Jane the Virgin Review: Chapter Eighty-Five (Season 5, Episode 4)

Jane the Virgin Season 5 Episode 4, “Chapter Eighty-Five,” is a beautifully crafted instalment from start to finish — and a spectacle of epic telenovela proportions.

Not only do Jane and Michael shippers get a nostalgic reunion but this show also manages to give a tired love triangle trope some real stakes.

The conclusion to Michael’s amnesia storyline genuinely has us upset as Jane over what to do here. Should she choose Michael or Rafael? I don’t even know anymore!

Jane having to choose between Michael and Rafael at this point in her life is not fair to anyone involved but it has made for some truly magnificent tv watching. We all know a show isn’t truly good until they’ve got you crying and confused — and Jane the Virgin has us doing all that on “Chapter Eighty-Five”.

There’s no big unveiling or fanfare to Michael revealing he got his memories back. Jane just looks at Michael and knows it’s him — what a beautiful moment that is for us and them.

Everything Jane and Michael is executed brilliantly during this episode.

Jane refers to Jason as Michael when they meet at the bus stop and he says Jane with such depth and longing you can see the instant transformation from Jason to Michael. Brett Dier’s ability to speak with Michael’s warm tone while hints of Jason’s southern accent still come through is really incredible.

Their meet-cute at a food truck allows for all the feelings and memories to come flooding back quite quickly for anyone that may need reminding that Jane and Michael were end game at one point and for good reason, they are adorable together.

Jane doesn’t need validation from any man but hearing that Michael is proud of her makes his returning moments even sweeter. Hearing that he was prepared to leave to make her happy is even more heartbreaking in a “yes there are tears running down my face but I couldn’t be happier” kind of way.

After growing to absolutely despise Jason, it’s rather impressive to see this show stir such potent emotions over this character in a matter of two scenes.

Jane The Virgin is like a cruel magical genie giving us back our Michael but at the cost of losing Jane’s family. And yet, with TV this good appreciation for this wonderful plot rises above everything else we may be feeling.

This show manages to shift viewers back in Michael’s favour rather quickly and while abandoning Rafael isn’t something we should be doing so hastily, it’s not difficult to see the cracks forming in this ship either.

Jane and Rafael are arguably the best and worst thing that has happened to this show — depending on how catty their arguments get.

Last season these petty squabbles were the cause for some less than desirable plotlines between the two lovers. But that all changed when they put their differences aside and became the solid foundation for which the rest of the series would stand on.

However, Rafael’s character has never been a flattering one when faced with any kind of upsetting news. He tends to lash out at Jane for things she can’t control — like her husband coming back from the dead — becoming less supportive and more of a repetitive whiner.

Rafael has been wonderful this season and not being able to immediately choose Michael over him shows how important this character has become to Jane and to us. So to see him begin to spiral down this self-destructive path once again is certainly disappointing.

It’s the final season and Rafael deserves to be appreciated for the role of father and husband he has grown into because he and this season’s storyline are better than that. If Jane ends up with Rafael let it be because he finally learned how to support her more through all the crazy crap this telenovela has thrown her way.

Petra’s mother crawling back out of some backwater grave to sue her daughter for emotional damages is somewhat of a step backwards for Jane the Virgin in this episode as well.

We have the rebirth of Rafael and Michael’s love triangle with Jane and everything feels like it is coming full circle as we reflect on the beginnings of this series.

Then we have Petra’s mother who does nothing to further the plot in an important way anymore and is steering Petra away from all the positive progress she has made to participate in a less than flattering storyline.

But you know what does further the plot? Petra and Jane getting wasted and making rash life decisions together.

The dynamic these girls share has always been fun to watch but ever since Jane started seeing Petra as part of her family, the two have been something of a spectacle to watch.

They still gripe and disagree but in a loving sibling way that is light and fun hearted, especially when they are drunk giggling through half their conversations.

Now that we know these two are so great at being drinking buddies one can only hope we get to see even more sisterly love in the future for these two. Jane and Petra have insane lives and they really should cut loose more often for the sake of making us laugh.

It’s also comforting to see Jane has become somewhat of a helpful voice for Petra in whooing JR back — which she does in quite epic fashion I might add.

They reunite, they kiss, they rule once again! Petra and JR have rekindled their love for each other which means even more adorable scenes that involve just as much making out as they do dead bodies.

I’m all for Rosario Dawson sticking around for the rest of the series and not just because she wields that axe like an absolute pro. She is also a strong grounding point for Petra and keeps her from falling into these childish side plots with her mother.

We talk about wanting Michael or Rafael to end up with Jane but if this wonderful nontoxic couple isn’t end game, we may just have to riot.

If “Chapter Eighty-Five” is an indication of anything, it’s that we should all be Team Jane.

That poor girl is going through a lot right now and while it does make for some seriously amazing entertainment, Gina Rodriguez does a wonderful job of reminding the audience of the pain Jane is enduring right now.

There are higher stakes now than some cute boy winning her heart and Jane the Virgin recognizes that by boldly throwing Jane’s custody of Mateo into the mix.

It’s a cruel reminder to the audience and to Jane that while the question of Michael or Rafael has not changed her circumstances certainly have.

If she were to leave Rafael now those four years of co-parenting and living with Mateo together would come into question. Rafael cleverly articulates those issues to Jane by telling her to leave after Mateo chooses to stay with his father for the foreseeable future.

It is a jarring way to end this episode and a hard realization on a show that is anything but realistic at times. Choosing Michael could have serious ramifications for Jane when it comes to having a happy family dynamic with her son and his father going forward.

This scene is a warning at best, hinting at a future custody battle that could ensue if Jane is to go running back into Michael’s arms this time. That is next level dirty for Jane the Virgin but I admire their determination to completely destroy us this season.

It’s clear Jane the Virgin isn’t going to make this finale season as simple as choosing Rafael or Michael.

This show has those receipts and now their using them to create an impossible situation with an evolved love triangle where no one wins and we can’t ship anyone without getting hurt.

That being said this episode feels like television at it’s best with plenty of loving embraces to be had and complicated punches to be thrown.

Jane may be living her worst nightmare but “Chapter Eighty-Five” is a dream come true for us!

Top Lines From “Chapter Eighty-Five”:

Rogelio: Well, I always thought I was Team Michael, but I do love Rafael as well so I no longer feel comfortable expressing my opinion.

Rogelio: Michael got his memory back. Did he ask about me? Did he want to see me? Does he still love me?
Jane: yes, yes, and yes.

Petra: I use to think my worst nightmare was turning into my mother. Now I know it’s living without you.
JR: I’ve missed you every day since we broke up.

Rafael: Do you still love him?
Jane: I don’t know.
Rafael: That feels like an answer. You know, I got my memories back too, Jane. You know what I remember? Waiting for you to pick Michael almost killed me.

What did you think of this episode of Jane the Virgin? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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