she has become in her relationship since her days with Rafael. I had to laugh when Petra was sobbing to Jane and then she said "I should go. I just thought you would want to know."

I kind of rolled my eyes at the potential house buyers. Yes, your realtor should be able to answer these questions for you, but that kind of info (year the house was built, walkability score, etc) is also available online so just look it up yourself before you go!

[SoMuchTV]

6 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

What really gets me is that if the teacher had told Rafael that she thought Mateo needed glasses, had a hearing deficit, or had lice/chicken pox/any other medical issue common in elementary school, Rafael would have most likely taken Mateo to the doctor immediately. But for some reason, he was willing to just believe that Mateo had a hard time reading and that there was nothing more to it.

...

I kind of rolled my eyes at the potential house buyers. Yes, your realtor should be able to answer these questions for you, but that kind of info (year the house was built, walkability score, etc) is also available online so just look it up yourself before you go!

Extra likes for the above points!

[nasir jones]

"Oh they nasty..."  might be the best Narrator line ever.  For all those who said way back when that Mateo was The Narrator, it appears that's true.

Petra has been the MVP of the season in every way possible.  Loved the Jane & Petra ring joke amongst the sadness.  I was more stunned that Petra would want to spend the night in Jane's bedroom than about the breakup.  That seemed to be coming all season.  I also love that she can set Rafael straight without him flipping out like he does on Jane on a now weekly basis.

Rogelio and the 3/4 women in his life scene was excellent.  During that scene, it really hit me how amazing and deep the cast is for this show.

[Simba122504]

1 hour ago, jaigurudeva said:

Ugh, Rafael puts his own self-interests, fears, and reservations over the well-being of his son, and then gets mad at Jane for having the initiative to make the appointment for Mateo? Rafael thinks he gets to "put his foot down" and Jane just has to fall in line? If they're equal partners in a stalemate over medical intervention for their child, the professionally recommended course of action should be the automatic tiebreaker. She was 100% in the right to get Mateo the medical help he needs, with or without Rafael's approval. If Rafael were an anti-vaxxer, would Jane also have to put Mateo's physical health at risk for the sake of Rafael's opinions and feelings? The child's health, physical or mental, should always come first.

Poor Petra. It seemed like JR was never fully committed to their relationship. She was always the one putting up walls, avoiding a relationship with the twins, pushing Petra away and forcing her to run after JR and beg for another chance time and time again. The relationship was too one-sided to last. They had a chance to "start over" with the new job in Miami - their inequal (a low-key unhealthy) emotional dynamic of Petra always feeling guilty and trying to make amends for JR losing her job could've been started fresh with the new immigration job - but I think JR was looking for an out even before her trip to Houston.

Jane and Petra are better off without their broken relationships, wasting so much time and emotional labor desperately trying to put together pieces that no longer fit. I'm thinking (or at least hoping) they're going to end the series with Jane being single, but finding fulfillment in her new novel, Mateo doing better in school, and her and Rafael finding a good, amicable co-parenting routine. She and Petra have ladies' nights every so often, leaving Raf with all the kids, and they take some time to enjoy the single life a little. After all they've been through in their crazy strings of romantic relationships, they deserve to take a little breather and just find joy in their careers, children, family and friendships. Then, when Cupid comes knocking, they'll be in a better mental and emotional place to try again.

That's not a telenovela ending. Also throwing bunch of shit at the main couple until the mid point/ending is a typical soap opera/telenovela trope. They have find ways to keep them apart until bringing them back together for good.

The problem was Rafael like most parents want their kids to be "normal." 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Simba122504

[natyxg]

I agree with those who said that Petra has been the best thing this season. I really love her arc and what they've done with her. I guess I'm a softie and I enjoy a redemption story, certainly more than I enjoy seeing people get WORSE (which I don't enjoy at all). Her relationship with Jane is, imo, better than their romantic relationships.

At this point Luisa should just say "fuck it" and go back to Rose. It's tiring to see her begging and begging and begging for things to always end in the same place. But I guess she went back to Rose to catch her or whatever, to prove to her asshole brother that she really deserves entry into his kingdom. zzzzzz

I'm not a fan of writers in shows writing their own lives. It seems so lazy and uninspired. But of course, the telenovela that we're watching has to be Jane's novel, and it will be a big sucess or whatever.

I missed the twins.

Overall I felt that this episode was mostly filler, which is odd considering that there's so little time left. What? Half a season or something?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I feel bad for the actress playing Xo. Lately it seems like all she gets to do is ask everyone else how they're doing and then make sympathetic noises. I guess the writers thought they gave her enough plot for the season with her cancer storyline.

[Harry24]

10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I feel bad for the actress playing Xo. Lately it seems like all she gets to do is ask everyone else how they're doing and then make sympathetic noises. I guess the writers thought they gave her enough plot for the season with her cancer storyline.

This fact makes me fear they're going to give her a big death storyline. 😞

[CooperTV]

On 5/30/2019 at 8:58 AM, tennisgurl said:

Honestly, Petra and Rafael seem like a much better match at this point than Rafael and Jane. I know they have a weird often crappy history, but they seem to do much better at co-parenting, they seem to be able to talk to each other in ways that make sense to each other in an honest and respectful way, and now that they have both grown a lot as people since the first season, I think their personalities are very complimentary.

Of course we all know that Jane/Rafael are end game, no matter how little sense it makes, but still. 

Jane and Rafael always made sense and still do. I don't think Rafael relying on someone who isn't Jane for support is a bad thing, as well. And that's the only thing I will ever say on the subject and about the couple.

I don't think the viewers don't have a full understanding about all Petra/Rafael co-parenting issues (besides the surface level of "Rafael is a good dad", which he is), due to the show being about Jane, Rafael and their child, I just don't have enough info about that.

Edited May 31, 2019 by CooperTV

[natyxg]

7 hours ago, Harry24 said:

This fact makes me fear they're going to give her a big death storyline. 😞

THEY BETTER NOT DARE.

[natyxg]

18 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I feel bad for the actress playing Xo. Lately it seems like all she gets to do is ask everyone else how they're doing and then make sympathetic noises. I guess the writers thought they gave her enough plot for the season with her cancer storyline.

Well, easy paycheck, at least.

[Euphony]

So, my son just got diagnosed less than two months ago with a developmental disorder.  When testing was first suggested, my first reaction was definitely "I don't think he has that." My second reaction was to read more about. My third was to book an appointment.  Raf's reaction is the rule, not the exception.  I have been consistently told by the professionals I have been working with how quickly I acted on the suggestion, and it sure as hell wasn't instantaneous. Jane should have given him a beat and approached it again in a couple of days. It can be hard to realize what you thought was a temporary issue is actually going to be a permanent one.

Edited June 1, 2019 by Euphony

[smartymarty]

I agree that Jane should have hated a few days to let Raf calm down. A learning disability is not life-threatening such that one must rush to get medical treatment. And though I understand that parents don't want their kids to have ANY problems, I didn't understand in the end why ADHD was so devastating to them. Lots of kids live with this, there is therapy and medication, even food choice (I think) that can help. The whole plot line seemed to have more angst than necessary.

Unlike the "Raf and Jane are endgame" believers, possibly the new custody contract supports Jane being independent in the end. I'd like that ending best.

When was it suggested in the series that Mateo was the narrator? Or is that just a fan idea? The narrator is much more literate and funny than I imagine adult Mateo to be. (I really don't like him.)

[cardigirl]

It's so interesting to me to see how easily Rafael's reaction is excused/justified/supported and I suspect it is because he is perceived as "hot" and therefore given much leeway in his reactions to things, but if my children's father ever spoke to me the way Rafael has spoken to Jane on not one, but many many occasions, I would have adjusted the custody agreement and he would not have liked what I would have come up with. 

Seriously, girls, Rafael needs to watch himself.  He adjusted his attitude by the end of the episode and made nice with Jane, but it was Petra who got him to realize that he was being an arse. 

I have no doubt that he loves his kids, but this high and mighty lord of the manor attitude of his does him no favors in my eyes.  End game or no.

And I don't think Mateo is the narrator, based solely on the fact that the narrator dropped some clues about being unable to focus, etc. He might be, but I think they are not going to let us know that easily. 

Just my opinion. 

Edited June 3, 2019 by cardigirl

[truebluesmoky]

How would Mateo end up with the narrator’s accent?

[LisaM]

I love Jane and Petra. How far they have come. 

[Anela]

Jane and Petra are my favourite relationship on the show. I love that they think of each other as sisters, and have learned that they can lean on each other, when they really need it.