Jane the Virgin: “Chapter Sixty-Three” Review

By: Angela Russo (@NerdGirlForever)

This Week on Jane the Virgin:

Over the course of planning her parents’ wedding, Jane finally breaks up with Fabian and realizes that she is in love with Rafael. Rogelio and Xiomara prepare for their wedding and prove how much they have changed for the better. Despite a mountain of misgivings, Petra lets Jane convince her to rekindle her relationship with Rafael. When Luisa and Rose return to the Marbella, the police unmask the crime lord from her disguise and arrest her.

Themes

This week, the telenovela examined the much-debated concepts of fairytale love and happy endings.

Fairytale Love: Fact or Fiction?

In the beginning of the episode, Jane alters the end of a classic fairytale as she reads Mateo a bedtime story. Her version reflects a more realistic view of how love and relationships operate. After everything she has gone through, Jane has given up her romanticized ideal of fairytale snowfall love…an attitude that is challenged by her parents’ decision to throw a big fairytale-themed wedding. Rogelio and Xiomara ultimately prove both Jane and the happy-ending enthusiasts right: fairy-tale love and happy endings do exist…but they don’t happen by magic. It takes two equally dedicated people who commit to actively building and nurturing that love through hard work, compromise, growing as individuals, and putting each other first. Rogelio proves that he has changed for the better when he shows up for Xo with a horse and carriage. He may lose his job as a result, but being there for Xo is more important to him.

Jane’s Post-Michael Perspective on Love

The second half of season three has explored who Jane has become after the shock of Michael’s untimely death. Jane has progressed slowly from getting lost in her identity as a mother to overcoming the negative sexual messaging of her youth with her first fling. However, in “Chapter Sixty-Three,” the heart of the matter comes to light. Although owning her sexuality is certainly an important breakthrough for her, what she really wants is a deep and meaningful relationship. The trauma she underwent has understandably built a shell of cynicism and distance around her regarding her views of romantic relationships and the risk of being vulnerable in them. Her fling with Fabian was certainly not meaningless, but it had no heart value. This comes to painful light for Jane as she finally realizes what the writers have clearly been building to for the past eight episodes: she is in love with Rafael.

Restoration of the Love Triangle

After weeks of watching Rafael pine for his ex-wife (and Petra pointedly ignoring and avoiding the subject), he has demanded an answer. Much to my dismay, Petra’s extremely valid and overwhelming number of reasons not to regress to that relationship were thrown aside. After months of showing no interest beyond an instantly regretted drunken night, she is suddenly in love with him again. Thus the foundational love triangle has been restored. I applaud Jane for putting Rafael first out of love, but I disagree with her choice to get involved in their relationship. If Petra and Rafael are meant to be together, it will happen naturally. I do feel that Rafael’s concerns about ruining his relationship with Petra are as well founded as there is ample evidence proving they’re a horrible couple. It has been nearly impossible for the two to maintain a civil relationship for very long, even when they’re not dating. Rafael and Jane, on the other hand, have only grown stronger in their bond over the past five years.

What is Jane’s Happy Ending?

In the original Venezuelan telenovela Juana de Virgen, Rafael and Jane end up together. Does this mean that Jane and Rafael are destined to be together in the American interpretation? That is very hard to say. Case in point: the writers did not originally intend for Brett Dier to remain on the show for as long as he did. The fans’ reaction to the relationship between his character and Jane persuaded them to extend the life of his role (very literally) and wrote in his wedding and their married life. It’s entirely possible that they will explore other diversions from the foundational story. Showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman has stated that we are only halfway through the storyline they have planned for Jane. Even if Jane and Rafael do end up together, we may have to wait another three seasons to see it come to pass.

Rose Revealed

“Chapter Sixty-Two” ended on a cliffhanger: whose face was on the sketchpad? This week reveals that it is Eileen, the face of the woman Rose modeled a mask after. Viewers are still asking how Rafael learned of her disguise. Hopefully this information will be revealed in the finale. Now that Rose has been unmasked and arrested, does this mean Scott’s killer is in custody? Rose and Luisa established that they were both together without interruption the night of Scott’s murder. Furthermore, Rose being the killer would be a bit of an obvious cop-out. Has anyone thought to consider that the original Eileen may be involved? Who is this woman that she would allow Rose to use her identity? There are bound to be more twists and turns waiting for us next week in the season finale.

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