Jane the Virgin recap: 'Chapter 74'
I think it’s safe to say that most of our favorite Jane the Virgin characters have experienced some sort of liberating moment as of late. Tables have turned, decisions have been made, and one is contemplating a revolution that may finally set her free. I’m looking at you, Jane.
We pick up exactly where we left off last week, with Jane and Rafael steaming up the windows of her car. When Jane puts her seat down, anticipating the liberation, Rafael balks that they can’t have sex for the first time in a four-door sedan. Jane is ambivalent at first, but when her suitor claims he “needs full range of motion,” it’s clear that the seduction will continue until the end of time. COME ON!
Jane isn’t the only one letting loose. Alba agrees to online date, Xo is happy not running a dance studio anymore, and Petra is killing it at the Marbella (metaphorically) with a sassy new haircut. Unfortunately, even though Petra is successful at what she does, Jane finds that her work ethic is a hot mess. This makes ghost writing Petra’s story impossible, especially with Petra’s ridiculous demands and random voice memos. Does the world really need a book in the shape of Petra?
The only person who isn’t seeing the world through rose-colored glasses is Rogelio. He’s miserable as a stay-at-home dad. He wants to give up, but Xo convinces him to join a parenting class. There, he learns about the hardships of postpartum depression and is relieved he finally has a diagnosis for his blues, even though he doesn’t have the hormone that produces the mood disorder. Naturally Rogelio believes it is up to him to educate the world about male postpartum depression.
Meanwhile, Jane busies herself writing a proposal for Petra’s book using adjectives like “firm, strong, and disciplined,” which Petra finds nauseating. Jane clearly can’t do this on her own, so Petra suggests Jane shadow her for the day. It does not end well.
That night, Mateo comes into the living room asking for help with a school project. It’s a family tree and he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to fill out his dad’s side. Rafael explains to his son that he was adopted and both of his parents died. Also, the words “thief” and “serial killer” probably won’t look good on the branches.
Mateo asks about Rafael’s biological parents. Rafael once again gets down on his son’s level and tries to unravel this bit of complicated information. Mateo wonders why Rafael wouldn’t want to go find his parents? Rafael smiles and tells his son that mommy has enough family for both sides.
Jane looks heartbroken, but the mood quickly shifts when Rafael announces that they both have to go to work. Yes! In this scenario, “work” is a super secret date with sexy role playing. Rafael’s innocent answer to Jane’s “where are you from?” question triggers Jane to drop the facade so they can deep dive into his feelings about his family. Rafael is irritated and orders a drink, which lands a judgmental look from Jane. The romance is sucked out of the moment and the date ends in unresolved tension. COME ON!
To make matters worse, Alba asks Jane to go on a double date with a man from her church and his grandson. Since she has no clue Jane has clandestine rendezvous with Rafael, Jane has to agree for Alba’s sake. She wants to support her grandmother getting back in the dating world.
Back at the Marbella, JR informs Petra that the police want to question her again. It seems there were some missing screws from the balcony where her sister fell to her death. It’s obvious to Petra that her mother and/or sister were trying to kill her. JR encourages her to just tell the truth in the interview. Later, Petra uses her sleuth skills to figure out that the balcony is fashioned with mueller screws, which needs a mueller screwdriver to remove said screws. Guess who checked one out from maintenance the day of the murder? Magda.
The maintenance guy said he specifically remembered Magda coming in with the twins, because he never can tell the girls apart. Petra’s face falls and she rushes to the stairwell where JR finds her hyperventilating. Petra is tired of always being on her guard. How did her mother get to her girls? The idea is frightening enough for this firm, strong, and disciplined woman to break down. JR vows to help Petra and then she calls the mystery person to tell him or her that she is out of this peculiar deal.
Petra nails the interview and feels good about the investigation. JR congratulates her client, gets into her car, and is surprised to see a burner phone on the car seat. The message reads, “Either Petra goes to jail or you do.”
JR isn’t the only one suffering through difficult outside forces. Rogelio has been cyber attacked by none other than PPD Awareness Ambassador River Fields (played by the never-aging Brooke Shields). Rogelio has been invited to The Talk to debate postpartum with “America’s Sweetheart.” The Villanueva women beg him not to appear on an American talk show, fearful that he will ruin any chance he has of a career in the States. Ro refuses when River makes fun of him online. Game. On. (Recap continued on next page)
While Ro preps for his debate date with River, Jane ignores her blind date at the Marbella. Instead of subtle chit chat, she exchanges a few provocative text messages with Rafael, who just so happens to be working at the bar that night. Jane feels rude ignoring her date, so she engages. This makes Rafael jealous enough for Jane to confront him in the kitchen. Rafael admits that he is never going to have an uncomplicated life and he knows Jane will always judge him for how he handles the details. Jane is tired of walking on eggshells, so she walks right out the door.
At home, Jane notices Alba is off. Alba confesses that she thinks she make the wrong decision with Jorge and that she broke up with him because she was scared. She hasn’t been intimate with a man in thirty years. Jane says it’s just like riding a bike and proves it by taking her sweet, religious grandmother to a sex shop, maneuvering around the edible underwear and handcuffs to purchase something basic that uses batteries. Alba is NOT having it. Jane slips it into her grandmother’s purse anyway.
The day of The Talk interview arrives and it does not go well. River accuses Ro of trying to wiggle his way into a female experience. Ro starts to cry (from the postpartum) and they go to commercial. Words are exchanged, River pulls focus, and Rogelio unleashes his millions of Twitter followers in his defense. She’s also attacked by a wolf, from the endangered species segment, which was totally not Rogelio’s fault.
As luck would have it, American producers think Rogelio and River have amazing chemistry. They want to give him a television deal, co-starring with River. I hope this means we are going to see a lot more Brooke Shields. This should be fun!
Back at the Marbella, Jane apologizes to Rafael for being too judgmental. Rafael apologizes for shutting down when things get hard. She wants him to look for his birth parents and Rafael agrees to think about it.
Jane heads to see Petra so they can banter about the book. While doing cardio. Jane and I both think this is the worst idea ever, which spurs Jane to ask Petra what she does to relax. Her answer? Sex. Sex with Rafael, in particular. He really knows how to get a motor running. Say no more. Jane rushes over to Rafael’s to rip off the label of “virgin” when it comes to the man standing before her. Thanks to some dumb old cable guy cramping everyone’s style, we are once again thwarted of what we’ve been waiting for all this time. Kick the guy out, Rafael!
Suddenly, the scenes morphs into three different storylines. There’s Alba, with her new purchase from the naughty store. Petra answering the door in her robe, surprised to see JR flirting her way inside. And Jane who is taking a shower at Rafael’s…with Rafael.
Come…on.
