{"id":7685,"date":"2020-11-06T13:00:23","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T21:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7685"},"modified":"2020-10-27T09:29:07","modified_gmt":"2020-10-27T16:29:07","slug":"mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s04e15-chapter-seventy-nine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2020\/11\/mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s04e15-chapter-seventy-nine\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Jane the Virgin’: S04E15 – Chapter Seventy-Nine"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of Jane the Virgin<\/i>, Rogelio and Darci face the truth; Alba panics; JR is introduced to everyone; and many important steps are made. 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 cancer, grief<\/b><\/p>\n

I REALLY LOVE THIS SHOW, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.<\/p>\n

Xo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Recovery and Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Test<\/b><\/p>\n

As someone who has watched\/helped multiple people recovery from major surgeries before, I appreciated that for the most part, Jane the Virgin<\/i> didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hide the more uncomfortable and painful realities of the process. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not quite<\/i> as gross as it could have been, but I also didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really expect the show to be graphic in the depiction of anything. Still, the show doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t shy away from showing Xiomara\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s drainage bags, from addressing her exhaustion, from letting her talk about the shame and embarrassment she feels when people look at her differently. We also see how other people mess up with Xiomara, even when they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re intent is pure and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to do their best.<\/p>\n

The obvious one is that Xiomara\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story intersects with Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in a particularly frustrating way: Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s citizenship test is rapidly approaching due to a transposed date mistake. Alba understandably is torn! She wants to be there for her daughter and to take care of her, so she prioritizes Xo. The problem is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 is that what Xo<\/i> wants? Is that what Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daughter needs<\/i>?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I get Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior in this episode, I really do! In the face of Xo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s recovery, that citizenship test seems pointless. Who cares about being a citizen if your daughter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s health doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get better? Of course, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a whole unspoken aspect of this that affected Alba: Alba believed that Xo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s recovery was happening too slowly. At the heart of this, though, is a familiar conflict. Alba simply wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t giving Xiomara the space that she needed! Literally and figuratively, I should say. Yes, Alba was smothering Xo, but she also didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realize the immense pressure she was putting on her! After Xo felt embarrassed when the local postman saw her, she withdrew into herself, refusing to go outside on walks like she was supposed. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a powerful point here in how we as a society view the sick and how we treat people once we perceive them as being sick. (And the opposite side of that coin is probably: the way we invalidate people because their disabilities aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153visible\u00e2\u20ac\u009d enough to us.) Xiomara needed space to express this, but she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly feel safe to do so!<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad, then, that the Villanueva women are finally on the same page, though this got SO UPSETTING for a moment. I thought that Alba had really missed her appointment. LOOK. UPSETTING THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING A LOT LATELY ON THIS SHOW. Like the gut-wrenching rejection from Jorge. So look, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll take a good thing when it happens. (Also current 2020 mood.) Alba was in such a terrible state, and she aced her damn test! That means this episode ended with them all in a good place. Xiomara was able to open up to her mom and her daughter about the complicated things she felt about her body, and Alba came to understand her daughter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s needs a lot better.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whew, that rejection stung, though. SO BADLY.<\/p>\n

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

I almost can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that the most mature person in this scenario was ESTEBAN. One of the most deeply immature people on the whole damn show!!! Except after the bitter, messed up fight that Darci and Rogelio have, he ends up being the most reasonable person here. Why?<\/p>\n

Because he was the only who remembered that they were all trying to do the best for their daughter.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, before this was resolved, this was one of the worst wrecks the show had ever given us. Because holy shit, Rogelio, THE DECISION TO LIE AND SAY YOU COULDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T BE BABY\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S NANNY BECAUSE OF XO\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S CANCER WAS BAD IN LITERALLY EVERY WAY IMAGINABLE. I knew<\/i> there was no way he would ever be able to pull of a lie so egregious, and so, this episode became a waiting game. How long? How long would it be before the truth came out? How angry would all the involved parties be? Because they all had a right to be DEEPLY FUCKING FURIOUS.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, this plot still surprised me. First of all, the writers were clever to have the truth be revealed so early. The structure of this plot is fascinating because I assumed that would be a reveal towards the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Seventy-Nine.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Instead, Rogelio must face the wrath of Darci and Xiomara for his terrible mistake, which is what motivates him to try and poach Felicity, the nanny that Darci originally tried to get. (WHO WAS MARIO LOPEZ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S NANNY. oh. my. god??? I am pretty sure I have told this story before, but if not: I was once on a triathlon team for the running portion, and my spot to wait for the swimmer to arrive was right next to Mario Lopez\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spot. I got to watch that man take off a wetsuit and he was ten feet away from me in only a speedo. GOOD BYE.)\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It ended up being far more interesting to me that Esteban\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfucking ESTEBAN, OH MY GOD\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfinally called out Darci and Rogelio for their toxic behavior. THAT FELT HUGE. Like, if the biggest asshole ever calls you an asshole??? Maybe pay attention to that? In an odd and not-totally-similar context to Alba, Darci and Rogelio suddenly feel comfortable to tell one another the truth. Once they do? A lot is put on the table. We learn more about why<\/i> these two are constantly at one another\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s throats. Why Darci withholds important information from Rogelio. Why Rogelio couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just tell Darci the truth! Does that mean all their issues will be solved? No, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think so, and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve definitely got a lot more work to do. But\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 this felt like a start. A real<\/i> start.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s see if it sticks.<\/p>\n

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

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be honest: I wonder if I find myself interested in someone, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to cope with the reality of my own grief, much like Rafael does here. Granted, this is the main reason I am still single and not pursuing anyone. (Okay\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 the pandemic. That, too, LMAO. Who is dating during this??? How do you not have a thousand panic attacks????) I want to get to a point where I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel as raw. And I certainly don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like I did back in January! I have<\/i> gotten better, and my extensive therapy over the past seven months has been a huge help. I know<\/i> I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be where I am as of the day I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m writing this without that kind of assistance. At the same time, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like you just go to a few sessions, and then you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cured.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Grief doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work like that. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s often a lifelong process. My dad passed over fourteen years ago, and I still get waves a grief. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re farther apart, yes, and often, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re nowhere near as intense as they were back when it happened.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I suppose I could say the same thing about my ex, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just to a different degree. It does hurt in a much more present way. I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 eleven months isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a long time to live beyond a death so major, but the point I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m leading to is that Jane the Virgin<\/i> is sympathetic towards the long journey that is grief. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been years since Michael died, and even though Jane is moving closer and closer to Rafael, Michael will always have a place in her heart. At the same time, I get why Rafael was so hurt by the story that Jane wrote after Rafael inspired her. Actually, hurt but\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 understanding? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing that made this hard: He gets why she thought of him, especially after she reveals that it was the anniversary of his death!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I wonder if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get to that point. I am trying to do my best not to ramp myself up for December 6th. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard, especially since the surrounding holidays are so deeply tied to what happened, so I feel like I have to get through a whole season in order to outlast this. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just one year. And hopefully, one year turns to two, turns to five, turns to ten. And maybe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll forget the date, not because he was unimportant, but because the grief is just smaller. What I ultimately loved about this plot is that Jane and Rafael are still so willing to head into the unknown. This is all about building a new<\/i> love, not a replacement for what came before. (On two fronts: This is not like their first relationship, nor will it be like Jane and Michael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.) It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a comforting idea. They are more mature, they are handling this relationship really well, and now, they get to craft a whole new love.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I like that. I hope I get that someday, too.<\/p>\n

Introducing JR<\/b><\/p>\n

MY QUEER HEART CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T HANDLE THIS. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO GOOD. REPEATEDLY. COMPLETELY. IN EVERY FACET. I just???? Am so happy with this? The show still has everyone being messy and complicated and layered, and I appreciate that. I appreciate that this queer relationship is not<\/i> treated any different than the straight ones, especially when it came to Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rules about the family. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no friction or conflict around Petra dating a woman. Instead, the conflict is about Jane not being liked by Jane Ramos. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about Petra struggling to communicate just how much she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s come to like Jane Ramos. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about the awkward meeting of couples!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It all felt\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Normal.<\/p>\n

So! I love that I get to skip over any potential weirdness that could have come from this relationship, and instead? LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S JUST CRINGE A LOT. Because oh shit<\/i>, does Jane ever come on STRONG. And I get it! First of all, on a very basic level, Jane wants to be liked by\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, literally everyone. I CAN RELATE. DEEPLY. But it also is much more complicated than that! Jane wants this family to work out because she cares so much about it! And that includes Petra, and look. I just need to say this. I know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s partially played for humor, but seeing Jane and Petra say that they love one another? That still felt huge to me, given what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen from their relationship over the course of this show. THEY DEFINITELY MEAN IT AND AT ONE TIME, THIS MOMENT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also an interesting writing choice because Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s awkwardness is what inspires Jane Ramos and Petra to have a very necessary conversation about what they want. I was refreshed by the fact that the show didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to change JR\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mind about having kids, but rather made it just one aspect of who she is. And just because JR doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want kids herself doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ruling out being in a relationship with a mother. But these two still<\/i> have to discuss these things, and it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help initially that it was through Jane that JR discovered how much Petra liked her. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m reminded that JR really likes Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vulnerability. Well, here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chance to be vulnerable! And I think that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got to learn to open up more. I really think she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s safe with JR, you know? THIS RELATIONSHIP FEELS GOOD.<\/p>\n

I would also like for Magda to be jettisoned off the surface of Earth immediately. UGH, COULD SHE GO AWAY.<\/p>\n

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

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

– My second novel, EACH OF US A DESERT, is now out in the world!<\/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":"