What’s Worth Watching: Jane Remembers an Old Flame

Jane the Virgin, “Chapter Fifteen,” Monday, March 9, 9/8c, The CW

When last we saw Jane (the wonderful, Golden Globe-winning Gina Rodriguez) three weeks ago, she couldn’t stop herself from seeing everyone and everything in her tumultuous life through the melodramatic prism of a classic overheated telenovela. (The revelation that her boyfriend/baby daddy Rafael’s stepmother Rose was actually the infamous “Sin Rostro” was an even more over-the-top moment than usual.) As the action resumes tonight, the arrival in Miami of Jane’s favorite romance novelist (guest star Kathleen York) stimulates the show’s penchant for amorous complications, including Jane’s adamant ambivalence about taking things to the next level with the adoring Rafael (Justin Baldoni). Doesn’t help matters that the famous writer’s presence triggers happy flashbacks of her time with her still-smitten ex-fiancé Michael (Brett Dier).

There are so many endearing characters to love in this charming romantic comedy, including Jane’s mom Xo (Andrea Novado), whose relationship with Jane’s biological father Rogelio (the hilarious Jaime Camil) is tested in unexpected ways. I’m especially fond of Jane‘s unseen narrator, who has one of his best moments yet observing Xo and Rogelio’s latest crisis by referencing a recent pay-cable sensation. No spoilers, but it earned my biggest laugh of the night.