The CW's breakout hit Jane the Virgin is amping up the drama as the freshman drama heads into its homestretch. Jane (Gina Rodriguez) preparing to give birth. There was a management change at the Marbella; Xiomara (Andrea Navedo) has new living arrangements; and Rogelio (Jaime Camil) has a new job.
With only seven episodes remaining, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the Jane the Virgin cast and creator Jennie Snyder Urman ahead of their PaleyFest debut to get the scoop on what's head for the remainder of the season. Below are 11 things to look forward to.
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1. Rafael (Justin Baldoni) and Jane's "rough patch" is just getting started.
"Chapter Sixteen" will feature a dance between Rafael and Jane that is beautiful but will also feature some "heartbreaking romance," Rodriguez said. Urman explained the situation a bit further: "For Rafael, the Michael piece is there and it's underneath, but the deeper issue is just that [he and Jane] are two very different people who didn't get to know each other before they fell in love. His stresses are huge: his dad died; the hotel becomes more and more stressful. And you know how people handle stress in relationships is often make it or break it."
2. Meanwhile, Michael (Brett Dier) is playing a "long game."
Urman noted that while Michael and Jane still have a very clear connection because of their history, Michael isn't making moves to get her back right now, though he is still very much in love with her and plans to end up with her. "This crazy thing [the pregnancy] happened — this crazy accident — and everything went awry, but in the back of his mind, he thinks in 50 years, this is just going to be a blip. We are going to be ... for him, he loves Jane and thinks she's the person for him."
3. Rita Moreno means trouble for Xiomara and Rogelio.
Since Xiomara has such a "go for it!" personality, per Urman, this is a way for the show to contrast Jane's personality and decision-making. "Rogelio buys a house for the two of them together, and it's an epic house," Urman said. One would expect no less, but things get complicated when his mom (Moreno) comes to visit. "If you want to sum it up in one word, it would be 'disaster!'" Camil laughed. "She doesn't like Xiomara, as any mother will never like the girl who is dating her son. So, that is not going to end up well, I can tell you that. Xiomara and Rogelio might break up after that encounter with his mom!"
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4. Petra (Yael Grobglas) will come into more power.
"She's back and the head of the hotel, but there's more to come!" Grobglas teased. But she also noted that things may have to get worse before they get better because "Petra is always struggling," and that is what keeps things interesting. "She's always got something to fight, something to aim for; she's never just sitting down and going along with her life," Grobglas added.
5. It's an "awkward" baby shower for Jane.
Taking place at the Marbella with all of its crazy colors and characters, Jane's "gender neutral" baby shower isn't just about decorating onesies and eating cake. There will also be singing, and as Navedo teased, a game with "a lot of crazy questions that point to the fact of whether or not Rafael knows enough about Jane and their relationship." With that concern already looming, Baldoni called the Jane the Virgin baby shower one that "will go down as one of the most awkward in the history of baby showers." Rodriguez noted that since Jane rejected the proposal, she and Rafael are still in different places, which is what really makes things awkward when he shows up to a party she didn't really want him invited to. "For Jane, it's not that she doesn't want to get there, she's just not there right now, so when we get to the baby shower, the awkwardness is going to be from their perspective on that subject and how they are in different places," Rodriguez said.
6. Rogelio and Michael begin a bromance.
Rogelio is trapped on a telenovela with his rival — a man petty enough to give Rogelio less and less to do, to the point where he soon becomes "only a head!" Camil laughed. So in order to try to beef up the role on his own, Rogelio does research — by going with Michael on a ride-along. "Obviously Michael is very concerned about his safety! That's a huge thing; he doesn't want Jane's dad to get killed on a ride-along, so he's under a lot of stress, but it is just a funny dynamic," Dier said.
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7. Alba (Ivonne Coll) remembers what really happened when she took her spill down the stairs.
"What happens is, I am picking up my granddaughter from the hotel. All of a sudden I see that woman coming out of a cab because Pedro has called her. And I remember everything. And I spill it out. And Jane is like, 'What?!' It's going to be very interesting what happens because it's twists and turns to get that woman; she is mean; she is the devil!" Coll previewed.
8. Xiomara makes some progress on her professional singing aspirations.
Right before the end of the season, Navedo promised Jane the Virgin would return to Xiomara's attempts and desires to pursue music. "There is a song and dance number for me and Rogelio and that was so much fun to do [because] it's a little outrageous situation," she said of episode 21. "It [shows] a little bit of progress toward her dream, and it's Rogelio who is supporting her in that and sort of bringing her with him."
9. An unexpected love connection for Alba.
While Alba is in physical therapy, she meets a man, played by Cheech Marin, with whom she connects. But of course, being that it's Jane the Virgin, they can't just write a simple love connection, so conflict comes from the fact that he is — wait for it — a priest! "She meets him in physical therapy and [at first] doesn't know that [he's a priest. It's controversial because she's so Catholic," Coll said.
10. Rafael still has a way to go before he's ready to be a dad.
Baldoni shared that since Rafael is currently still dealing with the rejection he felt from his own father while trying to be there for Jane, who also recently rejected him, he will really need to "go deep" in order to find out what he wants and what kind of parenting style he should adopt. "He needs to make sure that he's got his stuff in line from his past, so he can fully move forward as a father and a support system and everything else," Baldoni said. "He's all kinds of messed up right now. So, we're seeing a very different Rafael coming up."
11. Sin Rostro (Bridget Regan) may be gone — for now — but Aaron (Alano Miller) is around to stay.
"Chapter Fifteen" showcased that Aaron wasn't all he appeared when he smashed a supposed family heirloom to retrieve a USB drive. And soon, characters within the world of Jane the Virgin will start to catch on to — and maybe even worry about — the fact that he's shadier than first meets the eye. "He's the twin brother of Roman Zazo. Are they cut from the same cloth? Potentially. There's so many twists and turns. He is sticking around, and he has an agenda. But Aaron is a very different person than Roman was, and so [might be] his approach," Urman said.
Jane the Virgin airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on The CW. What are you most excited about seeing explored on the show? Sound off in the comments below.
Twitter: @danielletbd
