Jane the Virgin Takes a Devastating (and Genius) Turn

Jane the Virgin pulled off its most devastating twist yet when undetected side effects from Michael's (Brett Dier) gunshot wound caused him to collapse and die in Monday's episode.

Typical television programming predicts that major characters must die in season or mid-season finales (or if you're Game of Thrones, penultimate episodes).

[...] we've been told three separate times that Michael would love Jane until his dying breath: once in episode 10 of Season 1 and then twice since the Season 2 finale when he was shot.

[...] Michael failed the physical that would have allowed him to return to active duty on the police force.

The show has always managed an ebb and flow between genres, but the transition here will likely once again prove that Jane the Virgin is one of the most intelligent shows on television and one that can juggle belly-laugh inducing comedy and heart-wrenching drama with the same deft touch and sincerity.

The loss will shed a skin for the show even more than Jane finally having sex, but Jane the Virgin remains the most capable show in terms of reinventing itself in the face of major changes.

The death of Michael Cordero is a heartbreaking plot twist and we will miss him dearly, but the execution of this storyline and surely the episodes immediately after will help cement Jane the Virgin as a game-changing dramedy not only for the progressive CW, but for the TV landscape as a whole.