In the eighth episode of the second season of Jane the Virgin<\/i>, the past haunts numerous characters, and each tries to reckon with it. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Jane the Virgin<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Trigger Warning: For discussion of triggers\/trauma, abuse, manipulation.<\/b><\/p>\n
Therapy and Empathy<\/b><\/p>\n
I said this at the end of the video for this episode, but WOW, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Thirty\u00e2\u20ac\u009d has so much intriguing and fulfilling work on the emotional journey that these characters are going through. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a surprisingly dense episode, in the sense that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much to UNPACK about the epiphanies that everyone has and what they mean for their longterm arcs. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M SO HAPPY. I live for this shit!!!<\/p>\n
So, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s start with Jane and Rafael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plot. I am once again pleased that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a depiction of therapy that ultimately felt positive. I like that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made obvious that therapists are very different from one another. Dr. Damprey was nothing like the previous couple\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s therapist that Rafael and Jane had. Initially, there was some friction there because Dr. Damprey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s techniques\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlike reframing statements to declare a feeling\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwere jarring to Jane and Rafael. My current therapist, for example, is far more direct and willing to call me out than any therapist I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever had. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been used to therapists who sit and take notes, who listen to me talk (and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m definitely a talker), and then ask gentle questions that make me re-think what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had therapists that give me exercises to do between sessions, too. But what I like about my current therapist is how willing she is to interrupt me when she sees me falling into toxic or harmful patterns. I have a tendency towards downplaying myself and how I feel because I am constantly<\/i> trying to understand someone else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s point of view. (Which is a coping mechanism I developed from childhood abuse! TRAUMA IS FUN!) And so when she hears me going doing my path, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quick to point it out.<\/p>\n
Which is not what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m used to in therapy, but I actually love it? At the same time, I can see how her style wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work for others. I was worried that was what we were going to see here. Was Dr. Damprey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s technique not right for these two? However, having Jane and Rafael re-frame events from the perspective of the other is what helped Jane realize she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d not even considered how the murder of Rafael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father affected his way of thinking. Rafael, in turn, realized why his lying was so deeply, deeply upsettin to Jane. (I assume that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case; we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see it on camera, but since Jane vocalizes it to Rogelio later, I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fair to say she unpacked it in the session.)<\/p>\n
One thing I will say is that the show makes it seem like it just took one session for them to fix this problem, and I would like to see therapy be a regular thing. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never \u00e2\u20ac\u0153solved\u00e2\u20ac\u009d anything in a single session with a therapist; it always took multiple sessions over a long period of time for significant progress to be made. In fact, after I made the video for this episode, I had one of my twice-a-week therapy sessions. In it, I had perhaps the biggest single epiphany about myself and my trauma since I started. And I just counted: This was session THIRTY-ONE. THAT IS SO MANY SESSIONS.<\/p>\n
Anyway: Where does this leave Rafael and Jane? They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in a better place, but I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if a romantic relationship is the way to go, especially if there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of Jane holding on to Michael in some way, you know?<\/p>\n
Escaping Magda<\/b><\/p>\n
DO YOU REALIZE HOW VALIDATING IT FELT TO HAVE RAFAEL SAY THAT HE WANTED TO GET PETRA AWAY FROM HER MOTHER? Seriously, the video attached to this review has my on-screen reaction to it, but OH MY GOD. YES! The sheer toxicity of Magda is negatively affecting Petra and her pregnancy, especially if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got high blood pressure. I just… wow. This episode provided me with such relief<\/i>, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I was happy to see Rafael willing to listen to Petra and provide her with a safe space to open up about what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been going through. I was thrilled when he immediately suggested a means of extricating her from a nasty situation. THIS WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED.<\/p>\n
And then Magda went and ruined it all. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, how did she even know<\/i>? Was it just a coincidence that she turned everything around on Petra, or was she spying on her daughter??? HELP ME, THIS IS SO UPSETTING, PETRA WAS SO CLOSE TO ESCAPE!!!<\/p>\n
Luisa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Patterns<\/b><\/p>\n
As critical as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been about the portrayal of Luisa, I actually enjoyed the depth that she was given here in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Thirty,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d even if that depth was gut-wrenching. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that Luisa has a lot of unresolved trauma around her mother, who she once thought died but is now not only alive, but very much looks to be a crime lord. The writers, however, make a heartbreaking connection between Luisa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pain over her mother and the toxic relationship she has with Rose. It feels like a genuine step towards treating Luisa different than she has been in the story. I think maybe that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another reason why this has been landing so wrong in me: I also have an intense amount of trauma from my relationship with my mother, yet Luisa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trauma has often been treated like a joke. Her behavior is quirky or used as comic relief, and so unconsciously, maybe I was connecting the two: Were the writers not considering what happened to her trauma?<\/p>\n
So, this is me saying: This is an important development, and I hope it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something they build on. What an awful situation to go through!!! And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a direct parallel here between Luisa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother and Rafael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s: both of them left their children. Are Luisa and Rafael going to bond over that?<\/p>\n
Short Story Challenge<\/b><\/p>\n
Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fun thought: Why are there so many bad depictions of writers? When they are written by… writers? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never had that thought before, yet here we are. I bring that up because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m used to seeing it, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always nice when something gets a specific aspect of being a writer. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Thirty\u00e2\u20ac\u009d features a writing challenge given to Jane by Dr. Chavez, though she initially doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see it as a challenge in the way he does. What I loved about this is that it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say that a person is a bad writer for not being able to write within a certain genre or a certain way. Jane struggled with historical fiction, with thrillers, with science fiction… but she excels in other ways, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a bad thing! Her strength is in emotion and romance. Dr. Chavez was just trying to get her to develop things like setting, plot, and creativity, and I think this was a great way to get her to think outside the box. Like… I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll ever write historical fiction. I like reading it, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really my thing? I am certainly never going to write something like military sci-fi. Or high fantasy. Secondary world was a blast (if super difficult), but high fantasy doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t appeal to me as a writer.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also nice seeing Dr. Chavez and Jane work together after they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had so very many missteps! The thing I want most is for Jane to not just have support, but to get knowledge and wisdom out of her grad school experience. She wanted this education to assist her, to give her the boost she needed to make her writing better. And if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what Dr. Chavez is doing for her\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand it looks to be the case\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthen I am even happier that they are working together.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n JD<\/b><\/p>\n This is actually a plot that fits really well after what I wrote in the last review! I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad the writers, while still using humor in Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s characterization, are starting to address some of the more odious parts of his personality. Case in point: his self-centered ego. In some ways, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s funny, like when he uses \u00e2\u20ac\u0153mirror\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for the letter M in Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s calming technique. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hilarious! Yet that same vanity and narcissism has deeply harmful ramifications for other people. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Thirty\u00e2\u20ac\u009d addresses Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new intern, JD, who Rogelio becomes furious with when he believes JD leaked info to the press. While that leaking definitely happened, Rogelio becomes so certain of the narrative of the person who harmed him that he ends up lashing out at JD. WHEN IT WASN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T JD AT ALL. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen Rogelio do things like this and get lost in a narrative he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s constructed, and in doing so, he causes harm.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, how is he going to change? Especially now that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s realized what a fantastic writer JD is? This is the kind of stuff I want to see!!! I want to see characters being challenged and facing situations where they have to grow and become better, and ROGELIO definitely needs to work on this!!!<\/p>\n The Villanueva Family<\/b><\/p>\n I wanted to end on a good note, though. This is a Christmas episode that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m watching at the end of June, for the record, but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just so much packed in here that made me feel wonderful. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a delight to see this family come together as they have, especially since the Villanuevas were smaller and more fractured at the beginning of the show. Here, though, they come together\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwith Mateo and Rogelio now firmly a part of the crew\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto celebrate one another. The existence of this family is<\/i> something to celebrate! They are passing on traditions to Mateo and Jane; Rogelio is now back in his daughter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life; and Alba got her green card! (That one scene was one of the most emotional things in the whole run of this show. I know I still have seventy episodes to go but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M CERTAIN I WILL STILL THINK ABOUT IT IN THE END. The sheer relief on Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face… NOPE. DESTROYED ME.) Family is weird and complicated and messy, and Jane the Virgin<\/i> says that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perfectly okay.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Thirty\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> In the eighth episode of the second season of Jane the Virgin, the past haunts numerous characters, and each tries to reckon with it. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Jane the Virgin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[705],"tags":[706],"class_list":["post-7608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jane-the-virgin","tag-mark-watches-jane-the-virgin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7608\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\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":"