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Chapter Twenty-Nine is the 7th episode of Season 2 of Jane the Virgin.

Synopsis[]

MAKING THE EFFORT – Jane (Gina Rodriguez) and Rafael (Justin Baldoni) interview potential babysitters to help take some of the pressure off everyone, but Jane has specific and lengthy requirements. Jane attends her graduate school’s Christmas party in hopes of finding the perfect writing advisor, but things don’t go quite as planned. Rogelio (Jaime Camil) is faced with a tough decision about the direction of his life. Petra (Yael Grobglas) wants a friendship with Jane, but her mother’s antics once again thwart those efforts. Meanwhile, Michael’s (Brett Dier) suspicions have turned out to be true and he thinks he has discovered a lead on a possible rival to Sin Rostro.

Recap[]

SPOILERS AHEAD
Oh, Black Friday, when the discounts are steep and tensions run high. That was the setting for “Chapter 29,” where Jane experienced the ups and downs of friendship in a way that totally took her by surprise. Before jumping in, it’s worth noting that while this episode packed with multiple sub-plots, the pacing of the hour seemed pretty slow compared to earlier episodes in the season. More sustainable, yes, and juicier, too, since we got to relish a bit more in the ironies, inside jokes, and unpredictable drama that unfolded during the hour.

The night kicked off with an adorable flashback to teenage Jane’s first babysitting job, taking care of a spoiled brat in the perfect suburban home of her dreams. Back to the present, Jane and Rafael are having a heart-to-heart over Thanksgiving leftovers about finding a babysitter for Mateo, mostly so they can go on their date. Jane’s reluctant to relinquish control (hey, I’m not judging!) while Rafael is the more open-minded of the pair, talking about extensive interviews, background searches, and nanny cams. Homeboy’s gotta get his somehow, and if a babysitter can help him out…

These two are way deep into their convo (and in the mashed potatoes) when abuelita bursts in with her tennis shoes and tracksuit on. Time to hit Target! Turns out that the Villanueva women take Black Friday shopping very, very seriously and have a set of rules that Rafael has to observe if he’s going to join the fun: No chit-chat, no digging in the bins, and a solemn promise never look in another family member’s cart. With “clear eyes, full carts,” each of them sets off to shop. Jane’s happily scouring aisles, until she spots Michael. It’s totes awkward, and Michael doesn’t help the situation when he says he’s not interested in catching up. (Literally. That’s what he says.) How can he be so cold???

Speaking of cold, Petra is spending her Black Friday by dumping buckets of ice in the bathtub to keep Ivan’s dead body chill. I’d say it’s not your usual mother-daughter bonding activity, but as you know by now, Petra and Magda aren’t your usual mother-daughter duo. That being said, Petra loves having Jane as a friend — you get the sense that it’s the one bit of normalcy she’s had in the whole series to date. Sure, they’ve only been friends for a day, but Petra’s glowing in a way that we’ve never seen from her before, even after post-coital bliss. Ladies, never let anyone tell you different: Girlfriends are good for the soul. She later calls up Jane for a lunch date, and a surprised Jane says yes. Could these two become BFFs? Given that the whole series kicked off with the premise of a crazy artificial insemination, anything is possible.

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Meanwhile, Rogelio’s decided to take a quick trip to meet with some Mad Men execs in order to sell them on his idea of a Spanish-language reboot. “I’m taking a quick trip to Los Angeles,” he tells Xo, who’s smarting over the fact he hasn’t yet given a song she pitched the network a listen. “Be sure me to follow me on Periscope, Twitter, and Instagram. Or TMZ, I’m sure they’ll be all over me at LAX.” Unfortunately for Rogelio, his pitch about Don Juan Draper selling coke — as in cocaine — didn’t go over well, and he’s out of a job and all of the savings that he blew on his pilot. Looks like Rogelio is going to have to live on a budget (no Hermès scarves, trainers, or smile maintenance) or go work on another telenovela.

NEXT: Drunk Jane = Clumsy Jane

While Rogelio is busy dealing with his crushed dreams, Jane is trying to make her aspirations come true by cozying up to Dr. Lorraine Bolton — whom she wants as an advisor — at her grad school department Christmas party. Problem is, she’s had a few drinks too many with her new friend Wesley, and when she finally gets a second with her, flips over a plate of deviled eggs right onto Dr. Bolton’s designer dress. Oops. Things look like they’re going from bad to worse when she goes to Dr. Bolton’s office the next day to drop off a note and is found rifling around in her desk. Luckily for Jane, she manages to bond with Dr. Bolton about breastfeeding, and she agrees to read Jane’s stuff. Now, your usual primetime drama would end on that note, but Jane the Virgin pushes the narrative a little further. It’s not enough for Jane to be a bright student and to achieve her goals; instead, Jane turns in a draft and gets some feedback that’s less than helpful. They’re going to make Jane work for those As! Make it “sparkly,” advises Dr. Bolton. To me, the term “sparkly” applies to diamond rings, tiaras, or unicorns — I literally have no idea what it means when it comes to writing. As it turns out, neither does Jane, as she finds out when sweating over multiple drafts later at home.

Of course, grad school isn’t the only thing Jane has going on. She’s a mom and a single woman, as well, which is exactly why she needs a babysitter. Back at the Marbella, she, Rafael, and Xo interview prospective caregivers. There’s the strict British one, the free spirit, and the sexy manny, and then, finally, Chepa, the experienced, patient, bilingual babysitter. Yay! Maybe she and Rafael can finally have that date.

Next, we check in on Wesley, who’s managed to track down Luisa at an AA meeting. He’s wearing beads from her favorite ashram, a move meant to get her attention. Before we know it, these two are gabbing like old grade school friends, and Luisa’s revealing all the juicy details about Sin Rostro, a.k.a. Rose. Seems like Wesley has all the fodder he needs for that tell-all article, making him the ultimate fair-weather friend.

Jane is definitely not faring too well in the friends department because Petra calls to cancel lunch. Evidently, Petra has more important things to do, like making sure the hotel cleaning crew doesn’t catch wind of the dead body in her room, and later burying said body with her mom in some deserted part of Miami. Personally, I’d rather have lunch, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, you know?

Back to Rogelio: He’s donned a cowboy hat and a crisp white shirt in a role on a Western-themed telenovela. He’s not happy about the part — it’s too similar to a role he’s played before — but he just can’t face living on a budget. He’s rehearsing his Spanish-language lines with Jane in the kitchen when Xo runs in with some good news: The network wants to buy her song. This would normally be great news for everyone, but Rogelio’s not too happy about the fact that the song’s been purchased for his archrival’s show. Clearly, it’s up to him to face Esteban about using Xo to get him, so Rogelio shows up to the Fernando y Isabella set huffing and puffing about revenge and enemies and stuff. Here’s the thing, though: Esteban had no idea that the network purchased the song for him, so to convince him to go through with it, Rogelio plays the part of a court jester on his show. That’s even worse than playing a cowboy, don’t you agree? Seems like love will make a person do crazy things.

NEXT: Rogelio’s major realization

Meanwhile, Jane has discovered the only thing worse than getting bad notes (the sort she got from grumpy Professor Chavez) is getting notes that make no sense (Dr. Bolton). This realization helps her sift through Chavez’s feedback with greater clarity than she’s ever had, and aids her writing in the process. He may be the “Emperor of Smug Condescension,” but the guy knows his stuff. But just as Jane’s had an epiphany, it’s time to shift gears again to her familial obligations, and she shows up to support Rogelio on the first day of filming. With everyone gathered on the El Rancho de Mi Corazon set, Rogelio realizes he’ll never really be poor again because he’s rich in the way that really counts. Aw! He’s feeling so good that he rides into the sunset, which gives Jane the gumption she needs to re-register for Chavez’s class.

“I will take your class for no credit because you’re going to make me a better writer, and that’s why I’m here…so I’ll see you in January.” Or not, since Chavez says he’d rather see her once a week as her advisor than three times a week in class.

It’s worth noting that at this point, it’s been revealed that Michael wasn’t really fired from the force. Seriously: He’s now undercover, though sadly without Nadine, who took a gunshot for him in Mexico. (RIP, girly.) With Susanna’s help, he’s made the connection between a Miami-area bar and the Maracay Group, the business consortium owned by Rafael’s father, Emilio. When Wesley’s tell-all article goes live on OceanDrive.com, the plot thickens even further. Luisa’s mother committed suicide 1983, the same year that Emilio bought the bar. She had a closed-casket funeral, so the question just has to be asked: Is Luisa’s mother alive? And does she have a part to play in the whole Sin Rostro vs. Muter shakedown???

…It definitely appears that way when Luisa asks to have the casket opened. The body is definitely missing, which means that Muter = Luisa’s mom. As a reminder, Rafael and Luisa have different mothers, but Wesley’s article definitely has a huge impact on Rafael, who finds out about the viral takedown during his date with Jane. Poor guy can’t catch a break: One minute he’s looking at dream homes with the girl of his dreams, and the next he’s talking to his lawyer about slamming Wesley with a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit. And it gets even worse: Near the close of the episode, when Jane checks out the nanny cam — for the record, she just wanted to see Mateo’s first hand wave — she finds footage from an incriminating meeting between Rafael and Eric, discussing how Rafael paid him off to rat him to the cops. Jane’s totally mad, and I get it. Really, Rafael???

Starring[]

Gina Rodriguez as Jane Villanueva
Andrea Navedo as Xiomara Villanueva
Yael Grobglas as Petra Solano
Justin Baldoni as Rafael Solano
Ivonne Coll as Alba Villanueva
Brett Dier as Michael Cordero
and Jaime Camil as Rogelio De La Vega
Recurring cast
Yara Martinez as Luisa Alver
Megan Ketch as Susanna Barnett
Priscilla Barnes as Magda
Greg Collins as Coop Armstrong
Christopher Corbin as Ivan Rogachevsky
Keller Wortham as Esteban Santiago
Montse Hernandez as Teen Jane
Guest starring
Azie Tesfai as Nadine Hanson
Adam Rodriguez as Jonathan Chavez
Joyful Drake as Lorraine Bolton
Co-Starring
Jonathan Ohye as Eric Wu
Brian Jordan Alvarez as Wesley Masters
Cate Cohen as Senior Network Executive
Julianna Barninger as Junior Network Executive
Yemi Cole as Student #1
Jeffrey Decrosta as Student #2
Luba Chan as Student #3
Michael Minto as Student #4
Chanel Minnifield as Student #5
Lidia Porto as Chepa
Julia Farino as Too-Strict Babysitter
Roni Geva as Too-Unconventional Babysitter
Skyler Hart as Hot Manny
Blaine Allen as Nadine's Mother
Duncan Joiner as Tyler
Jay Tapaoan as Helpful Target Employee
Clint Carmichael as Executive
Eduardo Roman as Male Director
Jesse Goins as Minister
Uncredited
Bradley Bundlie as Boy in Elevator
Amber Juliana as Target Employee

Quotes[]

I've moved on with my life
— Michael rejecting talking with Jane
I think Petra just asked me on a date
— Jane

Trivia[]

  • Jane and Rafael see Michael for the first time in 6 months on Black Friday.
  • Michael returns from his Mexico “trip”.
  • Part of this episode takes place on Friday, November 27, 2015.
  • Wesley posted an article talking bad about the Solano’s.
  • Petra and Magda burried Ivan.
  • Jane installed the nanny cam and found out that Rafael hired a man to go to the police.
  • Jane and Rafael go on a date.
  • Rafael wants to make an offer on a house.
  • Esteban reruns in this episode.
  • Esteban and Luciana don’t get along.
  • Jane and Rafael hire a babysitter for Mateo.
  • Nadine was killed in action, taking a bullet for Michael. this is his last appearance on the show.
  • Michael attends Nadine's funeral and is ushered away by her friend, Eric Wu.
  • Nadine was born in 1988.
  • Rogelio takes on a creatively unfulfilling role to maintain his lifestyle but, inspired by the family he now has in the Villanuevas, decides to go for broke and find his passion project.
  • Petra and Magda bury Ivan.
  • To cover her mother's misdeeds, Petra rejects Jane, although Petra secretly longs for friendship.

'Secrets'[]

  • Rafael paid Nadine's friend, Eric Wu, to come forward with what Rafael overheard on the baby monitor about Michael letting Nadine go.
  • Michael was not fired; rather Detective Barnett convinced Lieut. Armstrong to "publicly admonish him", allowing Cordero to go undercover with Nadine.

Locations[]

Music[]

Chapter Twenty-Nine at tunefind

Photos[]

Media[]

‘Jane the Virgin’ recap: Right on target (LA TIMES • NOVEMBER 2015)
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