Our entertainment writer Miyuki Lotz shares a must-view while we’re all stuck at home
Genre: Comedy | Drama
Origin: United States
Running Time: 49 minutes/episode
Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Andrea Navedo, Yael Grobglas, Ivonne Coll, Jaime Camil, Justin Baldoni, Brett Dier, Yara Martinez, Anthony Mandez,
Developed By: Jennie Snyder Urman
Production: Poppy Productions
Composer: Kevin Kiner
Full series currently available on Netflix, Foxtel, iTunes & Amazon Prime.
“Life is full of tough moments, you have to fight for what you want.” – Jane Villanueva.
What an incredible show!
Honestly. When my colleague – an established male clinical psychologist from Boston – told me that he and his wife loved this show and thought I would enjoy it too, I was apprehensive at first. The title seemed a little youthful for me and I was unsure as to what type of genre the show would bring.
Well, to my delight, it was unlike anything else I have ever seen on Television before. A uniquely stylised take on the infamous Spanish Telenovela, Jane The Virgin gave me romance, drama, comedy, and a murder mystery, all wrapped up in one show!
Our Heroine, Jane, has her life turned upside down when she accidentally gets artificially inseminated on the first episode. From there, multiple events occur that add more complexity to the acutely organised life Jane had planed out for herself. But, as the age old saying goes, “nothing goes according to plan.” Jane is catapulted into a life of love triangles, motherhood, co-parenting, dream seeking, murder investigations, heartbreak, soul-searching, and so many other facets that encompass the transitional journey a woman faces from young adulthood to woman to mum.
Each character on this show is cast to perfection, and you fall in love with all of them. Even characters I did not think highly of in the earlier seasons of the show, embarked on a character arch that was so realistic, it embedded them into a place so human, I found myself relating to them more as the show progressed. Making those particular characters I found un-relatable at the start, some of my favourite characters by the conclusion show
The world of Jane The Virgin took me on a journey that made me laugh, cry, sit in suspense, gasp with shock, smile in hope, and above all, be filled with love. One of the core messages of this show is Family Love and what it means to be apart of that notion. It manages to combine the values of the Catholic Spanish family traditions, with the contemporary outlooks of what family can mean today. Each episode left me with a cliff-hanger that saw me binge watch this show until the early hours of the morning, despite having school runs and work the next day. (I’ll have you note, I have NEVER binged watched a show until I started watching Jane The Virgin!!).
This show covers a vast valley of topics. The characters too are all facing life events at various ages in their lives. This approach, I think, makes the show appealing to audiences in their twenties right up until their sixties. If you are looking for your next show, or just feel like watching something that will make you laugh, cry and fall in love with life, then do yourself a favour…invest in Jane The Virgin. It will captivate you.
Overall Rating: * * * * *
Behind The Scenes Trivia:
- Gina Rodriguez met husband, Joe LoCicero on the first season of the show.
- Gina Rodriguez directed three episodes of the show in its final season.
- The show is based on the Venezuelan telenovela “Jane la Virgen.”
- The show earned a Golden Globe nomination.
- Gina Rodriguez won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television series
(Comedy or musical) for Jane The Virgin.
About Miyuki Lotz
Miyuki is a professional actress, stunt woman and mentor. Her body of work extends over 10 years of experience in various theatre, film & television productions across Australia, Japan and the US. Prior to embarking on a career in the entertainment industry, Miyuki was a professional ballerina with The Queensland Ballet Company. She is focused on bringing inspiration to everyone she meets and living a heart-centred life. She enjoys giving back to the community by teaching young, aspiring artists about positive mindset, emotional well-being, and decorum, in order to maintain longevity in a creative career path. She relaxes with regular family movie nights and LOVES watching stories…Hence why she writes these monthly reviews!
Connect with Miyuki
Instagram: @miyuki.lotz
Email: [email protected]
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