Jane the Virgin Season 3 Episode 18 Review: Chapter Sixty-Two
Amanda Steinmetz
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The Madonna-Whore paradigm is reductive and Jane, the complex leading lady, is not shy about making that clear.
On Jane the Virgin Season 3 Episode 18, Jane ran into a few roadblocks on her way to her casual fling with the hot telenovela star. But despite her doubts, Fabian's lack of awareness, and an unwanted grandmother, Jane finally got to seal the deal with Fabian.
Hit it and quit it, our dear Jane certainly did!
Jane waited to have sex with the man she loved and married. But then the man she planned on spending the rest of her life with died. You can't blame a girl for slowly easing back into the dating pool.
While time has eased Jane's pain, it hasn't quieted those doubts inside her. Even though she is no longer a virgin, Jane still thinks about the flower Alba gave her as a child. Alba's message of abstinence until marriage was well-intentioned, but it left a lingering cloud over Jane's sexuality.
Having two drastically different women in Jane's life (Alba and Xo) gives her the back and forth she needs to make decisions. While Alba would rather see Jane wait for something more serious, Xo was cheering Jane on to enjoy herself.
I never saw Xo as a mother just wishing for her daughter to bang every guy. That would be weird. Xo has always walked the line between mother and best friend. She just wants her daughter to be happy, and she knows Jane's over-thinking can sometimes get in the way of that happiness.
There is absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. Now if you don't go have sex with that obscenely hot telenovela star, your mother will never forgive you.
Xo
If Alba represents the old-fashioned idea a woman, Xo is the champion of the modern woman. A woman who decides what she wants for herself and goes for it.
Xo was able to remind Jane that she shouldn't feel bad about wanting something casual from Fabian. They were two consenting adults on the same page.
However, it took a little while for the two of them to get on the same page. Fabian turned out to be a delightfully funny, yet dim character. His pulling the naked man card was hilarious and I appreciated the well-placed cactus.
Fabian seemed to have no clue Jane was more than the "good girl" he pictured in his head. He assumed since Jane wanted to have sex, then that meant they were serious. Hence the dinner with his grandma.
But Jane wasn't having his nonsense, especially after he announced their love to the world via a Tom Cruise inspired jump on a couch. She made it clear she was never looking for a serious relationship with him and he definitely didn't know the real her.
Jane: No, you loved the idea of me; a good girl that you could introduce to your grandma.
Fabian: Exactly! So what's the problem?
Jane: The problem is the whole Madonna-Whore paradigm is reductive. I am a real person who you know nothing about.
I thought for sure their potential for a fling was over, but thankfully they mended fences and hit the sheets, the couch, and probably the floor too. The point is, Jane finally got some action and she didn't even feel bad about thanking him and heading on her merry way.
Using the Sex and the City theme was a great way to showcase Jane's thought process about having a fling. While already dated in many respects, the HBO series was a huge turning point in pop culture where women's sexuality was portrayed in a whole new light.
Jane getting the opportunity to write a column for Cosmopolitan.com was a nice segue into the recurring theme. The flower that has always represented Jane's sexuality was a nice touch to represent the many flowers Carrie Bradshaw wore over the years.
The most shocking thing about this installment is that the Narrator claims he's a Miranda! Who knew?
Of course the writers turned Xo into Samantha, Alba into Miranda, and Rogelio into Charlotte. The entire sequence had me laughing out loud. I have to point out Andrea Navedo's fabulous Samantha impression. It was absolute perfection!
So Jane finally had her first casual sex. It may be the last or maybe she'll have a fling with someone new. The point is it shouldn't really matter what she decides next as long as she's happy.
Elsewhere in the Episode
- Chuck went from being the potential villain back into being a love interest for Petra. Even though the whole motel sequence was tense, I never got the real sense Petra was in any danger. Turns out Chuck was just trying to tell her that he loved her.
- So Chuck may not have been involved with Scott's murder, but he may have spoken to a woman who was. After all, she did give him a bracelet with the shells that could be found around Scott's body. But whose face did the sketch artist draw that had Rafael and Petra stunned? Eileen/Rose? Luisa? Abbey? Catalina?
- Before Rafael and Petra got interrupted by the police with the sketch, Rafael put his heart on the line for Petra. Will she be interested in starting a romantic relationship again with him?
Rafael: I meant what I said. I want to be with you.
Petra: Rafael...
Rafael: It'll be different this time. We're different. We can make this work. We've grown so much. Please, Petra. Say yes.
- Xo and Rogelio announced their engagement, but wanted to keep it small so Jane wouldn't be reminded of Michael. That was really sweet, but there was no way Jane wasn't going to let them have the extravagant wedding of their dreams.
- Mateo finally started to ask questions about his birth and Rafael and Jane handled the situation as best as they could. Whether you want to call it fate or Luisa's distraction, their lives came together in a beautiful way to create Mateo.
- Jorge told Alba he loves her. YAY!
- Who is spying on Rogelio?
And while someone was spying on Rogelio, across town Jane only had eyes for Fabian... Sorry that's no good, but Sex and the City never had to deal with these drastic tone shifts.
Narrator
So over to you! What are your predictions for Jane the Virgin Season 3 Episode 19?
Sound off below, and don't forget you can watch Jane the Virgin online any time via TV Fanatic!
Amanda Steinmetz was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She went into retirement in June of 2027. Follow her on Twitter.
