Jane the Virgin, “Chapter Ten” (1.10) – TV Review

Jane the Virgin, Season 1, Episode 10, “Chapter Ten”

Monday, January 19, 2015, 9:00 PM (EST), CW

Coming off Gina Rodriguez’ inspiring Golden Globes win and acceptance speech representing “a culture who want to see themselves as heroes,” I was eager to return to the wacky and wonderful world of Jane the Virgin. The narrator continues his effervescent and useful commentary. This week, he couldn’t resist going all the way back to the beginning in order to give everyone a thorough refresher on the myriad events that have transpired over the previous nine episodes. The customary flashback this week shows how Jane discovered prayer. Xiomara has always been a terrible cook, so when she offers to prepare something for Jane’s Heritage school function, she seeks the help of her grandmother on how to pray in order to prevent her classmates from getting sick off Xiomara’s cooking. As a 23-year old pregnant virgin, Jane now needs the power of prayer more than ever to bring her grandmother back from the brink.

Before the show went on winter break, one huge cliffhanger made the wait nearly unbearable: Magda had just stood up from her wheelchair to violent push Alba down a flight of stairs. Thankfully, Chapter 10 wasted no time assuaging fears that she was dead, but she was seriously injured. Jane and Xiomara are left wondering when she will wake up and whether or not she’ll have permanent brain damage. Remembering the method her grandmother taught her, Jane realizes her rosary beads are missing and are likely back at the hotel. Even with a forceful tropical storm to contend with, Jane finds this object important enough to retrieve. It’s the only way she knows how to pray, but it conveniently places Jane in the midst of all the action in the episode as the hotel braces for the storm.

For some reason, Rafael’s dad needs to leave the country despite the storm. Rose overhears him talking about a large sum of money and Croatia, suspecting he’s up to something illegal. In his absence, Rafael takes charge, assuring his dad he knows all of the procedures to run the hotel in case of emergency. He gets his chance to prove himself as the hurricane grows in intensity. Seized with fear over Jane’s safety, he puts the hotel on lockdown so nobody leaves. His dad leaves him with one unenviable task – he has to carry out Lachlan’s layoff plan, forcing him to fire 15% of the hotel staff.

Who is Sin Rostro? We’re a little closer to finding out. Since Michael and Nadine found a secret room that seems to be set up for surgeries, it’s probably someone high up in the hotel business. At first, Michael is adamant that Rafael is Sin Rostro, but Nadine isn’t so sure. Later in the episode, Michael gets the sudden insight that the secret room is used to perform face altering plastic surgeries in order to protect criminals. Rafael’s dad seems to be fleeing the country, so he’s a likely suspect. Rose is so shaken up by what she overhears from her husband that she seeks Luisa out at the mental institution for more information. In a hilarious update, Luisa has quite enjoyed her time off from the real world, eating ice cream sandwiches and living within a strict routine. Rose apologizes for her betrayal and they make up in a steamy scene witnessed by Luisa’s mute roommate Betty. Luisa, once content with her situation, now wants to break out and return to the real world.

Petra/Natalia has signed the divorce papers, hoping that Rafael will pay out the prenup so she can get her money and wash her hands of her precarious Ivan hostage situation. Unfortunately, Rafael doesn’t believe her story (which we know is true) about her dangerous ex coming after her. He cites all of the crazy and unforgivable things she’s done to him. Giving up, her back-up plan is to sell her wedding ring and set Ivan free. Magda of course refuses. Ivan gets lucky when a giant branch breaks through the window, providing shards of glass for him to free himself from the ropes. He threatens Magda with a knife at her throat, but Petra pulls a gun on him while Magda elbows him and he runs away.

Jane is sort of a passive character this week. The hurricane dictates that she stays at the hospital away from her grandmother, her coworkers guilt her into a doomed attempt to save their jobs, and she finds out a ton about Michael’s investigation of Rafael without truly being able to trust what either one says. She does ask Rafael for the list of people who will be fired, and is saddened when her friend Frankie is on the list. When she pleads for him to save her job, he offers up another name that makes Jane feel just as helpless. In the end, she apologizes to Rafael for attempting to interfere. She also confirms that her job was always safe because of their relationship. They share a small moment of reconnection over their mutual habit of incorrectly guessing the ages of random babies.

By far, the best storyline of the week has to do with hospital officials threatening to deport Alba in a practice called “medical repatriation” as soon as she wakes up from her coma. It’s a way to comment on something socially relevant to the target audience of the show without being didactic or overly simplistic. Xiomara mistakenly thinks Rogelio used his connections to keep her in the country, and when she does, she hilariously restrains herself from kissing Rogelio while Alba looks on with approval. Thankfully, Michael is able to call and say Alba’s a witness in a big trial, preventing her deportation. This act of kindness goes undetected by Jane, leading Xiomara (and the audience) to believe Michael still truly loves Jane and plans to get her back at some point. Given their emotional embrace in the broken down elevator and Rafael’s chilly reaction, Jane is still very much caught between the two wonderful men. She still has a lot of emotional depth with Michael but she has lots in common with Rafael. Although she seemed quite sure when she chose Rafael, they are still very much embroiled in a heart wrenching love triangle.

[The Roundup]

• “OMG moment”
• “I need this job! I drink for free and it’s close to my gym.”
• “You could’ve broken up with me. You didn’t have to commit me!”
• Of course Rogelio has concealer on him, just in case.
• “We belong together. I’ll ever stop believing that.”
• “Because sometimes faith needs a little nudge.”