Roughly a month ago, I happened to stumble across the TV show series Jane the Virgin while sifting through Netflix. Instantly, I became completely enamored with its cinematography, its characters, and its fast-paced plot.
The series parodies telenovelas and has a quick-paced plot that leaves my heart pumping and eager to see the next episode. The majority of other TV shows that I watch are humorous and can be picked up and enjoyed without knowing the overall sequence of events within the television series. For this reason, I watch most other TV shows infrequently and typically only watch one episode at a time.
While Jane the Virgin always begins with a short introduction covering crucial plot points from past episodes, the overall plot quickly becomes too intricate for someone unfamiliar with the show to truly grasp it simply by watching one episode’s introduction. The introductions serve best either as a means to spark a returning audience member’s memory or as an annoyance for an avid audience member who just watched six episodes in a row.
In addition to parodying telenovelas, the show also pokes fun at Catholicism. As I am raised in a Catholic home, I find the allusions, jokes, and domestic dynamics particularly amusing and familiar.
The main premise of the show is that, like the Virgin Mary, Jane becomes pregnant even though she is a virgin. How? Well, a doctor accidentally, artificially inseminates Jane with Rafael’s sperm. Rafael happens to be the doctor’s married brother and a man who kissed Jane five years prior.
As much as Jane the Virgin is full of scandalous occurrences and dynamics, it also has depth beyond the drama.
“Usually there’s always a life lesson that’s expressed throughout each episode,” junior Hamid Ahmadi said, “and I like how there’s always a problem […] that the characters have to get through.”
The best art mimics life, and Jane the Virgin falls into that category by developing complicated characters who cannot be labeled simply to meet challenges and learn as they go.
I cannot dismiss Jane’s fiancé Michael easily as a bad character even though I personally dislike him. His dishonest actions near the beginning of the show when he learned that Jane was artificially inseminated rubbed me the wrong way and tinted my perspective of him although, as the show progresses, he increasingly appears as a sympathetic character.
Even Petra who is manipulative and fairly sinister cannot be written off as a bad person knowing the toils and puppeteers within her life behind the TV show’s main story arch.
Showcasing back-stories, different perspectives, attributes, and flaws, as well as the characters’ growth make the show just that much more enjoyable.
Beyond the plot and characters, the technique in delivering the story is the factor that truly adds dimension and sets Jane the Virgin apart.
The colors of the character’s clothing compliment each other and the backdrops well to assemble a visually appealing atmosphere. Often the colors employed are cool pastel colors that work well with the main colors of the Marbella, the hotel that Rafael operates and that employs Jane as a waitress.
The series also employs an anonymous voice over and corresponding text that appears on screen to narrate and add another layer to the experience of watching Jane the Virgin whether it’s by presenting dramatic irony, humor, or simply divulging information on the characters or events currently illustrated on screen.
As much as I find many of the Jane the Virgin characters endearing, the voice over guy is essentially my best friend now, whispering amusing commentary in my ear and sharing the experience of looking into Jane’s life with me.
