Previously on Jane the Virgin, Jane had the hots for teacher, Rogelio proposed to Xiomara, but the two didn’t agree on having more kids; Michael found a massive clue pertaining to Sin Rostra and Mutter; Petra and Rafael saved the hotel and got very close; and Barnett broke things off with Luisa because she was still very much in love with Rose.
This week, something very major happened, pertaining to our interests. But before we dig into that, let’s tackle what was happening with the Jane crew.
Jane almost loses it
You guys, after not losing it to her longtime boyfriend Michael (#TeamMichael) or the father of her child, Rafael, Jane is ready to trade in her V-Card to her former advisor/teacher, Jonathan. They have a date planned, and Xio is practically throwing condoms in the air like confetti, but Jane doesn’t think it will happen on the first date because she’s old-fashioned-like the Virgin Mary. I should let you know, that naturally, Jane is still thinking about Michael and his reaction to her virginity pledge. Things were so great before the whole accidental artificial insemination thing.
The date goes swimmingly, and Jane and Jonathan have crazy chemistry. They make out and talk until the restaurant is empty. Jonathan is a few months away from a two year sabbatical in Thailand, which is perfect for Jane, who isn’t looking for a lifetime commitment from her potential de-flowerer.
On her second date with Jonathan, after homemade pasta and good conversation, they retire to the couch. They are tearing off their clothes when Jane decides to tell him about the whole virgin thing. Welp, Jane just ran her own clitoference by being honest.
A few days later, Jonathan texts to apologize for the weirdness and he and Jane start sexting. Jane dashes over to his apartment, with only a T-shirt and her undies on. She’s so ready to get going that she’s speeding and gets pulled over. I hate when that happens. Seeing the cop’s badge makes her think about Michael, and when she gets to Jonathan’s place, things are weird. She starts to cry as they make out, and that puts the kibosh on that romance.
When Jane gets home, she sits Abuela down to watch their telenovelas. Abuela, knowing that Jane’s been hiding something from her, gives Jane her blessing. She won’t judge Jane for having sex, and a weight is lifted from Jane’s shoulders. Abuela reveals a big secret: She had sex before Jane’s grandfather and regretted it. That’s where this all stems from. Jane is shocked but doesn’t judge. In fact, this is a judgment free zone. Abuela tells Jane that if the thought of sex with Jonathan makes her weep, then perhaps he’s not the right guy.
Xiomara’s geriatric eggs vs the world’s first male feminist
So finally, after all this time, Rogelio asks Xio to marry him, but his desire for little Rogelio shaped rugrats could be a deal-breaker. Xio already raised a family and is helping to raise her grandson-she doesn’t want to start all over again. They are yet again at an impasse. I just want to point out that Rogelio playing the world’s first male feminist and suffragette, is one of my favorite things this show has ever done. It’s so perfectly tone-deaf on his end and self-aware on the writers. I kind of wanted to see that episode of Tiago a Través del Tiempo.
Worried that his secret Scientology confessions are what’s holding Xio back from wanting a life-time commitment with his, Rogelio agrees to show her his most secret of secrets. Rogelio was an accidental prostitute, because of course!
Xio is totally cool with it, and Rogelio is beyond relieved. With that, Rogelio proposes again to Xio, but in the back of her mind, she knows this isn’t right.
While Rogelio is inspiring the women’s movement on his show and seducing Susan B. Anthony…
…Xio shows up on set. Rogelio is so happy, he announces their engagement to the whole cast and crew. When Xio sees him with a child extra, she gets a pang that maybe this engagement isn’t meant to be. Rogelio is honest-he isn’t sure that he doesn’t want kids, but he knows he loves Xio. Rogelio, being Rogelio, asks Xio if she’d be willing to freeze some of her eggs in case she changed her mind. Xio, being Xio, agrees to consider it. Ugh, these two. Don’t you see this is a recipe for endless resentment?!
Xio is about to undergo hormone treatment to harvest her remaining “geriatric” eggs, but before she does, she has a change of heart. She breaks it to Rogelio and returns the ring so he can have a chance of meeting someone who wants to start a family with him. I’m really sad about this, you guys. These two are written in the stars. Sigh.
Jane calls to check on her father, who is drinking wine and watching his Scientology tapes where he talks about always loving Xiomara. He walks away and the tapes keep rolling. He shared all of his secrets with his prison pen pal Lola, who was in jail for 10 years. Guess what? That 10 years is up today.
Petra and Jane’s broship
There’s just something about Jane and Petra, isn’t there? That tempestuous relationship, yet that current of admiration and affection that brews beneath the surface. That’s good TV, y’all. Because Petra has no friends and her mom is in jail for murdering a guy and trying to frame Petra for it, Petra is kind of lost when it comes to the whole mommy-to-be thing. Rafael asks Jane if she’d be willing to share some of her mommy wisdom with Petra, and Jane agrees.
When Jane approaches Petra, Petra practically leaps into her arms with relief. Jane offers to share her baby registry and even throw Petra a shower because Petra is the loneliest sinnamon roll in the world.
Jane tries to help Petra with baby shopping. But Petra, being the snob she is, wants all the most expensive stuff because she assumes it’s better. Jane feels like her opinions are being stomped all over, and Petra feels judged. Both are correct. As our wonderful narrator says on behalf of all of us, “Perhaps I’ve romanticized their friendship, just a little.” Amen, disembodied voice.
While Jane bitches about Petra to Abuela, and Petra bitches about Jane to Rafael, Petra finds out that Rafael was the one who sent Jane in the first place. She’s genuinely hurt, because even if they don’t get along, she thought Jane came to her out of friendship, not duty.
Jane returns to see Petra about the shower, but Petra is hurt, and so she lashes out the way she knows how-by telling Jane that she and Rafael kissed. She wants Jane to feel bad, too, but the sting is only temporary for Jane. Jane assures Petra that she doesn’t want to be with Rafael, but Petra isn’t too sure that Rafael knows that.
When Jane confronts Rafael, he admits that he still does love her and is holding out hope for them to be together. Jane kindly, but honestly, tells him that it’s not going to happen between them, and you can almost hear Rafael’s heart break inside his chest. For once, he finally gets where Rose was coming from.
Jane goes ahead with Petra’s baby shower, but Petra is a no-show. Jane stomps into Petra’s office, where Petra is being petulant. Petra tells Jane that they should give up the charade that they do anything more than tolerate each other. Petra thinks this is all about pity, but for Jane, it’s about giving Mateo the big and loving family that she didn’t have growing up. Petra is turned on, I mean, appreciates Jane’s honesty, so she agrees to attend the shower. It’s their come to Jesus moment, and it is beautiful. Raise a glass to Jetra’s friendship!
Rose returns
So Michael and Barnett have finally hit the jackpot. They have access to the files that Rose and Elena kept on criminals’ before and after faces, so you know there’s going to be a shit-ton of bad guy arrests in the near future. The first on Michael and Barnett’s list is Igor aka Gus, who is a murderous Russian mobster, laying low as a regular dude. They have the goods on him but want his help first. They tell Gus to contact Rose and Elena and say he has the chip and is willing to sell it back to them.
I want to talk about Susanna Barnett for a moment. Has she found a way to steal your heart as well? Her determination, her awkwardness, her face, it’s all working for me.
Anyway, the rub in all of this is Rose and Elena already know that Michael has the chip, so is this plan bound to fail?
Luisa decides to come clean about everything to Rafael in a bid to make amends. You know, that whole thing about talking to Rose for months instead of going to the police. To her, her obsessive love for Rose was much like addiction, which she also struggles with. Rafael isn’t really open to this apology because he’s really sick and tired of Luisa’s antics.
Barnett wires Gus/Igor up to meet with Rose and Elena, and he tries to hit on her. She shoots his ass right down, and we get confirmation from our blessed narrator that Barnett is a big ol’ lesbian. I know, she was with Luisa, but Luisa could bed a gaggle of nuns, so you never know. As Michael explains the plan to Gus/Igor, he gets a call telling him that Luisa had been drinking and driving and was in a serious car accident. No Luisa, no!
As Luisa lay in a hospital bed, the Rose investigation begins. While Gus waits for Rose in an empty parking garage, Rose shows up at the hospital to see Luisa. Luisa’s relief at seeing her beautiful (and very dangerous) Rose is palpable. Her face is the same, even if she’s wearing a hideous wig.
Rose needed to make sure Luisa was OK, and also tell her that there is no future for the two of them. Dammit, Rose. Luisa says she’s willing to run away with Rose, but before anything else can happen, we see that Michael has been staking out the hospital the whole time. He knew that Rose would go to Luisa. Barnett breaks into the room, with her gun drawn. Rose is shocked that Luisa set her up. Rose has a few tricks up her sleeve, including a hit man ready to take out Barnett’s family back home.
Rose takes Barnett’s gun and takes the policewoman hostage. After evading a SWAT team, Barnett wrestles Rose for the gun and gets shot. Rose gets away, or so we think. When Michael finds Barnett, she’s wounded but OK. The same can’t be said for Rose, who is lying dead in the stairwell, Mutter’s signature blue rope around her neck. Luisa rushes to the scene and screams in horror.
OK, let’s unpack this. JtV, a show with three queer women, just killed one of them off. It’s the first queer woman to be killed off this season, and it’s a bit of a shock coming from JtV.
Or is it? My first reaction was to howl at the moon and mourn another dead queer character, but I took a few steps back. I trust JtV. This wasn’t a senseless lesbian death. This death makes sense in a lot of ways. Mutter was covering her tracks, and Rose was the loose end. Rose wasn’t killed because she was gay-she was killed because she’s a bad guy.
Or was she? Maybe it’s the eternal optimist in me, but think about it-Rose and Elena were running a plastic surgery ring. I’m thinking that wasn’t actually Rose, but someone make to look like her. It also makes sense since JtV follows a very soapy premise. I doubt this is the last we will see of Rose.
One thing Rose’s death does do that is a little iffy and tropey is bring Michael and Jane together. (I don’t think it’s the main reason for the death, though.) Michael had been pushing Jane away to protect her. Now that Rose is gone, he feels he can be honest with Jane and asks if she still loves him. Of course she does, you fool!
How are you feeling about this episode, especially Rose’s death? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
