What I’m Watching: Jane the Virgin (Season Premiere)

Jane the Virgin: Season 3, Episode 1 “Chapter Forty-Five” (B+)

This show is premiering so late this year that I almost forgot all about it, and its return is a nice treat. This show has been consistent for pretty much its entire run, and that same expected quality is on display here as the show begins its third act. Flashing back to a young Jane who believes in HEA endings to romance novels made a lot of sense, but it was more jarring to see a twenty-one-year-old Jane pining for a guy we’ve never heard about and not at all ready to start things up with Michael, who was summarily dismissed with a fake text about being sick that got ruined when Michael was thoughtful enough to show up with some homemade soup. Pulling them over and making her get out of the car was clever, and kudos to Michael for refusing to give up even after he called Jane a jackass and she responded in kind. How different things are years later when Michael is in critical condition and Jane has to fight with Michael’s mom for who knows what’s best for him. The situation is causing plenty of stress for those around them, like Rogelio, who got misidentified by two lowlifes in the waiting room and then was ready to offer up his urine to keep the whole thing from being scandalized. Xiomara led her pregnancy slip, but Rogelio appears to have reacted better than I would have anticipated. Anezka is not doing a terrific job acting cool under pressure, but she does appear to have come up with a foolproof solution to keep her sister immobilized and is now charging ahead with a nefarious plan against Rafael since he said he doesn’t love her. The closing shot of Luisa waking up on a submarine with Rose was a nice tease for whatever soapiness lies ahead with this show’s superb villain and its craziest character, who just happen to be in love with each other.