{"id":7651,"date":"2020-09-09T13:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T20:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7651"},"modified":"2020-08-31T09:56:40","modified_gmt":"2020-08-31T16:56:40","slug":"mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s03e13-chapter-fifty-seven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2020\/09\/mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s03e13-chapter-fifty-seven\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Jane the Virgin’: S03E13 – Chapter Fifty-Seven"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the thirteenth episode of the third season of Jane the Virgin<\/i>, Jane meets her editor; Rogelio enlists help; Petra gets closer to Chuck, while Rafael makes an important decision with Abbey. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Jane the Virgin<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sorry, I have to yell about this first: OH MY GOD, I KNEW THAT I RECOGNIZED MINKA KELLY FROM SOMEWHERE. SHE PLAYED LYLA GARRITY. FROM ONE OF THE GREATEST SHOWS OF ALL TIME. This was bugging me so much!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT. And I want you to know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because I unpacked all my DVDs last night and guess what is at perfect eye level while sitting at my table? My boxset of Friday Night Lights<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m fine. JUST FINE.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Like I said on video, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible that this is it; this is the last we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see of Abbey. On the one hand, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little disappointing because we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually get to know her. (Assuming I am right, that is.) Like… who is she outside of Rafael? Where did she come from? Why did she and Rafael come to like one another so much? (Which kind of makes the whole \u00e2\u20ac\u0153gender bias\u00e2\u20ac\u009d motif across the episode feel a little like bullshit; the only character recurring character who isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t given a full story in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Fifty-Seven\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was a woman.) Because of this, her decision at the end of the episode makes her just a pawn to push the story forward. Why<\/i> would Abbey choose to rat out Petra? Just pure jealousy? Spite? We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really know anything about her personality or her history, you know? Thus, in the end\u00e2\u20ac\u201dagain, if this really is Abbey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goodbye\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthis all felt a little hollow. Abbey was here for the show to make a few jokes, to show Rafael in a more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153zen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d light, and then… she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gone? Well, not before throwing some gasoline on the fire. OH GOD, WHY DID SCOTT KEEP A BURN BOOK? I mean… of course he did. Didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he mention something to that effect to Anezka? (Where is<\/i> Anezka, by the way?) And what the fuck<\/i> is Rafael doing in this episode? Obviously, he found Scott\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s book. Why plant it in Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s room? To set her up??? FOR WHAT???<\/p>\n

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

I realize there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an interesting parallel here between this plot and the one between Bruce and Xiomara, except both have very<\/i> different ends. Petra and Chuck very much fulfill that trope where two people who seemingly have nothing in common come to enjoy one another. I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say it quite qualifies for enemies-to-lovers, only because we never got to see that grow in real time. We found out they were hooking up in the same episode that Chuck was first introduced, and for me, a good enemies-to-lovers has to have that slow build-up. Still, there was a lot to overcome here, as Chuck was deeply crass, and I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure there was actual potential here. At the end of the day, what I cared about was whether or not Petra was happy<\/i>. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what matters to me!<\/p>\n

And before we talk about that, I had a thought brewing in my head the other day. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fascinating to me that I do<\/i> find Petra as compelling as I do. On paper, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the kind of character that I would like, and yet, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all seen how protective I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve become over her, especially as the narrative in Jane the Virgin<\/i> dealt her such a severe hand. Maybe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because I can see the tiniest part of myself in a character who has experienced a ton of trauma (a lot of it because of her mother!) and is constantly struggling to adjust to a world that largely doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about it. This is, of course, a projection on my part, but still! I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get over how much Petra interests me?<\/p>\n

So that definitely influenced how I saw Chuck. I knew Petra was deeply embarrassed about being seen with him, but she needed to slowly acclimate herself to this new reality. Baby steps! There was lunch across town, and then a meal in the Marbella (that was unfortunately interrupted), and then the poker game… Petra was trying! However, remember when I said that lies never stayed buried on this show? Well, Petra was going to have to deal with the ramifications of what she did. And while Chuck might be fine in the long run, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s absolutely fair for him to be furious over Petra pushing Scott\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s remains onto his property. And now that Dennis might re-open the case? Oh, no, this is gonna get worse.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mateo, His Aide, and Stacy<\/b><\/p>\n

Ugh, this was so much better than I expected! I got worried at one point that the show was sliding into unfortunate stereotypes of Black women with Stacy, but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a purposeful subversion of that here when the show instead offers Stacy empathy and sympathy through Jane. What I mean by that is that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a negative stereotype about how mean Black women can be, and here, that was paired with a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153juvenile delinquent\u00e2\u20ac\u009d son, which gave us a double dose of unfortunate tropes. Prior to this, the whole build up had been based on assumptions of literally everyone involved: Jane messed up when she scolded Gwen, the director of Mateo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s school. That set in motion a complicated attempt on Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part to win over Gwen so that Mateo wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be treated poorly. But look what Jane discovers over the course of the episode! She learns that Gwen and Stacy weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t as close as she believed. She found out that Mateo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s aide was terrible<\/i>, but Mateo assumed that his mother just wanted him to like her. And when that same aide grossly spreads Stacy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s personal business, Jane gets a chance to see why<\/i> Stacy is as defensive and direct as she is. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dealing with a complicated situation with her son! The sheer amount of stress she must be under is immense, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I liked that scene in the end. Jane fired her aide not just to support her son best, but because Stacy deserved to have her privacy respected. The show cleverly reverses exactly what Jane thought<\/i> was happening to her.<\/p>\n

I do hope to see Stacy again, and not just because it was such a nice surprise to see Yvonne Orji on the show. I would like to see the show explore this character more!<\/p>\n

Mediation<\/b><\/p>\n

Oh, no, Rogelio. THIS IS GONNA GET WORSE, ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T IT. I feel like these complicated lawsuits are just… bad? Really bad? The idea of trashing the production company after Rogelio did indeed mess up and breach his contract seemed an ill-advised path, but hey, his new lawyer thought it was a great path forward! The Jaguar is an over-the-top character by design, so I appreciated that amidst this, there was a really sweet story mixed in about Bruce\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attempt to get Xiomara and Rogelio to make up with one another. I honestly have come to enjoy Bruce a whole lot, and it was sweet of him to constantly<\/i> offer to help Xiomara. Look at how much he does for her in this episode alone! He goes to the deposition with her; he organizes a mediation of his own; and THE PROPOSAL. THE PROPOSAL WAS SO FUCKING CUTE. Granted, it was hijacked by Rogelio in one of the funniest scenes this whole season. And like I feel about Petra, I also want the best for Xo. Is she happy with Bruce? Does he make her feel wonderful? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an unequivocal YES, and so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m deeply pleased that this has taken the turn it has. MARRIAGE. XIOMARA IS ACTUALLY GONNA GET MARRIED. I… hope? This is also Jane the Virgin<\/i> and I often feel that watching this show is like sprinting across a seven-lane highway. Which car will hit me next???<\/p>\n

Oh god, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gonna be Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? Because while the proposal is a joyous thing, the whole scene is also one of the most heartbreaking. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that it took Rogelio by surprise and<\/i> he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s obviously still not over Xo. Oh, god, this is gonna hurt, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? IT MOST CERTAINLY IS.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeremy the editor<\/b><\/p>\n

I AM SO HAPPY THAT I GET TO TALK ABOUT THIS SO POSITIVELY. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say that Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s experience with her editor unfolded quite like my own experiences with the two editors that I have, but you know what? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pleased. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pleased that people get to see a show in which a character actually states that editing is a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153long conversation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d between an editor and a writer. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exactly<\/i> what editing is like! So the details matter less to me. Like, generally speaking? There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an editorial letter that comes with that first edit that spells out developmental edits like Jeremy does here during their meeting. Now, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d also tell you that writers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t meet their editor for developmental edits like Jane does in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Fifty-Seven,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but… yeah. True story! I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never received a single edit letter for any of the three rounds of developmental edits I did with my editor, Miriam Weinberg. We met up in person and talked them out\/brainstormed for Each of Us A Desert<\/i>. So, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually realistic for me?<\/p>\n

And as hard as it was to watch Jane struggle with Jeremy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s edits, THIS GAVE SUCH AN IMPORTANT TRUTH TO THE AUDIENCE. Look, Jeremy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s whole AAVE slang thing is just endlessly cringe-worthy, and I, too, would not trust it at all. (I saw that from an experience. I had an editor a while back who was white but spoke heavily in slang that they clearly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t use in their day-to-day life, and THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S HOW THEY EDITED ME. It was… oh god, it was a nightmare.) What Jane is more concerned about, though, is that Jeremy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s edits were not in line with her vision. It is so deeply relatable that Jane didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that SHE DIDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T HAVE TO DO WHAT JEREMY SAID. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so important that this episode makes it clear that this is a conversation. You can ignore edits. You can change them. You can disagree with them! And when all else fails: Just ask what an editor means<\/i>. Because once Jane did that, she found out that Jeremy actually did<\/i> get her story! Much of her struggle was due to a misinterpretation on both sides, one that Jane ran with. Ask ask ask ask ask!!!<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Fifty-Seven\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":"