Jane the Virgin? and other streaming rec's

[untonuggan]

At the risk of spamming everyone's feeds today (hi, I haz been posting a lot in lots of places!), I keep hearing that Jane the Virgin is good but I have no idea what it's about (in like a short non-spoilery way) or if there's any really obvious triggers I should know about (the first scene starts with someone being assaulted/murdered/mainsplained to).

So come at me -- should I add Jane the Virgin to my list of things I'm watching?

FWIW, current list of ongoing shows includes but is not limited to:

• Grimm
• Elementary (but have not seen current season yet because moniez)
• Lost Girl (but not current season yet because SyFy)
• Criminal Minds
• Broadchurch (which I just finished but cannot stop talking about)
• Last Tango in Halifax (which I watch except for when the family drama gets too much)
• Dr. Who (almost caught up, done with season 7)
• Torchwood
• White Collar (on the fence about this, just started)
• Grace and Frankie (love it!)
• Turn (my game is spotting anachronisms, but I'm getting to the end of the season so I've paused before the inevitable cliffhanger)
• Marvel's Agents of Shield
• Marvel's Agent Carter
• Haven (have not seen latest season for reasons)
• Foyle's War
• The Fall
• Orphan Black (only seen first season because of paywall)

Netflix keeps being all: Here are more mystery shows! and I'm like, "No I'm overloaded on mystery shows!" or it's like, "Here are sci-fi/fantasy shows full of white dudes!" and I'm like, "No I think I'm good with those, got any starring women or POC or with disabilities or anything?" So, yeah, if you can rec me some things like that or like period stuff is something I will watch even if there are problems (like the new Upstairs, Downstairs and also Downton Abbey I watch even though I am mentally picking them apart, because reasons)'.

I also haven't watched much anime on Netflix, partly because it all seems to be dubbed (?), and also I haven't really explored the options much. I am kind of an obligatory but devoted Studio Ghibli fan, though I prefer Takahata to Miyazaki. I also love love love The Vision of Escaflowne and They Were Eleven, just to give you a quick sampling of my taste. My favorite Ghibli film is probably Pom Poko, followed closely by My Neighbors the Yamadas.

Comments

[jadelennox]

YES YES YES YES YES


Okay, so. There's some murder but it's played a little cartoonishly. Like you see a guy with a knife in his chest, but it looks staged and theatre-y.

You end up liking almost everyone, even the bad guys. It's heartwarming and loving. It's about a three-generation Latina family living together and they love each other, but it's never treacley. It somehow manages to address themes of Catholicism and abstinence and pre-marital sex without offending or annoying anybody. The grandmother is undocumented and the show is not pulling punches about what that means to the family.

The premise: it's a comedy telenovela, based loosely on a Spanish-language telenovela of the same name. Jane is dating a white cop and waiting for sex until marriage, but one day she goes in for a pap and -- for ridiculous telenovela reasons -- she gets artificially inseminated with the sperm of rich hotel scion Rafael. Hijinks ensue.

I suppose the treatments of disability and mental illness are not ideal, but they aren't in-you-face upsetting. The show is rife with female agency and great female characters. There's only three major male recurring characters.

Also, Rogelio and the Narrator are both amazing.

[lynnoconnacht]

To add a little to this: all the bilingualism. <3 So much bilingualism. You know how many (if not most) treat bilingualism as... something that only shows up for plot or narrative reasons? As flavouring?

From what I've seen, "Jane the Virgin" doesn't do that. It treats the language switching like something as natural to the characters as breathing and it is seriously one of my favourite things about what I've seen from te show.

(Beyond that, to the extent that I've seen the show, I also agree with this comment wholeheartedly. I'm sad I failed to keep up with it.)

[st_aurafina]

Rogelio gives me life!!