Jane the Virgin Review: Chapter Twenty-Five (Season 2 Episode 3)

Write down the words you most want someone to see someday.

Jane the Virgin takes a break from it’s zany telenovela antics in “Chapter Twenty-Five,” in order to remind us that while their story is full of jaw droppers, cliffhangers, and unbelievable moments, the show is most touching when it is full of heart.

One could say that nothing much happens in “Chapter Twenty-Five.” Jane and Rafael’s son, Mateo, is baptized, Jane gets into grad school, and Xiomara admits that she’s vulnerable, that’s it in a nutshell.

However, as I mentioned in my review of “Chapter Twenty-Four,” the tapestry woven together by these small threads in the lives of the Villanueva women is beautiful when you take a step back and admire it.

“Chapter Twenty-Five” starts with a tradition set forth by Alba back when she was pregnant with Xiomara. She wrote a letter, a letter that she wanted to read at Xiomara’s baptism, that included all of her hopes and dreams for her child. The sentiments expressed in that note included being brave, chasing dreams, and always remembering that we don’t walk alone.

It’s clear where Jane gets her talent for writing from. Alba’s words were so heavily weighted that Xiomara chose to read them to Jane at her baptism, and in keeping with tradition, Jane chose to read them at Mateo’s.

Jane and Alba aren’t the only authors in the Villanueva and Beyond family. Rogelio also writes down the things he wants to say, but cannot.

The revelation of Rogelio’s diaries is not surprising, I suppose. He’s very self-centered, and one could say that he keeps his innermost thoughts written down for future great autobiographies or something along those lines. From those diaries though, we learn that Rogelio’s ex, Luciana, really broke his heart and left him damaged.

I sympathize with Xiomara as she encourages Rogelio to move forward with allowing his ex to co-star with him on his new show. She has tried so hard to break old habits and learn from them, and it’s quite sad that she can’t just move on to her happy ending with Rogelio because of his emotional baggage.

This is the first hurdle that Xiomara and Rogelio need to face as a couple. I was happy to see that they handled it maturely –well, as maturely as Rogelio and Xiomara would handle anything. It’s never easy for Xo to admit that she’s vulnerable, and why should it be? She had her daughter at 16, and has always been strong enough to handle anything and everything on her own.

Her admission to Rogelio that she was scared of losing him to Luciana was the most naked and raw I think we’ve ever seen her emotionally, and Andrea Navedo played it stunningly.

Luciana’s blackmail of Rogelio is sure to be the source of humor moving forward. We know that whatever she is blackmailing him with is most likely superficial and lighthearted.

In turkey baster baby news, Petra’s pregnancy is confirmed, and Rafael and Jane aren’t sure how to handle it. She’s also still in love with Rafael, so we’ll see how that plays out.

Jane is still making the mommy transition, and balancing a hefty love triangle. Oh, and she got accepted to the grad school writing program.

Jane, who is a planner, has so many variables in her life right now that it’s fun to watch as she tries to create order from the chaos surrounding her at every turn. It won’t work for very long.

To make matters worse, the person whom she usually uses as her sounding board took advice from the worst confidant in the world.

Rogelio and Michael’s bromance is one of my favorite aspects of Jane the Virgin. I’ll never stop loving their scenes together, and sometimes wish that they would star in their own buddy-cop dramedy.

Rogelio advises Michael to play it cool with Jane. He thinks Jane will be turned on by Michael’s manly, distant behavior. He encourages Michael to write down his emotions, much like Rogelio does himself. But he remains firm that Michael must stay macho.

Michael’s appeal as a suitor for Jane is his sensitivity. Those of us who are on Team Michael can’t bear the thought of our guy suddenly going radio silent with Jane. Jane the Virgin doesn’t work if Michael isn’t Jane’s hero. It’s that simple. Michael’s role is always to swoop in, like Prince Charming, and solve Jane’s problems. It’s what he’s done since the very moment we met him.

Michael DID follow Rogelio’s advice. He followed in Alba’s footsteps. He wrote down the words he most wanted someone to read. That someone was Jane.

All the times when we see Michael acting completely out of character in “Chapter Twenty-Five,” make complete sense when we learn that he’s actually been writing one long letter to Jane, offering her advice and sympathizing with the crossroads she stands at.

Petra’s pregnancy brings up a lot of feeling for Jane, both as someone who knows what it’s like to be artificially inseminated with Rafael’s baby, and as someone who knows the challenges that will lie ahead if Petra becomes a part of the family. Michael’s words give Jane the strength and assurance that she can handle anything Petra throws at her.

And this is why Michael seems to always pull ahead as the right guy for Jane. Rafael will never have that level of emotional intimacy that Michael has with Jane. Although they share a child, and have a lifelong bond, Jane’s bond with Michael is based on deep rooted feelings, feelings that existed before there was ever a pregnancy or Sin Rostro, or any odd telenovela twists.

It’s no surprise that Michael’s words are the ones that put Jane over the edge, and make her decide to go to grad school, even though Mateo is still so young. With Alba and Xo’s help, Jane won’t miss a thing.

Michael knows that the way to Jane’s heart is with words.

Rafael still thinks it’s with kisses. Yeah, the kisses are hot. But Jane won’t be easily swayed. Rafael really needs to pull out some grand gesture to win Jane’s affection, and considering he just dropped the grand news that his psycho ex-wife turkey basted herself a sibling for Mateo, it seems unlikely that a kiss will make Jane forget that.

For now, Jane still has it all. Grad school, a wonderful baby, a loving family, and two men fighting for her heart.

It might be time for her to start writing some things down. Someone’s going to want to read her story someday.

What did you think of “Chapter Twenty-Five”? Did Alba’s words make you cry? Were you relieved to find that Michael had written a diary, just for Jane? How is Petra’s pregnancy going to affect Jane and Rafael’s possible romance? Sound off in the comments below!

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Jane the Virgin airs Mondays at 9/8c on The CW.