The following contains spoilers for S5E01, “Chapter Eighty-Two,” of Jane The Virgin.
Ah, hello friends. The first episode of the final season of Jane The Virgin aired Wednesday night and after nearly a year of waiting since the season 4 finale, we finally know what happened to Michael. Well, probably. Also, not Michael. Jason? Hm.
The episode picks up right where we left off at the end of the season 4 finale, with Jane seeing Michael back from the dead (much to my dismay). He has a dog now. He wears plaid. He has a slight country accent. And, oh yeah, HE HAS AMNESIA.
I freaking knew it. All the signs were there last season.
So then Jane faints, and Michael–Jason–reluctantly explains his story of waking up in a field and being told not to go looking into his old life because some woman told him he had a bad past. Unless this woman was Rose, the criminal who faked Michael’s death and gave him amnesia, we have no indicator as to who he has been with for the past 4 years and who this woman is. Is it Rose? Is it Luisa? Or is it just some random good samaritan? It’s only a matter of time until we get more insight into the past 4 years of Michael’s life and maybe even get some flashbacks.
Now, back to Jane. I’m MAD. She doesn’t deserve this. She grieved. She moved on. SHE WAS ABOUT TO GET ENGAGED.
I grieved. I moved on. I WANTED HER AND RAFAEL TO GET ENGAGED.
I had lots of favorite moments throughout this episode, but I of course have to mention Jane’s breakdown/walk through/monologue halfway through the episode. First of all, Gina Rodriguez’s acting skills? Unmatched. The fact that this entire scene was one continuous shot? Phenomenal. “Do I look like a freaking ma’am to you?!” ICONIC. Also, same.
Jane spoke exactly what most of us were experiencing and feeling during this scene and it was nice to see that we were on the same page. She wasn’t deluding herself and she recognized how impossible and totally unprecedented this situation is. It was really important for the writers to include this scene and I’m so glad they did.
One of the stars of this episode for me was Rafael. He loves Jane so, so much and has exhibited so much character development. He’s resisted going back to that place where he was constantly jealous and just an awful partner. Now, he is supportive and selfless and loving, not only of Jane, but her family as well. He didn’t have much speaking time in this episode, but the space he allowed Jane and the pressure he didn’t put on her to move in together, or even give him attention, spoke volumes more. The scene at the end when Xiomara asks him if he’s okay and he immediately breaks down and worries about losing Jane? That. Broke. My. Dang. Heart. I cried, of course.
There were two lines this episode, both delivered by Jane, that stood out to me. The first was the “Do I look like a freaking ma’am to you?” line. I almost screamed at my television with how deeply this resonated with me. When I worked retail, I got ma’am so many times, and every time it was insulting. I’m only 23!! DO I LOOK LIKE A FREAKING MA’AM TO YOU?!
The second line was towards the end of the episode after Jane had just spent the whole day trying to get Michael to remember his old life and he acted like a jerk towards her. (He did later apologize which I guess is fine, but still.) She turns to her mom and says, “I feel like I’ve been erased.” I started crying. That’s exactly what it felt like.
The end of the episode sees what looks to be a group of criminals watching a video of Sin Rostro (Rose) in prison, plotting something. How does she even do the things she does?! Shouldn’t she be on, like, max lock down? Anyway, she’s planning something, and I’m already over it. I’ve been over Rose since season one and I just wish we would have left her in the past.
As of right now, I don’t have any major theories of where this season will take us. I just hope Jane and Rafael end up together. That’s my biggest concern right now.
My mini theories include: Luisa was working with Rose all along, and Mateo will be the one to jog Michael’s memory. Other than that, I have no clue where we’re headed this final season, but I’m so excited.
Selina Falcon 