As one does on a Friday night, I was lying in bed flicking through the endless selections on Netflix, looking for a new show to watch, which is when I chanced upon Jane The Virgin. After watching the trailer (which left me wanting much more), I knew this show was going to take me on a wild ride! What I didn't know was that this show was going to get me through it all- crippling heartbreak, unimaginable happiness, and all the small victories and massive defeats that were to come in my life for the next few months.

Jennie Synder Urman’s Jane The Virgin is an American telenovela with bits of romance, comedy, and drama all wrapped into one. The telenovela follows the story of Jane (played by Emmy-nominated Gina Rodriguez), a virgin- who has a seemingly perfect life. Jane is working on her teaching degree, engaged to Michael - the detective of her dreams, and is ready for the next step in her meticulously planned life. 

As is often the case with telenovelas, Jane's life does turn out to be too perfect to be true. She is accidentally artificially inseminated (with Rafael's sperm) on a routine doctors' visit. Now, Jane has to worry about a baby, which was the last thing she thought she would have to do since she was a 23-year-old virgin. Also, as the daughter of a single teen mother who had an unplanned pregnancy, Jane knew that it was crucial to plan for a baby.

As Rafael Solano, Jane's boss, former fling, and now the father of her child; and his family come into her life, Jane is overwhelmed. She questions the aspects of her life that she was earlier so sure about, taking the viewers on her journey to discovering her true love and her passion in life. 

Besides Gina Rodriguez (Jane), Brett Dier (Michael), and Justin Baldoni (Rafael), the show has a host of accomplished actors such as Ivonne Coll, Priscilla Barnes, and Jaime Camil. The telenovela explores the stories of the characters played by these actors- emphasising the evolution of the contentious relationship between Jane’s abuela, Alba, and her mother, Xiomara. Rogelio's extravagant lifestyle and how Jane, his daughter he recently found out about, fits into it, is another sub-plot in the show, along with Luisa's (Rafael's sister) journey to self-actualisation. Petra's rag to riches story and resolution to become a better version of herself also adds a certain charm to the show.

While we are discussing the characters, there is one that is easy to overlook yet without whom Jane The Virgin would not be where it is today- the Narrator, voiced by Emmy-nominated Anthony Mendez. His witty comments, pauses for dramatic effect, comical way of recapping a story, and the ability to know just the right moment to conclude an episode with a cliffhanger is what makes the show unique and fun to watch.

Jane The Virgin concluded its fifth and final season in 2019 with a hundred chapters and a long run of five years. If you are interested in a classic telenovela with a melodrama story- which, despite being sentimental at times, would support you through thick and thin- I would recommend watching Jane The Virgin!* 

*Viewer discretion advised. At times, the show does contain sexually explicit scenes.