In the seventeenth and final episode of the fourth season of Jane the Virgin<\/i>, WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Jane the Virgin<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Trigger Warning: For talk of anti-immigrant rhetoric and anxiety, and for death and grief.<\/b><\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how to cope with this. This plot twist has\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 ruined me. RUINED.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Citizenship<\/b><\/p>\n Through Alba, Jane the Virgin<\/i> has given us a story that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fairly common among immigrants here in America, at least a specific type. It is one that much of the Latinx and Hispanic communities could probably relate to, and that specificity is important. I would say that this only lightly touched on some of the more structural issues facing undocumented people in the States, though I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect this show to do a deep-dive on this issue. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not what Jane the Virgin<\/i> is trying to do! But I will say that the anxiety on display here is very<\/i> real. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a palpable relief when the ceremony is over because, for the first time since she came to the U.S., Alba no longer has to fear deportation.<\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s even harder to watch this show in 2020, knowing how vicious and violent the Department of Homeland Security and the Border Patrol has gotten. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing new, but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a particular pitch to their oppressive nature that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impossible to ignore. How many people have lived out Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fear to its unfortunate end? What of the 545 children who may never be reunited with their parents? What of the decades of violence perpetrated by this imperialistic regime? All because of an invisible line in the Earth. All because of the xenophobic belief that people of a different country, of a different skin color, of a different culture, are inherently worse than what my country props up as the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ideal\u00e2\u20ac\u009d citizen.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On that level, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a wonderful charity in what Alba decides to do with Jorge. I fully expect the writers to wring her marriage to Jorge for all it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth emotionally, but her act is one of kindness. It shows the deep empathy she has for this man, because she had to miss out on grieving for her own parents. Which is another aspect to this unfolding tragedy: borders don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about families, about separation, about families spread across continents or oceans, about diaspora. And that is<\/i> a tragedy, because we humans should be able to be with our family, especially in an instance like this one.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, is this marriage going to last? I would love for the two of them to stay together and actually<\/i> fall in love with one another, but Jane the Virgin<\/i> is a LOT. So we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see!<\/p>\n Shadowing Rogelio<\/b><\/p>\n I appreciate that both of these episodes act to humble River Fields. As ridiculous as Rogelio has been in the future, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interesting to watch him basically get a dose of his own medicine. In many respects, River is how he used<\/i> to be! She centers herself in everything; she views herself as a better type of person because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a celebrity; she often misses the obvious because of how self-absorbed she is. As she spends more time around Rogelio in order to prepare for her role on the show, she grates on the nerves of everyone. In case you didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know: mispronouncing someone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s name like this is a deeply harmful act. The fact that River does it multiple times until she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s angrily called out? Well, THAT WAS VERY REALISTIC. A couple years ago, I got into an argument with someone who worked for a book festival because they kept correcting my own last name. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sadly used to it for two reasons. One, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not common here in the States, so people mispronounce it frequently. Even worse, though, is when people insist that I<\/i> am spelling it wrong, like this woman at the festival. Who, by the way, inserted an apostrophe after the first O, and then, when I insisted that that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t my name at all, told me that I was uneducated.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yeah, that was a fun day.<\/p>\n The truth is that River wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually<\/i> paying attention. She had just inserted herself into the Villanueva family! Xiomara ended up being right about why<\/i> that was, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still no excuse for the way she messed up so many things. Again, it was hard not to see this as a mirror for Rogelio, which is one of the reasons that it felt so just that both Rogelio and Xiomara took River to task. Someone like River wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand a close family like this, which is why she was drawn to the Villanuevas. But I think there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another level to this: She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand the importance of Alba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s party because she has never had to deal with the anxiety of being undocumented. She took her citizenship for granted, and this was nothing more than a party to her.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad she learned otherwise. I just hope it sticks.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Moving Forward, Moving Backward<\/b><\/p>\n Well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a testament to the writing that somehow, this devastating and shocking plot is not<\/i> the most surprising thing in the season four finale.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Because WHAT THE FUCK. You know, I was worried before about Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s complicity in Anezka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death because the show hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually given us what had happened on that balcony. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t withhold something like that unless it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s for a reason. Still, as Petra and Jane Ramos moved closer and closer to one another, I thought we were heading towards an important turning point in their characterization. Both were learning to trust again, but in particular, Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arc was about her learning to accept that she was<\/i> worthy of love.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, there was a single thread left hanging, and because of a wonderful decision, that thread was pulled. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I was so happy! Jane said she loved Petra and wanted to wait until Petra was on the same page emotionally before making a decision to move in. AND PETRA WAS!!! Oh god, that scene where Rafael told Petra to accept being happy??? ALL OF THIS WAS PART OF PETRA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S GROWTH. Everything was finally moving forward!!!<\/p>\n And then, the other shoe dropped.<\/p>\n Almost literally, I guess. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard not to see this from Jane Ramos\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perspective. Because even if JR has the full context of what Anezka did to Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich I assume she does\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a difference between knowing the truth and finding it out after<\/i> JR gave up her entire career in order to get Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s case dismissed with prejudice. It certainly looks like manipulation from her point of view! How many lies did Petra tell? How often did she nudge JR away from the truth?<\/p>\n For a moment, I thought that this was it. That Petra and JR would be no more. But then\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Krishna. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all take a moment to appreciate that I THOUGHT THAT KRISHNA HAD DIED WHEN SHE JUMPED OUT THAT WINDOW. I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I guess I get why? But also, now that I think of it\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 not one person ever mentioned Krishna dying<\/i>, so that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fun. Good job, Mark! I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that changes my opinions on the optics of their relationship; Krishna still feels like a sacrifice to Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story, especially since Petra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mistreatment of Krishna is more grounds for a plot twist than an actual exploration of Krishna as a character. Still, I gotta admit that I got this INCREDIBLY WRONG. She is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 not dead, Mark. LORD.<\/p>\n Anyway, a blackmailer is dead. JR shot someone. (As opposed to someone shooting JR on Dallas<\/i>. GOD, WAS JANE RAMOS\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S NAME A SET UP FOR THIS JOKE THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME.) I guess I have to re-visit who I thought the blackmailer was? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Luisa is a believable option anymore, so\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 maybe Milos? He did<\/i> know that song that Petra used to sing, and maybe Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s information was faulty?<\/p>\n More importantly: Will this drive Petra and JR together or apart?<\/p>\n Rose\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Secret<\/b><\/p>\n This is a telenovela. I should know that cliffhangers are in steady supply, and that anything can fucking happen. Even then\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know what to say.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Wait. I do. As I said on video, Rafael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior now makes complete sense. Of course he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d go to a dark place upon learning that Michael is still alive. Look, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know how to analyze that because HOW. HE FUCKING DIED. THERE WAS A FUNERAL. I DIDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T EVEN KNOW THIS WAS ON THE TABLE AS A POSSIBILITY. And how did Rose know? Did she have something to do with this?<\/p>\n Regardless\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 yeah. That would mess anyone up. For Rafael, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s afraid. I know it! This was Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s big romance, and it ended suddenly, unfairly, and tragically. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like they broke up with any intention. So, the anxiety is obvious: Will Jane want to get back with her husband? WHO ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T DEAD? WHO SHE IS STILL MARRIED TO?<\/p>\n Oh my god. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a telenovela plot, but I admit that as completely fucked up as this is, I want to see how the writers will deal with this. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much potential. And like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 what the fuck. Jane promised Rafael that she would love him unconditionally, that there was nothing he could tell her that would make her want to leave him, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m certain she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t consider this possibility at ALL. AT ALL!!!! At the same time, I respect that Rafael brought Michael back. He knew that he had to, even if it meant his relationship with Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich is in such a good place!!!\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwould go away.<\/p>\n Holy fuck. I think this plot twist broke me. I genuinely did not see it coming.<\/p>\n The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Eighty-One\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> In the seventeenth and final episode of the fourth season of Jane the Virgin, WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! 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-7689","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\/7689","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=7689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7689\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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