Jane the Virgin: Chapter Seventy-Two (Season 4 Episode 8)

When Jane Villanueva was 10 years old, she dreamt of kissing a man as one would in a telenovela, wearing white and surrounded by a lush field of flowers. Turns out Rafael may not be that man for her anymore.

Jane the Virgin Season 4 episode 8, “Chapter Seventy-Two,” sees new family dynamics begin to form for the Villanueva woman as Jane attempts to come to terms with Rafael’s kiss, Alba with Jorge’s proposal, and Xo with Rogelio and Darci’s baby, Baby.

As Xo brilliantly points out early on in the episode, “Our new family dynamic is something we can talk about in therapy.”

She may be on to something because “Chapter Seventy-Two” is one of Jane The Virgin’s strongest episodes to date, and one worth talking about.

The hour brilliantly juggles multiple storylines and manages to build satisfying conclusions for most of them before this chapter closes. This is something Jane the Virgin attempts every week but doesn’t always see pay off when bogged down by too much drama and emotion.

This week it pays off as we are given another murder plot involving Petra (she really should get a lawyer at this point), Alba gives us more insight into her marriage to Mateo, and Jane teaches her son how to lie while dodging Rafael’s proposal for a new relationship.

Jane the Virgin gives each character just the right amount of screen time before moving on to the next storyline. It’s done through quick cut-away scenes where one character will finish another character’s sentence from another scene. This creates an episode chock full of chaos that flows from one scene to the next beautifully.

Another reason “Chapter Seventy-Two” works so well is thanks to Justin Baldoni’s performance as Rafael.

Rafael has not had the most redeemable moments this season, doing everything he can to get his hotel back and leading Jane to think he still had feelings for her when he was getting back together with Petra.

But it is on “Chapter Seventy-Two” that we see Rafael as his best self.

He has an adorable friendship with Alba that is easily the most entertaining and endearing relationship on Jane the Virgin right now.

More importantly, Rafael’s character is willing to portray masculinity as being more sensitive and emotional as a father and as a man, something Baldoni has been exploring not only on Jane the Virgin but on his new show Man Enough as well.

Rafael’s most important moments in this episode are when he is with Jane. He tells Alba the kiss felt like he was coming home and that their passion for each other has not changed.

For Jane, however, the kiss is not great.

The rest of the episode changes Jane and Rafael’s dynamic for the better. It is Rafael this time who imagines flowers flowing in through the open window as they kiss, and the wind ruffling Jane’s hair as she enters the room.

Jane has always been the one to romanticize her interactions with the men in her life, so it is a nice change of character to see Rafael put himself in her shoes for once. It is even better to hear that Adam, Jane’s most recent ex-boyfriend, has very little to do with why she is so hesitant to get back together with Rafael.

Jane the Virgin makes the mid-season hiatus all worth it with “Chapter Seventy-Two.” The episode sets up the rest of this season for an interesting murder case involving the talented Rosario Dawson, and an awkward storyline involving Mateo and his parents as Jane and Rafael work through their feeling for each other.

Prepare yourselves for plenty of steamy Jafael make-out scenes.

Top Lines from “Chapter Seventy-Two.”

Mateo: “Can I have my sundae now since I lied so good?’

Jane’s Narrator: “I remember when he was just a syringe on a tray waiting to be inseminated into the wrong woman.”

Rafael: “It’s just hard to give up the idea that something perfect might not have been perfect for everyone.”

Mateo upon seeing Jane and Rafael kissing: “Yay! You guys are kissing! Does that mean you’re getting married.”

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

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