After a mediocre third season, Jane the Virgin is back more heartwarming, stronger, and funnier than ever. With the inclusion of Adam (Teen Wolf’s Tyler Posey), Jane’s first love, and a new narrator to add to the storytelling, the show is entering its fourth season with a bit more gusto, romance, and fun–something that it lost for awhile after trying to recover from Michael’s abrupt death and subsequent time jump. “Chapter Sixty-Five” was a way for the show to get its groove back as well as bring forth potential drama moving forward.
The episode begins immediately where the season three finale left off. Jane is about to tell Rafael that she still has feelings for him, but she ends up crossing paths with Adam, with whom she shares a history and someone she was about to marry at the age of 19. Adam was there to give Jane the letter from Michael (the one he wrote prior to them marrying) and, like Jane, believes in the stars aligning in fate after years of being apart. Hilariously, Adam also comes with his own narrator, which makes for some intriguing back-and-forth between everything happening in Jane’s world and his.
Sadly, Jane and Rafael are currently on hold. Despite Jane wanting to confront Rafael about her feelings (he does find out), she realizes that it’s just not the right time. It’s clear throughout the episode that she isn’t 100% sure about anything: Adam or Rafael. However, what solidifies her decision to not carry on with Rafael is money. Or, the lack of it anyway, since Rafael is no longer the owner of the Marbella. Naturally, the co-parents argue about it. Jane’s concerned that Mateo will grow up spoiled and is okay with removing him from a snooty private school that only cares about money. Rafael, having only known a life of financial stability, is adamant that he’ll get the Marbella back and that Mateo can continue going to the private school.
It’s nice to see the issue of money is coming back. It’s often an overlooked issue on shows; either it’s not present or deemed as being unworthy of an argument. While it’s frustrating that the showrunners are still going back and forth with finally getting Jane and Rafael together, Jane’s tenacity about the way she wants Mateo to be raised without being spoiled by money is truly admirable and good parenting. It says she’s putting her son first and foremost before her feelings; however, I truly believe that Rafael’s journey with regards to his financial status has the potential to deepen his relationship with Jane down the line and bring them onto the same page. He has a lot of self-discovery to do beforehand, however.
Thus far, Adam isn’t a bad character. He comes off a bit like the male version of Jane and even though she’s down on romance right now, he seems like he’ll bring her back around to believing in romantic fate all over again. With Adam getting his own narrator, it does seem like the show is setting it up so that he’ll be sticking around for awhile. Given their shared history, Adam’s presence can give us new insight into Jane’s past and it’ll help her fall in love with love again; on the other hand, this relationship may also set it up for Rafael to go back to being more central in her life. I like where the show took their relationship last season and hope that the development continues, even though they aren’t together.
Elsewhere, Rogelio is dealing with Darci and their baby contract. Their anger and hatred for each other knows no bounds, but it’s Xiomara who knocks some sense into him and tells him that it’s best to play nice for the sake of his unborn child. Xiomara also has a moment of wallowing in misery; she’s supposed to be on her honeymoon, but instead has had to deal with Rogelio’s baby mama drama. And she’s right. She and Rogelio got married, sure, but the baby and Darci complicate things in a big way. While Rogelio is off being a father to a new baby, I hope Xiomara doesn’t get sidelined.
Jane the Virgin seems to have come back funnier than ever. There is a spark and a sense of joy. The pacing of the episode moved quickly and it hit all the right emotional beats, allowing for the characters and subplots to flourish. There is never a dull moment and it just feels like a new chapter in a newly rejuvenated story. The time jump, along with the summer hiatus, has given fans time to make peace with Michael’s death, or at least get over the shock of it. This paves the way for fresh storytelling avenues and what Jane the Virgin has set up in its premiere has a lot of promise and is a solid return to form for the show.
Random Thoughts:
Advertisement
- This episode was contagiously funny.
- Rogelio’s hashtags are still top-notch.
- Petra is still dealing with her sister and is now in a major tough spot because of Luisa finding out about her impersonation. How long before Luisa loses again, though?
- Rafael and Petra are on again and it isn’t clear how long they’ll last. Maybe until the mid-season finale?
- Adam’s narrator and Jane’s narrator arguing made up some of the best parts of the episode, even though it was a bit overdone.
- The shower scene was great, funny, and tense all at once. I didn’t think things would escalate so quickly.
- How long before Rogelio and Darci start fighting again?
- Mateo is being played by a new actor and the show humorously acknowledges this by saying it’s because it’s a telenovela.
Advertisement