about everything that is right with Jane and Petra's friendship


Season Two, Episode 14 or Chapter 36 when Petra "kidnaps" Jane so she can confront Rafael for being AWOL from his life is the anti-thesis of the Bechdel test. Not to present the test in a negative light but to show you everything the test was hoping to achieve. In the real world two women in that situation (who loved the same man, one kind of stole the man from the other and is now sharing a baby daddy) would never even speak to each other or know each other's names for that matter.

Most televisions shows, rom-coms, chic-flics thrive off female rivalries because emotions run so high and nothing makes for better tv than a beautiful woman scorned. But in those moments when Jane coaches Petra through her labour pains, my heart exploded with joy. Despite their man troubles, they were able to be in the same room, talk to each other as honest women. Not the back stabbing menace two female enemies are usually presented to be.

The main narrative, among the many others, for this episode is that Petra is concerned for Rafael but once Jane alleviates some of that concern by sharing secrets, they team up to go stick it to an author who stole Jane's idea. The show almost successfully let two very established female leads do a wild car ride, one pregnant mind you, to save the world (take that patriarchy). Despite disagreeing over their strong personalities - one the saintly being and the other the devil's spawn- are able to help each other in times of need. In fact they pull of the whole pregnancy by themselves, no boy around minus the doctor.

I just wanted to tell you...

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