Jane The Virgin – Chapter Fifty Four

By starrymag | February 11, 2017

By: Emily Cross

 

When Michael (Brett Dier) was seven years old he had the worst day. He was dressed as a police officer for Halloween, but couldn’t go trick-or-treating because he was sick. Michael and Jane (Gina Rodriguez) are looking at childhood photos, including one his mom took of him in his costume. Michael insists that he remembers this exactly, but Jane is convinced that can’t be true. She read an article about how memories around big events are clearer, but the peripheries disappear. You remember the feeling, not the details.

It’s four days before the LSAT and Michael is studying. Rogelio (Jaime Camil) knocks on the door: he has news. But first, Jane is on the phone with her assistant friend Alice (Kara Wang) who informs her that an assistant position has opened up with publisher Chloe Leland (Maya Kazan). Rogelio starts to share his news, but then Mateo throws up on Jane. Jane worries about Mateo coming down with a stomach bug. Michael tells her that he felt queasy that morning but assumed it was pre-test jitters.

Rogelio finally reveals his news: there is a screening of his indie film the next night for friends and family. Michael gets out of it because he has a prep session, but Jane isn’t so lucky. She tells Rogelio she needs more time to prepare for the nude scene, but he promises to give her a heads-up before the scene occurs. He also brings stills from the scene for his fan club, which Jane refuses to see. This leads to the hilarious line, “But I signed my name over my goodies!” He gives them an invitation, with Lupita Nyong’o and his face photoshopped together.

The invitation also is in Rafael’s (Justin Baldoni) suite where Petra (Yael Grobglas) asks Rafael if he is planning on going (which he isn’t). Rafael and Petra have dismissed the nannies so they can bond with the girls. Petra is upset because Rafael won’t be spending the whole day with her. He has to meet with his lawyers about a plea deal in covering his father’s finances and with Luisa (Yara Martinez) to tell her that they are not blood-related.

Jane and Michael talk about Jane’s upcoming interview: she won’t make the same mistake as last time and will “prep until she crushes it.” While Jane briefs Michael on Chloe’s successes, the scene intercuts with Jane killing the interview. Jane makes it through to phase two: writing sample coverage of a memoir (sample coverage is a summary written by assistants so the people actually making the decisions don’t have to read).

Xiomara (Andrea Navedo) was watching Mateo during the interview and asks Jane for a favor in return: lunch with her, Bruce (Ricardo Chavira) and Bruce’s scary daughter Tess (Dannay Rodriguez). Jane agrees to being a buffer. Xo asks Jane for a tampon, but Jane doesn’t have her period. They used to always have the same cycle, which makes Xo emotional. Jane looks at her calendar and realizes that she should have gotten her period five days ago. Jane’s on the pill, but she skipped while they were camping. She immediately begins to freak out, seeing as it’s not a good time for another baby. She’s only been late once before, and his name is Mateo.

Petra runs into Scott (Wes Armstrong) and Anezka while she is walking the babies. She threatens to fire Scott, but they show her the addendum and tell her that they are married. Scott threatens that he can play this game of them burning each other forever. But Anezka doesn’t want that so Petra asks what they do want.

Cut to Darci (Justina Machado)! She says that she wants commitment, but she’s talking to some random dude! Where’s Rogelio? It turns out the random dude is an actor: Rogelio is directing a sizzle reel for a reality show starring Darci. She wants him to play the part of her boyfriend, but Rogelio can’t. He has to limit his exposure to serious acting roles. He invites her to the screening of his indie movie and she accepts.

Jane shows Mateo, who is feeling better, pictures of their family. She comes across a strip of photobooth pictures of her and Michael early on in their relationship when they went to the carnival together. Apparently, Michael was so nervous he gave himself a tummyache. Mateo grabs at her stomach and Jane wonders if he is ready for a sibling.

Michael comes home from a successful study session to find Jane cooking pasta. She tells him that she wanted to do something nice for him, but there are clearly other motives. Michael picks up the manuscript Jane is reading and asks her about it. She mentions the subject grew up in Fort Pierce and that leads Michael to reminisce about a drug bust he worked there last year. Jane proposes a practice question to Michael, but can’t finish it and confesses that her period is late and she might be pregnant even though she hasn’t taken a test yet. Michael is excited and Jane realizes she went straight to stress and school and money. Michael says they should take it one step at a time and take the test first. Jane does take the test, but it reveals nothing because it was expired. She and Michael begin to get excited about the prospect of another baby

Meanwhile, Rafael tells Luisa that he is not biologically related to her. He tells her that he understands if this changes things, but Luisa assures him that she loves him and will always have his back. Later, she’s on the phone and tells someone that this is the perfect time to come. That’s slightly sinister…

At Rogelio’s premiere, no one is there. He is disappointed, but Darci reassures him that everyone in America will know his name very soon. As the narrator (Anthony Mendez) tells us, this would turn out to be true. In the screening, Rogelio warns Jane and Alba (Ivonne Coll) when the nude scene is about to happen. But it doesn’t happen! They cut most of it (the full-frontal part) from the movie. Rogelio gets upset and stands up and shouts in the middle of the screening. He storms out and Darci follows, imploring him to calm down. Someone outside the venue starts filming Rogelio on his cell phone as he rages. Darci tries to tell him everything will be okay, but he doesn’t agree. He tells her that she thinks that because she just wants to be a reality star, but he wants to be taken seriously. Darci walks away angrily.

After the screening, Jane is sad and tells Michael that she got her period. Michael is sad too, but tells Jane that maybe it’s for the best. Jane is upset that she got excited about the idea, but Michael reassures her that they have plenty of time.

Apparently what Anezka wanted was to spend time with the babies. They are warming up to Anezka, but not Petra who is insecure about her relationship with them. Petra visits Rafael who is wondering what Anezka is doing there. Petra fills him in and Rafael offers to validate the will so Anezka and Scott don’t have blackmail material. Petra refuses this suggestion.

Jane is at lunch with Xo, Alba, Bruce and Tess. Tess is being a typical obnoxious teenage girl, throwing back-handed compliments left and right. Jane still has a rudimentary teenage girl fluency and bonds with Tess over a coffee shop in Jane’s neighborhood that they both love.

Rafael picks Mateo up at Michael and Jane’s and expresses support for Michael’s pursuit of a law degree. Jane comments that Michael is copying Rafael, and he is copying everything these days. This seems to hit Rafael.

After Rafael and Mateo leave, Michael plans to hit the books, but not before Jane comments that Chloe hasn’t responded to her coverage. Michael comments that she probably hasn’t read it yet. Then, they get a knock on the door: a very drunk Tess who assumes that she can crash with Jane and Michael.

Jane takes Tess to Xo who goes into mom mode. She knows she has to call Bruce, but Jane thinks that she should give Tess a little time to sober up. Xo comments that this feels like some kind of test and Alba tells her to call Bruce now. Jane goes to take water to Tess only to find her missing and the door wide open. Jane comments that she can’t get far on foot, but Xo’s bike is missing. Alba has dealt with belligerent drunk teenagers before so she jumps into action. All they have to do is trap Tess, which leads to a hilarious montage of Tess somehow evading them. Alba eventually traps her with the car.

Meanwhile, the cell phone video of Rogelio’s meltdown has gone viral. When watching the video, Rogelio realizes how much he must have hurt Darci.

Back at the house, Tess is asleep on the couch and Bruce has arrived. Xo encourages him to talk to Tess about the situation instead of punishing her because she was responsible enough to go somewhere safe. Tess was awake, but Xo knew that.

The next morning, Rogelio visits Jane and Michael and confesses he feels so badly about blowing up at Darci. She won’t answer his calls. Michael encourages Rogelio to make a big gesture to win her back. He agrees, but laments what he is going to do with 200 signed photos. He goes to pull them out of the envelope, but instead pulls out the manuscript and Jane’s coverage that she thought she dropped off at Chloe’s office. She immediately calls Alice and explains, but Alice tells her that Chloe isn’t big into second chances and Jane is out.

Rafael is spending time with Petra and the girls and gets news that the plea deal is off the table because his family is high-profile. If Rafael fights it, he would drag everyone in his life through the mud with him, but if he pleads guilty he would go to jail. With good behavior, he could be out in nine months. Petra refuses this is an option and rejects his defeat. She admits that she needs him, and the girls need him. He wants to be a good role model for his children.

Jane and Michael go to a carnival to relax the night before the big test. The scene flashes back to young Jane and Michael while present-day Jane and Michael reminisce. They do everything they did the first time: play a love compatibility machine, go in the photobooth and ride the Ferris wheel. On the Ferris wheel, young Jane and Michael admit that they don’t want to date anyone else and present-day Jane and Michael discuss baby #2 and moving their timeline up. Present-day Jane and Michael can see Fort Pierce where the memoir Jane had to read took place. She tells Michael about how the author would swim from island to island, but Michael insists that isn’t possible because of jetties just underneath the water. Jane realizes that the author was a fraud and thanks Michael for giving her an opportunity.

The babies are crying and Rafael is asleep. Petra tries to wake him up, but instead goes in to comfort the babies herself (unsuccessfully).

It’s test day! Michael still feels a bit off so Jane tells him that if he still feels the same after the test, he is going to the doctor. She packs him snacks in a policeman lunchbox. They wish each other luck as Jane is going to try again with Chloe.

In her office, Jane tells Chloe that the memoir is filled with gross exaggerations and flat-out lies. Even if Jane won’t be hired, she can’t let Chloe publish the book. Chloe reveals it was all a test and Jane passed. Chloe needs people she hires to be vigilant and Jane was the only applicant to figure it out so the job is hers. Jane takes the job.

Michael signs in for the LSAT and has to surrender his cell phone. When he opens the lunchbox Jane gave him, he finds a sweet and encouraging note along with their photobooth pictures from the night before.

Rafael wakes up and Petra is doing well with the girls. She has a newfound confidence and tells Rafael to do whatever he feels is right. He wants a clean slate so he decides to plead guilty. Luisa (Yara Martinez) visits and introduces her new girlfriend Eileen (Elizabeth Röhm) to Rafael. Rafael keeps them out in the hallway because he doesn’t trust Eileen. If she wants to be in Luisa’s life or Rafael’s life, she has to get some medical tests to prove that she isn’t Rose. Eileen agrees to getting these tests.

Cut to Luisa and Eileen in their own suite, sitting across from a woman with Eileen’s face. Eileen tells her that after she passes the medical tests she is to leave the country for good. Eileen, you guessed it, is actually Rose.

Rogelio shows Darci a bus banner for their reality show, which he has agreed to be part of.

Jane raves about the job to Alba and Xo, telling them that this is a step towards her dream. They are very proud of her. Xo has some news of her own: she had a breakthrough with Tess and she and Bruce might move in at some point. She tells Alba that she knows it will be hard and that’s why she’s giving her time to get used to it. Alba is happy for her

Jane is home playing with Mateo, waiting for Michael to come home from his test. But they won’t get that far because as Michael walks out of the test, he collapses. People swarm him, saying that he isn’t breathing and the narrator reminds us that he did say that Michael would love Jane until his dying breath.

Jane is on the phone with a doctor, who tells her that Michael’s death was ultimately a result of his gunshot wound. Jane drops the phone and collapses to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Rafael enters the house and asks what happened, immediately wrapping her in a hug. The narrator tells us that this brings us to the end of Part Two.

In Part Three, we jump to three years later. Jane has shorter hair and is preparing for a wedding. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.