Jane the Virgin returned this week with “Chapter Sixty-Five” written by the creative team of Jennie Snyder Urman and Paul Sciarrotta and directed by Brad Silberling. As always, the show found a unique way to shake things up this season. I was skeptical at first that we suddenly had a female narrator (Vanessa Marshall) – who IMDb describes as “Latin Lover Narrator!” Of course, I’m utterly biased by my love for OUR narrator – Anthony Mendez. However, it felt absolutely right to have a female narrator for Jane’s (Gina Rodriguez) newest love interest – Adam (Tyler Posey).
While we fairly quickly learn that Petra (Yael Grobglas) wasn’t shot and isn’t dead, they have re-cast Mateo who is now played by Elias Janssen. And of course they had to nod towards the telenovela tradition of recasting and just moving on!
As always, the show finds various ways to highlight the differences between the characters that further serve to really spotlight Jane. I loved that the gimmicks around Adam were all comic themed – because he’s an artist who makes his living drawing comics and graphic novels! This then highlights Jane’s writing – and our familiar typewritten font. I loved their little discussion of ‘I’m all about the picture’ versus ‘I’m all about the words!’
The episode begins with Adam, his narrator and his backstory. He’d found Jane’s letter just after a break up and it touched him so much that he kept it in his wallet. He had no idea until the couple called him that it was written to “his” Jane. His narrator starts his own title card – Adam the Virgo – he loved signs! But our narrator interrupts with his own title card “Jane the Person This Story is Actually About!”
The narrator fills us in on Jane and Adam’s first relationship – they were totally in love and were going to get married so that Jane could move to New York with Adam who was going to art school there. Alba (Ivonne Coll) and Xo (Andrea Navedo) were both shocked – and we learn later they both went to Adam and told him to call off the wedding, which he did. Fast forward to the present… The two end up down at the beach, catching up and end up going skinny dipping! Xo and Alba see them – Alba remembers him as a hoodlum and Xo as a babe. Rogelio (Jamie Camile) insists that Jane is sensible, but Mateo thinks his mother is drowning and runs out in his superhero pajamas to save her!
Things wrap up in embarrassment and Jane arrives home to find a now homeless Rafael (Justin Baldoni) waiting on the swing. He’s lost his phone. Naturally, Alba and Jane take him in – and Alba is eager for Jane to tell Rafael how she really feels. It almost seems like the two are going to get back together. Jane has a super romantic date with Adam – and I love the name for a “first” love! However, when the two are stargazing all Jane sees is Rafael’s face. She is honest with Adam and he tells her to take care of her feelings for Rafael.
She rushes home to find a glass of wine waiting for her and Rafael in the shower. She’s about to get in with him, when it’s suddenly clear that he just wants to talk about Mateo’s school. The two have a huge fight. I really liked that Jane was finally completely honest with Rafael.
Once Rafael gets Petra’s texts after he gets his things back, he goes to her and is 100% committed to getting back together with her. Petra meanwhile is pretending to be Anezka because that’s who Luisa (Yara Martinez) thought she was when she got back. She’s been pretending to help her sell the hotel quickly to get cash to trigger Rose’s (Bridget Regan). Rose kills a mysterious guy in prison, and Anezka is waiting with Luisa when Petra shows up to close the deal – which is really buying the hotel back with Mateo’s trust fund.
Meanwhile, Xo has put the honeymoon on hold while Rogelio deals with Darci and the baby. Darci is determined to break the contract with Rogelio and the two embark on a Twitter/Social Media war. Darci baits Rogelio into taking a rather invasive Instagram photo, but Rogelio has some compromising footage of Darci that he is prepared to use against her. It’s Xo who has the cooler head and convinces Rogelio to treat Darci more respectfully because as much as he might hate her, she is always going to be the mother of his child.
It was really nice to see the show address the subject of Social Media abuse and even – to some extent – bullying. I loved Camil as Darci keeps insulting Rogelio and he has to take it. When she can’t goad him into reacting, Darci goes into labor!
Lots of balls in the air in this first episode back. Will Rogelio be able to keep it up? What happened to Anezka’s “Not Petra” tattoo? Will Luisa and Anezka kill Petra? If Anezka pretends to be Petra will Rafael know? How will Jane and Adam’s date for coffee go? What did you think of the episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
