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9 'Jane The Virgin' Episodes To Watch If You Missed All The Clues About The Narrator

by Marenah Dobin
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Originally Published: 
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Spoilers ahead for Jane The Virgin Season 5. There have been plenty of mysterious storylines throughout the run of Jane The Virgin, but one of the biggest of them all is not even about the stories themselves, but actually about who is telling them. All along, there have been clues about the Jane The Virgin narrator's identity. Nope, it wasn't a random person doing a voiceover. The narrator is someone who has been so integral to the story this whole time, even before he was born. Which yes, is a major hit.

Spoiler alert: in the second to last scene of the series finale, Anna, Elsa, and Mateo do a reading about love during Jane and Rafael's wedding ceremony. It was no surprise when the twins nailed their paragraphs, but Mateo struggled with reading in previous episodes.

Mateo triumphantly yelled out his part. This prompted Jane to comment, "Wow. You're using your big boy voice." Then, he shared, "I've been practicing with Great Glama. She said I would be great at voiceover work." Just then, the narrator remarked, "And, for the record, I am. But, I won't get ahead of myself." Yes, it has been Jane's son telling the story whole time, which is fitting since the foundation of the show revolves around Jane's accidental insemination, which brought Mateo into her life.

Looking back, it's pretty shocking to know that Jane's son is the one who has been narrating the ins and outs of her love life (and sex life). But, there were plenty of clues that he was the one who has been telling the story from the start. Here are some episodes to watch if you totally missed the clues.

Season 1, Ep. 19: An Awkward Pause

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After Rafael left a therapy session, the narrator remarked, "It should be noted that Rafael really thought he was doing the right thing — for Jane, for — their child." It would make sense if Mateo said "for me," but since he was telling the story from a third party's perspective, it makes more sense that he tripped up before referring to himself as "their child."

Season 1, Ep. 21: He Likes The Baby Gifts

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Before Mateo was born, Jane opened up some baby gifts. When she pulled out a duck towel, the narrator remarked, "OK. That is definitely cute. I do like ducks," low key confirming that the present was for him. Why would it matter if the narrator liked ducks unless he was the recipient of the gift?

Season 1, Ep. 22: His "Brother Or Sister"

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When Petra found out that Rafael's original sperm sample was actually split into two vials, she took the second one to inseminate herself. The narrator responded with "Oh, brother. Or sister!" That second sample did lead to Mateo's sisters, twins Elsa and Anna.

Season 2, Ep. 3: He Scolded Jane

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In a group session with other mothers, the instructor advises Jane, "Make sure to explain to Mateo what you are doing. I know it can seem a little silly, but that’s how language develops. Narrate everything." Then the narrator interjected with "But don’t step on my toes, Jane. I’ve got a job to do."

Why would Jane be stepping on the narrator's toes if she narrates her own son's life? Because her son is a narrator! He basically gave away his identity right then and there.

Season 2, Ep. 20: He REALLY Loves His Mom

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For Jane's first Mother's Day, Rogelio made a video of everyone saying why she's such a great mom. Awkwardly, that was also Petra's first Mother's Day and she was not mentioned in the video. After Petra's twin sister Anezka says some nice words to compensate, the narrator remarks "While we are sharing about our moms, can I just say I have the greatest, bestest, most supportive mother ever."

The only moms people spoke about in that scene were Petra and Jane. For the narrator to mention something about "our moms," indicates that he had to be one of their children. Sure, it's possible that Petra could have had a son later in life, but at that moment, it's pretty clear he was talking about Jane.

Season 3, Ep. 7: He Knows All The Words

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While Jane and baby Mateo wait for Petra to meet them for lunch, she sings "Where is Petra? Where is Petra?" The narrator joins in with, "Oh, there she is. I see her," implying that he was in the scene.

Season 4, Ep. 3: He Speaks For Mateo

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When Jane put Mateo in timeout for referring to her then-boyfriend Adam as a "stupid fartface, the narrator reflected, "Honestly I thought it was funny, but Jane was pissed." Defending the remark in first person sure made it sound like it was the narrator who made the initial insult.

Season 4, Ep. 14: He Has STRONG Opinions

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When Jane told Mateo that Xo had cancer, that narrator commented "Oh, I hate this part so much." In that moment, it didn't seem like an obvious hint that Mateo was telling this story. Still, knowing that he is, it makes sense that he would admit that he "hates this part."

Season 5, Ep. 10: He Admits To Losing Focus

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At the beginning of this episode the narrator gets confused and admits "Sorry, I lost focus for a second. Juggling a lot of things." Later, Mateo is diagnosed with ADHD, a disorder that affects the ability to focus.

Of course, Mateo does overcome his struggles to focus, killing it with the reading at his parents' wedding, and, ultimately, getting into voiceover work, narrating his mother's life story... and subtly hinting at that as he went along.

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