-This week in titles: Jane The Super Stressed Wife-Mother-Writer
-When you're in a time of transition and change, whether finishing your thesis novel, getting ready to switch careers to a difficult or challenging path, bringing something to a satisfying end, or just dealing with all the nonsense that plagues the world daily, stress is natural. It's honestly a miracle that the characters on "Jane" aren't in a 24/7 state of perpetual stress with all the craziness they seem to deal with on a daily basis. That doesn't mean they're completely stress-free though and Chapter Fifty-Three is a strong look at stress, how to deal with it, and most importantly how to share it.
-The episode starts by immediately establishing what's stressing out Jane and Michael: Michael is planning to take the LSATs in a few weeks and isn't great at testing, while Jane has a deadline coming up on a draft of her novel. The two establish a Church (Jane, of course)/State (Michael) workload separation to avoid stressing the other one out, complete with one of Jane's patented study calendars but while it works for a couple weeks, it's apparent that it's not a sustainable situation, especially when Bruce (Ugh, Bruce) tells Jane about all the pressure and strain that becoming a lawyer put on his marriage.
-When you're married, you're supposed to be able to tell your spouse anything, but when Jane attempts to talk to Michael about her concerns and worries, he's unable to hear it because of all the pressure he's under and reacts poorly. Although he apologizes later and assures Jane that she can come from him, that one bad reaction is enough for Jane to decide to find other outlets to try and relieve her mounting stress. After all, actions speak louder than words and there's no guarantee that Michael won't lash out again. So even as her own problems keep building up and up, she doesn't confide in Michael.
-The episode sets up another possible conflict between Jane and Alba as Jane worries about how her grandmother will react to the finished version of the book Jane based on her life. After a few scenes of Jane and Xo trying to sneak around her though as they try to figure out what to do, Alba takes matters into her own hands and reading it herself. The surprising thing though is how much she loves the book. Ivonne Coll is always an all-star on the show and the scene where she tearfully tells Jane that everything she went through with her family was worth it if the end result of all that pain was this book is one of her best. The other nifty thing about the potential conflict being a non-starter is it helps to shine a light on Jane's own fears about finishing the book and shows how she's looking for any excuse to change it or edit it or do anything but hand it in. This thesis is Jane's first real step in becoming a writer and if she fails at this, she has no idea what's going to happen especially with Michael's severance a few months away from running out and Rafael's financial situation potentially about to change. So she keeps trying to put it off as long as possible so she doesn't have to face a reality that might not be good for her.
-The clever trick "Jane" does with it's church/state separation is that we spend all of our time with Jane, only really gleaning insight into Michael's situation from her perspective since we're not following him to his practice LSATs or watching him try to study without her there. So when the two wind up stranded in traffic on the way to a law school interview Michael's supposed to have and forced to go camping, it's a genuine surprise when Michael reveals that he's been failing his practice LSATs and doesn't think he'll get into law school. It turns out that Jane wasn't the only one not confiding her concerns in her spouse for fear of how they'd react. It suddenly casts all of Michael's actions this episode in a new light and allows for the pair to finally openly communicate. As they lie under the stars going over what the actual worst-case scenario for the pair failing at the LSATs/novel would be (They'd move back into the Villaneuva household and slowly push Xo and Alba out so they could have it all to themselves), it's a sweet scene between the pair that feels genuinely earned. Even the narrator can't bring himself to try and spoil it.
-The lack of communication between Jane and Michael also manifests in Mateo who isn't speaking as many words as other kids his age. This adds to Jane's stress in the episode but once she and Michael are finally honest with each other, Mateo says his first non-Mama or Dada word and you know things are going to be OK. For now at least.
-When Petra was initially put into that coma, I had my doubts about the storyline but the aftermath as we watch her try to get her life back together after going through something incredibly traumatic and scarring has been excellent. Last week, the show very convincingly suggested that Petra was back to her old villainous habits but the truth turns out to be much more complex and rewarding. All those cameras she planted at Rafael's last episode weren't because she was looking for something to blackmail him with, they were because she can't trust anything anyone tells her anymore so she's been using the cameras to get the truth. She spends the episode trying to get ahold of the addendum to Emilio's will not so that she can use it before Rafael probates it but that so she can destroy it. Not being around her daughters for months has undone all the progress she was finally making with them so she wants to ensure that they'll at least be financially secure. It's a strong development that plays off her character arc so far as well as her long history with Rafael. The two have been at odds for week, but now that Rafael sees the full extent of how damaged Petra's been by what happened to her, he's able to connect with her again and convince her to get the help she needs.
-With Petra as complex and human as ever, no criminal investigations to follow, Magda out of sight and out of mind, and Rose still off the grid, the show needs a chaotic telenovella element to come from somewhere and it comes from the delightful pairing of Anezka and Scott, secretly together and newly married. Scott steals and fixes the shredded will so they can use it as blackmail leverage to start a new life together, free of fear that Petra will get back at Anezka for not leaving the country. Their motivations are understandable and even fairly easy to sympathize with, but the narrator ominously implies that their scheming is going to have serious consequences. Whatever happens though, it should be a lot of fun to watch. At the start of this season, I never would've predicted I'd be invested in the shenanigans of Scott, but Wes Armstrong is a joy to watch and he has great chemistry with Yael Grobglas, no matter which sister she's playing.
-It is interesting that Rafael was planning to probate the will instead of hide it like it initially seemed he might do. It just goes to show how much he's grown and learnt from his past mistakes in hiding things.
-Catalina makes her final appearance for now and the show finally defines her character as a Petra-esque opportunist, hanging around Rafael to try and find a way to profit off of him. Despite all that shadiness though, she's not a bad person, just an untrustworthy one. She only goes along with Petra's plan because she's angry with Jane and she and Rafael manage to actually bond and make a connection, causing her to come clean about the whole thing. With all the sudden depth she's given (Though she didn't vote in Brexit because she didn't think it would pass, which is... ugh.) it's surprising when Rafael ultimately chooses to end the relationship because she's untrustworthy. Good personal growth Raf! I have a feeling she'll be back though as there's no way Jane finishing her book is the end of our time exploring Alba's estranged family.
-Rogelio has some stress of his own to deal with this week as he tries to find a way forward with Darci in light of the emotional boner (#emoner) he's gotten from her and also has to deal with the end of Tiago. Rogelio's telenovellas always work best when they're acting as a parallel to whatever he or the other characters are dealing with this week and Rogelio's inability to agree to an ending for the last episode of Tiago works well as a metaphor for his trouble with Darci and their possible family. The "back to the beginning" ending won't work because Rogelio doesn't want to go back to the same baby business agreement Darci is insisting on. The 2001-homage ending won't work because Rogelio doesn't want to be alone and adrift out in space. Just like Jane and Michael, it's only when he and Darci communicate openly and honestly that he's able to solve his problem and land on the perfect ending.
-I cannot say enough about how great Justina Machado is. We see some real vulnerability from Darci this week as she sees how close Rogelio is with Xo and tries to use it as an excuse to push him away back into their original agreement, even though she's excited to go out with him. Darci likes to present herself as being above baggage and insecurities, but it's clear she has just as much as Rogelio, she just prefers to keep it all bottled up under the surface. It almost costs her everything, but at the end she and Rogelio decide to push forward as an actual couple. If this means we get even more Darci, I'm totally on board with this.
-Ending Tiago at the beginning of time with Tiago and his lover the first people on earth is just such a ridiculous over-the-top way to end a show and it's perfect. I can't imagine Tiago ending any other way.
-Catalina takes Petra's watch as part of her deal to get Rafael away from the hotel for a night and the narrator can't let go of what a weird request that is. Oh Narrator, never change.
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