Jane the Virgin closed out its freshman season with a heck of a cliffhanger in “Chapter 22.” If you’re like me, you’ve not only been highly anticipating the return of this wonderful show, you also gleefully re-watched the season finale. Not only did it get me ready for the new season, it also reminded me of why I fell in love with the show. There is the wonderful cast lead by Gina Rodriguez (Jane), but there’s also all those wonderful magic realism touches, like Rogelio (the wonderfully adorable Jaime Camil) giving Jane encouragement from the bus ad for his telenovela. There’s also all the little glosses the show adds for us via typewritten messages and our wonderful narrator (Anthony Mendez).
Now, I’m one hundred percent positive that “Chapter 23” will contain an adorable ‘here’s what you missed’ from our narrator to start us off, but I thought it would still be a good idea to revisit the finale before the new season. I often think the narrator doesn’t get enough praise for what he brings to the show, and having had the pleasure of the occasional screener before the episode airs, I can tell you, that when Mendez isn’t narrating, it’s not nearly the same experience.
“Chapter 22” was written by the team of Josh Reims and Jennie Snyder Urman and was directed by Zetna Fuentes, and the episode wraps up Jane’s pregnancy. The episode begins by telling us that the Villanueva babies always come late, fast, and girls. Jane’s pregnancy being the furthest thing ever from typical is naturally none of these things! I loved that the episode is beautifully structured to begin with Jane’s birth and end with Jane giving birth. We see Alba (Ivonne Coll) tell a young Xo (Catherine Toribio), “Five more minutes of pain for a lifetime of happiness. Now push! before I yank that kid out myself!” Xo (Andrea Navedo) then tells Jane those exact same words to get her through the last of her delivery. I just can’t say enough about the wonderful chemistry between these three women.
As the episode begins, however, Jane is convincing Xo to go to Las Vegas so that Xo doesn’t miss her big break. I loved Jane pranking her mother by pretending to go into labor – who doesn’t adore Gina Rodriguez’s laugh?
We then get both Jane and Rafael (Justin Baldoni) recounting their recent visit to the doctor for the baby’s check up. Jane is assuring Xo that she’s glad Rafael broke up with her when he did while Rafael is telling Luisa (Yara Martinez) what a mistake he made and how he doesn’t know how to tell Jane that he really still loves her. Both felt the same moment at the doctor’s office as they were about to take a selfie together when Petra (Yael Grobglas) calls Rafael and breaks the spell. Jane said it was perfect timing while Rafael said it was the worst.
Rafael determines to get Petra out of his life. Louisa warns him that she’s the devil in a pretty package, and Louisa would know give her history with Rose! Rafael begins his plot by convincing Petra that he’s still interested in her and inviting her out for a romantic dinner. Petra is completely falling for it and goes to tell her mother (Priscilla Barnes). Magda, however, warns Petra that Rafael can never be hers because of the baby with Jane.
Naturally, Petra overhears Rafael confessing to the plot. In an interesting twist, she takes the phone call from the hospital that Rafael has been ignoring. Surprise! They misplaced and have now found another of Rafael’s sperm samples. Petra goes to the hospital and collects it without telling anyone about it. What will she do? Will she once again try to have herself impregnated?
Meanwhile, Michael (Brett Dier) is still very much in the picture and hoping to rekindle his relationship with Jane. Part of me hates that show makes me like both of these guys so much! Jane assures Xo that she and Michael are just friends, thinking to prove it by telling her she’s just cancelled dinner with him because of her grad school application issues. As it turns out, she was late getting her application in.
Michael then turns up with dinner – because Jane has to eat anyway, right? So thoughtful! It’s Michael that convinces her not to give up and to write the program again to explain her special circumstances. While they are working on it, Jane gets what she thinks is a contraction, and Michael whisks her off to the hospital. Naturally, it’s a false alarm, just Braxton hicks, as Jane’s body gets ready to give birth. Rafael arrives at the hospital, proud that he was able to get there in 9 minutes. Naturally, when left alone, Michael and Rafael start fighting. Jane interrupts them and sends both of them packing, saying she’ll call Alba to take her home because she doesn’t want to be with either of them at that moment.
Both Rafael and Michael turn up at Jane’s door to apologize, and I have to give the nod to Michael for being the most understanding and sweetest – though I really feel badly for Rafael too! I’m so glad that I don’t have to choose between them! Rafael is the first to show up, and he probably should have realized that he needed to give Jane more time, but then he also knew that Michael wasn’t backing off. He tells Jane that he made a mistake and always loved her but thought he was doing the right thing, that he wasn’t good for her. He also tells her that he is putting her before business and finally tells her that he cancelled his business trip to make sure he would be there in case she went into labor and that he sold his father’s hotel. Jane is still angry, however. After all, he broke her heart! She tells him to go.
Michael waits until the next day to show up on Jane’s doorstep. He apologizes for the fight and has made her a playlist for when she goes into labor. He tells her he’s ok with them just being friends, but asks if she hasn’t also felt like there’s something more going on between them. She admits that she’s felt it too, but she’s not sure where it’s coming from, just that it’s safe and familiar. Michael totally balks at being her “safe” choice and goes so far as to tell her that he’s not interested at being that. He wishes her good luck on the interview she’s managed to secure to try to get into grad school and leaves.
Jane’s interview is hilarious. She’s now convinced that she’s having Braxton hicks when she’s actually in labor. Professor Blake (Oliver Vaquer) becomes increasingly freaked out as Jane continues to plead her case to get into grad school. I loved how she’s trying to drink water and even puts her feet up to stall the “Braxton hicks”! And of course, the doctor already told Jane that she wouldn’t be able to talk during a real contraction – and we clue into that faster than Jane! Then, of course, she has to get to the hospital by bus, and Jane being Jane, manages to win the support of everyone on the bus who vote for the bus driver (Jim Wilkey) to drive Jane right to the hospital. Gabrielle (Nicole J Butler) even goes in with her!
Of course, Jane calls Xo from the bus, and Xo is frantic when she can’t get a flight home until the morning. She breaks the news to Rogelio that she can’t do the show because she’s leaving in the morning. Rogelio is crushed that Xo would think that he would put the show before Jane and storms off, leaving Xo thinking he’s mad about the show. Camil can be so over the top funny and yet can also nail the serious moments and has the puppy-dog eyes down to a T.
I loved the scene between Xo and Rogelio in the bar. I also love that he always calls her Xiomara – he doesn’t shorten it. She brings him a badly photo shopped picture of him with Xo and baby Jane. She tells him that it’s ok that he’s mad but he has to get over it because that’s what families do, and he’s family. Rogelio has, of course, bought his own ticket to fly back with Xo. Before the two can call it an early night, they are waylaid by a couple of Rogelio’s fans who insist they have a drink with them. It’s hilarious when the two wake up utterly hung over the next day. It’s even more hilarious when the two find a CD later in the day that shows the two of them drunkenly getting married!
Michael has a surprise visitor upon returning from Jane’s – Nadine (Azie Tesfai)! She’s managed to get information from her handler about the plastic surgeon who worked for Sin Rostro. There’s a rumor that he changed her face and now he’s the only one who knows what she looks like – please, please, please show, do NOT re-cast Sin Rostro! Bridget Regan is terrific as Rose! (Spoiler alert! She IS coming back – but it’s not clear if it will be in flashbacks or more). Nadine wants to turn herself in, but only if she gets leniency for herself and protection for her family.
Michael searches the warehouse Nadine sends them to only to find the plastic surgeon dead. He returns to Nadine and says that he can’t make the deal. When Rafael calls to ask Michael to get Xo and Rogelio to the hospital before Jane gives birth, the Narrator is afraid that Michael has left the keys to allow a handcuffed Nadine to escape in a “rookie move.” But there’s a twist in this storyline too! It’s all a set up to be able to track Nadine back to her handler. Seems that Michael once again has more under the surface than just his safe exterior!
Naturally, all the things that were supposed to happen for the birth of the baby don’t happen. She isn’t early, she isn’t fast, and she isn’t a she! Luckily, Jane doesn’t give birth before Xo arrives. I loved her questioning the epidural, and then quickly deciding in favor of it! It’s a truly wonderful scene as we see Mateo come into the world. I loved Xo’s reaction – “We don’t know anything about boys!” And Rafael immediately offering to answer any of their questions.
The Narrator tells us that “It should be noted that after everything” – insert quick season re-cap of her tumultuous love life – “Jane’s heart was full.” But it’s clear her heart is full of Mateo. Rafael reminds her that he meant what he said about loving her, and she says she knows but she’s not ready to think about it.
I loved the look on Rogelio’s face when he realizes that Mateo also has his name. Jane immediately has to remind him that they will be calling the baby Mateo, but Rogelio suggest that they should just see how nicknames develop – “Matelio”??!
Once again there’s a nice contrast to how Rafael and Michael approach Jane. Michael drops in to see the baby – “He’s so cute!” And Michael tells her that he just wanted to say that he didn’t want her worrying about any of that (where their relationship might be going). He tells her to just concentrate on Mateo. And the Narrator chimes in to say, “I would be re-miss if I failed to point out that that was the most perfect thing that Michael could say.”
And this brings us to the very end of the episode. I have to admit that I was loving this episode right up until Mateo is kidnapped. And then I was NOT a happy camper! All I could think about was how Jane would be losing crucial bonding time with her baby and how important those first few days of nursing are for both baby and mother. Will Jane even have any milk left by the time they rescue Mateo? And what possible reason could Sin Rostro have for taking the baby?? I did love her foot swinging out of the car and crushing her name. But not them kidnapping the baby!!! Jane will be devastated!
Eventually, I came to accept that this is a telenovela after all, and Mateo’s kidnapping was a pretty bold twist! What did you think? Clearly, we’ll have Michael as the police presence on this – will it bring him and Jane closer? Will it bring Rafael and Jane closer as they are both Mateo’s parents after all and Rafael will also be devastated? Will Jane blame Rafael for bringing Sin Rostro into her life? Will Xo and Rogelio make a go of their marriage? We never really resolved Alba’s new relationship either. Will Rogelio’s fans be a key to bringing down Sin Rostro? We have to know Rogelio will be using his social media presence in the pursuit of his missing grandson – but will he want to reveal that he is a grandfather to his fans?!?! What are you most looking forward to in Season 2? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. 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.
