A few years ago when one of my friends told me that she was watching a show called “Jane the Virgin,” I was confused. Why would a show be called that? However, in my hours of boredom as a sophomore, I decided to watch the first season of the show on Netflix. I was instantly hooked.
Fast forward a couple of years, the show is on its fifth and final season, and I am eager to watch the episodes as they roll out every week.
The show is basically an American telenovela. There are several characters who are involved in love triangles, and there are always unexpected twists in the plot. Jane, an aspiring writer, was accidentally artificially inseminated with a man’s sperm in the first season, and the show follows Jane’s journey after having the child. The man whose sperm was used is Rafael, who Jane falls madly in love with, despite her history with another character, Michael. Michael and Rafael spend the next few seasons fighting for Jane’s love.
At the end of season four, “Jane the Virgin” left viewers wanting to know more. There were several questions that needed to be answered, the most important question being how Michael was still alive after dying 3 years before in the third season.
It was quite a shock to see him alive in the last few minutes of the last episode in season four.
In season five’s opening episode, which aired at the end of March, fans learn that Michael had never died all those years ago. He was brainwashed by recurring antagonistic character and now has amnesia, which is why he doesn’t remember Jane at all when he sees her.
To a non viewer, this probably sounds crazy, but in the world of “Jane the Virgin,” this plot twist was not enough to impress viewers.
Also, the whole first episode was lackluster because it focuses on Jane, while many other characters still had problems that needed to be addressed. Jane deals with personal battles after realizing Michael is still alive, so the show follows a lot of her thoughts.
At one point, there was an eight minute monologue of Jane talking to herself about her struggles with Michael’s coming back. At that point, Jane and Rafael had finally gotten to a good place in their relationship, so Michael’s character definitely complicates things. Although as a fan I care about Jane, I wish that other characters got the same kind of attention.
My guess is that the show will improve throughout the season. Writers of the show state that all the questions viewers have will be answered before the series finale — a promise I hope they keep.