Since Jane the Virgin is based on the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen, you'd think that fans would see some of The CW show's twists coming. Yet, the American series has carved out its own path that diverges far from its inspiration and that makes predicting any plot points tricky. With showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman announcing that the narrator of Jane the Virgin will be revealed in the series finale during a For Your Emmy Consideration panel, I went back to the series' source to see if Juana la Virgen provided evidence of the most likely scenario — that Mateo is the narrator on Jane the Virgin. While that led me nowhere as there is no narrator on the Venezuelan telenovela (you can watch it on Hulu — but sadly, with no English subtitles), Jane the Virgin has given plenty of hints that the "Latin Lover Narrator" is actually Jane's son.
Although Urman had spoken before about the importance of the narrator in Jane the Virgin and how who he is would eventually be shown, her recent announcement makes it more official. And when Urman said the narrator's identity would be revealed in the final episode of Jane the Virgin at the For Your Consideration event on April 18, she also said, "There are so many clues already in the show" about who it could be. That implies the narrator is already a character that fans have been introduced to and considering the options for bilingual male characters on Jane the Virgin are pretty slim, Jane and Rafael's son Mateo seems to be the obvious — and perhaps, only — choice.
Now, while it certainly seems that Mateo is the narrator, the voiceover artist who provides the narration — Anthony Mendez — expertly explained why this fan theory doesn't make a ton of sense. Mendez told TVGuide.com in 2015:
"Here's my thing about that theory: As generations of Latinos in this country go on, they lose the accent. So unless he was abroad for awhile, that's going to be interesting. But it could happen. Either it's going to be one of two extremes: Either he's so tied into this that people will be like, 'Oh, my God!' or he's just the guy who hands out the parking valet tickets at the hotel."
The fact that Mateo can speak now after the three-year time jump and doesn't have the same accent as the narrator does put a major kink into the whole "Mateo is the narrator" theory. But, before you get too defeated, here are some other reasons why — despite the accent (maybe he's just channeling his grandfather Rogelio?) — Mateo could still be the narrator on Jane the Virgin.
The Narrator Adores Mateo
The narrator is always full of praise for Jane, but he's really into Mateo — and how damn cute he is. If Mateo ends up anything like his grandfather Rogelio, then speaking in third person about how adorable he was as a child seems totally in character.
Petra's Pregnancy
When Petra took Rafael's other sperm sample from the fertility clinic in the Season 1 finale, the narrator said, "Oh brother ... or sister!" Although it could just be a play on the interjection of "Oh brother!," Reddit user peace2speakforever thought that this line was an indication that Petra's child would actually be the sibling of the narrator. And as Petra ended up having twin girls, "Oh sister[s]," was definitely more accurate if Mateo is the narrator.
The Villanuevas Are Writers
With Jane writing about her own life in her novel, "Snow Falling," Mateo could grow up to follow in his mother's footsteps and write about his life one day. He does have quite a story to tell and as writer Kadia Blagrove theorized, "Mateo is the narrator of the story and this is a book that he wrote about his mother."
Justin Baldoni Thinks It's True
In its segment "Fan Theory Exploder," Rafael actor Justin Baldoni admitted to Rolling Stone that he had also thought that the narrator was Jane's son. While that doesn't make it true — especially since Baldoni said, "But they will not tell me if it's right" — it definitely should give fans some faith.
With the official knowledge that the narrator's identity will be revealed in the final episode ever of Jane the Virgin, I know that I'll be paying much more attention to exactly how the narrator speaks about Mateo from here on out. But let's hope that the identity of the narrator will remain a mystery for much longer since I'm in no way prepared for Jane the Virgin to come to an end anytime soon.
