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| CW |
Michael was always destined to die. There are few certainties in the world of Jane the Virgin, but the writers gave plenty of warning that at some point, Michael would die. In fact the first foreshadowing of it came all the way back in season one, when the narrator said something to the effect of, "Michael would love Jane until his last breath." So when Michael collapsed because of a residual effect of the gunshot wound he sustained at the end of last season, it wasn't necessarily a surprise. The real surprise is where the show goes from here, now that it jumped three years ahead.
Killing a major character is always a gamble, especially one that character is such an essential part of the main character's life. That being said, this was the right move, and I'm glad show creator Jennie Urman was able to recognize that. Jane and Michael were as perfect a couple as you will find on TV, and that's the problem. Such a perfect couple left the show with very limited narrative room in which to navigate. Michael served the purpose of being the perfect partner to help Jane transition from girlhood to womanhood. Once she had made that transition though, Michael made very little narrative sense to the show.
Michael's purpose on the show has always been about servicing the needs of the plot, and more importantly Jane's story. When Jane's world was turned upside down by her pregnancy, Michael served the purpose of pushing her toward Rafael so she could explore the dramatic changes happening in her life. When Jane needed stability, Michael's flaws seemed to melt away and he became the obvious choice for Jane as a partner. Of all of the characters on the show, Michael often had the least developed stories, and what stories he did have were often some of the least interesting the show was telling. A lot of credit is due to Brett Dier for giving the character as much life on the show as he had.
The real question for Jane the Virgin, is what happens next. Creator, Jennie Urman, seems to have some sort of plan for Jane's overall story, and so far, she hasn't given us a reason not to trust that she knows what she is doing with this show. Obviously the show will need to give the audience some sort of closure about Michael's death, even though it has jumped three years ahead in time. Three years after Michael's death, Jane is probably going to have some sense of closure about it all, but reconciling that with the fact that many in the audience are still probably in a little bit of shock about it all, will be key to moving forward. A three year time jump might seem like a lot, but most of these characters were at a point where they were looking toward something in the future (Rafael going to jail, Petra bonding with Elsa and Anna, Xo moving out, and Rogelio doing a reality show) so if ever they were going to do a time jump like this, now seems like an appropriate time. It will be a difficult transition to navigate, but this show's writers have more than earned my trust by now.
