This is probably the best show on television that you aren't watching. Sure, it's on the CW and I haven't watched a show on that channel since the pretty bad Seventh Heaven.
Jane (Gina Rodriguez) was, as we all know, accidentally artifically inseminated by Dr. Luisa Alver (Yara Martinuez), who happens to be the alcoholic sister of Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni) who was married to but divorced Petra (Yael Grobglas) who is crazy. Also of note, Jane's mother, Xiomara (Andrea Navedo) has rekindled a relationship with Jane's biological father, a big telenovela star, Rogelio (Jaime Camil). Also main characters are Jane's ultra-religious grandmother, Alba (Ivonne Coll) and Jane's detective fiance, Michael (Brett Dier), though that engagement is unfortunately short-lived.
Things constantly happen. Jane and Rafael fall in love, and have an epic make-out session just hours after Jane ends her relationship with Michael who had just lied to her to protect the cheating Petra from Jane, and before Rafael even bothered taking off his wedding ring, which is a huge pet peeve of mine.
But the relationship eventually fizzles out. Rafael came on too strong at first, proposed to her prematurely and then ended it after discovering his biological mother picked ten million dollars over her. He breaks her heart, though she recovers somewhat quickly, and is grateful that he broke up with her before the baby was born, though she is beyond disappointed that he abandons her, opting to focus on getting his hotel back in tip-top shape.
Of course, Rafael has tons on his plate. He has to deal with his psycho ex-wife Petra, who tried to get him charged with spousal abuse and then filed a lawsuit about the unborn baby. However, he discovered that she wasn't really Petra, her name was actually Natalia and she was on the run from an ex-boyfriend, who buys a third of the hotel, turns it over to Petra and we never see him again, so he might not be that evil. Then, it is revealed that Rafael's stepmother (and Luisa's secret lesbian lover) Rose (Bridget Regan) is a big time drug dealer. Rose kills her husband and then flees the country, returning only to steal the baby. More on that later. So, yeah, Rafael has a lot on his plate.
Xiomara and Rogelio get back together, have a pregnancy scare, move into together and then break up after Rogelio's ego can't take the fact that Xiomara tongued her ex-boyfriend directly after the two of them had a nasty fight. Rogelio's career is also interesting. He gets nominated for a major award for his TV show, which he loses, then he loses his job, finds a new one though it is a supporting role before being rehired by his first show because the ratings dropped severely after his character was killed off. He also tries to reboot his career by having a one night show in Las Vegas though that gets cancelled when Jane goes into labor nearly three weeks early.
Alba has her own struggles. Petra's nasty injury faking mother pushes her down the stairs. Alba is nearly kicked out of the country because she is in the states illegally, but fortunately, she wakes up, makes a pretty quick full recovery and then strikes up a potential love interest with another guy at her physical therapy, who turns out to be a priest.
And then there is Jane. She survives some hellish student teaching at a strict Catholic girls' school, graduates, though she is on bed rest because of the baby's health scare and her decision to get the amniocentesis and has an internship writing at Rogelio's telenovela. She quits her job at the hotel after Magda (Priscilla Barnes), Petra's mother, is found not guilty of pushing Alba down the stairs though that changes once Petra decides that that will help her gain Rafael back. Jane also joins a writing circle where she briefly is friends with Michael's ex-girlfriend and then, despite going into labor, hopefully gets into a writing program at a graduate school so she can fulfill her dream of becoming a published writer.
The love triangle still remains intact at the end of the season. For the record, I am firmly team Michael. Sure, yes, he was selfish at first, not wishing to raise another man's baby, though he did change his mind, because he realized that that was important to Jane. And yes, he covered up Petra's affair with a dead, impaled, man so she would still give them the baby, but he regretted it. And, despite his major flaws, he's still so much better than Rafael with his scheming, around all the time ex-wife, his alcoholic sister who is responsible for this whole show in the first place. Plus, Rafael doesn't generate much sympathy despite being a cancer survivor. He disregards Jane's feelings, holds it firmly against her when she doesn't say yes, doesn't understand that Jane won't leave him, takes phone call during the middle of a Lamaze class, which rubs me the wrong way, because, until the season finale, that baby is his only chance of being a father. He wants to hire a nanny because babies are so much work, which isn't what Jane wants to hear. His own father was never around and he's in danger of becoming just the same. Fortunately, after some oddly wise words from a newly sober Luisa, he decides not to go on a business meeting so he won't miss out if Jane goes into labor.
Then comes the season finale, Jane manages to deliver naturally, though it isn't that easy, a bouncing baby boy, much to her surprise, though I predicted it. Mateo, what a nice name.
Also, apparently the night before, while still in Vegas, Rogelio and Xiomara had a drunk wedding. Michael lets his former partner and lover, Nadine (Azie Tesfai) escape so she will track down her informant of Sin Rostro (the nasty drug dealer). Rafael refuses to answer a persistent phone call from the hospital, so Petra goes instead and gathers the secret sperm as his sample was split in half and part of it was mislabeled.
But then a nurse came to room to whisk baby Mateo, Jane's one true love, away for a hearing test, I knew something bad was going to happen. The baby, despite being tiny and newborn and dependent upon his mother for food is given to the drug dealer leaving me angry, yelling at the TV, saying that you can't do this to me.
Now, this show is superbly acted, with Rodriguez being a stand out. She is excellent, delivering comical yet heartfelt performances week after week. She better get nominated for an Emmy. Camil is also great as her father, a real ham, though he means well.
I also like how innovative the show can be, using light on the hearts as a symbol for love, having typing across the TV for hashtags or thoughts the characters have. The narrator, Anthony Mendez, is also interesting though they did use him just a bit too much toward the end of the season.
I haven't liked every decision this show has made, like tossing in Michael's ex as a friend of Jane's, having Rogelio's ex-stepdaughters as villains and brats. Sure, they made for good television but I just thought that Jane already had enough obstacles in her life without having to add more.
Fortunately, Jane has a great support system in her mother and grandmother who will always be there.
Please take the time to binge watch this before season two and if you have any questions, comments or concerns, voice them in the comment section. Grade: A
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