Michael: Rogelio's New Brogelio

For a man like Rogelio de la Vega, charming -- nay, enrapturing -- women is no challenge at all. He won the heart of a young Xiomara Villanueva years ago, and since then has gone on to ply his charisma on virtually every woman we've seen him interact with, from the ones about whom Santos was passionate on The Passions Of Santos to his ex-wife, to his daughter's grandmother, and finally to the daughter that, after months of working on their nascent relationship after being estranged all her life, is happy to call him "Dad." And while we haven't seen Rogelio make friends or even be especially friendly to very many men, after this week's episode we needn't wonder whether Rogelio's charisma can also target a man: he's made a friend who's a dude! It just might be the wrong dude.

Given the end of Michael's relationship with Jane earlier in the season, Rogelio and Michael haven't really had much cause to interact all season -- but after a humiliating internet meme (which, let's be honest, should have really been caught by a director before it ever made it to air; Rogelio's supposed to be an expert on fictional outer space crime fighting tech now?) moved Rogelio to step up the realism in his performance on his new show by spending time with the only real-life, earthbound police officers he personally knows, Michael and Rogelio took their relationship to a thrilling new level.

...Okay, fine, that was a fantasy sequence of Jane's. But it was based on true events: Rogelio and Michael ended their day together by (to hear Rogelio tell it) solving a case together, and judging by events in this latest episode, Rogelio feels it's bonded them for life. Not only is he comfortable enough with Michael to fully make out with Xo in front of him...

...he's booking them a pedicure together and inviting him to a huge party at the Marbella. They even have their own secret handshake!

But there is a snake in the garden of Michael and Rogelio's beautiful friendship, and its name is Rafael.

Ever since Rafael's failed marriage proposal, the signs have been increasing that Rafael is not the right man for Jane -- or, at least, not the right man for right now. The evidence mounts in this latest episode, between Rafael's unthinking reflex to throw money at problems (to pay for a doula, and later for a nanny), his failure to understand how much of his time, attention, and energy will be required for him to be a decent father when his baby is actually born, and his defensiveness when Jane tries to paint him a picture of what she actually expects in a co-parent. All of that is pretty damning, to a degree that, the narrator tells us, has Jane wondering whether love is enough to make her relationship with Rafael work.

Worse than all of that, though, is that Rafael could look at Michael and Rogelio's friendship and decide it's a threat to him!

Granted, Rogelio has already let it be known to Rafael that he was not pleased that Rafael's (ultimately unsuccessful) proposal was not preceded by Rafael's seeking Rogelio's permission -- a matter Michael didn't have to worry about before he proposed, since Rogelio wasn't in Jane's life at the time, except as, surely, one of her favourite novela stars. But only someone who's insecure with his own standing could see the pure, innocent friendship between Michael and Rogelio and perceive it as a threat. It would probably be pretty easy for Michael to try to manipulate Rogelio for his own purposes if he wanted to: Rogelio is easily led, already impressed by the glamour of Michael's profession, and in awe of his perceptive powers.

But Michael actually is sincere in his friendship with Rogelio for its own sake, not as a means to the end of getting back with Jane, and while I'd like to say that Rafael would be ashamed of his suspicions if he could see Michael and Rogelio getting their spa chair on together, he probably wouldn't because of his own base motives. And the fact that Rafael throws Michael in Jane's face in the middle of a fight to deflect from his inability to be an equal partner in preparing for their daughter's arrival is proof that he can't appreciate true (platonic) love when he sees it modeled by Michael and Rogelio...and therefore maybe isn't capable of it himself? Rogelio shouldn't be fighting Michael's friendship with Rogelio: he should be working on starting his own! But he can't, for the same reason he can't be a good partner to Jane: he doesn't know how to be in a family, and doesn't seem very interested in learning.

On the other hand...Michael named Rogelio a Junior Detective.

If Rafael can't offer Rogelio anything comparable -- AND HE CAN'T -- maybe he's right to give up on Rogelio as a permanently lost cause.