Jane the Virgin returns this week, so I thought it a good idea to take a quick look back at where we left off in “Chapter Sixty-Four” which was written by the team of Jennie Snyder Urman and Micha Schraft and directed by the wonderful Melanie Mayron. I loved how this episode left us with some great cliffhangers, but even more how the theme of love ran throughout the episode. Are people meant to be? Is it fate or destiny? Or is it just hard work?
The title gimmick for this episode was
Jane the Virgin Ordained as Jane (Gina Rodriguez) becomes an ordained minister to perform Rogelio (Jaime Camil) and Xo’s (Andrea Navedo) on again/off again/on again wedding. I loved that she’s ordained by the Circle of Life – because that also picks up on this circle of love theme. It’s not just Rogelio and Xo whose love life has seen its up and downs, that’s also the way it was with Jane and Michael (Brett Dier) – and it was oh so wonderful to have him back if only for a little bit. It’s also Jane and Rafael (Justin Baldoni), and it’s also Rafael and Petra (Yael Grobglas).
Because of Michael’s death, Jane has lost faith in happily ever after, so when Xo insists that Jane write the ceremony as well as performing it, she has terrible writer’s block. She goes to Father Gustavo (Alex Fernandez) for advice, and he gives her a writing assignment – which reminds her of the assignment that he gave to her and Michael. She thinks that Michael never wrote the letter that was supposed to be about how they felt about each other at that time – to be given on a rainy day when the other person really needed it.
Writing the ceremony for Rogelio and Xo – for their wedding which ends up in the middle of a hurricane – you can’t get more rainy than that! – sends Jane on a quest for the letter when Father Gustavo confirms Michael wrote her a beautiful letter. I loved the scene in which Alba (Ivonne Coll) was coaching Michael on his Spanish for he wedding vows with Jane. Alba is also able to confirm it was a beautiful letter because he shared it with her.
Jane goes to the apartment she had with Michael and checks under the broken floorboard that they’d joked about hiding things in, but the letter isn’t there. Luckily, Jane’s story touched the couple living there now and they contacted the tenant who had lived there before them. And he did have the letter – which he brought to Jane – and it turns out to be another circle as Michael’s letter brought Jane’s first love Adam (Tyler Posey) back to her! And of course, the letter tells Jane that all he wants for her is to be happy – and that their love had been destiny – so is this too? And we also get what will no doubt be the gimmick for Adam/Jane as all the paper cranes that they couldn’t use for the wedding because they were a fire hazard, fly up into the air!
The wedding itself almost doesn’t happen when Darci (Justina Machado) turns up seven months pregnant with Rogelio’s baby! To his credit, Rogelio’s first thought when Jane tells him – Darci is too scared! – is for Xo. Xo tells Rogelio that they have to postpone the wedding. It’s true that Michael married Jane and loved Mateo (Joseph Sanders) like his own, but he had time to get used to the idea.
Xo and Rogelio meet to discuss the baby with Darci, and it seems very clear that there is never going to be anything between Rogelio and Darci again by hatred – and of course, it was hate sex that resulted in the baby! Darci is demanding full custody, and when Xo jumps in to tell her she nuts because Rogelio is a great father, Darci attacks her, saying she gets no say. When Rogelio then jumps in to defend Xo, she suddenly realizes that the baby changes nothing – Rogelio is the love of her life and they’re getting married that day any way!
Naturally, the storm ends up creating havoc. There are no taxis and then Rafael’s car ends up with a tree on it when he tries to help Jane bring the dresses to the Mirabella. We get another full circle when Jane sees her name and her book in an ad on the bus – she hasn’t had to ride the bus in a long time remember because Rogelio bought her a car. It was on the bus – and at Rafael’s urging – that she started writing the book – the book about her love for Michael – and it’s on the bus that she becomes inspired for the wedding ceremony and writes it on the bus. The dresses, of course, are destroyed along the way – except for Jane’s hideous purple monster!
I loved Alba yelling at Xo about how proud she was of her and how much she loved her – and that her father would have been proud too – so that Xo wouldn’t cry and ruin her make up.
I adored the looks on Xo and Rogelio’s faces when Jane begins the ceremony with their love wasn’t meant to be! Jane goes on though – it wasn’t meant to be, but they chose each other. It’s not destiny. It’s not fate. That’s commitment, and they’ve earned their happing ending. And really, that does sum up the trials and tribulations that our characters face. It’s a romantic comedy at heart, so we can still hope for our happy ending!
Meanwhile, Jane has continued to deny her feelings for Rafael, but they cause enough insecurity in Petra that she ends up kissing Chuck (Johnny Messner) and breaking up with Rafael… again. It’s a horrifying match when she ends up seeking advice from Darci! Darci urges her to tell Rafael how she feels – and that leads to Petra responding to what she thinks is Rafael’s text…
The circle of life theme also comes back when Anezka (Yael Grobglas) and Luisa (Yara Marinez) want revenge for their siblings ruining their love lives. I loved the cab ride that the two are forced to share and that they work out together what really happened. Luisa points out Anezka had to have been roofied by Petra, which lead to Eileen (Elisabeth Rohm) killing Scott. So one cliffhanger is Anezka luring Petra with the same ruse she used on Anezka and then about to kill her!
Luisa has realized that Rafael lied about his cancer just to get Luisa to come back so that they could arrest Rose (Bridget Regan) who was at least innocent of killing Scott – though she still killed their father and kidnapped Mateo… Anezka then furnishes Luisa with the addendum to her father’s will, allowing Luisa to kick Rafael out of the Mirabella without a penny – essentially taking away his life!
Are you excited about season four? Will Anezka be able to pull the trigger? Will Chuck come riding in to the rescue? What will Rafael do? Will Luisa use her money to save Rose? Is Adam really the one for Jane? Can Xo and Rogelio really stand having Darci in their lives? Let me know your thoughts and hopes for the new season in the comments below!
