{"id":7603,"date":"2020-07-03T13:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-07-03T20:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7603"},"modified":"2020-06-22T17:00:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T00:00:03","slug":"mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s02e06-chapter-twenty-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2020\/07\/mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s02e06-chapter-twenty-eight\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Jane the Virgin’: S02E06 – Chapter Twenty-Eight"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the sixth episode of Jane the Virgin<\/i>, Jane must figure out how to juggle various things in her life. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Jane the Virgin<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of ableism, abusive relationships, and a brief reference to police brutality<\/b><\/p>\n

Time<\/b><\/p>\n

First off, I want to say that this was one of the very best time jumps I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve experienced in a television show. Sometimes, they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work, and a story can feel rushed or lazy. I never got that sense from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Twenty-Eight,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also because the script focuses on basically three storylines instead of only barely covering like five or six. We get to see Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s struggle with grad school, Mateo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s health issues, and the reality of her son\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s financial future. Petra seeks to extricate herself from a highly toxic situation. Rogelio deals with the end of The Passions of Santos<\/i>. Each of these is shown unfolding over the course of about six months, and each interval is cleverly designed. I also think there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something to be said about how having a newborn makes the time fly in a parent\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life, and this episode mimics that by having six years transpire in just forty-odd minutes of the show.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Basically: Bravo. Truly. I was deeply impressed with the writing here, and this could have gone so wrong. But it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t!<\/p>\n

Balancing Act<\/b><\/p>\n

I have a friend that this whole damn episode reminds me of TO A T. Because she had to deal with being a writer WHILE being a mom, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just??? So on the nose? And I imagine that you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to be a writer to relate to this. I obviously can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t claim to understand this on a personal level, but from things I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve witnessed? This felt super believable. Part of that comes from specificity. The show doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just show us Jane being busy or overworked. She has to make so many difficult decisions, often with very little time. Such as whether to take that phone call in class. It may seem small, but the world is so utterly not designed to be sympathetic to mothers. And I get that the teacher has a policy of no phones in class! But this is one of a number of things that Jane has to navigate that she never expected to. Like having to make a decision whether or not to have Mateo wear a helmet for his flat head. Like having to decide if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth it to go to the writing retreat. Like not knowing if she should continue nursing and stop pumping. Like whether or not she should consider dating Rafael again!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I loved what Rafael said, though, during that scene on the couch late in the episode. Jane was in a ROUGH state\u00e2\u20ac\u201dunderstandably so!\u00e2\u20ac\u201dafter months and months of burning the candle at both ends. It would not make her a bad person to think of doing something for herself<\/i>. And I get why she doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make that decision in an obvious way. (Though I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say going to grad school is an important thing that involves Jane putting herself first, though in a different context.) She wants to be the best mother possible, and we all know Jane is a perfectionist and a planner. When things stray from what she expects, panic sets in. And yet? She adapts. She figures it out. She does the best she can. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why that conversation she has with Petra is so important: Jane really didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> know how to be a mom until she just was<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Petra<\/b><\/p>\n

Which is something Petra is going to have to find out on her own, too. Twins, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! TWINS. Wow, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot<\/i> to take in, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? While I still have reservations about the writers not truly acknowledging how fucked up Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior was, I was also thrilled to see that they are moving her towards a place where her life is actively less toxic. She is in THERAPY!!! Holy shit, yes! If anyone on this show needs therapy, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s HER. I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t super happy that Magda was around, but at least we got to see Petra stand up for herself when her mother insulted her. Also, I understood the context: Petra needed help with her challenging pregnancy, and having her mother around was better than having to do everything alone. Because FUCK MILOS. Is he just… not helping her with any of this? Rafael seems more present than he does, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only the biological father. Ugh, I just hate Milos so much, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, and I wish that this was the last time we saw him, but unless he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s locked away in prison or dead, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pretty sure he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be back to torment Petra some more. And smuggle weapons!!! What the fuck! And now that Magda murdered Ivan… oh, this is only going to get worse. Truthfully? I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait for a time where Petra doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have ANY of these people in her life.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I will say that I was made uncomfortable by Magda\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fate. I think the show is leaning even further into the trope of disability and and disfigurement as a sign of evil? First, it was Magda\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s facial scars, and now she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got an eyepatch and<\/i> a hook for a hand. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little much, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Well, this was unexpected. It was really striking to experience this episode and have only passing references to Michael in it. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing the show isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to address the police brutality angle, but at the very least, the writers have committed to Jane cutting Michael out of her life for what he did. And I do appreciate that, since it gives the act weight and shows just how badly he hurt someone he cared for. But where has this taken him? He reached out to Nadine to try and take down Sin Rostro, but his story is the only one we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see onscreen. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only at the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Twenty-Eight,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shown confronting Detective Barnett. So… did he find Sin Rostro? Is he going to give Barnett crucial information to stop her? And will he try to come back into Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life?<\/p>\n

Rogelio<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, I think the show might be preparing to address Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s excess\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhis ego, his bad ideas, how enabled he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been\u00e2\u20ac\u201din a significant way. It was hard watching him stumble from one bad decision to another, though I sympathize with him in an artistic sense having to follow up a project that changed his life. Obviously, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not even remotely at the same level, but I get that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an immense pressure there, even if you try to pretend there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s problem is that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just not used to being told no<\/i>. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not used to having a real editor. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not used to being corrected or guided in another direction. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s let his ego inflate so heavily that he just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see these things. So now, after having struggled for months to develop and finish his Mad Men<\/i> take on telenovelas, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been hit with a cease and desist. He can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fight that, can he? His show is probably going to be scrapped. Then<\/i> what? Who is Rogelio if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not center stage? What will he look like if he has to fight to get something done, rather than riding on his own fame?<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Twenty-Eight\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":"