With apologies for the delay on these reviews, here’s a quick look at
Jane the Virgin “Chapter Forty-Eight” written by the team of Sarah Goldfinger, Jessica O’Toole, and Amy Rardin and directed by Melanie Mayron and “Chapter Forty-Nine” written by Paul Sciarrotta and directed by Anna Mastro. I love how much the show can jam into one hour! I’m still loving how the show moves along but still delivers on the emotional front. There have been a lot of big changes for all our characters. Let’s dive in!
“Chapter Forty-Eight” starts with the usual flashback. In this one, we see all the times that Jane (Lillianna Valenzuela/Gina Rodriguez) almost left Alba’s (Ivonne Coll). Once for love – Xo’s (Andrea Navedo), one for anger – again, Xo’s, and finally for school – which she just couldn’t do! All of this is a reflection of Jane actually leaving home to finally live with Michael (Brett Dier), and of course, that bubble also ends up getting burst. Not before they get to have the cutest sex ever in the kitchen though!
Just as Jane and Michael are preparing for their housewarming party, they discover that they aren’t paying the full rent on the property. Jane finds out it’s Petra (Yael Grobglas), but she and Michael decide they have to afford it on their own. When Jane pads the budget, she and Michael fight, but inevitably – and of course sensibly! – realize that they need to move to a smaller place that they can really afford.
Rogelio (Jaime Camil) is still trying to break into the US market and has lunch with Amanda Elaine (Jane Seymour) to try to get the lead in the adaptation of her novel. However, Amanda only has eyes for Rafael (Justin Baldoni), and seeing him through new eyes gives Rogelio a whole new perspective on Rafael – he’s very handsome!
Rogelio convinces Rafael to accompany Amanda to Coral Gables. Luisa (Yara Martinez) isn’t doing very well, however, and comes to Rafael, telling him so and that she wants to drink. Rogelio offers to stay with her while Rafael goes on the date. Rogelio ends up being a pretty good sober companion! He also learns more about Rafael and that he’s not only a good man, he’s a good brother. Luisa decides – with Rogelio’s help – that she needs to go back into rehab – preemptively. Rafael tells Rogelio that the date didn’t go too well, so he’s probably not getting the part, but he also tells Rogelio he know an Indie film producer.
Meanwhile, Xo is trying out a new career – as a bank teller. Jane and Alba both think she will hate it, but Alba doesn’t tell her so in an effort to be supportive. Xo lasts one day before she quits, but tries to hide it from Alba. It’s hilarious when Alba finds her at the Mirabella and takes her back to the bank only to see Xo escorted out by security! Xo insists that she wants Alba’s advice and then gives her some advice of her own. Alba has her Green Card now – she doesn’t have to stay in a job she hates with a terrible boss either. So Alba quits her job to go work in the gift shop at the Mirabella!
Meanwhile, big changes are afoot at the Mirabella – and I have to wonder if these continuing changes will put both Alba and Jane’s jobs in jeopardy at some point. Magda puts pressure on Anezka to get enough money to get her a good lawyer to get her out of prison by sending her prison friend (Dot-Marie Jones) to threaten her. I love Jones, so I was thrilled to see her! Anezka is going to sell her shares of the Mirabella, but Scott (Wes Armstrong) tells her it’s not a good time to sell. He comes up with the “Flamingo Initiative,” and we finally get to see Jane in another ridiculous costume! Remember the mermaid outfit in season one?! I adored the flamingos!
Before we get to the costumes, however, the staff is threatening to strike because of Scott’s other way to make the hotel pay – cutting shifts. To thank Petra for paying half the rent – even though they can’t accept it anymore, Jane invites her for dinner – and Petra invites Scott. It’s a painfully awkward dinner as Scott is as bad a guest as you’d imagine. He caps the night off by offering Jane a bribe of $1000 a month to get the staff not to strike. She is shocked and turns him down, but is then even more shocked when she finds out that Lina (Diane Guerroro) did take the bribe!
It looks like Jane’s friendship with Lina might be over until Jane interrupts Anezka and Magna’s prison buddy and Jane and Anezka end up in a cat fight in the pool! Lina jumps in to help Jane. Lina gets a chance to explain that she really needs the money and things aren’t the same since Jane discovered she has a rich Dad and has a rich baby-daddy.
By the end of the episode, Anezka is blackmailing Rafael for his shares of the hotel, so she can sell his and hers. However, Jane finally realizes – after a number of weird encounters with “Petra” that Petra isn’t Petra! Finally! I loved that it was Anezka’s little squeak of surprise that ultimately gave her away!
“Chapter Forty-Nine” picks up right where the last left off. I think the most memorable thing about this episode might be all the beefcake we got of Justin Baldoni! Rogelio’s right – he’s hot! I loved Jane and Rafael going back and forth about whether Petra was Petra – but first, we have our flashback! In this one, we learn two things. Jane at age 10 (Alison Fernandez) displayed strong opinions – and Jane still has strong opinions – but Jane also craves Alba’s approval.
Michael helps Jane and Rafael by telling them that they need more evidence and then giving Rafael a surveillance bear to watch “Petra” with. To thank him, Rafael invites him to work out with him at the Mirabella gym. Jane is thrilled to see them getting along better – and who didn’t melt at the happy dance she does with Mateo? And is everyone loving the new title cards each week? I am!
The gym date doesn’t go all that well. Michael is annoying as he wants to talk and is clearly intimidated by how in shape Rafael is. In addition, Michael sees him flirting with a married woman! Michael’s takeaway is that Rafael is still the vain, shallow playboy he’s always been. When Jane asks about the workout, Rafael says he sees what they see in each other – they’re both judge-y! He felt like Michael was judging his workout. He admits to flirting with the woman, but she’s the partner of the Indi producer that Rogelio blew the meeting with – so he was doing it for Rogelio!
Camil is terrific in this episode as he blows the meeting – after googling/IMDbing the wrong Spencer Davis! I also loved him coming to Xo, Michael, and Jane and telling them that he would have to do full frontal nudity for the picture. At first, it seems like he’s worried about actually doing it – but of course Rogelio is proud of his body! Xo and Michael have seen his penis – much to Michael’s discomfort – but will Jane be okay with it? She’s clearly not, but tells him to just concentrate on getting the part. Even though this would be his only scene!!
Rogelio tries to bring Michael and Rafael together – he’s the family patriarch after all! – and he now also likes Rafael. Things are not going well, and then Rogelio gets a call from his agent and realizes his audition isn’t tomorrow, it’s in 10 minutes! Naturally he ends up with a flat tire. They call him an Uber – but not before he gets tire grease on his shirt and has to borrow Rafael’s, leaving Rafael shirtless for the rest of the scene! One good thing that does come out of the car ride is that they decipher the message Mutter left for Rafael – it’s a bank account number.
Michael and Rafael continue to squabble as they change the tire. Michael reveals that he’s still angry that Rafael pursued Jane when she was engaged to him the first time. As they argue, Mateo wanders off, and the two panic until they find him. Rafael apologizes for pursuing Jane when she was engaged, and Michael apologizes for being jealous of Rafael’s muscles. Rafael tells him – and reminds us – that he takes such good care of his body because he had cancer. The two end up finding that they finally do have something in common – they both like soccer! Anybody want to bet that they like rival teams?
Rafael overhears Anezka on the phone to Magda say that she’s going to kill her and rushes into Petra’s room. He interrupts Anezka about to give Petra her injection, and finally Petra comes out of it – only to say that she is Anezka!!! Who saw that coming?!?! But Petra is angry – and not just at Anezka. She tells her that she has to break up with Scott – who promptly proposes! But he also finds a French buyer for the hotel. In the end, it’s Petra that has to break it off when Anezka can’t do it – it was the only time she’s ever been happy – aw. I still feel badly for her. Grobglas has simply been amazing jumping back and forth between the two sisters.
In the end, Scott is reasonably philosophical about the break up, calling her a badass and accepting that she’s too good for him. She does let him down surprisingly easily, telling him that it’s about her not him. However, she is not nearly that nice to either Anezka or Rafael. She has NOT PETRA tattood on Anezka’s forehead!! And Rafael, she tells she is keeping the hotel – his shares and hers and wants him to sell her Luisa’s shares AND leave! She also tells him why - it really was her and she heard everything!
Jane convinces Alba to let her read the letters from Alba’s sister. Jane learns that she has a huge extended family and draws up a family tree. I loved the gimmick of the golden light shining out of the box when Jane opened it. However, Jane feels the full brunt of Alba’s anger when Alba gets a call from her sister! Jane had reached out to contribute to a gofundme campaign for her cousin – and how much to I love the show for including this kind of grassroots campaign in the show?!
Jane’s cousin Catalina (Sofia Pernas) reaches out to Jane, and they end up Skypeing. Catalina seems as excited about Jane as Jane is about her! She does apologize for Alba’s sister. She seems to have had a very exciting and successful life, but there is clearly something off about her as she appears on Jane’s doorstep at the end of the episode!
Meanwhile, Alba is refusing to talk to Jane. She finally thaws enough to talk to her at the Mirabella, and Jane tells her about the skype call. Alba is furious again and demands that Jane have no contact with the family at all. She finally explains that it wasn’t just ruining her wedding, but that her sister made sure that she was completely cut off from the entire family. Alba never even spoke to her mother again before she died! As the two talk, Alba puts down the cash bag she was supposed to be depositing and it goes missing! Jane ultimately finds it for her, but Alba is still angry.
In the end, Jane tells Alba that she is going to stay in contact with her relatives. She points out that they can’t always agree. But I have to wonder if Alba isn’t on to something here? Or will Jane be right and this will lead to Alba being reconciled with her family?
Finally, the other big news to come out of the episode is that Xo’s career quest seems to have come to an end. She toys with real estate agent – Alba points out that she hates to drive – beautician – Jane points out she says that every time she watches Grease – and finally decides to open a dance studio! One has to wonder why this never occurred to her before as she’s been teaching dance all along… Still, will this really be enough for her?
The episode ends with Rogelio getting the part but being told by the studio senior executive (Cate Cohen) that he has a clause in his contract that allows them to say no. However, they are willing to let him do it, if he will do something for them…. What is it?!?? Probably a guest spot on Esteban’s show – or something equally horrible!
What did you think of the episodes? Are you as disappointed as I am to see Petra return to her evil ways? Do you think she’ll have a change of heart? Is Xo making the right decision? Is Catalina trouble? What’s in that bank account? Could it help Rafael to save the Mirabella? And what will evil Petra have to say about Jane and Alba’s jobs? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
