{"id":7628,"date":"2020-08-07T13:00:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T20:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7628"},"modified":"2020-07-27T12:22:14","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T19:22:14","slug":"mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s02e21-chapter-forty-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2020\/08\/mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s02e21-chapter-forty-three\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Jane the Virgin’: S02E21 – Chapter Forty-Three"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the second season of Jane the Virgin<\/i>, I did not realize how much more chaotic everything could become, but here we are! If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re intrigued, then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Jane the Virgin<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Competition<\/b><\/p>\n

Even though this show stopped airing before I even started watching it, I feel this really interesting thing is happening: It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like the show is in conversation with me and my expectations for Petra and Jane. Like, yes, I ship them, and yes, I also wish they could be better friends. At the same time, the show is making me think about what it is that I find so compelling in this pairing, even as a platonic one. (Which isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t any less valid or important than a romantic one.) Part of it is the fact that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much tension here, and I also admit to being a huge fan of enemies to lovers. I just love that sort of dynamic unfolding between characters! I also think that this is due to watching Petra try her best to escape the toxic and dysfunctional environment she was raised in. As Petra has now lived months without her mother, I can see her being kinder to herself. I can see her accepting that she is deserving of love and affection. But that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perfectly healed or that she has shed all her toxicity.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to suggest that Jane is a foil for that. Jane has plenty of her own trauma and toxicity to get rid of. Like her judgmental behavior, which crops up again<\/i> in this episode. But my point is that these two characters approach the world with drastically different worldviews. Jane really is<\/i> an optimist, and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a rigid ethical system. Petra is a realist, and her morals shift as a means of survival. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always had to! It makes this situation ripe for conflict, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been seeing over the course of these two season. I do believe that Jane and Petra are trying their hardest to get past their own flaws and the flaws of one another. That also means that sometimes, this shit is hard<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both of them care about Rafael. Both of them want him to get out of this Derek situation without being harmed or sent off to jail or worse. Both of them think they have the best solution to this problem. One solution is optimistic; one is realistic. So I get why these two started feeling like they were competing. Especially<\/i> from Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s point of view, since she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s had to fight so hard for attention and respect. (She and Raf did<\/i> just have that conversation about how he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still learning to trust her, remember?) In a larger sense, this was about two competing worldviews on display. If they were wrong, was their outlook wrong as well?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I keep wanting them to see that this doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be a competition. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be contentious. That realization isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to just happen<\/i>, though, and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve both got to put in work to maintain more than just the temporary friendship they keep having. For what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad they keep trying, even when they mess up so many times. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nice to know they haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t given up on one another.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Humbling<\/b><\/p>\n

Wow, I really<\/i> hope this is the show pushing Rogelio to a place where he understands that his behavior has negative ramifications on set. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an incredibly important scene where Esteban demands that his best side be relit, and initially, Rogelio completely supports this. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done that a million times!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And then he finds out it actually<\/i> means that he has to re-do all the work he just did.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His experience working for the crew of Esteban\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telenovela was eye-opening for him, since there was so much he just assumed about everyone working for him. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not to suggest I had a lot of sympathy for Rogelio; he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a jerk about all of this for a long, long time. So in that sense, it was satisfying to see him learn everything the hard way. The work is painful. Exhausting. Repetitive. And it can all change in an instant based on the whims of an actor or a director. I was pleased, then, that this episode felt so pro-union, too! The crew weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever demonized or satirized for wanting collective bargaining power, and I love that even Jane was outraged that they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a union. We are pro-unions in this household! (Except the police unions here in the US. Fuck them forever.)\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What I hope is that this growth on Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part is furthered in future episodes. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing the next episode is the wedding, so perhaps the strike itself will be next season? Well, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, given how gross the network executives are. And if that part seemed a little too on-the-nose, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s BARELY fiction at all. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what happens all the time: A striking workforce is often readily replaced quickly, deflating the power of a strike. This is why crossing picket lines as a scab is so, so bad! I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m proud of Rogelio choosing to support the strike, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m eager to see what sort of follow-through we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to see on the show itself.<\/p>\n

Mateo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s First Birthday<\/b><\/p>\n

I liked that Rafael made the point that there was nothing wrong with Mateo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first birthday party being for the adults in his life. I went through most of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Forty-Three\u00e2\u20ac\u009d expecting this big blowout party for Mateo, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m much happier with the quiet, emotional moment that Jane and Rafael have in the hospital. EVEN WHEN EVERYTHING WAS TENSE AND THEN VERY SAD. Because this episode turns into a celebration of the challenging and rewarding year that these two have had. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, they did it! They raised a child together for a YEAR. That seemed so impossible and unfathomable after Mateo was born, and there were moments this season where all felt lost. Yet here they are. Mateo is going to be one year old, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M SO FUCKING EMOTIONAL ABOUT THIS. I feel like I raised him? And know him? What the FUCK, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And then the show had to go and punch me in the heart by reminding me that Rafael was still in love with Jane. Holy shit, that part where they hold hands? But then Jane lets go and he leaves his hand there for just too long, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much longing there? That one scene ruined my DAY, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even think Raf and Jane are necessarily a good couple anymore? But it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter what I think because that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the whole point: Love isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always logical or sensible. Sometimes, it lingers and it hurts us, even when we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like our bodies to just stop<\/i> having feelings for someone. God, what a beautifully, tragically humanizing moment for Rafael. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what has made Jane the Virgin<\/i> so damn fulfilling for me. Most of the time, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s honest about humans right where it needs to be, and Mateo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first birthday party was one of those moments.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Derek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Plan<\/b><\/p>\n

Holy shit, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. This… what the fuck<\/i>? What the hell just happened? Just seconds into Raf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s set-up of Derek, I knew it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to work. Yet I admit that I never expected him to turn on Mutter??? My initial take was that this was a set-up, but then he calls someone to confirm that he left Mutter there and took the money? Oh god, did he actually get away with this? What the fuck is gonna happen NEXT? Because Susanna and Michael just got HANDED Mutter. Like that!!! I just??? HELP.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Forty-Three\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":"