What I’m Watching: Jane the Virgin

Jane the Virgin: Season 4, Episode 9 “Chapter Seventy-Three” (B+)

I’ve written it many times: I’ve always been #teamrafael. That’s why last week’s episode with the big kiss provided so much excitement, and this episode had some more hope that maybe they were going to make it work. Rafael being the one to conclude that it wasn’t the right thing for Mateo to be putting so much hope into his parents’ rekindled romance was sensible, and I was so glad to discover that they’re actually going to continue to hook up in secret so that there’s no pressure or outside influence. Jane was having a great time inviting Rafael to kiss her again to see if the magic would work, and Rafael responded perfectly, which worked! I’m also hopeful that Jane will stop writing her reverse “Fifty Shades of Grey” novel and instead ghostwrite Petra’s lifestyle book, one that’s obviously a bad idea given that she’s currently the subject of a murder investigation. We still don’t know who lawyer Jane is working for – though Sin Rosestro is obviously a top contender – but we’ll have to remain optimistic that she’ll realize she’s being played and confess to Petra, who in this rare case is in fact innocent, that she’s been working against her. Rogelio’s stay-at-home dad gig lasted less than a day, but I think that he might just be able to tough it out if he reframes the way he’s looking at it. I’m curious to see what Xiomara will do next, and it’s also good to see Alba sticking up for herself as her own person.