https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4neYVkCVhqM
Last week when Jane the Virgin left off, we found out that Xo has breast cancer. Tonight at 9p on The CW, the whole family has different reactions how she should deal with the first step on Jane the Virgin. At one point during the episode, someone will say that everyone has an opinion how to deal with cancer; I am going to break down this review by character.
I am going to start with Rogelio (Jaime Camil) who is the centerpiece and rock on tonight’s episode. Camil wears his heart on sleeve tonight and his faces will break your heart as you watch him step up to be the man to all of these strong Villanueva women. He might be Xo’s husband, but her mother and sister are much more demanding force in her life. That changes as he tell his daughter to calm down with all of her facts and let her mom think through what is best for her. His mother-in-law is letting her anger out on everyone and he tries to get her help. Then there is his wife and he so supportive of her. He will get a huge reward for all of his actions.
Next up his Jane (Gina Rodriguez), as we know is book smart and that is exactly how she is handling it. She goes to the doctor with her parents to discuss all the options for her mom. Being Jane, she is writing everything down and asking questions, while her parents are just trying to absorb everything the doctor is saying. When they get out of that meeting, she has her opinion and she wants her mom to do what she says. Even though her father tells her to cool it for a while. The mother and daughter have a spa day and again Jane insists that her mom does what she says. Her mom gets so frustrated she walks away from her daughter. Can they heal their relationship?
Alba (Ivonne Coll) is Xo’s mom and no mom wants to see her child sick. She is mad at everyone and everything. When she goes to the store with her son-in-law to pick up some supplies, she yells at the sales clerk for no reason. Rogelio tries to convince her to talk to someone, but she says she is talking to Gd. When he does something sneaky, she rips him a new one even though he was trying to help her. Tonight, Coll acts like any mom going through what her character is going through. She is so believable; you will actually feel like the actress is her daughter who is actually going through cancer. She really gives an emotional performance that makes you want to reach through the television and hug her.
The youngest Villanueva is also going through it. When Jane tells her son (Elias Janssen) that grandma is sick, he asks to pray. He does not want her to die, so he thinks praying is the answer to saving her. He even asks his dad to pray with him, but he does not want his son to feel like he is responsible to save his abuela. Janssen’s sad eyes will make yours well up.
What about his dad? Rafael (Justin Baldoni) also had cancer, so he knows what Xo is going through. Everyone seems to have forgotten that because we only knew him after he was cancer free. Because of his life experience, he finds a way to be the sane person who can help everyone understand what Xo is going through. BTW he also directed tonight’s episode and sailor’s hat off to him for the brilliant job he did in front of and behind the camera.
Finally, there is Xo (Andrea Navedo), she is the one with cancer. She wants it out of her body, but she does not want to say goodbye to her boobs. She is in a state of shock about it all and she is so confused. She really does not have anyone to talk to without them giving her their thoughts. Until she does have someone who understands, what she is going through. It is that person’s words that will help her make her decision. With that decision, she makes the choice of who tell it to first. She is forced to grow up and she does. As she does, you will feel through just Navedo’s body language, how lost her character is. Which you can imagine how any recent cancer patient feels? A million and one things to think about and no time to consider it all.
Wait, it is not all cancer all the time. Petra (Yael Grobglas) gives us some much needed comedy when gets caught by Raf talking to herself. Well she is pretending to talk to Jane and telling Jane how she really feels about her. Not our Jane, but her Jane the lawyer and he does not know that. That is going to lead to a very awkward moment when his Jane and Petra have conservation in front of him. He he! And what about her Jane, is she interested? How can she not because who does not like this new side of Petra and you can tell Grobglas is having a blast with it.
I feel like the narrator (Anthony Mendez) right now, can you believe all of that happens in one episode? But it does folks. It is seriously one of the most powerful episodes I have ever seen about cancer because it shows how a whole family reacts to cancer and not just the person who is going through it. Everyone has an opinion and everyone handles is differently. The writers gave the cast a lot to work with and the cast delivered big time!
