A lot of great film and television is coming in 2019, but it will be a bittersweet time for Jane the Virgin as the series draws to a close with its fifth and final season. While it is always sad to see the conclusion of a great series approaching so soon, all good things must come to an end. But according to creator and showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman, the show will be something special right up to its finale.
Snyder Urman has stated (via Deadline) that the next season’s episodes are some of the best work that the show’s team has done, as the story’s plot culminates with the original ending she provided when she first pitched the show to The CW. Fellow Executive Producer Valentina Garza added to this sentiment, stating, “If you’re a fan of the show, you’re going to be delighted.” But what does this mean for the series’ characters? Will all loose ends be tied?
Season 4 left off with what is perhaps one of the show’s most shocking plot twist yet — and just like with any great telenovela, there are a lot of them. Turn back now if you’re not prepared for spoilers!
In last season’s final episode, Rafael (Justin Baldoni) revealed something life-altering to Jane (Gina Rodriguez): Michael (Brett Dier), her husband who died of a heart attack while in the process of recovering from a gunshot wound, is in fact alive. This means that Jane’s seemingly sturdy relationship with Rafael will suddenly be in contention and the OG love triangle will be back on in the show’s final episodes.
How might the writers integrate this new discovery into the plot? Of course, Michael’s return was probably a necessary component of the show’s intended ending, and the show has stayed on track in the face of some other crazy turns of plot, but even this is an extreme for Jane the Virgin. Season 3 focused heavily on Jane coping with the trauma of Michael’s death, the show even experiencing a three-year time jump to demonstrate her lingering grief that remains with her character years into the future. Michael’s return will inevitably affect her relationship with Rafael, and this will be furthered by the fact that Rafael possessed the knowledge that Michael was still alive.
But the question of what Jane might “choose” in the end is not the only part of her future that the show’s final episodes will address. Jane’s pursuit of a career as an author has always been a major focus for the character, and it has yet to be seen if she will make her much-awaited comeback following her poorly sold first novel. Whether or not Jane continues with writing has yet to be seen, but I think that the arc her character’s career development has taken (much has changed since the days she longed to be a teacher) will come to a satisfying end that the series has been building up to.
The other two characters that will likely receive intense focus in the final season are Jane’s mother and grandmother, Xiomara (Andrea Navedo) and Alba (Ivonne Coll). Writer Rafael Augustin noted that he saw the show’s story about “three powerful Latina women” as “uniquely American,” and Urman stated in an interview with The New York Times that “they’ve all had their coming-of-age stories, just at different ages,” and it would be fitting to bring that emotional journey to a close in the final season. Alba’s storyline concluded quite nicely at the end of Season 4: after living in fear for years, she finally receives her American citizenship. This topic will likely still be explored further in the final season, but the greater focus will probably be placed on Xiomara’s ongoing struggle with breast cancer. This season will also likely focus Jane’s relationship with her mother, even more so than the series has done in the past.
Of course, we can’t forget about Petra (Yael Grobglas), Rafael’s ex-wife and honorary member of the Villanueva family. After admitting to her girlfriend, JR (Rosario Dawson), that she killed her sister, Petra is almost killed by the anonymous blackmailer that had been stalking her throughout the season before JR shoots him/her down and saves the day. Aside from discovering the true identity of the blackmailer and further exploring her relationship with JR, I think there is some really interesting final character development to be done with Petra in this final season. She has come a long way from the cold, heartless fiend she was at the show’s beginning, but she also did just admit to recently killing her sister: perhaps the reason behind her seeming unfeelingness will finally be unearthed.
Above all, the most reassuring aspect of this show’s conclusion is something that has been consistent throughout the entirety of Jane the Virgin — every setup made always has a payoff. This means that the show’s conclusion will likely connect back to details from the show’s very first episode, even more so if it follows the same ending that Urman has had in mind since the show’s conception. So what might that be? My guess is on Jane’s initial artificial insemination being more than just a mere accident. Then again, the series has never taken the predictable route. But even if the story doesn’t end with a complete happily-ever-after, I’m willing to bet that it will get most of the way there.
While it will be sad to see Jane the Virgin take its final bow, perhaps that is what’s best — a series of quality is always better than a series of quantity. An exact premiere date for the new season has not been confirmed, but the show is expected to return sometime in March. It may be hard to say just exactly how Jane’s story will end, but it is certain to be a conclusion that does the series justice.
The post What’s to Come in the Final Season of ‘Jane the Virgin’ appeared first on Film School Rejects.
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