Melodrama, romance, exaggerated acting, unbelievable plot twist, lovable heroes and loathsome villains are what make telenovelas so incredibly addictive.
Namibians know this feeling. Those who grew up watching the love blossom between Santiago Ortega and Lisa Morandi in ‘My Three Sisters’, or Diego and Paloma in ‘When You Are Mine’ and Preta and Paco/Apolo in ‘Shades of Sin’ know just how crazy these love stories can get, especially when all the odds are stacked against the divinely paired couples.
Five years ago, telenovelas took on a new style with ‘Jane The Virgin’.
Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a devout Catholic and virgin, sees her life thrown out of proportion at the age of 23 when she is accidentally artificially inseminated with Rafael Solana’s sperm.
What might have seemed the most horrific experience at the time, was actually a sturdy foundation for a charming story to unfold, complete with twists, turns and tearful moments.
The series starring Gina Rodriguez as writer, over-thinker and ultimately a very caring Jane, was loosely based on Venezuelan telenovela ‘Juana la Virgen’, created by Perla Farías, and brings the classical genre to life with an American flavour.
Through the five years, fans of the show have grown to love and adore the characters and their individual hardships.
The Latin Lover Narrator, voiced by Anthony Mendez, influenced the show with his unique humour, timely sarcasm and innate ability to leave the audience waiting in anticipation. Throughout its five years, the show has explored Latin culture in the United States, the culture of telenovelas and unconventional family structures.
While various shows tend to become stale, the writers of ‘Jane The Virgin’ deliver in terms of keeping it fresh and tasteful while weaving in parodies of tropes and devices often found in Latin telenovelas and not leaning too heavily on Latin stereotypes.
The first season of the show received critical acclaim with the general consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reading: “’Jane the Virgin”s dubious premise has become part of its unlikely charm – along with delightfully diverse writing and a knockout performance by Gina Rodriguez.”
Diehard fans can expect a telenovela-worthy show in a final season with tears, joy, revelations and a happily-ever-after.
It is currently streaming on Showmax.
– Jonathan Sasha on social media.
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