Jane the Virgin Recap: Season 3, Episode 2, “Chapter Forty-Six”
Despite a grim opening nightmare of Jane reliving Michael’s trauma, the majority of “Chapter Forty-Six” breezily got Michael convalesced and back to the Villanueva home within the first 15 minutes of Jane the Virgin. For all Michael’s enthusiasm to get back to work, Jane (Gina Rodriguez) grappled with some residual trauma of seeing her husband near death in the Marbella hotel hallway.
Other than that “Chapter Forty-Six” didn’t go for big bombastic events. The biggest change was the tweak to the show’s title, though I wonder if we’ll see the show called “Jane the ‘Married’ Virgin” consistently or not. Xo’s (Andrea Navedo) abortion led to another great generational discussion/argument between her and Alba (Ivonne Coll) that worked in how restrained it was. Jane the Virgin’s always been great dealing with topics that threaten to veer into After School Special-territory with sensitivity and dignity. On the other hand that left more pleasant threads like Jane and Rafael (Justin Baldoni) looking at preschools, and Anezka’s (Yael Grobglas) new relationship with “Vests” aka Scott (Wes Armstrong) silly in comparison.
This week I was joined by Backstage‘s Managing Editor Briana Rodriguez to watch “Chapter Forty-Six.” We discussed the show’s look at compromising in relationships, Rafael’s newfound joy in being over Jane, and more!
Jane and Michael’s Relationship Is Now Till Death Do Us Part
Briana: [Michael saying] “You married a cop….” oof.
Kristen: Yeah, Michael’s logic there was terrible. He was fine throwing out quitting when Jane threatened to dump him, but he sounds as if he’s saying now that they’re married she won’t be able to leave so easily. Stupid Michael!
Briana: It’s about how much you want to sacrifice for a relationship!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_bzgT6n97g
Xo Had an Abortion and Abuela Didn’t Like It
Kristen: I love how they didn’t make a big deal out of Xo getting rid of Esteban’s baby.
Briana: One of my favorite elements of Jane is how the writers deal with generational and cultural differences between Latinos born here and those who immigrated and still hold strongly to their values. This abortion discussion is just one example.
Kristen: Alba and Xo’s discussion gets at the heart of the two sides. Xo emphasizes every thought a woman has about choice, while Alba falls on the “keep your knees closed” defense.
Jane and Rafael in the Friend Zone
Kristen: We gotta break down Rafael’s “declaration.” I laughed at how happy he was (“Now I really don’t care if Jane’s upset”) and this really opens up the door to showing a co-parenting situation with the “Will they/won’t they” removed….I’m assuming. At the same time it’s nice to see the relationship go beyond “happily ever after.” It’s about compromise, and not this blind drive to be pleasing.
Briana: So wouldn’t that same thought apply for Michael not wanting to give up his job?
Kristen: You caught me in hypocrisy! I’d say no still. Michael’s being selfish about wanting his job back. Rafael wants his own input in his kid’s upbringing. I could just be digging a bigger hypocrite hole.
Briana: Michael wants to catch Mateo’s kidnapper, though! Thank God Rafael’s talking about how ridiculous it is that she’s a MARRIED VIRGIN.
Kristen: Rafael speaking truth, and probably echoing the thoughts of anyone who’s ever watched this show.
What Happens When Jane Isn’t a Virgin Anymore?
Kristen: What are your overall thoughts on this episode? Things feel too breezy. Mind you, something big could still happen.
Briana: You’re right in that it’s breezy, but I also think they needed to lighten it up after that very heavy last episode. Jane breaking down alone was devastating to watch. Testament to Gina Rodriguez’s skills.
Kristen: The big question: What does the show do once the title is only half true?
Briana: They’ll delay it for the season finale.
Kristen: I wouldn’t be surprised if they did! Then again, based on how blase the abortion was dealt with, I’m curious how fans would feel if the showrunners treated the virginity without any fanfare?
Briana: It’s a double edged sword. If there’s too much focus it could be a jump back onto some archaic ideas of “purity,” but too little and it’d be anti-climactic…for lack of a better term.
Kristen: Outside of Petra and the sex angle, there wasn’t any real running plot this episode.
Briana: It feels like one of those episodes where its only function is to set the scene for a larger scenario. There was Rafael declaring he’s over Jane, that was a pretty big deal!
Kristen: I think his happiness, though, overshadowed what a momentous occasion that was. Speculating for next week, is Jane gonna lose it finally?
Briana: Nah. That’d be too easy. At the same time though, how many more references can they make to the “cosmic joke” that is her virginity at this point?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAz4PxhmnJc