Jane the Virgin returned from hiatus – and a well-deserved Golden Globe win for Gina Rodriguez (Jane) with “Chapter 10.” The episode was written by the team of Meredith Averill and Christopher Oscar Pena and was directed by Elodie Keene. Averill also wrote “Chapter 3” and Keene’s very long list of credits includes Glee, The Mentalist, and Nip/Tuck, which seems a bit ironic given the break in the Sin Rostro case!
There are several things about the show that I really love and that really set it apart from other shows. It can be droll and silly, but it’s also touching and heartwarming and just plain funny. The acting is fantastic across the board, and the action moves along very quickly – we get answers and new questions in every episode. All of those elements were present in “Chapter 10.” But this episode also does something more. We see that Alba (Ivonne Coll) may be deported to Venezuela because she doesn’t have papers. Xo (Andrea Navedo) immediately questions whether this is legal. Our typist (who may or may not be the narrator) tells us “Yes this really happens. Look it up. #immigrationreform” Good for the writers to also raise awareness and medical repatriation.
Is everybody else best friends with the narrator (Anthony Mendez)? Because I’m pretty sure I am! Often when we get screeners, the early cut has some voiceovers that aren’t Mendez, so it’s possible that everyone doesn’t appreciate just how much he really adds to the show – the final cut is always better! I loved the beginning of this episode because he sounded as happy to be back as I was – “Is this thing on? Hi friends!” He certainly talks to us like friends. When re-capping the exciting position that Nadine (Azie Tesfai) and Michael (Brett Dier) were in last time we saw them, he adds “Not that one you perv!” When Michael and Jane get stuck in the elevator, he answers Jane’s question of “What was that?” with “That, my dear, is the classic telenovela trope known as the ‘stuck in the elevator’ scenario. In which two characters at odds are stuck in an elevator.”
The episode begins with a flashback. Young Jane (Jenna Ortega) goes to Alba to learn how to “pray the right way.” And a shout out to Ortega who consistently does a wonderful job balancing Jane's youth with her "mature beyond her years". Xo wants to cook a dish for Jane’s school’s Heritage Day, but Xo is not a good cook. Alba is amused at why Jane wants to learn to pray, but even Young Jane is more concerned about people getting sick than her own embarrassment, so of course, her heart is in the right place. Alba tells her that “It’s very special to pray with a rosary. You turn to it when you really need hope.” The rosary plays an important role in the entire episode. The narrator tells us that “When Jane felt especially desperate, she would often turn to prayer. And Jane needed the power of prayer now more than ever.” Jane returns to the hotel to find the missing rosary so that she can pray for Alba to wake up.
Jane can’t find the rosary but Regina (Layla Alizada) has found it and brings it to Jane “like a miracle.” And in fact, it’s partly due to this that Jane can’t bring herself to ask Rafael (Justin Baldoni) to fire Regina instead of Frankie (Camille Collard). The storm then forces Jane to stay at the hotel, and that’s where she gets trapped in the elevator with Michael. As soon as Michael hears about Alba, he is immediately concerned for her. Michael is able to get Jane in touch with Xo via police radio, and Jane learns about the hospital wanting to deport Alba, and she tells Michael. We also see that Michael remembers Jane telling him the story about the rosary and learning to pray. And because of all of that, it’s Michael who prevents Alba’s deportation. I love how the rosary winds its hope and story throughout the episode.
Jane begins to discover that her life is changing. Once again Gina Rodriguez really does deliver a fantastic performance as she tries to live up to her friends’ expectations. However, it’s clearly a one-way street when they suspect her of not trying to help them avoid the layoffs and they never even give Jane the opportunity to tell them about Alba. We didn’t need the typewritten commentary to tell us how conflicted Jane was – though it was hysterical as always! And while Rafael tells her that it would be weird for him to fire her, it’s quite clear that Jane wasn’t going to make the list simply based on her own merits – few sick days, twice employee of the month, four years seniority. After everything we’ve already seen Jane do for her “friends,” it was sad to see them not support her.
Rafael does tell Jane that she’s out of line for interfering in the layoffs, and she does eventually apologize to him. She feels like she is changing, but Rafael assures her that she isn’t. It’s pretty clear that her friends are jealous of her having a new rich father and, they think, a rich baby-daddy, though we know that Rafael might not be as rich as they think. They both sweetly discover that they are both changing in other ways though – like trying to guess babies’ ages in stores and being really bad at it.
Rodriguez’s best scene in the episode is the one in the elevator with Michael. She clearly puts everything into these scenes as even her voice tremors with emotion. Dier keeps up with her in this scene as he is first awkward at being stuck in the elevator with her, then defiant that he’s following her to try to keep her safe, and then concerned, not only about her but about Alba. Does Jane even have a chance to really tell Rafael what’s going on with Alba? That she’s in danger of being deported? It’s Michael that continually connects her to her family. I loved the shot of Michael leaving the elevator after the doors open and Rafael finds Jane in Michael’s arms. Instead of smirking or lording it over Rafael, Michael simply lowers his eyes and ducks around him. He’s not going to cheapen a sweet moment with Jane.
The episode ends with Xo telling Michael that she knows he is the one who fixed Alba’s problem. She’s right. Michael told them that Alba was an important witness and therefore had to stay in the country. Xo also knows that Michael still loves Jane. Michael won’t use his good deed to get Jane back, however, and makes Xo promise not to tell. He then tells Xo, “I’m not going to give up on us. We belong together and I’ll never stop believing that.” And then the episode ends with the Narrator saying, “And for as long as Michael lived, until he drew his very last breath, he never did.” WHAT?!?!?! What does that mean? Does that mean we are going to see them get back together and live happily ever after? Will Michael be alone and pining for Jane for the rest of his life? IS HE GOING TO DIE?? The case around Sin Rostro is definitely heating up… Please show, do not kill Michael!
Nadine and Michael find a hidden surgical suite and deduce by the end of the episode that Sin Rostro is using the surgical suite to change criminals’ faces. Because the patients were evacuated to the hospital the Serbian gets away with a new face. One of my favorite moments in the show was Michael and Nadine having the exact same thought – and then we see it in a thought bubble between them! Nadine assumes Rafael is simply working for Emilio (Carlo Rota), but Michael is determined that Rafael is really Sin Rostro.
Michael confronts Rafael again, only to have Jane see them and join them to see what’s going on. Rafael seems to think that Michael is just trying to make him look bad, but Michael is happy to lay out all the evidence for Jane. When Jane overhears Rafael saying that he oversaw all of the renovations, it plants the seed of doubt because he said he didn’t know about the secret room. She asks about the passports, money, and phone that were in the safe. Rafael admits that he keeps money in the safe and needed the phone to go look for Luisa (Yara Martinez), but he doesn’t explain the passports. He also admits that he moved them. However, it doesn’t seem like he’s Sin Rostro when Rose (Bridget Regan) comes to him at the end of the episode.
Rose overhears Emilio arranging for $5 million dollars for “Alla Gara.” He then lies to her and says his driver was on the phone before leaving. He does tell her that they should go away together the following week. Rose then goes to Luisa in the mental institution. Rose ends up trapped there after the hurricane closes the roads and they have sex while Luisa’s roommate Betty (Tammy Caplan) watches. Both women are after something other than sex, however. Rose learns that “Alla Gara” is the name of Emilio’s house in Croatia – which has no US extradition. Rose gets what she came for – pun intended!
Luisa steals Rose’s pin to pick the lock and escape from the hospital. While they certainly seem to enjoy their time together, I don’t think either is in love with the other! Rose then goes to Rafael with her suspicions about Emilio leaving the country and suggests that Emilio may be Sin Rostro! By the shocked look on Rafael’s face, I don’t think he’s Sin Rostro, and I don’t think he had considered that his father might be. What do you think?
It seems that Petra (Yael Grobglas) may finally be out of the picture. She’s decided to simply sell her jewelry and hope that Milosh doesn’t come after her. Ivan (Christopher Corbin) manages to get away. Magda (Priscilla Barnes) is clearly not on board with her plan though. I still wonder if Magda is Sin Rostro. I loved Ivan getting free because a branch crashes through the window, which Magda apparently misses, and then turns the tables on her. It’s hilarious as he screams “My jewels” after Magda elbows him and he makes his escape before Petra can shoot him. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of them, but I do feel a little sorry for Petra at this point.
Finally, we have some sweet and silly scenes with Rogelio (Jaime Camil) and Xo – and by silly, I mean endearing. Rogelio comes to the hospital – by police escort! – to support Xo. While he had to go to the after-after party first, he does stay all night sleeping in a chair. He also calls in favors with the UN and Gloria Estefan to try to help Alba stay in the country. I loved when he pulls out the concealer, which he simply always carries with him!
In desperation over Alba, Xo turns to prayer. She promises to do better, to be good and chaste, and not to let a man between her legs again without a ring. Yet, in the flashback we see yet again that Xo IS good. She is smarter and more perceptive than she’s given credit for. She doesn’t want to embarrass Jane with her cooking at Heritage Day – she knows she’s not a very good cook, and she knows why Jane hid the announcement. Alba doesn’t let her off the hook though. She won’t cook for her, but she will teach Xo how to cook. And it seems very unlikely that Alba will let Xo off the hook for the promise that Xo has now made to God.
One of the many things that I really love about the show as I’ve said many times is its production values. The attention to the colors of the sets to reflect Miami and how the magic realism aspects flow naturally and reflect the larger story. Let’s not ever forget that Jane is a writer, so having a Narrator and typed comments reflects this. But the show is also carefully shot. So I adored the shot at the end of the episode when Rogelio goes to kiss Xo and she holds him off. There’s a great shot of Alba between their bodies – and as that gap gets bigger, her smile gets bigger as she sees that Xo is going to try to keep her promise.
What did you think of the episode? Do you think Emilio is Sin Rostro? Is Michael in danger? Will Xo be able to keep her promise? Were you angry with Jane’s friends? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
