Jane The Virgin saw some big changes for the family in its latest episode, as the show races to its final chapters. The CW dramedy saw Jane (Gina Rodriguez) finally finish her book and make one final push to achieve her dreams of being a writer, as Rogelio (Jaime Camil) also faced a crossroads in his acting career.
“Chapter Ninety-Six” saw Jane’s inspiration kick into high gear and finally finish her novel, based on the Villanueva family’s roller coaster life. With the promise of her school mentor having an in with a book editor friend/lover, Jane thought finishing the book would be the end of her professional troubles.
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The episode also dealt with the aftermath of the cliffhanger car crash affecting Petra (Yael Groblas) her mother, Magda (Priscilla Barnes). After Petra turned out to just have an injured arm and Magda faced a leg amputation, Jane found herself examining the state of her relationship with Rafael (Justin Baldoni) and Petra’s twin daughters, who will soon become her stepdaughters after her and Rafael’s wedding and could end up in her care should something happen.
In between spending quality time with the girls and other responsibilities, it came as a surprise when her mentor revealed her book editor lover had passed on Jane’s novel. Refusing to give up, Jane sent her manuscripts to dozens of book editors in hopes of finding one to publish it. With the rejections piling up, Jane and Rogelio came up with a plan to sneak the manuscript to Isabel Allende’s agent, with a last-minute assist from the twins.
When the celebrated author’s agent also passed on the project, Jane made the decision to put her dreams of being an author to the side in favor of more realistic goals, despite Rafael’s hesitation.
Petra later received news from the doctors that her mother had taken a turn for the worse. Despite their bad relationship, Petra found herself struggling with saying goodbye. At the hospital waiting room, Jane consoled Petra when she got a call from a book editor saying they were interested in her story, as the Narrator said that was the day the titular character’s life changed forever.
Rogelio faced similar professional uncertainty as he continued to work on getting the pilot for his passion project, futuristic telenovela story This Is Mars, into the network. After a focus group showed audiences were more interested in the show’s younger stars, Rogelio and co-star River Fields (Brooke Shields) worked tirelessly to edit the pilot episode to paint them in a more favorable light.
After finding out they were submitting the new cut after deadline, Rogelio and River made a plan to sneak it in to the executives’ retreat. The plan was squashed however when Rogelio had to stay home and take care of his toddler daughter, Baby, and he was pleasantly surprised to be there for her first steps.
Despite the pilot mishap, Rogelio decides to let it go as he decided he would rather be a supporting character in his career so he can spend more time with family. The revelation does not sit well with River, though.
The episode’s final moments were packed with twists, as Magda ended up regaining consciousness just seconds before doctors were going to pull the plug, much to the dismay of her daughter. Viewers also got another inkling of Rose’s plan when Luisa (Yara Alvez) and her minion sneak into Rafael’s apartment and steal a secret key leading to a vault filled with money at the Marbella. The hour ended on a grim note as Rose (Bridget Regan) got her army ready to enact her evil agenda, before showing that they had all gotten plastic surgery to look just like her.
What is Rose planning, and how will it affect Jane and Rafael’s lives? Jane The Virgin airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
