Jane The Virgin – Chapter Thirty-Eight

By: Jennifer Verzuh

For the second time on this series, Jane’s preparing for her fast approaching wedding to Michael. This time though there are no hesitations on her part, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few hiccups.

If you’ll recall last episode, after the return of Alba’s supposedly cursed former lover Pablo, a pipe burst in the Villanueva house. Since then, they’ve been staying at the Marbella. Unfortunately, a worker informs them their house is in even worse condition than they originally thought and there’s no way Jane (Gina Rodriguez) will be able to get married there in time. That means they need to find a new venue, which is an exciting prospect for Rogelio (Jaime Camill) who has offered to pay for the wedding and is extremely eager to plan a big blowout event.

Jane wants to keep the ceremony small, but Rogelio is insistent he be able to invite his plethora of guests and celebrities, including international actress, comedian and musician Charo (who makes a very funny appearance as one of Ro’s closest friends). Eventually, Jane is left so frustrated she tells Rogelio to keep his money and she and Michael will pay for and plan the wedding themselves.

Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), who’d been trying to give Rogelio the space he told her he needs, decides to interject on his behalf. She tells Jane that she should be willing to compromise. Contrary to her belief, this wedding isn’t just about her – it’s about her family, too. They makeup and Rogelio is touched Xo helped. So, together they plan the perfect venue: it’s a replica of their home built on the set of Rogelio’s telenovela.

Jane and Michael (Brett Dier) are also in the market for a house to live in after their wedding. They have a few musts on their lists, including a yard, natural light and a washer and dryer. Unfortunately, they’re having trouble finding anything nice nearby that’s within budget. They finally find the perfect place (the walls literally speak to Jane) that’s affordable, but there’s one major catch: it’s just about forty minutes away from Rafael (Justin Baldoni) and Jane’s family. Alba (Ivonne Coll) and Xo give her their blessing to move, but Raf is more resistant to the idea of being so far away from his son. He even offers to pay the difference so they can find a nice house closer to him, which the couple refuses.

Surprisingly, the most tender and emotional moments this episode don’t concern Jane, but Petra (Yael Grobglas). She’s been struggling with her newborn twins. Jane finds her walking the halls of the hotel late at night seemingly out of sorts. After Rafael shares his concerns with her that Petra seems to be having a hard time, Jane invites her to a new mother’s group. She’s resistant, but agrees to go with Jane. At the group, Petra reveals that she’s been unable to connect with her children and feels they’d be better off with someone else. Everyone there appears concerned at her confession and suggest she may be suffering from depression. Feeling judged, Petra gets up and leaves.

Later, at Jane’s urging, she calls a doctor who agrees she could have postpartum depression and asks her to check with her mother if it runs in the family before coming in. So, she pays a visit to her mother in jail. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t go well. She says of course she was depressed when she had Petra – everyone was because it was the 80’s and they were living in Czechoslovakia. She then says that Petra is not cut out to be a mom and her children would be happier if she gave them away. With her mother’s words ringing in her ears, she packs a bag and looks as if she’s running away. Before she leaves though she does Jane a huge favor, (although she may never know it) which will get to. Jane eventually decides that their perfect home is too far and Mateo deserves to be closer to his father.

The relator calls Jane and Michael and tells them of a house only a few miles from the Marbella with all their requirements that’s under budget which has just became available. They’re suspicious that Rafael had something to do with it, but decide it doesn’t matter anyway and go to check it out. It’s a great fit, but it’s packed with people and offers. The realtor urges them to write a letter on why they’d be the perfect owner to the seller, which they work tirelessly on. They’re rewarded with the house and we see Petra holding their letter. On the phone with their relator, he tells Petra that the couple doesn’t suspect anything, especially because of the planted other buyers.

Despite the show’s overall comedic nature they take a serious, sympathetic approach in examining Petra’s postpartum depression, which really must be applauded. This is a serious condition that affects many women after they give birth and it’s not the mother’s fault nor does it make her a villain in any way. I give props to Grobglas for her nuanced performance that is touching on.

Elsewhere in the episode: Alba is head over heels in love with Pablo. When she tells him she isn’t comfortable having sex outside of marriage, he proposes. She accepts and despite their reservations, her family supports her. That is until they see him cheating on her. When Xo and Jane confess to Alba what they witnessed and she dumps him, banishing him from their lives in a truly epic fashion.

Also, it seems Rafael is back to working with Michael. Derek meets with Rafael to say he’s leaving for New York, but luckily agrees to stay when his older sibling offers him a job. Cut to us viewers finding out that they have Rafael’s office bugged in order to find out what his half-brother Derek really knows about their mother.