(Note: If you’ve watched the show you know why the flower is significant. And it’s blue because I’m sad it’s ending.)
In the fall of 2014, Jane the Virgin premiered on The CW. Based on the Venezuelan telenovela Juana La Virgen, the show follows the titular Jane, played beautifully by Gina Rodriguez, a young devout Catholic virgin who becomes pregnant when she is accidentally inseminated by her gynecologist. The program often parodies commonly used tropes and devices in Latin telenovelas, which I guess refers to the plethora of voice over and outlandish plot twists. I’m not sure as I’ve never followed a telenovela. The closest I got was tuning in to a particular daytime soap opera for one summer there around high school. Based on how much fun I’ve had watching Jane the Virgin, I’ve missed out.
I must admit to feeling a certain kinship to the character of Jane. We were both pregnant around the same time, and while it was Jane’s first time, it was my second. Still, it was interesting to watch her character go through some of the same issues with pregnancy I might have been experiencing or had experienced. I didn’t get pregnant until o was 30 and to watch the character of Jane got through it at 23 was heart wrenching. And, spoiler alert, Jane remained a virgin until around the beginning of season three. Since then, they’ve changed the title card to read something different at the beginning of each episode.
The other thing that drew me to the character of Jane was her desire to become a writer. The show tackled a lot of problems first-time authors have including just how hard it is to get their work published. But one of the most touching for me were the feelings of guilt that come along with writing a novel. How can I write when I have to work? Be a mom? Keep my family together? Learn to be a good stepmother? Insert your own particular life challenge. I was happy to see the show address this issue as well as other sometimes difficult topics with heart and verve. Two things the show never lacked.
And now it’s coming to an end. Jane’s getting married. Again. In a two-hour series finale tonight we might get some of our burning questions answered. Will we find out who the voice of the narrator belongs to? Will there be more singing and dancing? Who will we see pop up from the show’s past? It’s exciting, but sad at the same time. I know shows have to end, and quite frankly I don’t know how many more plot twists my nerves could take, but I look forward to tuning in for a fond farewell.
In other news, it’s the end of July. Happy birthday to Harry Potter. And everyone else who gets to share his birthday.
Boudreau Blog 