Give JANE THE VIRGIN a Try

Article first published JANE THE VIRGIN Review on Seat42F.

The CW’s JANE THE VIRGIN doesn’t feel like a CW show at all. That’s a good thing. As much as I enjoy some of that network’s fare, they typically schedule a relatively narrow type of series, with only a handful of variations. JANE THE VIRGIN, on the other hand, isn’t about teen drama or superheroes. It’s about a good woman who follows the rules and loves telenovelas, whose life, through no fault of her own, suddenly turns into a telenovela. For those who are still missing Ugly Betty, its successor has finally arrived.

Jane (Gina Rodriguez, The Bold and the Beautiful), who is, as the title suggests, a virgin, has her life on track. She works at a hotel while studying to become a teacher. She has a steady boyfriend, Michael (Brett Dier, Ravenswood), who has a respectable job as a cop, and who has agreed to wait until marriage to have sex with her. She lives with her loving mother, Xo (Andrea Navedo, Law & Order), and equally loving grandmother, Alba (Ivonne Coll, Switched at Birth). She is happy.

Then, one day, everything changes for her. Her doctor, despondent over catching her wife cheating on her, accidentally artificially inseminates Jane. The sperm belongs to the doctor’s brother, who happens to be Jane’s boss, Rafael (Justin Baldoni, Everwood), whom she had (has?) a crush on. Rafael is in an unhappy marriage with a seemingly-supportive wife, Petra (Yael Grobglas), whom sees a baby as a way to make it through five years of marriage so she can collect on her pre-nu payout. Rafael had cancer, and cannot father a child naturally, thus the frozen sperm. Plus, Jane’s father, Rogelio (Jaime Camil, Que pobres tan ricos), a soap opera star she has never met, now wants to be in her life.

All of that is a bunch of soapy goodness that makes for some delicious drama. There are a lot of twists and turns in there, which account for just the pilot alone, and I don’t even mention close to everything that happens. Somehow, the writers find a way to make it all make sense. That’s not to say JANE THE VIRGIN is 100% believable, but the coincidences that make the plot possible are all in place and work together in a way that the story doesn’t have obvious holes or anything that requires further explanation.

In you’re intimidated by jumping into a pool that deep, don’t worry. JANE THE VIRGIN begins by introducing you to all of the characters in a very fact-based manner, telling you who they are and tossing up their passions on screen, with text and narration. In this way, it’s easy to digest what is going on and who the various players are. It’s smart, and done with a touch of whimsy that makes it feel colorful and enjoyable, rather than hokey.

The acting is across-the-board convincing. Again, not all of the characters are realistic portraits of individuals, but those in the roles commit and sell their parts. Petra is more evil than the average gold digger, but Grobglas makes her wickedness somehow fun, and while you want her to fail, you appreciate the way in which the character has been shaped. When a twist late in the episode reveals something surprising about Xo and Alba, the women in the parts help viewers understand why the truth is what it is, and you’ll come away impressed with their performances and the material.

In a fall consisting mostly of lackluster pilots, JANE THE VIRGIN stands out as something entertaining and with a decent quality. It’s not the type of thing that will have gravitas and attract A-listers, but it is a series sure to have a loyal following and, should it stay consistent, possibly tap into the public consciousness, or even, maybe, some award nominations. It’s quite good.

JANE THE VIRGIN premieres Monday, October 13^th at 9 p.m. ET on the CW.

Just Pass Through RAVENSWOOD

Article first published as RAVENSWOOD Review on Seat42F.

This week, ABC Family spins off its popular Pretty Little Liars with RAVENSWOOD. Set in a town with the same name as the show, Caleb Rivers (Tyler Blackburn) from PLL finds his face on a tombstone, as well as that of new friend Miranda Collins (Nicole Gale Anderson, Beauty and the Beast). This convinces him to stick around, at least long enough to get to the bottom of the mystery. That won’t be as easy and as quick as he might hope.

While PLL is a dark mystery teen drama grounded in reality, RAVENSWOOD is a dark mystery teen drama with supernatural elements, combining the elements that made PLL so popular and adding in the kind of stuff that has been hot in the young adult genre for awhile now. Teens like to be scared, and whether RAVENSWOOD just brings in ghosts or goes heavier, that’s definitely the goal.

Everything about the setting is designed to be overtly creepy, with lots of muted and washed out colors, graveyards and overgrown woods. Miranda’s Uncle Raymond (Steven Cabral, Roommate), whom Miranda and Caleb stay with, runs a funeral home, and looks as ghoulish as the bodies he takes care of as he skulks around. His household is maintained by Carla Grunwald (Meg Foster, briefly the Cagney or Cagney & Lacey), who speaks in a strangely quiet voice, purposefully intended to evoke shivers. And, of course, the building has no shower, making for a terrifying tub scene that will please young girls.

Except, it’s not really terrifying. The stakes appear to be low, with early frights being just that – frights. No actual peril or harm happens, even though there is opportunity for such. And throughout the first episode, this repeats many times, little bits of intense drama that add up to nothing.

Now, this is a show for teens, and ABC Family isn’t into lots of murder and gore. But these half-hearted, overly transparent attempts at horror are tame and lame. Given the ending of the episode, it doesn’t look like the network has ordered a series that has to hold back, so it’s a little puzzling why so much of the installment does so.

Speaking of the ending, of which I will spoil nothing, it’s huge and exciting, but not earned. There is too big a contrivance to set up the finale, and the stakes are not well enough established. It seems designed only to titillate viewers who might be considering not watching a second episode, rather than the direction the pilot should have gone in. I could see an episode later in the season ending this way in a satisfying manner, but the first episode jumps the gun in doing this now.

Backing up a bit, RAVENSWOOD seeks to establish a group of main characters to appeal to viewers, trying to cover the bases in putting together a typical ensemble. Caleb is well-known from the mothership, and Miranda’s description in materials as an “unconventional beauty” might be apt, but is definitely an archetype. The other main kids are also more a familiar role in this kind of group than a fully-thought out character, connected, often falsely, into an ensemble.

There’s Remy Beaumont (Britne Oldford, American Horror Story: Asylum), a newsman’s daughter who just happens to have the information Caleb and Miranda need to figure things out, or access to get said information. Her mother is also somehow connected to the larger arcs. Remy is dating Luke Matheson (Brett Dier, The L.A. Complex), whose father is dead. Remy’s father, and much of the town, suspects that Luke’s mother murdered him. Luke also has a sister, Olivia (Merritt Patterson), who is being unseated as the popular girl because of these events.

In RAVENSWOOD, as in many series of this type, the parents can be obstacles from time to time, but the action is centered on what the kids do, and they don’t confide the important stuff to the adults. Instead, they try to handle everything themselves and act grown up, which is far from unique to this series, but is a bit annoying from a believability factor. Especially when the mothers and fathers are actually part of the overall mystery.

RAVENSWOOD is a lot like other shows, in general, with few truly original things springing to mind from the pilot. Toss Sleepy Hollow, Pretty Little Liars, The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and others into a blender, and this is what comes out. Unfortunately, it’s so watered down by the familiar that it fails to really stand on its own.

Which will probably not stop the target audience from loving the heck out of it and following it as vehemently as they do PLL. I expect this show will do very well. I just won’t be watching it.

RAVENSWOOD premieres this Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC Family.