‘Jane By Design’ Summer Finale: Jane’s Secret Is Finally Exposed

The first season of 'Jane By Design' came to a close with surprise twists, new beginnings & one major cliffhanger! (This show NEEDS a second season.) When Jane By Design creator April Blair told me everything would be "put in jeopardy" for Jane (Erica Dasher) on the July 31 summer finale, I didn't realize what an understatement that really was. While Jane began the hour with a major victory in London, she ended it with a disappointing realization about Billy (Nick Roux) — and a very uncertain future at Donovan Decker!

By:
Reading Time: 3 minutes
July 31, 2012 11:06PM EDT
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Family

I think the best way to break down the drama is to take things couple by couple, beginning with…

BEN & RITA: As promised, Ben (David Clayton Rogers) made his triumphant return home this week, but he didn’t just do it for Jane! He also professed his love for Rita (Smith Cho), who returned his affections by interrupting his baseball practice with some intense PDA. I really hope Whitemarsh High doesn’t have rules against co-workers dating, because these two are headed in an adorable direction and I don’t want them to stop. Ever.

INDIA & JEREMY: Though Jeremy (Rowly Dennis) agreed to deliver his drawings to Harrod’s, he drew the line at returning to Donovan Decker in New York. So India (India de Beaufort) did the only thing she could: She flew to England to win back her bloody bloke! We were left with a cute scene between the “couple” in Jeremy’s family’s pub, and even though India begged him to return to Donovan Decker with her, he really seems resistent to the idea.

JANE & ELI: In a surprising turn of events, especially for this show, Eli (Bryan Dechart) came clean to Jane about sleeping with someone else. Granted, he didn’t say who he slept with, but even a half-confession is a sign of serious progress. And while Jane was understandably upset, she also recognized that she and Eli weren’t exclusive, and she certainly gave him enough reasons to seek attention from another girl. Besides, she had Billy to think about! Which leads me to…

JANE & BILLY: I’m not going to lie, I think the promos for this episode totally over-hyped Billy’s “decision” between Jane and Zoe (Mariah Buzolin). At no point did Billy actually have to choose between the two — he’s clearly head-over-heels in love with Zoe right now — but it did break my heart to see Jane as she watched Billy play Prince Charming to Zoe’s Cinderella. She finally realized how much she loves him, a realization that arrived about eight episodes too late, unfortunately.

JANE & HER CAREER: As if watching Billy and Zoe together wasn’t hard enough, Jane was served a double dose of “FML” when Gray (Andie MacDowell) and Eli came backstage to meet the genius behind the play’s costumes. The episode ended with Jane and Gray standing face-to-face, and I can’t imagine how Jane can possibly explain her way out of this disaster. (Oh, who am I kidding? This is Jane we’re talking about! She’s gotten really good at lying.)

How do you feel about the way the finale ended? Do you wish Jane had told Billy how she really feels? Are you bummed Jeremy refused to come back to New York? And how do you think Jane can possibly weasel her way out of this mess? Drop me a comment with your personal review of the summer finale!

— Andy Swift

More Jane By Design News:

  1. ‘Jane By Design’ Summer Finale: Billy’s Decision & 5 More Spoilers
  2. ‘Jane By Design’ Recap: Disaster Strikes Jane’s First Date With Eli
  3. ‘Jane By Design’ Recap: A Surprise Proposal Leaves Jane Speechless