I’ve loved Jane the Virgin for its colorful visuals and its dramatic, yet self-aware storylines. But, if I’m being honest, the ending of the series fell short of my expectations.
Let’s start with the biggest one- Michael. They brought him back from the dead, with the classic telenovela amnesia trope. He’s now Jason, who is bleak, sarcastic, and devoid of Michael’s charm. And just as we think his storyline is over, he gains his memories back in the most heart wrenching, romantic way (cues falling “snow”).
Flash forward, Jane finally realizes that she doesn’t have a future with Michael-Jason. Fine – but his ending? He ends up engaged and pregnant with Charlie, his arch-nemesis from the ranch! This comes out of nowhere, and that couple has the worst chemistry I’ve ever seen. How could Michael have gotten over Jane, the love of his life, and now be seemingly trapped in this new relationship, with his new Jason persona? After their whirlwind romance Michael and Jane part ways, Charlie asks Jane to omit one line from the book – but we never get to find out what it is!
Now let’s talk about Rose, aka Sin Rostro. She’s the big bad villain and the most dangerous drug lord in the world. Yet, her demise is unbelievable, considering the fact that she has always been one step ahead of everyone. She appears in Jane’s home, asking for Luisa as if Sin Rostro couldn’t track Luisa down in an instant. Rose doesn’t act like a cunning criminal, but rather a deranged ex-girlfriend. She forces Jane to dress up with her as aliens (?!?) to sneak into a party where she has lured Luisa. The tensions are high – is Luisa going to return, or is Rose going to kill Jane and her family? Luisa pops up, tricks Rose and pushes her to her death. Rose is impaled, referencing the first murder she commits in the series. The whole thing was just unbelievable – Rose would never have been tricked so easily.
I’ve always been a Jane and Rafael stan, but Jane really did him dirty in the end. She abandons him momentarily for Michael, begs Rafael to take her back, and after a few rushed episodes, Rafael and her are engaged. They brush past their reconciliation and the wedding planning, ignoring major trust issues. In the end, Jane even neglects to write their vows until the last minute – the most un-Jane thing ever. The biggest event of the series, their wedding, leaves us wanting so much more – like their vows, which they cHoOse NoT To ShArE.
There’s so many other characters that weren’t given their due time – Xiomara, Lina, Petra, and of course, Mateo! He mentions that he’s been the narrator all along, leaving us with a million questions! It feels like the show simply needed to tie the ends of their storylines, and left us feeling underwhelmed and disappointed. All of this being said, I’m still gonna keep bingeing, just disappointedly.