Jane the Virgin “Chapter Sixty-Three” was written by Paul Sciarrotta and was directed by Gina Lamar. In the penultimate episode of the season, our love stories seem to be heading for the after parts of “happily ever after” – except for Jane (Gina Rodriguez), who started out the season looking like she would be the first to get there. This episode is also all about Jane being at the center of everyone’s lives, but not necessarily the center of attention – at least not any more.
The flashback sets us up for the Fairy Tale wedding that Xo (Andrea Navedo) and Rogelio (Jaime Camil) are planning. As a young girl, the Narrator (Anthony Mendez) tells us, Jane (Lillianna Valenzuela) believed in the magic of fairy tales. In the present, adult Jane makes sure that she gives Mateo (Joseph Sanders) a much more realistic ending to his bedtime stories! In fact, she’s better at giving him a realistic ending than she is to almost everyone else.
Not surprisingly, Rogelio and Xo are going way, way over the top with the wedding.
Jane the Virgin Maid of Honor is determined to give them everything they want. That includes the big poofy dress that the horrible wedding planners Jean (Daniel Montgomery) and Luc (Matthew Scott Montgomery) say no to – resulting in them quitting and Jane taking over!
Once again we get a nice little meta moment as we find out that the wedding is in two weeks! Well, really one, but we can assume a week passes during this episode, so that when Rogelio exclaims that “We’re all slaves to the tv schedule” he’s really referring to the CW – and not just his own telenovela’s shooting schedule!
Rogelio is determined that Ricky Martin is going to officiate – and for a few glorious minutes it looks like maybe he is! But Alba (Ivonne Coll) is not happy. She wants to know what part God is playing in their wedding! Xo is adamant thought that they are not having a Priest and it’s not going to be in a church. In the end, asking Jane to officiate is the perfect solution.
Meanwhile, we get a truly un-Jane-like storyline in this episode. I’m curious to see what others think, but the Jane I know would never have been so callous of Fabian’s (Francisco San Martin) feelings. She’s already determined that he’s too clingy and wants to end her fling. I think it would have been more in character for her to find a way to let him down more gently and then ask him to help her get the white horses she needed for Xo’s carriage.
Meanwhile, Jane is also caught in the middle between Rafael (Justin Baldoni) and Petra (Yael Grobglas). Rafael has declared his feelings for Petra and is waiting for her to respond, and of course, when he gets impatient, he asks Jane to ask. We get the most awkward brunch ever, resulting in Petra waiting until Rafael is out of the room to demand Jane’s opinion!
Jane is determined to stay out of it, even though Alba insists that she is family and should have a say. In the end, Petra tells Jane that she feels like she and Rafael are in a good place and it took a long time for her to get over him. She knows they aren’t good together, so they should stay as they are. After a quick re-cap of Petra and Rafael's fairy tale, of course. Jane agrees with Petra, who doesn't look that happy.
Petra then tells Rafael that she doesn’t want to jeopardize what they have. She tells him that she talked it over with a friend… and Rafael knows immediately that it was Jane. When Rafael confronts Jane, he wants to know why she sabotaged him? She was supposed to stay out of it. Jane tells him that she doesn’t think it’s a good idea.
Meanwhile, Petra overhears Rafael try to put off his yearly cancer check-up. We find out that the mysterious woman on the beach was Eileen (Elizabeth Rohm), and Rafael is busy with Dennis (Christopher Allen) trying to lure Luisa (Yara Martinez) back to Miami for a board meeting. When that doesn’t work, he calls and leaves her a message that his cancer is back, and Petra overhears that message. She confronts Rafael, and she’s angry he didn’t tell her about the cancer. He tells her it’s just a trap, and she is relieved and hugs him – clearly they both still have feelings for each other!
The kids are all doing a fairy tale play at school, and the gimmick continues as Jane sees Rafael, Petra and the twins and the “royal family.” She sees herself as the discarded Cinderella, alone with Mateo. Rafael apologizes to Jane and tells her that he has to accept her opinion even when he doesn’t like it.
Fabian finds out that Jane has been lying to him and things go very bad on set. Fabian makes sure that Rogelio misses his appointment with Xo to see the Minister. Jane finds out that Fabian knows when he sends her to an empty field when it’s supposed to be for the horses – and she’s chased by angry geese!
Jane goes to set to try to smooth things over. Rogelio is hilarious as he becomes “allergic” to bad acting. When Jane shows up, Fabian tells her that she’s a “heartless slut” and of course, there’s no way that Rogelio is going to allow that!
The two go outside to fight – the production helpfully calling “lunch” so the whole crew can watch! They insist no hair pulling or damage to faces! Jane physically gets in the middle of the two of them and tries to apologize. She tells Fabian that she’s sorry she hurt him, but he’s only the second man she’s ever slept with (hardly a slut!) and the first since her husband. Fabian and Jane hug, and it seems he’s forgiven her, but when he says no hard feelings to Rogelio and goes to shake his hand, he actually goes to punch him! And Jane breaks Fabian’s nose!
Rogelio is appalled that Fabian was going to hit him in the face! Both declare that they can’t work with the other. In the end, the network executives show up and tell Rogelio and Fabian that the have to make up – and they have to make up the time they’ve wasted – meaning that Rogelio is now going to miss the Stag and Doe party!
Jane has everything ready to go, only to have Xo show up and tell her she cancelled everyone! I did love the other gimmick in the episode of Jane’s nose growing every time she lied! The two decide to at least have a couple of shots and end up pretty drunk. Jane confesses that she felt jealous of what Rafael and Petra would have as a family, and Xo assures Jane that she’ll always be the center of their family.
It’s hilarious when the same stripper (Joe LoCicero) that Jane had shows up for Xo – this time, of course, he’s Prince Charming – and still a very talented dancer! The Rogelio shows up and tells Xo that he left set because she’s more important, and he’ll deal with the consequences. He has a carriage waiting for her – with two adorable miniature white horses!
Jane decides that she has to come clean and calls Rafael. She tells Rafael that she’s a terrible person and that she did sabotage him and Petra but it was because she was afraid that she and Mateo would be on the outside. Rafael assures her that she and Mateo will never be on the outside because when he thinks of family, he things of her. He tells her that he loves her – and I have to admit that I thought we were about to go in an entirely different direction.
But Petra calls just at that moment and wants Jane to talk her down. Instead, Jane tells her that she should go for it. Jane tells Rafael that she’s going to fix things. She tells Petra that Petra and Rafael are different now, they could make a go of it. She tells her that it’s scary, but the possibility of it working out is worth it. Rafael goes to Petra – and Jane’s insistence.
Meanwhile, we end with the most Wicked Stepmother of them all arriving back at the Mirabella! Luisa has insisted that the return because Rafael is sick, and Dennis immediately pounces and arrests Eileen. The jig is up immediately as he sees the mask she’s been wearing – he peels it off to reveal Rose (Bridget Regan)!
Another great episode! I loved the way the themes were woven through all the storylines and this week’s gimmick too. What did you think of the episode? What are you hoping for in the finale? Is there any hope that Xo and Rogelio’s wedding will go off without a hitch? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
