My Gratitude to the Villanueva Women from Jane the Virgin

My friend Katie over at Nerdy Girl Notes is putting together a book of letters to fictional characters who have influenced and impacted us through their stories. While Jane the Virgin has only been around for one season, it's impact on me can not be understated. So in honor of the Season 2 premiere I thought I would write a letter to the Villanueva women.

Dear Jane, Xiomara and Alba -

I've started separate letters to each of you at some point over the last four months. I finally realized as unique and inspiring each of you are it is what you represent together that makes you poderosas (powerful). So it is only fitting that a letter like this should simply be written to the Villanueva women. All bright in their own right, but whose illumination comes from what they bring out in each other.

Growing up I had the good fortune to be surrounded by women like Alba. Strong minded, smart and loyal women whose purpose centered on those they loved most. Family is what drove their decision making and ensuring their protection as they navigated life. Alba you are no different than my Tias and my own grandmother. Through faith and wisdom you guide. You are quick to speak your mind and willing to stand tall when others would undercut those values for convenience. You instill pride of conviction and you embody the voice I sense in my gut and whispering in my ear when life brings me to a crossroads and the choices seem bleak. When you watch over Jane and Xiomara it is a sturdy loving shoulder to lean on. You may disagree or disapprove but never in a way that dismisses them out of hand, because you too have regrets. It is an anchor to a family filled with dreams, whether they are the far reaching of Xiomara or the carefully planned ones of Jane.

Xiomara, you represent for me the parent I continue to aspire to be. You are selfless without sacrificing your identity. You are brave, not because of your choices to become a young parent or to pursue a dream most would shy away from, but because your fears don't define you. Your fears are merely a pathway to your vulnerability. You know intrinsically that to be a parent means protecting your child and absorbing the costs through others misconceptions of who you truly are. You show up for your daughter with sympathy and a mirror that honestly reflects what is happening as opposed to what she may have laid out in her mind.  The importance of never sharing with Jane or Alba the truth behind Milkshake isn't just about your willingness to do anything for your child. It was understanding that it didn't matter how the world looks at you. People, strangers will make determinations about you for how you look, talk, and act. But only you can define your self worth, because only you know the truth that leads you to the choices you make. This choice for you reinforced that you are a good mother. At a time when outside opinions from advice columns to blogs across the internet undermine confidence and self belief you remind me that the only validation you need is knowing you did what was best for your child.

And Jane, you are a hero. You are a hero because you lead from a place of integrity and honesty. Your capacity to say the things that speak to the darkest corners of our fears is brave beyond measure. When you accidentally set fire in your room and confessed to Alba how the overwhelming reality had hit that you were going to be a single parent and didn't see it coming, you gave voice to an entire host of us who love our children deeply but at times find ourselves in a vortex feeling as though life has pulled the rug out from under us in a way that we need to constantly prove we can remain standing. Your ability to take ownership of defining yourself in a world that wants to define you through limitations embodies everything I want to tell my younger self to hold on to and ingrain in the child I am raising now.

I grew up straddling two worlds. To a lesser degree I now watch my daughter navigate a similar reality as the world around her tries to define her value and worth just as she is learning to define it for herself. I have watched the bond that the three of you hold. The generational wisdom, the strength you gain from one another's unconditional love and the loyalty and confidence you command as a result of each others transparency be it through Alba's faith, Xiomara's passion or Jane's pragmatism. You lift up and protect each other's dignity at a time and in situations that would easily pass judgement. You remind me the pride of my heritage and the legacy that lies within immigrant families is one of fortitude. It is a love that transcends circumstance and disappointment. A strength and a power that energizes me as a daughter, a mother and a Latina.

Yes, you Villanueva women may not have a long legacy of storytelling some of the characters who influenced me over the years had. However, in one short year you have given me the unique voice of my childhood, a prism as a parent that reflects and respects my own and brought humor and dignity to my lived experiences as a Puerto Rican woman. It's a dialogue long missing from the television landscape. I am so deeply appreciative of how colorfully you have filled it.

PALEYFEST: Five Reasons you should be watching Jane the Virgin

In honor of  the final day of PaleyFest or as I like to call it TV Nerd Comic Con, I thought I would revisit what is easily my favorite new TV show to arrive this season. I wrote about Jane the Virgin after it's third episode, because that is all it took to realize what Jennie Snyder Urman and her team were creating was something special. Jane the Virgin is a show that manages to entertain first and endear its audience. It honors the cultural nuances and realities of the Latino community that are so often exploited, exaggerated and misrepresented in service of a joke or to lean into stereotypes. It is clear from the first episode that the writers and actors here have taken the time to understand that stereotypes exist for a reason and go about dismantling them with humor and poignancy.

There are many reasons to watch Jane the Virgin, but here are five I think are most salient and the reason to make this show Monday appointment television.

5. Latin Lover Narration - Like many shows before it (Ally McBeal and Eli Stone immediately come to mind) Jane the Virgin breaks fourth wall reality to remind us that in the very serious emotions we navigate as people, there needs to be a break for humor and the ability to see the absurdity of a given situation. Jane the Virgin is particularly deft at this styling and when they chose to use it. The show fundamentally understands how important it is to not take itself too seriously. The plot is fantastical and absurd, that is a fact. It is drawn from the great traditions of telenovelas and is unapologetic about those roots. I believe what makes Jane the Virgin successful is how they choose to let the audience in on the irreverence. They smartly created a modern day Greek chorus via a stereotypical Latin lover narrator (voiced to perfection by Anthony Mendez) who embodies the flare of the heighten realities of a soap opera with grounding logic in his observations to guide the stories the show is telling. The narrator serves as the voice in the audience's head. He is the mirror that calls out the obvious or blatant mishaps that occur. It provides a vehicle for the audience to abandon the fantastical pieces of the plot and fully invest in the characters and underlying stories of lived experiences that exist for families and in particular, Latino families.

4. The Writing - The team putting together these episodes has really tapped into something wonderful. They have found a voice that rings true to a broad audience but happens to be told through the eyes of a multi-generational Latina family. In my group of TV watcher friends who adore the show, we have found the common links of larger families and the influences they can play. The traditions vs. the stereotypes exist in all cultures. What continues to impress me 15 episodes later is the sheer bravery of the writers. Whether it is discussing the real ramifications of immigration on a family or the ridiculousness of a melodramatic father you've never known this group provides dialogue that I can easily imagine taking place in my own living room. The ability to bridge pop culture references with cultural touchstones is used with razor like precision. They also use every facility at their disposal to tell this story. The episodes are chapters, Jane is an aspiring writer, and embedded within the narration are often typed clues and commentary across the screen as though the story is being written as we go along. That combination offers huge laughs, open questions and certainly whenever any of the women wind up on the porch swing a piece of wisdom and familial love that touches into the very real vulnerabilities we all navigate with the people we trust most in the world.

3. Affairs of the Heart - There is a core love triangle embedded into Jane the Virgin and it is a testament to the show that two-thirds of the way into the season I still haven't picked a side. The combined talent of the actors who bring us Rafael, Jane and Michael with the fact that the show smartly made none of these characters innocent or pure creates a wonderful dynamic that leaves viewers conflicted about who to root for at any given moment. They use a common trope of third parties seeing something and misinterpreting what transpires to actually open up real questions about the characters feelings rather than merely create drama. That ability to layer a moment of doubt with an ounce of truth works wonderfully because there truly are no villains in this trio so there isn't a clear end game for these characters and that is what makes it feel honest as well as keeps it interesting.

2. Authenticity - No where else on TV will you find a show that is more accurately portraying Latinas on screen. Period. Jane the Virgin is not only calling out Latino stereotypes, they are dismantling them with humor and poignancy that honors our culture and speaks to the competency of everyone involved in the show. Jane the Virgin does something I've rarely seen for Latinos or women on television. It has established characters who bring their whole identities into the storytelling and does so in a surprising and genuine way. The show not only provides a character's point of view, but the experiences that inform it. I so deeply appreciate that Jane the Virgin takes the time for the audience to understand that perception is so rarely reality. It embraces the idea that our values are formed by a lived understanding of what it takes to navigate the world and protect that which is most important, those we love. Jane the Virgin also gets the little things right. The most prominent example being that Alba only speaks Spanish while both Jane and Xiomara respond in English. It would be easier for the show to merely have Alba speak in a heavy accent, choosing to have her speak Spanish honors who we are as a community. It reflects the world I personally grew up in and doubles down on what Gina Rodriguez so rightly declared in her Golden Globe acceptance speech, "This award is so much more than myself, it represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes." Every episode of this show has provided dignity to a community that hasn't often been displayed on television as much more than gang members and maids. It is what quintessentially makes this show special.

1. The Villanueva Women - At the end of the day the real love story of Jane the Virgin is that of the three women who make up the Villanueva family. It's a story of life told by mothers and daughters and the very real conflicts that come from navigating the duality of being a parent and child simultaneously. Gina Rodriguez, Andrea Navedo and Ivonne Coll have tapped into something truly special. They have created complex, flawed, vulnerable women whose love for one another is the lifeblood of their personal strength and conviction for how they navigate their lives. They are the honest mirrors and confidants that keep the unrealistically structured Jane, the flamboyant dreamer Xiomara and the traditional Alba grounded and ultimately hopeful. The center of their relationship is often on display in the scenes that take place on the porch swing. Here we are given the wisdom and unconditional love that is indicative of mothers and daughters. I was struck early on in the series when Xiomara's character gives advice to Jane to be selfish about what she needs. It speaks to the bravery of the writing and willingness the show has to allow their characters to display introspection on regrets and understanding that choices and decisions, regardless of being the right ones have moving consequences with lasting impact and influence. I had the great privilege to visit the set of Jane the Virgin on a day when they were shooting a porch scene. Watching these three women work and evolve a scene over a series of takes only cemented my thinking that the soul of this show is grounded in these three women and the great care and respect they bring to these characters. Each implicitly understands they represent much more than a positive take on Latinas in television. They represent a different way of looking at women inherently. They embody the truth that women are not monoliths - Latina, immigrant, single parent, mother or daughter. We are all of those things at all times. It is a beautiful depth of emotions and experience that has powerful resonance beyond plot and dialogue.

In a TV age where the anti-hero is revered and cynicism holds center court for many TV show plots, Jane the Virgin is a cool Miami breeze with the cadence of a great salsa band. It is loud, jubilant and honest. Jane the Virgin is quietly changing the game with its boisterous irreverent joy. Tonight the cast and creators take the stage at PaleyFest. Do yourself a favor and join them and then tune in Monday, you won't be disappointed.

How Jane the Virgin is honoring, not stereotyping Latinas on TV

Diversity on television and lack there of is a constant cadence in media. Whether it's admonishing the absence of it or lauding those paving the way in earnest like Shondra Rhimes, the conversation about having television choices that reflect the society we live in continues to be prominent. That two shows that prominently feature Latinas in primetime in very different ways is so important. Cristela Alonzo with her broad ABC comedy Cristela aligns with more traditional situation comedies that take a page from a stand up comedian's act and builds a show out of it. That it is produced and created by Alonzo is important, because having culturally accurate voices driving content behind the scenes in television is as important as seeing those faces on screen. Cristela leans into the typical stereotypes and misconceptions in order to highlight their absurdity and that is great to see. However, what is happening over on the CW with Jane the Virgin is different and it's special.

On it's face Jane the Virgin, owes its framework to a Spanish telenovela. And truth be told, at first glance the show's plot premise made me worried. I didn't want yet another show that stereotyped Latinas in a way that was not only monolithic, but often degrading. However, there was no denying that I was excited about the prospect of a show that was committed to bringing forth a multi- generational Latina lens to its plot. What I have so terrifically discovered is a show that at first glance appears to be a parade of absurdity and stereotype but is actually blossoming into a funny, thoughtful and entertaining television show filled with characters who are much more than they seem at first glance and who you quickly want to spend time with each week.

The premise, if you haven't heard is simple, Jane discovers she is pregnant due to a mix up of medical charts that results in her being artificially inseminated. To make matters more complicated the father is her boss. The story centers on Jane navigating this colossal stroke of bad luck and the interconnected relationships that play into the pregnancy. There is a fantastical approach to some of the story telling, including a narrator who often serves as a Greek chorus and guide to some of the underpinnings and background of the plot.

Like others have written in the weeks preceding the premier Gina Rodriguez is the heart and soul of the show and she brings an honesty to Jane that makes the silly aspects melt away to understanding that this is a young woman navigating life in deliberate effort to build her identity as more than what is perceived or expected of her. As a Puerto Rican girl growing up in a predominantly white community I remember all too well the challenges of finding my own voice beyond what was presumed of me both in my school and community as well as the embrace of my family. It was often like straddling two very different worlds. It was a balancing act of respecting those who raised me and all they had done while still wanting more for myself. As Jane, Rodriguez brings a vulnerable voice to her character's ambitions and fears hitting a poignant balance of humor and the underlying truths to defining who you are in a world that wants to define you through limitations. Gina Rodriguez may not be playing seven different characters, but what she's achieving on Jane the Virgin is very similar to what Tatiana Maslany is achieving on Orphan Black. Both are balancing a fine line between an absurd premise and bringing truth to a character that the audience is able to forgive the fantastical aspects because the protagonist is grounded in attributes we want to spend time with as viewers. In the case of Rodriguez, her ability to navigate the comedy and drama, often on the turn of a dime, within the show keeps the audience with her. Rather than dissecting the plot, what becomes compelling are these characters journey and how it shapes them within the plot movements. So while I will be curious to watch how the story unfolds, I am more invested in how it evolves the show's characters.

One of the great surprises and under-reported aspects of this show is the performance of Andrea Navedo. As Xiomara, Jane's mother, Navedo in two short episodes has given an unexpected depth and nuance to her character. Xiomara could have easily served as a counterpoint to Jane, or an 'odd couple' mother/daughter team. Instead, the writers and everyone involved took the time to tie this character into an integral part of the show's underlying point. What we see is rarely the whole story and that is why stereotypes are demoralizing. Not because they are untrue, but because they take a piece of truth and hollow it out as though that is all there is of a person. The character of Xiomara offers up the stereotypical single, teenage mother and quickly shows us how insensitive and small minded it is, not only through her actions but in Jane's reactions. Last week offered a wonderful moment on the porch when Jane realizes the pregnancy is not something she can rationalize away. It will change her, no matter what. No one understands that more than Xiomara. What we get as an audience was a fresh take on the advice of parent to child. We learn that Xiomara isn't a woman who is immature. She is a woman who holds onto her youth in order to hold onto her dreams. We watch as a mother advises her daughter to be selfish, to take this time to focus on herself and preserve her own dreams. A woman who as it turns out has been quite selfless when others thought the opposite of her. It is a moment of transparency that displays the very real helplessness we can feel as parents who can not subside our children's pain. And she delivers it all while taking stock in how her own choices may have influenced the moment. Navedo not only delivers, she displays restraint and heartbreak that has contributed to this character quickly becoming my favorite on the show.

There are many reasons to watch Jane the Virgin including the authentic voices of the characters, the cultural respect given in decisions like having Jane's grandmother only speak Spanish and subtitling it for the audience and its humor. In fact, I recommend TVExamined's terrific breakdown of what makes this show worthy of a slot on your DVR. For me, Jane the Virgin signifies so much more. As a TV fangirl and a child who grew up looking for images that reflected myself this show honors my life experiences in a funny, honest way. It honors and values of the strength I grew up seeing each day in the matriarchs that make up my own family. It displays the very real self doubt and reflective blame I sometimes entertain as a single parent and most of all it honors the love, dignity and respect I have for my heritage, my family and the women who helped make me the person I am today. I am a proud Latina who doesn't fit into some simplified box. The women of Jane the Virgin reflect and celebrate that reality and complexity.

It's billed as a comedy, but like most stereotypes that doesn't reflect all the show has to offer. For me, it's simply must see TV.