{"id":7693,"date":"2020-11-18T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7693"},"modified":"2020-11-10T11:46:33","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T19:46:33","slug":"mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s05e02-chapter-eighty-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2020\/11\/mark-watches-jane-the-virgin-s05e02-chapter-eighty-three\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Jane the Virgin’: S05E02 – Chapter Eighty-Three"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the second episode of the fifth season of Jane the Virgin<\/i>, Jane tries (perhaps too hard) with Jason; Rogelio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ego arises again; Luisa takes a risk. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Jane the Virgin<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For talk of trauma, death, grief.<\/b><\/p>\n

I gotta say this: I appreciate that this show is willing to go to places it hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been. Because wow, pretty much every<\/i> plot here is deeply uncomfortable?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Respecting Jason<\/b><\/p>\n

You know, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s focus this initially on me. Because guess what? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also guilty of a focus that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fair, even though these are all fictional characters. Even in the previous review, I kept bouncing between using Jason and Michael, when this is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 this is Jason. The end. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s who this person is. Admittedly, it was hard to figure out what to say, but I feel like the greater point here is that Jane in particular kept trying to force Jason to be<\/i> Michael. I understand why, but River Fields, even while being self-absorbed, helped Jason process something he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been given the space to process.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Eighty-Three,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d we see a lot of Jane trying her best to trigger Jason\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s memories. At the same time, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that Jason is increasingly bored or irritated by Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attempts. (Or at least I thought that was what Jason was going through.) Jane wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t letting Jason guide anything<\/i>. She chose what memories to go through; she chose what to do<\/i> with any of the things that she saved, rather than let Jason make decisions. At every step of this, Jason was was not actually centered in this process. Jane<\/i> was. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why it hurt so much whenever Jane was disappointed! Of course Jane felt bad whenever these deeply personal moments didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t resonate with Jason. At the same time, none of this was his fault. He was deliberately traumatized by Rose, his memories were wiped, and he was DROPPED IN A STATE HE HAD NEVER BEEN IN AND HAD TO RE-START FROM NOTHING.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I know that there are complicated feelings about the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153victim,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but for Jason, it helped him put his feelings into words. Awful things were done to him<\/i>, and it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fair that he was being made to feel like he was letting people down.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why the line dancing scene worked so well. Up to a point, that is. Jane had<\/i> to stop keeping Jason within this rigid definition of who he is. She actually didn’t<\/i> know who he had become since being forced to live in Montana, and that had<\/i> to feel awful! That being said: I DID NOT EXPECT JASON TO DO WHAT HE DID. I mean, I thought that when he spun Jane towards him while dancing that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have an awkward moment, but NO!!! He kissed her! That one act set in motion the stuff I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll discuss later involving Jane and Rafael, but this\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 this is not something I anticipated. I was busy worrying about Jane re-discovering her feelings for her (technical) husband, BUT NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mateo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Classes<\/b><\/p>\n

Within an episode that deals with Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s complicated feelings on the Catholic church was something surprising: Jane deciding that sending Mateo to Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a good idea. I went to these as a teenager, as my church had a whole separate division within their CCD program that was for converts. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an important part of being a Catholic, so I had to learn much of what children learn, but at a greatly accelerated rate. It took me just under two years of consistent classes to be able to get baptized, confirmed, and take communion, all of which happened on the same night.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 not a space wherein questions are encouraged. You are taught the teachings of the Gospel and specifically of the Catholic church so you can participate in the sacraments. So, yes, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very<\/i> important part of the process. Thus, I get why Jane initially believed Mateo had to go.<\/p>\n

However, Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s crisis of faith is so tangible in this episode. I appreciate that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so obvious that everyone is losing their shit because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just no precedence for this. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no way anyone could have been prepared for this! Which is precisely why Jane struggles with this in the terms that she does. How can she ask Mateo to accept that God has a plan for everything when everything is so deeply chaotic? Does she<\/i> even believe this part of Catholicism? What I enjoyed about this is that Jane the Virgin<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writers are taking Jane through this doubt she has in a nuanced way. She hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lost her belief in God and she certainly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to stop being a Catholic. But when you combine this with the whole divorce plot, Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s characterization here is about what she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s willing to compromise when it comes to religion. I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deeply relatable for people of various faiths, and as an ex-Catholic? I knew so many Catholics who had to do the same spiritual arithmetic. What tenets did they follow? Which were they willing to let slide? How did their circumstances dictate that? And in Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s case, will she change her mind about this?<\/p>\n

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

Oh, Rogelio, you came so far. A big reason his plot is so damn frustrating is that I had hoped he had learned to let go of these toxic behaviors. He had been taught so many difficult lessons last season, so maybe that growth had stuck! However, I also understand why this seemed to press every<\/i> button Rogelio had. Remember, Esteban already did shit like this with Rogelio. So did Fabian. Rogelio is used to being the center of attention and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s used to having everything catered to him. He had to give up some of that last season, both with the birth of Baby and co-parenting with Darci, as well as in his professional career. Pursuing River Fields was part of that, too!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not lost on me that much of what River does here is what Rogelio has done in the past. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that he can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really deal with the very same behavior he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s used to getting away with. Like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 holy shit, he stretched a single word to the length of a monologue? Because he was trying to talk about fairness? How was it fair to bring on Jason as an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153expert\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in being an amnesiac and only do so as a way to manipulate the writers? It immediately<\/i> backfired! Plus, it was one of the things that helped Jason find the means to talk about how frustrating it was to be a disappointment to other people. Silver lining, sure, but that was just an incidental thing. Rogelio is awful here!<\/p>\n

Hopefully that verbal criticism from Xiomara will get him to stop lashing out when his ego is threatened. I am\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 also worried about what River hands Xiomara at the end of the episode. What have the writers decided to do now<\/i>? While I think we should criticize Rogelio, I also can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help but wonder if she is<\/i> deliberately trying to gain the approval of the writers so that she gets better scenes and parts. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s totally in-character for her, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only going to make this harder.<\/p>\n

Jane and Rafael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Fear<\/b><\/p>\n

MY HEART CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T HANDLE ALL THESE EMOTIONS. Oh my god, this whole plot between Rafael and Jane is so fucking raw<\/i>. Again, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no precedence here to make this easier, and part of why this arc is so disorienting is because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a completely wild reality to deal with. So it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s natural that everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reactions are going to veer between such disparate feelings. Honestly, I gotta reference the monologue from the past episode again, since that demonstrated so pointedly how Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s emotions whiplashed from one end of the spectrum to another. In \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chapter Eighty-Three,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the shock of the return of Jane\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s husband as Jason has mostly worn off, and now\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fucking confusing!!! She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s married to someone she believed was dead! Who has not become an entirely different person who remembers nothing of her!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout this, there is a pervasive fear, though, and it manifests differently for Jane and Rafael. But both of them are terrified<\/i> of Jason regaining his memories of his time as Michael. Rafael is afraid that will mean the end of the relationship he has worked so hard to build with Jane. Jane is afraid of that, too, but she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a guilt that Rafael doesn’t<\/i> have: She feels guilty that she wishes that Jason never came into their lives. It is a horrible thought, because it means she would rather \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Michael\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to have stayed dead. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t blame her though! She grieved! For four years<\/i>. And Rafael wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the only one who built up this relationship. Jane has worked just as hard to try differently<\/i>. Their partnership is so much stronger than it ever was the first time around. The timing of this is a nightmare; the unfairness and injustice is gut-wrenching. None of these people should have to be dealing with this, and yet? This is their lives.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad, then, that Jane and Rafael were open with one another about these complex, challenging emotions. Neither of them wants Jason to tear their relationship apart. They want each other! While I do feel good about this, I admit I am worried about Jason\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s refusal to sign the divorce papers. THIS IS BAD. NOT GOOD. OH GOD.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Revisiting Rose<\/b><\/p>\n

Sometimes, it is hard to root for changed behavior and growth on this show because the writers like to pitch fastballs at me. So, let me make this all a tentative, hesitant thing: It was really cool seeing Luisa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s commitment to her own boundaries. Honestly. Getting away from Rose has been so good to her, yes, but I was worried about her having time alone with this awful human. And yet, despite temptation, despite what seemed like some obvious desire, Luisa resisted<\/i>. She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let Rose get a single thing past her. Well, in person. I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get what all those \u00e2\u20ac\u0153operatives\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are for. (I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what to call those people who she spoke to over video.) I am<\/i> worried about that, but for what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth, I was so proud of Luisa. SHE DID IT.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, I am not sure the torture of Michael was all that random; I suspect there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more to Rose here, since that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very much on-brand for her. Still, if she told the truth here: Fuck. Chance. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all it took: random chance. And then Michael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s whole life changed forever.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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