Jane the Virgin: Chapter 61 Review

By: Angela Russo (@NerdGirlForever)

This Week on Jane the Virgin:

Jane learns an important lesson about separating perception from reality both in her friendship with Lina and her relationship with Fabian. Upset with the current state of immigration but hesitant to speak out, Alba eventually decides to stand up for what she believes in. After a serious discussion about the direction of their relationship, Xiomara and Rogelio get engaged. New evidence comes to light that eliminates Anezka from suspicion and reveals that Chuck may be Scott’s killer.

General Assessment:

The series has established and maintained a reputation for approaching controversial topics with unprecedented tact, fairness, and sensitivity. The latest installment is no exception to that, covering immigration, relationships, and sex in an honest thoughtful manner. I applaud the writers for being willing and able to examine life from all sides of the coin without being inflammatory – not an easy task! Leveraging Mateo’s innocence to highlight some of the more political issues was clever, but in general the show works best when his role is kept to a minimum.

Friendship

After weeks of wondering where Lina has been, we finally get some backstory! It’s nice to see she is pursuing her dream of working in fashion, and is settled and happy in a stable relationship. The episode really utilizes her character in an interesting way, highlighting the emotional intricacies that arise between friends when one is dealing with a crisis. Before Lina expressed her perspective of their estrangement, I was ready to write her off as a fair-weather friend. Jane may have been going through a difficult time, but Lina had feelings and problems, too. It is an important reminder of the value of direct communication.

I especially appreciated Lina’s advice to Jane concerning her relationship with Fabian. In the past, Lina would have been more likely to support Jane’s dismissiveness. Instead, she calls Jane out on her attitude and advises her to stop objectifying Fabian and make a genuine effort to get to know him before jumping to the dump. Her response shows just how much she has matured…and I have to agree with her. Jane’s callous attitude towards the telenovela hunk has been a little upsetting. To be frank, she has more in common with Fabian than she does with Lina and they’ve been best friends since childhood. While I still don’t see this romance as being particularly long-term, it still merits further exploration.

Jane & Fabian

The shoe is on the other foot this week as Jane discovers what it’s like to date someone who prioritizes building love before having sex. I have to applaud Alba for holding Jane accountable and pointing out the hypocrisy of her immediate rejection of Fabian. As Lina points out, she hasn’t been seeing Fabian as a person, an interesting subtle commentary about how sex can color perceptions. Taking a closer look at Fabian, we see that he has a lot of great qualities. Aside from his toned physique, he is sweet, thoughtful, sensitive, loves children, can laugh at himself, values friendship, and is open to going the extra mile to connect. I truly enjoyed the scene where Jane spends a long evening with him talking, bonding, and sharing personal details about their lives. There is one thing about Fabian that gives me pause: he is basically a younger version of Rogelio! It will be amusing to see if Jane comes to this realization, and if so how it will affect her budding feelings.

The Rafael and Petra Merry-Go-Round

After a few weeks of moping and pining after Petra, Rafael has finally admitted his feelings to Jane. She advises Rafael to take his time and examine his feelings to avoid stringing Petra along, which is, ironically, the exact opposite of how she behaves with Fabian. Rafael keeps this in mind when Petra asks him about his feelings towards her. She is noticeably relieved when he denies it. While I agree with Jane’s sentiment that relationships should not be entered into lightly, I am glad that in the end Rafael chose to be honest.

Who Killed Scott?

Ever since Scott’s body was found, suspicion has been bouncing between the characters like a demented ping-pong ball. It comes as no surprise that Petra schemed to break up Scott and Anezka. Until now, her sister has been the primary suspect. However, this revelation provides Anezka with a solid alibi…which leads us to Chuck. Now that the identity of J.P. has been revealed, it seems we are finally going to take a closer look at the smooth-talking cowboy. In retrospect, it seems fairly obvious that he could be involved. Whenever a new character enters the scene on Jane the Virgin, they should always be put under scrutiny for scandal.

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