Jane The Virgin: Here's everything that's happened in the telenovela so far
Before season five is released!
Last updated 28th Mar 2019
Fans of Jane The Virgin are both ecstatic and distraught over the upcoming fifth and final season of the show. Ecstatic, of course, because it means Jane The Virgin fans will finally get to find out what's going on after that stupendous cliffhanger they dropped on us at the end of the last season. Distraught, because it means that after this season, that's the end of the show. SOB.
Ahead of the upcoming season, which is due to premiere in the UK on 28th March when it becomes available to stream on Netflix, we thought we'd make a little round-up of everything that's happened in the telenovela so far. BEWARE: massive spoilers ahead.
Jane The Virgin: Season one recap
We're introduced to Jane (a virgin) who is accidentally artificially inseminated with her boss' sperm - Rafael Solano - by none other than his sister, Dr. Luisa Alver. As he had cancer, he's unable to have more children, and we're told that Jane and Rafael actually met five years earlier and even shared a kiss, which causes upset between Jane and her long-term boyfriend, Michael Cordero, a police detective.
Rafael splits from his wife Petra Solano, whose mother Magda has been causing drama of her own - taking someone hostage and nearly killing Jane's abuela Alba by pushing her down the stairs. This throws up questions about Alba's US legality, and she applies for and successful receives her green card!
Jane also discovers that her biological father is none other than telenovela star, Rogelio de la Vega, and he and Jane's mum Xiomara get back together - but things don't exactly work out, especially after they realise they got drunkenly married in Vegas.
Essentially, murders begin to happen and it's crime lord Sin Rostro who has blood on their hands, eventually revealed to be Rafael's stepmother, Rose Solano. Jane and Michael break up due to her increasing (and mutual) attraction to Rafael, who also leaves his wife and the pair begin a relationship.
Things don't work out thanks to Rafael's family pressures, but Jane, Michael and Rafael are all caught up in a love triangle by the time Jane gives birth to a little boy name Mateo after her late grandfather. Baby Mateo is stolen by Rose/Sin Rostro in the season finale.
Jane The Virgin: Season two recap
Thankfully, Michael is able to get Mateo back, in return for a vital piece of information. Petra, Rafael's ex-wife, discovers that there was another of his sperm samples discovered, and decides to artificially inseminate herself when she thinks there might be a chance for her and Rafael.
She gives birth to twins with Jane by her side, but doesn't bond with them immediately, and when Jane chooses to be with Michael after briefly dating her thesis advisor Jonathan Chavez, Rafael considers reuniting with Petra - but he can't get rid of his feelings for Jane, and so keeps his distance from Petra too.
He discovers a brother he never knew he had, Derek, and works with the police to discover whether he's working with their mother, the crime boss Mutter. Turns out he was, but then he ran away and handed his mother into the police.
Rafael wasn't the only one with a previously-unknown sibling - Petra's secret twin, Anezka, found her, and is discovered to be secretly working with their mother Magda from prison, and she poisons Petra so that she is paralysed and takes over her identity. In the season finale, Jane and Michael finally get married - and he is shot Susanna Barnett, who has secretly been Rose/Sin Rostro the whole time.
Jane The Virgin: Season three recap
The big question on everyone's lips was... Did Michael survive the shooting?! In one of the cruellest TV cliffhangers of all time (but not the worst Jane The Virgin cliffhanger... 👀), Michael was shot by Susanna Barnett, his partner, who had secretly been Rose the whole time.
Thankfully, Michael did survive - but not for long. After deciding that he would leave the police force to become a lawyer, Michael took the LSAT exam... But collapsed on the floor from a heart attack related to the shooting. The WORST.
After Michael passed away, the show jumped forward three years in the future, and we saw how Jane was coping with life as a single mum without him. When she was finally able to move on, Jane enjoyed a fling with Fabian, one of Rogelio's co-stars, but it did NOT end well.
Rogelio and Xiomara FINALLY stopped playing about and got married! Thank GOODNESS for that. Although Rafael and Petra had been getting close again, Jane won out yet again and the pair rekindled their romance.
Jane The Virgin: Season four recap
Ahead of season five airing in March, The CW have VERY kindly provided us with a recap of the last series to prepare us for what to expect in the upcoming episodes.
'Friends! Welcome back to Jane The Virgin… where surprises come at you fast and furious. This is a telenovela after all... Season Four saw our Jane falling back in love with her baby-by-accidental-insemination-daddy, Rafael. And she published her first book! Unfortunately, it didn’t exactly fly off the shelves, but Jane pushed on and had her biggest writing breakthrough yet, combining her grandmother’s story, her mother’s story, and her own into a multigenerational love story.
'And speaking of the Villaneuva women… our matriarch Alba had a huge year! She began dating again, became sexually liberated, became an American citizen (at last!), and got married! And Xiomara certainly had a big year as well. At first, she found herself struggling to adjust to life as a married woman. But she and Rogelio worked through their issues. And then, just as Xo started to get her groove back, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
'After choosing to have a mastectomy, she started to go through chemo… which was tough. But she’s stayed strong, with her husband’s support… Which brings us to her husband, Rogelio. First, he had a baby (named “Baby”) with his ex-girlfriend Darci. And then he decided to become a stay-at-home Danny (Dad + Nanny = Danny). And that lasted a whole month!
'But alas, he found staying home with his baby Baby pretty difficult. And he couldn’t resist the siren call of the cameras when the network decided they wanted to remake “The Passions of Santos” for American TV. Can you blame him? That’s been his dream forever! Unfortunately, that remake came with strings; it had to costar his latest, fiercest nemesis, River Fields.
'Which finally brings us to... Petra, who was accused of murder! Again! But Petra denied it and hired a lawyer named Jane Ramos aka JR. And then, she and JR fell in love! And when Petra’s life was threatened, JR ran to her rescue, and wrestled the gun away from her would be attacker.
'But oh no! The gun went off! Leaving us with the classic cliffhanger – “Who did JR shoot”? And speaking of cliffhangers, remember when Jane walked into Rafael’s apartment and saw her dead husband Michael standing there? Well, I did say surprises come at you fast and furious around here.'
Need a refresher on who's who in Jane The Virgin? Here's the cast...
Gina Rodriguez as Jane Gloriana Villanueva
Gina Rodriguez plays the protagonist Jane Gloriana Villanueva. The virgin who accidentally becomes pregnant thanks to a medical mistake would never have become such a beloved character if it wasn't for Gina's performance in the series. Aged 10 Jane is played by Jenna Ortega.
Gina is a 34-year-old American actress born to Puerto Rican parents, and won a Golden Globe award for her performance as Jane in 2015. After a guest role in Law & Order, Gina starred in 2016 Hollywood blockbuster Deepwater Horizon and voiced Una in animated film Ferdinand.
She had a starring role in sci-fi thriller Annihilation as Anya Thorensen opposite Natalie Portman in 2018 and had a guest role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Gina is also set to appear in 2019 film Miss Bala as main role Gloria Fuentes, and the cast and crew of the film is reportedly made up of 95% of Latino heritage.
Andrea Navedo as Xiomara Gloriana Villanueva
Andrea Navedo portrays Jane's mum Xiomara 'Xo' in the series, and is a huge influence on her daughter, whom she's very close to. Her relationship with Jane's father Rogelio de la Vega is also a huge part of the show's plot - they eventually get married. Her character also went through breast cancer, a performance for which Andrea received huge acclaim.
The American actress, who is a second-generation New York Puerto Rican, had a recurring role on Law & Order between 2001 and 2004 and also starred in 2017 Netflix film Bright alongside Will Smith as Captain Perez.
Ivonne Coll as Alba Gloriana Villanueva
Ivonne Coll is a Puerto Rican icon, and plays Jane's grandmother (abuela) in the show, Alba Gloriana Villanueva. Ivonne herself is fluent in both Spanish and English, but her character Alba only speaks in Spanish, although she is able to understand English.
Having won the title of Miss Puerto Rico in 1967, she went on to become an actress, starring in her own show Una chica llamada Ivonne Coll (A girl named Ivonne Coll) for four years and also in The Godfather Part II. She appeared in Veronica Mars for one episode, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Heroes and Glee as Alma Lopez.
Justin Baldoni as Rafael Solano
American actor Justin Baldoni plays devastatingly handsome hotel owner Rafael Solano in Jane The Virgin, the biological father of Jane's son Mateo. He was born in California to parents with Jewish and Italian ancestry, and follows the Bahá'í Faith.
He appeared in one episode of the original Charmed TV series, CSI: Miami and Heroes. Justin also developed a male talk show, Man Enough, which encouraged men to open up about masculinity in the modern age. He said, "I wanted to take a dive into what it really means to be a man, and this question of 'do we have it right?'"
Brett Dier as Michael Cordero Jr.
Canadian actor Brett Dier portrayed Jane's boyfriend, and later husband, Michael Cordero Jr. on the show until his untimely death in season three. However, at the end of season four, Brett returned to the show as Michael.
Brett has appeared in many films and TV movies, and has had small parts in TV series Smallville, Pretty Little Liars and Schooled.
Yael Grobglas as Petra Solano / Anezka
Yael Grobglas is an Israeli actress who plays both Petra Solano and her twin sister Anezka in the series. Initially starting out as something of a villain, Petra and Jane became close friends by the end of season four.
Having starred in many Israeli TV shows and films, Yael has also starred in Reign as Olivia D'Amencourt, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as Trina and Supergirl as Gayle Marsh / Psi. She also had a cameo on Hell's Kitchen as a diner, and appeared in the music video for 'Say You Like Me' by We the Kings.
Jaime Camil as Rogelio de la Vega
Jaime Camil portrays Rogelio de la Vega - a famous telenovela star who turns out to be Jane's biological father and Xiomara's high school sweetheart. The Brazilian-Mexican actor has been nominated twice for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Having starred in many telenovelas and Spanish-speaking films, Jaime had a starring voice role in Disney's 2017 Coco about La Día de Muertos (the Day of the Dead), and also Hotel Transylvania 3. He also had a role in the rebooted version of Charmed.
Elias Janssen as Mateo Gloriano Rogelio Solano Villanueva
Elias has starred as Jane and Rafael's son Mateo since season four, having previously starred in The Mindy Project as Leo and in Lethal Weapon.
Anthony Mendez as the Narrator
Anthony Mendez is a bilingual voice actor, having worked on Disney TV Series Elena of Avalor as well as other small roles.
Yara Martinez as Dr. Luisa Alver
Yara Martinez is a Cuban-American actress, born in Puerto Rico and raised in Miami. She is the grandniece of prima ballerina Alicia Alonso. Yara plays Rafael's sister, Dr. Luisa Alver, and is responsible for accidentally artificially inseminating Jane with her brother's last sperm sample - or so they thought.
Having previously acted on ER, CSI: NY and Law & Order: LA, she landed a role as a series regular on Hollywood Heights as Kelly in 2012, and also had a small role in Nashville, Criminal Minds and Hawaii Five-0. She also has a recurring role on True Detective as Felicia and played Amber Rivas on This Is Us.
Bridget Regan as Rose Solano / Sin Rostro
Bridget Regan plays Rose Solano/Sin Rostro on Jane The Virgin. Her character is a former lawyer, lover of Luisa Alver and widow and murderer of her father, Emilio Solano.
Bridget has had small roles in films Sex and the City, John Wick and The Best and the Brightest. She has enjoyed success in TV series, including roles in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Sons of Anarchy, The Good Wife and Grey's Anatomy.
Brooke Shields as River Fields
Brooke Shields plays River Fields on the show - and although fans initially thought she would only have a small role on the show after her feud with Rogelio over Postpartum Depression (something Brooke is an advocate for in real life), she's now become a recurring guest on the show as her character has signed up to star in Rogelio's new telenovela.
Brooke has enjoyed an incredible acting and modelling career, starting out when she was just 12 and having various roles in many TV series like Friends, That '70s Show, Nip/Tuck, Two and a Half Men and The Middle.
Diane Guerrero as Lina Santillan
Diane Guerrero is from New Jersey and has Colombian parents, and plays Jane's best friend Lina in the series. Although she isn't always present in the series, her and Jane's friendship is always strong.
Fans of Orange Is the New Black will recognise Diane as con artist Maritza Ramos, who left the series in 2017 when her character was transferred to another prison.
Priscilla Barnes as Magda Andel
Priscilla Barnes plays the scheming and murderous mother of Petra and Anezka on Jane The Virgin. Having faked being confined to a wheelchair, the full extent of Magda's actions is uncovered at the end of season one when she almost kills Alba by pushing her down the stairs.
She has enjoyed a long career in TV and film, having had small roles in Starsky & Hutch, Murder, She Wrote and The Rockford Files.
Adam Rodriguez as Jonathan Chavez
Puerto Rican and Cuban-American actor Adam Rodriguez portrays Jane's teacher Jonathan Chavez who she has a brief relationship with. She later discovers that he has had romantic relationships with many of his students.
Adam starred in Magic Mike and its sequel Magic Mike XXL as Tito, and had a voice role in Incredibles 2. He has also appeared in many TV series, such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami as Eric Delko and Ugly Betty as Bobby Talercio. He also had a recurring role on Empire as Laz Delgado and now stars on Criminal Minds as Luke Alvez.
Shelly Bhalla as Krishna
Shelly Bhalla plays Petra's assistant Krishna in Jane The Virgin. Despite her bad treatment, she is loyal to Petra until it is discovered that she's been blackmailing her, and it's later revealed that she was being blackmailed herself. Shelly has also appeared in General Hospital, 2 Broke Girls, American Crime Story.
Rosario Dawson as Jane Ramos
Rosario Dawson has starred on Jane The Virgin as Jane Ramos since season four, appearing as Petra's lawyer after she's accused of murdering her sister Anezka, and, later, becomes her lover.
After starring in 2001 film Josie and the Pussycats as Valerie Brown, Rosario went on to star opposite Will Smith in Men In Black II as Laura Vasquez. She also had roles in Seven Pounds, Sin City and its sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. She also voiced Barbara Gordon / Batgirl in The Lego Batman Movie, and starred in series Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders as Claire Temple.
Ricardo Chavira as Bruce
Although Bruce was mentioned in seasons one and two as Xiomara's married love interest, we weren't introduced to him until season three, played by Desperate Housewives star Ricardo Chavira.
Aside from his role as Carlos Solis, husband of Eva Longoria Bastón's character Gabrielle Solis, Ricardo has had roles on Six Feet Under, Joan of Arcadia, Scandal and Santa Clarita Diet.
Justina Machado as Darci Factor
Justina Machado has played matchmaker Darci Factor on the series since season three, becoming a love interest of Rogelio and having a baby by him after they end their relationship, who they name Baby Michaelina de la Vega Factor.
She is well known for her role on Jane, as well as playing Vanessa Diaz on HBO's Six Feet Under, Brenda on Queen of the South and Penelope Alvarez on Netflix series One Day at a Time. She has also had small roles in films A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Final Destination 2 and The Accidental Husband, as well as a prolific TV career including shows Six Feet Under, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, ER, Desperate Housewives and Private Practice.
Tyler Posey as Adam Alvaro
Musician and actor Tyler Posey plays Jane's former flame, Adam Alvaro, who later comes out as bisexual in the series. He's the first serious relationship that Jane has after Michael's death, and they later split because Jane realises her feelings for Rafael.
Tyler is best known for his role as Scott McCall on MTV's Teen Wolf, and also played Lennifer Lopez's son in Maid in Manhattan. He has also had roles in Smallville, Brothers & Sisters and Elena of Avalor. He is also in pop punk band PVMNTS.
Luckily for fans of the show, we don't have to wait long at ALL to watch Jane The Virgin's fifth and final season (sob). Here's everything we know so far about Jane The Virgin season five...
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