Welcome Back, Jane the Virgin ! We really missed you.  Thank you for returning with an episode strong with your trademarks of humor and character developments.

This article contains spoilers so if you haven’t seen the episode “Chapter Thirty-One” please do not continue reading.

For me, this episode was Jane the Virgin at its best.  We got to see Jane dealing with family and school issues, both with the comedic flair that makes the show special.

The show opens with a sleep deprived Jane.  Mateo is at a stage in his baby development when he’s not sleeping aka sleep regression.  So if baby doesn’t sleep, no sleep for the momma.  Alba and Xo attempt to help Jane sleep train Mateo and these scenes are hilarious as commentators John Salley and Lee Reherman set up Jane’s attempts as “The Sleeper Bowl” and give a play-by-play account of Jane’s actions.  In the end, it is Alba’s advice that works, proving Abruela knows best.

Next, viewers see Jane trying to get basketball jocks to take an interest in “Pride and Prejudice” as part of her being a student section leader.  However, this fails because the main jock dubbed ‘McBaskets’ just wanted an easy class and the administration is more concern with him passing because of the alumni donations and their love of basketball. Jane is “encouraged” to give him one more chance even after he plagiarizes his paper which she gave him an ‘F’. The situation does allow Jane to question her selfishness in wanting Mateo to sleep so she can get rest for school.  Kudos to Jane the Virgin writers showing a scene in which a mother questions whether she’s doing what’s right for her child.

The story with Jane’s other Abruela visiting (played to perfection by stage and screen legend Rita Moreno) helped to show that Villanueva women sometime question the decisions they make regarding the men in their lives.  You see, Jane’s grandfather is gay and leaving her grandmother for another man.  This turns out not to be the shock that Abruela Liliana makes it out to be when the grandfather reveals she knew for 40 years.

When Xo and Jane tell Rogelio, his father’s bucket list finally makes sense to him.  After hosting a dinner in which other gay men that the Villanuevas know attend, Liliana realizes her son knows the truth. She and Rogelio share an emotionally touching porch scene. Jaimie Camil and Rita Moreno have great chemistry and are totally believable as mother and son.

Rafael and Petra seem to have grown closer since her found out she was pregnant. He works her to ensure she doesn’t go to prison for killing Ivan, as the crime was committed by her own mother. Rafael and Petra have the worst mothers.  Rafael helps Petra clear her name but her mother Magda offers an ominous threat as she’s dragged away by the police.

The only plot of the episode that I felt was the weakest involved Jane learning Michael had a new girlfriend after Xo spotted them together at the Cuban lunch truck and told her daughter. Mateo accidentally ‘Friends’ on the computer new girlfriend with his baby foot.  After a talk, Jane and Michael decide to put some distance between each other, so Jane unfriends Michael.

Finally, viewers learned that Luisa’s mother Mia is really dead and the drug lord Mutra is really Rafael’s mother.  The conclusion of the episode found Rafael in danger from his very dangerous mother.

What did you think of Jane the Virgin? Sound off in the comments below.  Or tweet @thenerdygirlexp and @stacyamiller85 .