Jane the Virgin, “Chapter Seventeen,” was written by the team of Jessica O’Toole and Amy Rardin and was directed by Uta Briesewitz. O’Toole and Rardin’s other credits include Selfie, The Carrie Diaries and Greek. The baby starts to become very real – like magical realism, real – for Jane (Gina Rodriguez). It seems like everyone’s relationships are either troubled or complicated this week.
Jane’s worries about the baby are caused by a couple of different things. In the opening scene Jane and Lina (Diane Guerrero) are registry shopping for the baby. Rafael (Justin Baldoni) isn’t there because he’s too busy planning a big party. In fact, every time Jane turns around in the episode Rafael is letting her down. Even in planning the special event with Petra (Yael Grobglas) Rafael tells Petra, “Trust me. I got this.” And he doesn’t.
While shopping, Jane is suddenly overwhelmed by the things she doesn’t know. Remember that we know that Jane calms herself by finding out as much as she can about things – and we see her turn to study for comfort again. However, Rafael doesn’t come to breast-feeding class with her, Xo (Andrea Navedo) does. I was completely with Xo in thinking the instructor was a drama queen! Did anybody else find the Milky Madras hilarious? Rodriguez is fantastic in the episode as we see Jane struggle with her situation. I loved the look on her face as she asks the instructor to tell her what she doesn’t know she doesn’t know!
Of course, like almost all new mothers, Jane thinks she’s the first to ever have a baby. The opening flashback is of a sixteen year old Xo (Catharine Toribio) arguing with Alba (Ivonne Coll) about giving baby Jane a pacifier. Just as Xo rejects Alba’s advice, Jane rejects Xo’s when she runs into trouble babysitting Luna. I loved Xo walking in and telling Jane just to pick the screaming baby up, and Jane refusing to do it until the baby was swaddled, but then when Jane does pick the baby up she stops crying and the Narrator (Anthony Mendez) says, “Oh. Thank God!” When Xo tries to reassure Jane by giving her a picture of baby Jane, all Jane sees are the potential dangers – the baby on her stomach and bumpers! Xo takes this as a rejection of her as a mother – just as Alba did.
When Alba comes home after Xo and Jane have fought, she immediately recognizes the fight she had so long ago with Xo. She tells Jane that “It’s hard to know when to stop being a parent.” It’s clear that this leads Alba to consider the fight she’s been having with Xo and to forgive Xo.
Jane tries to talk to Rafael several times throughout the episode. It’s already clearly a problem when she has to schedule time to see him through his assistant. Even then, he hasn’t read her emails about the doula – I confess this was news to me too. Jane tells him that she’s feeling overwhelmed, yet Rafael lets himself be called away by work, offering another platitude: “We are in this together. I love you.” After the party is shut down by the police, and Rafael has lost the liquor license and incurred a huge fine for the hotel, he arrives home to Jane drunk and belligerent. She tells him she feels frustrated she’s having to do it all alone. Rafael insists she shouldn’t make him feel guilty for working to provide for the baby, and then makes the argument about Michael (Brett Dier). The scene is well blocked as in this scene, unlike the others, Jane and Rafael remain physically far apart - as well as emotionally.
Rafael texts to apologize, wanting to talk the next morning. When they do talk, however, Rafael offers the same excuses. Jane tells him, “I’m scared it’s gonna all be on me, all the child care.” The narrator interrupts to tell us what we should already know: “All Jane wanted to hear was ‘I’ll pitch in.’” Instead, Rafael says they’ll get a nanny. What happened to the guy who was desperate to have kids? If you want to have kids – and remember, Rafael will only ever have this one child biologically – shouldn’t you want to be a part of everything? To be present for everything? Again, Rafael says, “I love you. We’ll make it work.” But, the narrator tells us, Jane suddenly wasn’t sure that was enough.
It’s interesting that it’s those three little words – I love you – that are causing problems between Xo and Rogelio (Jaime Camil). Xo confesses to Jane that she and Rogelio haven’t said it yet. She decides that she’s going to make him say it first. She tries to prompt him with a picture frame with the word love on it. He suggests putting a picture of his mother in it. We find out that Xo and Rogelio’s mother met 3 times in 1991 and every time was an epic disaster!
Xo asks him what else he loves and Rogelio gets excited – as only Rogelio can – that they are playing a game. He lists hot chocolate with marshmallows, his human fans, his air-blowing fans, and mirrors before Xo loses her temper and says that she loves sleeping on the left side of the bed – Rogelio points out that that is his side. She then goes on to say that some of the things she doesn’t love are all the pictures of his mother. Rogelio protests that that is rude and Xo exclaims, “What is wrong with you?” I absolutely adored the confused look on Rogelio’s face!
Michael and Rogelio continue their bromance in the episode, and it makes Rafael very nervous. I love the attention to detail on this show. When Rafael and Jane show up at Xo and Rogelio, they are both wearing pink shirts. Meanwhile, Rogelio and Michael are both wearing blue. I love how much Rogelio loves Michael and Camil’s face every time he thinks about him! He tells Jane that Michael “gets him” and has a great sense of humor, but she still insists that he needs to tone it down with him. She also points out that it’s for Michael’s own good to move on.
The scene in which they get the mani-pedi is hilarious. Rogelio tells Michael that he’s #TEAM
MICHAEL but has to be #TEAMJANE first and foremost, and he tells Michael that it’s high time he #MOVEON. It’s another hilarious layer how much Rogelio is into Twitter. Rogelio means well when he asks Michael to come to Rafael’s party but it backfires because it makes Rafael crazy, which makes Michael very happy.
Michael helps Rogelio figure out why Xo is mad at him by applying his own history with Jane. We get a flashback to Michael and Jane telling each other they loved each other for the first time. She misheard him saying “I’d love to” – answering her question of whether he’d like to skip their plans with friends to go to a movie with just the two of them. She was sure he’d said “I love you” and rushed to say it back to him. He immediately confessed that he hadn’t said that – most people would lie and just go with it, especially as he did feel that way anyway. But that’s not Michael. He’s honest. Jane is relieved that he still means it though and confesses she’d been dropping hints all week. Hence, Michael sees that Xo was dropping hints.
Thick as a brick Rogelio, however, considers this simply another example of how brilliant Michael is. Rogelio tells Michael that he’s a true friend. Michael says he’s sure that Jane and Rafael won’t last, but Rogelio is determined to do the right thing by Michael and even though he’s not sure, he tells Michael that he thinks Jane and Rafael will last and reiterates that it’s time for Michael to move on. It’s in that spirit that he returns Andie’s (Rachel DiPillo) text.
Of course, it’s not really her text, and she’s not really who she is pretending to be. I thought it was too big a coincidence for her to be Michael’s ex and just stumble on the same writing group as Jane on the same day – even for a Telenovela! While she’s at Jane’s “trying to write” while Jane babysits for her, she tells Jane that she’s actually stalking her ex on social media. I immediately thought that if she was stalking Michael on social media, she would have to know about Jane. She actually gets Jane to compose the text that she sends to Michael – ironic and cruel! When Michael answers her text, we see that as she smiles and gives the thumbs up to Jane through the window, she tells Michael she heard that he and Jane broke up! This made me wonder about her brining Luna for Jane to babysit – but with no diapers! Who forgets diapers?!?!? They have to be the first thing you pack for a traveling baby! Was she trying to freak Jane out? To what end? Mark my words, she’s up to something and it’s not good!
Meanwhile, even knowing what Xo wants, Rogelio fails to give it to her. Xo confesses that she loves Rogelio, but he responds that “I am getting there with you as well.” NOT what every girl wants to here. He tells her that he takes saying it very, very seriously and only ever said it to his two ex-wives and his mother. It’s his mother’s approval that is holding him back, and he’s invited her to visit with them so that she and Xo can make up. I can’t wait for the episode with the great Rita Moreno as his mother!
Andie isn’t the only character hiding their identity, however. Petra finds herself falling for Aaron (Alano Miller). She asks him if he’s a strict practitioner of Jainism, wanting to know if he practices abstinence. He isn’t and doesn’t. He tells her she isn’t over Rafael yet, and she denies it, but realizes that she let her heart get in the way of business when she didn’t insist he shut the party down when he first didn’t get the permits. However, even as Aaron flirts with her at lunch, Petra sees something in him – Grobglas’ acting is excellent here as you see the doubt flit across her face. She has the same sense of déjà vu later when she kisses him, leading us to the big reveal at the end of the episode. She’s also found a mole that confirms that Aaron is actually Roman! Which, really, didn’t we see that coming? Can’t wait to find out what’s going on!
I’ve saved one of the best scenes for last – the final scene between Jane, Alba, and Xo. We find them all gravitating to the swing on the porch – where we have so many sweet, family moments and this is no exception. All three once again find solace in each other. Xo is stinging from Rogelio’s failure to say I love you and Jane is reeling from the fact that saying I love you may not be enough. Alba is quick to soothe Xo’s pain over what looks like Jane’s rejection. She assures her that it’s not a comment on Xo as a mother if she does things differently. Xo finally sees that this is what she did to Alba. Alba tells her it’s alright, they’re just different.
Jane turns to her family for the support that she isn’t getting from Rafael. Unlike Rafael, they immediately offer their support and practical help whenever Jane needs it. Unlike Rafael, Jane knows she can rely on them. Throughout the episode, Jane has been haunted by the specter of her unborn six-year-old daughter (Ava Davila). In the first two encounters, she appears with wild, unbrushed hair, yelling at Jane – or ripping the head off her doll. She’s not terribly likeable and tells Jane she’s the worst mom ever. In this final scene, however, we see her again and her hair is nicely brushed and braided. She’s drawn a nice picture with her family on it – herself, Jane, Xo and Alba. No men anywhere because these women have always made it on their own. I love how the show portrays them as the three musketeers – strong and invincible together.
This was another great episode. There is trouble between Jane and Rafael – I’m starting to lean back towards #TEAMMICHAEL, I have to tell you! Neither Aaron nor Andie are who they really seem. There is also some trouble brewing between Xo and Rogelio. I hope that Michael and Rogelio get Jane’s blessing soon, because the two make an awesome duo! What did you think of the episode? What do you think Aaron and Andie are up to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
