{"id":7595,"date":"2020-06-26T13:00:27","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T20:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7595"},"modified":"2020-06-17T19:53:10","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T02:53:10","slug":"mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s02e03-chapter-twenty-five","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2020\/06\/mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s02e03-chapter-twenty-five\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Jane the Virgin’: S02E03 – Chapter Twenty-Five"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the third episode of the second season of Jane the Virgin<\/i>, Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision upsets Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already complicated life. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Jane the Virgin<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of consent, kidnapping<\/b><\/p>\n

Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Decision<\/b><\/p>\n

So, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever gauge what other people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reaction was to something, since I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not watching and reviewing this quite in real time with all of you. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always a disconnect because I write these a week in advance. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m saying this because this batch of reviews hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t gone live, and I feel so weird??? I cannot be the only one who feels that this is weird in a way that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t being addressed? Yes, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deeply uncomfortable that Petra is having Rafael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kid, but like… this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t legal, is it? This is a MASSIVE violation of consent, and as Jane and Rafael try to figure out which of the three scenarios they want of Petra, I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get this out of my head. SHE SHOULDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T BE MAKING ANY DEMANDS!!! SHE STOLE SOMEONE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SPERM AND INSEMINATED HERSELF!!!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And look, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not acknowledged; pretty much every character remarks on it. But then they just… move on? And accept that it happened? Maybe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just massively ignorant here, but this is SUPER ILLEGAL, right? How can Petra just get away with this? I suppose that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perhaps the point; Petra did this because she figured she wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever be caught. Even if she was, she clearly came up with contingency plans. Also, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m really bothered by how she was like, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153HI, NOW THIS IS YOUR PROBLEM, HAVE FUN.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d No!!! You made this very bad mistake!!! It isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anyone else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s problem but yours!<\/p>\n

Okay, clearly this has hit a nerve in me. I just really get grossed out by this kind of violation of bodily autonomy, and I wish the show wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t brush these concerns to the side. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like the writers can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> write about trauma; they addressed it (somewhat briefly) last year in the wake of Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kidnapping, and this season opened with Jane experiencing trauma. So it just feels odd that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d skip over the ramifications of what Petra did in any substantial way.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I guess this is happening, though!<\/p>\n

Luciana<\/b><\/p>\n

I know I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said a variation of this before, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still such a huge fan of how Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plots feel so over-the-top and yet manage to be vulnerable and real, too. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever had your heart broken by someone, Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story might feel relatable. Particularly one element: unresolved feelings of anger and betrayal. Heartbreak sucks any way you cut it, but if you never got closure??? Oh, I can hear my therapist in my head RIGHT NOW. Because oh lord, this shit can eat away at you over the years. And this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even the first time Rogelio has dealt with issues that are unresolved. Remember his fear of heights? This almost feels worse because… well, that storage unit. That was… a lot? Is that something he<\/i> owns? Because that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s absolutely making it hard for him to move on, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Luciana\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actual<\/i> presence didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help, either, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m proud of what Rogelio and Xiomara do in this episode. As much as lying and deceit is part of the fabric of this show and its telenovela roots, some of the best parts of Jane the Virgin<\/i> happen when people are telling the truth. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad that these two could communicate their fears and insecurities. Xiomara was able to admit that seeing Rogelio with Luciana was painful; Rogelio was able to admit that there was some chemistry, but that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather risk ratings on his show than make the person he loves uncomfortable. UGH, THE WAVE OF FEELINGS THAT GAVE.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So… what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on that video that Luciana has that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gonna use to blackmail her way onto The Passions of Santos<\/i>?<\/p>\n

Michael<\/b><\/p>\n

Has it ever proved successful for someone to act counter to their nature to win over another person? Like… ever? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a trope we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all seen multiple times before, especially in romantic comedies. Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s weird advice to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153manly\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to win over Jane was bound to fail anyway, because that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t why Jane was impressed with Michael anyway<\/i>. Jane likes that he is thoughtful. That he is sweet. That he tries his best to see someone else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s point of view. Seriously, look at the advice he gives her here. He acknowledges that he behaved poorly when Jane was surprised by her pregnancy, and he urges Jane not to make similar mistakes when it comes to Petra. What does Jane actually<\/i> want? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what he tries to get her to think about, rather than worrying about other people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desires. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also that kind of sweetness that Jane enjoys. Which also means that this love triangle remains a NIGHTMARE to resolve because UGH!!! why can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t one of them just have all bad qualities!!!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grad School and Motherhood<\/b><\/p>\n

I kinda thought that this show was perhaps going to address just how deeply it does not accommodate mothers, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quite the intent of Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s struggle with grad school. But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still very much a thing! American society wants people to have kids but then has no real apparatus in place to take care of the people who have kids. And that particularly affects mothers, since so much of this world just doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want them around? Like, I get that the show was trying to point out that bringing Mateo to a lecture hall was a disaster, but… why should it be? Why can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there be daycare at higher learning institutions? Look, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in the age of the pandemic; that shit could be streamed for students who are sick or who have medical issues that prevent them from being in class.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, not really what this episode is about, but as someone who has watched a number of my mommy friends deal with how people are so gross and condescending to new moms, I WAS FRUSTRATED. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad that this episode really nails down how we need to respect choice. Jane is obviously upset because she wants two things: to be the best mom to Mateo as possible (THAT BABY IS SO DAMN CUTE, I NEED TO YELL ABOUT HIM) and to also pursue her dreams. Accepting a place in grad school might be right for her, but it might be wrong for someone else. Instead of giving us an answer that said all<\/i> parents have only one ethical and moral choice before them, the show guides Jane to a place where she feels comfortable being able to do both<\/i> of the things she wants.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Four Generations<\/b><\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also in part of the strength of her family, and I am NEVER going to get over this part of the show. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve now got FOUR generations of the Villanuevas onscreen. Alba, Xiomara, Jane, and Mateo. And these three women take care of one another. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s evident in the way Xiomara and Alba take care of Jane throughout \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Twenty-Five,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s evident in that letter that Jane reads during Mateo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s baptism. Jane can pursue her dream as a writer; she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be okay. Because this<\/i> is who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got her back.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I JUST LOVE THIS FAMILY OKAY.<\/p>\n

Luisa<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wild to me that the show can treat the kidnapping of Petra and Mateo with care, and then write… this. The show opened with Jane dealing with the trauma of having her son stolen away from her. Somehow, it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem weird to them that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve written Luisa as she is in this episode. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s weird! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t resist turning every part of her into a joke. Her reaction to (possibly) being kidnapped by Rose is… joy? Like, I know she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dealing with some unresolved issues\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlike Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyet even in Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plot, the joke only goes so far before the script takes it seriously. That still hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t happened with Luisa.<\/p>\n

Also, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not Rose who kidnapped her. So, I guess I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m wrong about that woman we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been seeing. Is that Heidi? Is she a competitor??? WHAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S GOING ON.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Twenty-Five\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– You can now pre-order my second YA novel, Each of Us a Desert<\/i>, which will be released on September 15, 2020 from Tor Teen!<\/a>
\n– Not only that, but my very first pre-order campaign is now live for North American readers! If you submit proof of pre-order, you can get a limited edition print that comes with the book<\/a>.
\n<\/strong>– If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"