Before Season 3 of Jane the Virgin premieres on The CW, it's essential to be all caught up on the intricacies of Season 2. Although I am nowhere as skilled at witty plot synopses as the show's narrator (but I mean, who is?), I must give a Jane the Virgin Season 2 recap a go. Yes, recapping an entire season of a series as fast-placed, complex, honest, hilarious, and insane as Jane the Virgin is difficult, but part of what makes this show so amazing is all of its hairpin turns and unexpected twists. Just as the Jane the Virgin narrator fearlessly takes on each episode with panache, so shall I attempt to do with a recap of Season 2.
While the cliffhanger of Season 1 with baby Mateo being stolen by Sin Rostro (aka Rose) was resolved within the first episode thanks to Michael, there was plenty of other drama to go around in Season 2. Jane struggled with being a new mom and balancing parental responsibilities with Rafael, the crime boss storyline was multiplied by two, and the romance was in high gear as Jane finally decided between Rafael and Michael, Luisa found a new love, Rogelio and Xo dealt with defining their relationship, and Alba rekindled an old flame. As Season 3 will need to address the multitude of shocking plots that the series unearthed in the last moments of the Season 2 finale, here's everything you need to know about Jane the Virgin's previous season before it comes back on Monday, Oct. 17.
Michael Went Deep Undercover
Michael and Rafael were still fighting over Jane's affections when they had a huge altercation where Michael accused Rafael of turning him into the police for not revealing that he knew his ex-partner Nadine was working for Sin Rostro. Things looked really bad for Michael at this point with him getting fired from the police force and Jane telling him she couldn't be with him. He disappeared with Nadine for six months, but it turned out they were working undercover this whole time to take down Rose — an idea created by his new partner Susanna. Nadine was killed in the process (RIP!) and all of this work led to Susanna and Michael getting a lead on another crime boss, Mutter. While chasing down Rose again, Susanna was shot and Michael found Rose dead — allegedly killed by Mutter.
Rafael Had Some Serious Family Issues
Speaking of Mutter, Rafael found out that his biological mother (who abandoned him as a child) was actually this notorious crime lord. His mother Elena was known by the alias Mutter and was in competition with Rafael's stepmother Rose. Mutter's people even kidnapped Rafael's sister Luisa early in Season 2, who then started dating Michael's partner Susanna. With all of this family drama, Rafael located his brother Derek, who seemed smarmy from the start. Unfortunately, Derek couldn't be trusted since he was working with their mother to manipulate Rafael and then Derek played her too and turned Mutter into the police.
Jane Dated Someone Who Was Not Michael Or Rafael!
The love triangle from Season 1 between Jane, Michael, and Rafael was still a major storyline (as it should be), but Jane also spread those dating wings in Season 2. After a brief date with Dax the computer tech guy, Jane dated her grad school advisor, the dreamy (he was literally in Jane's dreams) Professor Jonathan Chavez. This also didn't last long and Jane eventually chose to be with Michael over Rafael, but seeing our beloved Jane see what else was out there was a refreshing change of pace. Although as any Jane the Virgin fan knows, you really don't need to see what other fish are in the sea when you have Rafael and Michael fighting for your love.
Petra Had Twins
As she was seen plotting at the end of Season 1, Petra did in fact successfully artificially inseminate herself with Rafael's last sperm sample in Season 2. She ended up being pregnant with twins and the person who was there for her during the birth was none other than Jane — because even though Petra has attempted to ruin Jane's life in the past, Jane's the kind of woman who will still be there for you. Petra and Rafael amusingly named the twins Anna and Elsa, not realizing the Frozen connection, and Petra struggled with connecting with her new daughters. Jane helped with that too as the series tackled postpartum depression.
Xo & Rogelio Broke Up
Even though both Xo and Rogelio admitted to loving each other, Xo decided they should end their marriage from a drunken night in Las Vegas with an annulment. That didn't stop them from dating one another, but after they realized they were not on the same page when it came to having kids — Xo wanted to focus on her career; Rogelio wanted the opportunity to raise a child — the pair ended their relationship about halfway through Season 2.
Alba Reunited With Her First Love
Along with becoming a U.S. citizen in a very relevant plot that was a continuation from Season 1, Alba's other big story in Season 2 was that she revealed her romance with Pablo, a man she had slept with before marrying Xo's father Mateo. Xo reunited the pair, but although Pablo brought out another side of Alba, she was convinced he was a curse for the family and his arrival did mark even more bad luck for the Jane the Virgin crew, including . . .
Rogelio Was Kidnapped
Luisa's kidnapping was not enough for Jane the Virgin. After The Passions of Santos ended, Rogelio started a new time traveling show, Tiago a Través del Tiempo, and hired an assistant. Unfortunately, his assistant Paola was actually Lola, a previously imprisoned stalker fan of Rogelio's. After Xo and Rogelio broke up, she held him hostage in his own home. The Villanueva women, particularly Jane, were concerned, but thought he was being distant because of his breakup with Xo. He ended up being saved by his bro Michael (and his own quick thinking), but he was emotionally impacted by the trauma. In an effort to show her support for him, Jane missed her own engagement party, which caused a bigger rift between her and Michael's parents.
Jane & Xo Got In A Huge Fight
During her engagement to Michael, Jane's BFF Lina planned Jane's bachelorette party and despite the bride-to-be's wishes, Xo tagged along. It was fun to see Jane let loose with her drunk-o-meter, but when Xo made out with Lina's ex, Jane had enough with Xo. She yelled at her mom and the two stopped speaking. Rogelio came to the rescue by having writer Dina create a Tiago storyline that helped Jane and Xo reconcile . . . and it also led to Rogelio and Dina dating.
Petra Discovered She Had An Identical Twin
A surprise identical twin might be too much for any other show, but it fit in perfectly for Jane the Virgin. Petra's unpolished and brunette sister Anezka showed up on Petra's doorstep and while she seemed innocent enough with her Czech accent, she was actually plotting with their master manipulator mother Magda (who had killed Milos earlier in the season after he blackmailed Petra into marrying him). Jane struggled with training Anezka as a waitress at the Marbella and had a huge falling out with Petra over her. But Petra shouldn't have been defending her long-lost sister since the Season 2 finale had Anezka poisoning Petra, taking over her identity, and sleeping with an emotionally vulnerable Rafael. Season 2 ended up with Petra unable to speak or move with Rafael believing it's Anezka who's in the hospital.
Jane Mastered Her Master's
Jane being a new mother while in grad school was a huge storyline in Season 2. She switched advisors a few times and ended up with the tough Professor Marlene Donaldson, which helped the show explore what it means to be a feminist. It wasn't easy for Jane to figure out what her thesis should be, but while it almost made her late for her own wedding, she finished the season with a thesis she was truly passionate about and proud of. Plus, she was an all-star mother even as she handled realistic issues like sleep training. And how have I not yet mentioned how adorable baby Mateo was throughout all of Season 2?!
Xo (Maybe??) Became Pregnant
After flubbing her lines in a guest spot on Tiago and seeing Rogelio happily dating Dina, Xo slept with Rogelio's acting archenemy, Esteban Santiago, even though she didn't have feelings for him. After Esteban sent Xo a "sex basket," Rogelio discovered this massive betrayal, but was able to forgive her during Jane's wedding. Yet, Xo's romantic relationships are bound to be a bit more complicated in Season 3 since her Season 2 storyline ended with her staring in horror at a positive pregnancy test and the show implied the child would be Estaban's if she is in fact pregnant.
Jane Married Michael
In the season finale, Jane and Michael finally tied the knot despite a slew of obstacles. Rafael almost admitted he still had feelings for Jane, but he heeded Luisa's advice and didn't ruin the wedding. Rogelio caused some drama as Jane's wedding planner, but he did come up with the sweet idea of building the Villanueva house (which had been ruined by flooding) on the set of Tiago and held the reception there. Like the narrator, you probably were tearing up during the ceremony — particularly when Michael said his vows in Spanish — and agreed with the Virgin Mary when she said at the end of the ceremony, "Now go have sex, Jane!"
Michael Was Shot
Oh, did you think Jane would lose her virginity during her wedding night? Not so fast! After the reception, Michael and Jane returned to the Marbella and decided to have sex there. When Michael went to go get ice (it could have waited!), he encountered his partner Susanna in the hallway and realized that she was lying about her identity. Too bad she also knew the jig was up in this moment and she shot him in the chest. Turns out, Susanna was actually Rose this entire time, which helps explain why she was dating Luisa. But who cares about Rose and Luisa when you know Season 3 is going to start with Jane discovering that her love has been shot.
The Guest Stars Were Rocking
Since it's too depressing to end the recap on the shooting of Michael, let's focus on the more joyous topic of the very special guest star. Kesha showed up as Jane's neighbor, whose music kept Mateo up at night. While Kesha didn't portray herself, two other music stars did with Britney Spears coming to the Marbella, proving that Rogelio really does have famous friends. And Rogelio was also able to land Bruno Mars to perform Jane and Michael's wedding song in the season finale.
If only Season 2 could have ended with Mars serenading Jane and Michael at their wedding, then everything would be right in the world. But, then again, ending on such a drama-free note wouldn't be true to Jane the Virgin or its stellar second season.
Images: Patrick Wymore, Michael Desmond (2), Scott Everett White (2)/The CW; Giphy (10)
