Stuff You Should Be Watching: Jane the Virgin

Jane is a virgin Jane is pregnant Jane is as confused as you are - with Gina Rodriguez biting her lip and looking confusedIf the CW had sat down and said, “What’s a show we could do that would make romance readers happy? What would it consist of?” they could not have come up with a more perfect show than Jane the Virgin.

Smart sassy heroine? Check. Hot hero? Check. Fairly charming to a point beta dude? Check. Mixed up family? Check. Plot twists? Check. Big Misunderstandings? Check. RIDICULOUS CRAZYSAUCE PREMISE? CHECK. FUSCHIA? CHECK.

This show is both the show we needed and the show we deserved. It’s delightful. It’s self-aware without being precious. It’s a love letter to the telenovela while also winking at the conventions of the telenovela. Basically, it’s charming as fuck. This is a remake/inspired by the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen, which aired in 2002.

Our heroine is Jane Gloriana Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez), a 23 year old student who plans to become a teacher.  She lives with her mom, Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), and her Abuela, Alba (Ivonne Coll). She has a boyfriend, and at a very young age, her Abuela told Jane to “protect her flower.” (Jane’s mother got pregnant as a teenager, and Abuela is trying to protect Jane from that circumstance.) Jane is a virgin and religious (but not obnoxiously so). One day, at the OB/GYN, she is accidentally artificially inseminated, and gets pregnant.

I told you it was crazysauce.

It gets better, though.  See the provider of the sperm is Rafael (Justin Baldoni), who runs the luxury hotel where Jane works as a waitress. She and Rafael had a moment five years before, when they kissed. The person who was supposed to be inseminated with Rafael’s sperm is Petra (Yael Grobglas), his wife (who is hiding from the Czech mob), but the reason the sample ended up in Jane’s uterus is because the doctor who was supposed to inseminate Petra and give Jane a Pap smear is Rafael’s sister and she was distracted because she’s been having an affair with their father’s wife (who is not their mother — that would be too weird). Also, Jane’s father has appeared- a telenovela star named Rogelio de la Vega (Jaime Camill) who did not know he had a daughter but now he does and he’s trying to be a good dad. And maybe reconnect with Xiomara.

I KNOW, RIGHT.

IT’S AMAZING.

The basic plot is “Jane becomes pregnant and has to deal with all of that” but there’s a spiderweb of side plots and ridiculousness that comes with the territory of being in the world of a telenovela.  What works is that there’s a voiceover narrator — who has a delightful “Latin Lover” accent (no, seriously, that’s what the show calls it)) who will remind you of pertinent plot points, do the recap, and slyly will let you know that he knows this is all bonkers, but isn’t it fun?

But you know what it is I like best about episodic shows, and that’s relationships. More importantly, it’s women’s relationships. The glorious thing about the world of Jane Gloriana Villanueva is that she’s surrounded by women who love her and support her. Her mother, even though she doesn’t always understand Jane, loves her and has sacrificed to support Jane’s education and to give her a good life. Alba, Jane’s Abuela, who really doesn’t agree with a lot of Xio’s choices, still loves her daughter and adores her granddaughter.  Jane’s best friend since childhood, Lina (played by Orange is the New Black’s Diane Guerrero), is there for Jane through the craziness of this entire plot.

Oh, sure, there’s the dudes- Rafael is very pretty and works really hard to unravel the mess his sister’s mistake has made, and Jane’s boyfriend Michael is a doggedly nice guy. They both have strengths and weaknesses, like any love triangle. But the focus for the show is Jane, always Jane. What’s best for her? For the baby? Jane is the driving force and always has agency. Even when faced with an unexpected and improbable pregnancy, Jane makes active choices about what to do about it, and her family supports her.

This is Rafael. He’s pretty.
This is Michael. He’s a nice guy.

Let’s talk about the cast. This show hinges on Jane, and Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez brings enough seriousness to sell it, and enough comic chops to make it work. This only works if the actors commit, and Gina is delightful and her comic timing is perfection. She has chemistry with EVERYONE (even a ficus). Everyone is great, but the other true gem is Jaime Camill, a Rogelio. He’s self-involved, fully into his own importance, but so charming! He tries so hard and spawns his own twitter hashtags. #RogelioMyBrogelio.

Also this show is about a Latina woman, and her Latina family, and her Latino community. Before she was offered the role of Jane, Gina was offered a role in Devious Maids, which she turned down because she didn’t want to be pigeonholed in that type of role as a Latina actress. Abuela speaks only Spanish (while Jane and Xio mostly talk to her in English, which I’ve seen many Latina/o people say is how it works with their older relatives), and the show does address the issue of deportation and illegal immigration. Because this bulk of the cast is Latino, there’s no pressure for one person to be completely representative. They’re allowed to be people with all their flaws and strengths and it’s not a statement about Latinos as a whole.

I admit I was dubious about this show when I first heard about it. It sounded too ridiculous for words, and I didn’t think any show could possibly work under that premise. I was also concerned about a religiously virginal heroine- it sounded like there was a chance for preachiness that I don’t find entertaining. But Sarah raved about it, my friend Ppyajunebug raved about it, and Linda Holmes at NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour raved about it, and if all three of them loved it, then there was a legit chance that I would, too. It’s so great to see a character who is religious, but positively so. She doesn’t preach at people (or the audience). Her relationship to God and the church is hers and not about anyone else, and that’s something I don’t think we see a lot.

The show manages to be a telenovela and poke fun at the conventions of the telenovela (long lost parents, mysterious twins, improbable coincidences, faked injuries, back-from-the-dead, always fantastic hair), and be a love letter to the telenovela all at the same time.  It’s so happy. It fills the place in my heart that Gilmore Girls (seasons 1-4) left without the undercurrent of meanness that happened in that show at times. It’s a perfect cupcake, and if you haven’t watched this show and need something to fill the summer hiatus, this is a perfect cupcake.

Season 2 begins airing on the CW on October 19th, season 1 is on Hulu, Amazon, and iTunes.

 

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  1. LILinda says:

    My daughter and I started watching together on Huluplus (since On Demand only had the most recent episodes). After episode 4 it skipped to Episode 22. We were enjoying the show-for all your reasons-, but there isn’t anyway to catch up and watch the full series. Major fail for the CW and Hulu. We won’t be viewers for season 2 since we can’t get season 1.

  2. jelly_Ace says:

    Caught the tail end of one episode, and was quickly enamored of the Latin Lover narrator and his meta commentary, Jane, her dad, and the whole crazysauce mix of accidental pregnancies, telenovelas and criminal shenanigans. Put it on my to-watch list.

  3. ppyajunebug says:

    YES YES YES. This show is MADE for romance readers, and there are subplots involving romance writers/readers and it just makes the show even more incredible! It has more confidence than pretty much any other new show I’ve ever seen, and it’s made the best first season possibly ever.

    Still not over no one except the Latin Lover getting an Emmy nom (he got one for narration in a TV show and MAN DOES HE DESERVE IT). But Gina Rodriguez is a revelation- I’ve never seen someone who can literally glow when needed. I can’t wait to see what happens in season 2…so many unfair cliffhangers to resolve…

  4. I luuuuuurve Rogelio. Everytime I think he’s screwing up, big time (like the episode with Rita Moreno as his mama), he redeems himself. Plus, he has a wonderful Twitter feed.[g]

    I never thought I’d get caught up in a show called “Jane the Virgin”, but I’ve been a fan from the first. I’m looking forward to more crazysauce.

    Disclosure–I’m a Target stockholder and I also love the massive product placement they do in this show!!! So glad Target’s a sponsor.

  5. @LiLinda

    Oh that sucks! The CW is pretty good about getting things on Netflix quickly, hopefully they’ll get season 1 up before season 2 starts, so you’ll have that as an option.

  6. Percysowner says:

    I missed this at first, but I intend to give it a go. As soon as it hits Netflix I’m going to watch all of season one, so I can be ready for season two.

  7. OMG YOU ARE DEDDING ME MUST WATCH NAO!!!!

  8. Hannah says:

    I started watching this a couple weeks ago and I’m only on episode 3. Needless to say, I love it! I would caution anyone who wants to watch or just started that the show’s Wikipedia page has some spoilers so avoid it.

  9. Jayne Denker says:

    This show ROCKS. And bonus: Jane wants to be a romance writer! Most excellent subplot. When she sits down and tries to write…let’s just say a lot of us can relate to her VERY strongly there. Jane Seymour’s guest spot as a famous romance novelist was ah-ma-zing. The writer’s group she led, with Jane sticking her foot in it for being too honest in her critique of a colleague…OMG. Love. This. Show.

  10. Abby D. says:

    I have absolutely loved this show. The characters all are well constructed and the plot is Cray, but pulls you in.

  11. CC says:

    I ADORE this show! So cute, smart, and funny.

  12. Saturngrl says:

    What a fabulous, spot-on review of this gem of a show. I, too, heard the premise and feared it was going to include conservative morality and reactionary themes. I was so wrong! Courtey Milan’s effusive tweets pushed me to give it a try, thankfully.

    I have to admit that I have to fast forward through some of the most uncomfortable of misunderstanding-moments (I am always too embarrassed to watch these sorts of moments), and my husband can’t watch it because of embarrassment over wacky soap opera/telenovela plot lines (which don’t bother me, having been addicted to General Hospital back in the day), but man is the emotional depth of the show worth powering through.

    Also, I love the plug for immigration reform. And I want Rogelio’s ring tone. And the relationship between the women in Jane’s family is so deep and complicated and rewarding. And man, what a great comparison with Gilmore Girls (early seasons) but without the meanness. Watch, watch, watch!

  13. Isabel says:

    I love this show for all the reasons you listed but especially because of the female relationships and the hispanic characters. The grandmother-mother-daughter relationship is always developing and I appreciate that it is more important than the love triangle. (I also like that the love triangle moves slowly and without too many *gasp* moments.) I think you summarized it well when you said that because the cast is almost entirely Hispanic, the characters aren’t stereotypes. That’s so important to me because Hispanic actors are almost always typecast and it’s disappointing to see those stereotypes. Jane the Virgin is a strong show for real-life Janes (young Latinas) and I’m happy to see it’ll likely get a good run.

  14. A Golden Globe win confirmed what “Jane The Virgin” fans already knew — Gina Rodriguez is a star — and if we had to bet money on it, we’d bet plenty more accolades will be forthcoming, not just for Gina, but for the entire “Jane The Virgin” cast and crew. If you’re still not convinced you should invest some time in catching up on this series about a virgin who is accidentally artificially inseminated, here are seven reasons to get with the program before the show’s first season returns on January 19.

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