Jane the Virgin is CW's nascent love child that needs to be supported, watched, talked about, and reviewed because it is utterly fantastic.
For those who don't know what Jane the Virgin is, check out the trailer
Now one of the best parts about the show is that it is a telenovela actualized. There are a number of cliched aspects of the show that is drawn from telenovelas such as the evil twin, the use of amnesia, various love triangles, and an unknown drug lord who is pulling various strings on and off screen. It is meta in the sense that the show itself comments on these aspects through use of narration and hilarious subtitling. The show also has a lot of heart which is mainly due to it's star Gina Rodriguez.
Now Gina came a long way, just check out this awful trailer for her movie Filly Brown.
The part where she actually begins singing is cringe-worthy. I watched the trailer until she puts up her hood and begins singing. From all the reviews sprinkled throughout the trailer, it appears that the movie was quite good and that Gina Rodriguez was ground breaking, but she is even better in Jane the Virgin and, she doesn't even rap! But seriously, Ms. Rodriguez, absolutely becomes her character. Scenes in which she laughs and cries, she mostly cries, the audience feels it. She exhibits this gestures that are indicative of how she's feeling that other actors might miss such as pulling her hair back over her ear or pursing her lips when she is about to speak but says nothing. And in the moment she cries, she gives it her all and brings the audience along for the ride.
The reason I am writing about this show is because it recently ended it first season and that finale was finished an such a fantastic cliff hanger that my jaw nearly dropped and it takes a lot for me to not see something coming. But this was such a great choice by the writers because of where it could lead and I'm already thinking of the directions this could go in.
Finally, this show deserves your attention because it's not only candid and has a lot of heart, but it's real. First off, I gained a lot of information about pregnancy from this show, from what a fake contraction looks like to how to move your child around if they are in the breech position. This show absolutely does not shy away from any of this. It's also quite honest about sex and it's brought up a number of different times without any of the characters avoiding the subject. It's a show that I would want my future daughter to watch because it doesn't shy away from reality but also doesn't get too seriusy.
So please, give this show a shot.
Written by cwm on May 23, 2015
Thank you all for this I'll take up your recommendations and add to my lists.
I cannot recommend this show enough. I couldn't believe how much I enjoy it (it's my Rookie of the Year for 2014), especially considering that I had no plans to watch it at all.
The promos were pretty lame and when the full show came on it was just the circumstance that nobody could change the channel (we all had our hands full with various projects), so it stayed on in the kitchen while my Old Lady was cooking dinner. I could hear various tidbits of the show, but not enough to generate any interest; what got my attention was the amount of genuine laughter coming from the kitchen that was increasing in volume (both meanings of the word).
By the time I was able to put my tools down and see what all the fuss was about, she had completely abandoned what she was doing and was 100% fully focused on the program. Two minutes later, so was I. Luckily they replayed it a couple days later and we had a chance to sit down and appreciate the show in its entirety. It's been our family's favorite ever since.
It's well written, spectacularly delivered, emotional, funny surprising and yet it pays dutiful homage to the tropes of Telenovela & television itself. Seriously one of the best television shows out there.
Jane the Virgin is something completely new an yet very familiar. It's very funny and everybody who likes telenovelas and has a sense of humor will love it guarateed :)
Jane the Virgin is an amazing show. It is fresh, fun, funny and quite entertaining. It is also very tongue-in-cheek, so as long as you don't take it too seriously (it is a comedy after all) you will enjoy this show. Give it a try if you haven't already. :)