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Arts
Monday, April 1, 2019 — 5A
It seems a shame that I should encounter
“Jane the Virgin” in all its quirky, ambitious,
pastel-coated glory and be made horribly,
unspeakably angry. But that’s how the show’s
last seven or so episodes have left me feeling.
Not through any fault of their own — “Jane the
Virgin” is the same formally interesting gem it
has always been: sweet but caustic, a great lofty
experiment in how many things a character can
be and feel and say
at
once.
What
makes me mad is
not how much the
show is giving us,
but how little it is
getting in return.
There
are
subreddits of men
who have devoted
their
lives
to
close reading the,
oh I don’t know,
four-hour,
seven-
minute
mark
of
the fifth episode
of “Westworld,” a show so prestige-desperate
and enamored of its own muddy mythology that
it forgot to be even nominally watchable. Alec
Baldwin — yes, Alec Baldwin — won an Emmy
last year for his Donald Trump portrayal on
“Saturday Night Live” because, hey, it’s Alec
Baldwin, and he’s in an oversized suit and a silly
wig and isn’t it nice when political commentary
is actually neither political nor commentary but
instead some sort of feckless lookalike contest?
With contemporaries like these, how could
one not be angered by “Jane the Virgin”’s
perennial Emmy snubbing? The show’s only two
nominations have been for its terrific narrator,
Anthony Mendez (who lost both times to PBS
documentaries). There are a few likely reasons
for this failure. First, of course, the show is
unmistakably feminine. Jane Villanueva (Gina
Rodriguez, “Carmen Sandiego”), the ebullient
dreamer at the heart of it all, wears sundresses
and writes romance novels and gabs with her
mom and abuela. The show itself is both a love
letter to and a subversion of the telenovela,
an ostensibly feminine form. It also boasts a
majority-minority cast. On “Jane the Virgin,”
Latinx persons are not merely included, they’re
centered. And perhaps the ultimate nail in the
awards coffin — it’s on The CW, which is more
a running joke than it is a television network.
If the agreed upon formula for acclaim is to
tell a story of the angst of men and to do it on
an angsty network for angsty men, “Jane the
Virgin” is probably not winning anything any
time soon.
Or at least, this is what I had resigned
myself to thinking. But then the fifth and final
season premiered, and you know what? This
time, I think they can do it. Gina Rodriguez
delivers a one-shot, seven-minute monologue so
disarming, so stunning and so conspicuous that
it’s inconceivable that something this good could
just slip under the Academy’s radar. If it does go
unnoticed? Move to Neptune, become a cord-
cutter, burn everything down, nothing matters.
The monologue in question is Jane’s loopy,
anguished response to (big spoiler!) the
reappearance of her presumed-dead husband,
Michael (Brett Dier, “Bomb Girls”). Following
his death in the
third season, Jane
has
spent
four
years grieving and
figuring out how
to move on from
tragedy with grace,
professionally,
personally
and
romantically.
It
seemed,
toward
the
end
of
the
fourth season, that
everything
was
falling into place
for
Jane.
She’d
had an epic breakthrough in writing her novel.
Her mother, Xiomara (Andrea Navedo, “Law &
Order”), had weathered cancer. Rafael (Justin
Baldoni, “Everwood”), the father of her son, was
planning to propose. In hindsight, it was only
natural that the show would throw a wrench
into all of that. And, oh, what a wrench.
Michael has been very much alive this whole
time, his “death” orchestrated by the nefarious
crime lord Sin Rostro (Bridget Regan, “The
Last Ship”). But wait, there’s more! “Jane the
Virgin” has checked off the final telenovela
trope box by afflicting him with amnesia; he
has no recollection of his previous life, and most
distressingly, no recollection of Jane. He now
goes by Jason, calls Jane “Ma’am” in a slow,
unaffected drawl (much to Jane’s consternation)
and is without his once-signature sense of
humor.
“Jane the Virgin,” as its title cheekily hints,
has always been about labels and living within
the confines of those labels. At different points
in her life, we’ve seen Jane struggle with what
it means to be a mother, a virgin, a writer, a wife
and now a widow. The real agony of Michael’s
return lies in the very fragile peace Jane has
made with her life since his death. If Michael’s
memory comes back (which seems like it will be
the case), where will that leave Jane? Or Jane
and Rafael? Or Jane and Michael? What the
show’s exciting challenge will be now — one it
will surely pull off with aplomb — is to take the
wacky situation it has engineered and to imbue
it with the lived-in authenticity that makes
“Jane the Virgin” truly special.
‘Jane’ deserves an Emmy
TV REVIEW
“The Old Drift” by Namwali Serpell is based on the
tried and true concept of a cast of seemingly unrelated
characters that, at some point in time, encounter
each other in varying
degrees
of
intimacy.
In spite of this lack of
ingenuity,
“The
Old
Drift” still manages to
capture readers with its
colorful depiction of life
in Zambia, through the
eyes of three different
families spanning over a
century of history.
The story begins with a colonial explorer, Percy
Clark, in Africa, stomping through the wild the way
only a rich white man in the 1890s could do. Serpell
uses Percy’s life as a way of establishing the cultural
background for the story, as well as highlighting the
racial tensions that are expected from any kind of
conquest-minded history.
“The Old Drift” strikes a difficult balance — race is
obviously an important part of anyone’s identity and
often shapes characters and readers alike, but it should
not be the defining characteristic of any one person.
In the race for diversity, we too often see authors
reinventing their characters as an afterthought in order
to appeal to a “broader” audience. Yet, even though the
consequences of race are prominent throughout “The
Old Drift,” Serpell creates characters whose existence
doesn’t hinge solely upon their racial struggles.
Though “The Old Drift” retains a heavily
heteronormative group of characters, Serpell deftly
explores a variety of family dynamics. The benefit of
following the same three families over a vast number of
decades is that we can see how a marriage changes and
evolves over time: Agnes and Ronald lose their passion,
Matha’s parents are separated by political beliefs and
Sibilla loses sight of the Frederico she once knew. It’s
a cynical depiction of love — each couple is plagued by
doubts and hardships, making it some small wonder
any of them manage
to stay together as
their love dwindles. As
someone who is heavily
invested in YA novels
and happy endings, I
found
each
couple’s
successive downfall a
little depressing.
That
twinge
of
sadness on the edge of each story, whether a lost dream
or broken couple, helps Serpell suspend “The Old
Drift” in a balanced world between sci-fi and historical
fiction. Many of the plot obstacles that arise are rooted
in Zambia’s political turmoil of the ’70s, showcasing
the lasting effects of dreams unfollowed. As the book
progresses, and more characters meet each other,
these repercussions are explored further with Serpell
dropping hints and consequences into each storyline.
“The Old Drift” doesn’t just stay in the past, though.
Serpell creates and explores a future that carries with
it many familiar worries, including climate change
(dubbed “The Change”) and excessive government
monitoring through technology. Her tactic is
interesting: Serpell has created a world in the early
2020s, a not-so-distant future that still manages to
be as foreign as if she were to set it 200 years into the
future. It’s a world poised just on the cusp of familiarity,
highlighting the disasters and leaders at the root of an
apocalyptic future, leaving the reader with a trace of
the nervous energy of what could be.
An ‘Old Drift’ for the ages
BOOK REVIEW
EMMA CHANG
Senior Arts Editor
The Old Drift
Namwali Serpell
Hogarth
Mar. 21, 2019
Jane the Virgin
The CW
Season Premiere
Wednesdays @ 9 p.m.
Classifieds
Call: #734-418-4115
Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com
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SERVICES
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By Jake Braun
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
04/01/19
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
04/01/19
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Monday, April 1, 2019
ACROSS
1 Half a fluid oz.
5 Ancient Peruvian
9 Jalopies
14 “I’m __ here!”:
“Adios!”
15 “North by
Northwest” actor
Grant
16 Grownup
17 Unpredictable leg
joint problem
19 Coffee sweetener
20 Be on the same
page
21 Butter square
23 Old AT&T rival
24 Camera largely
replaced by its
digital version, for
short
25 Beef named for
a bone
30 Golfer’s booking
32 Diplomatic accord
33 Ancient Icelandic
text
34 __ McMuffin
36 “The Deep”
director Peter
37 Sally, to Charlie
Brown
41 Poe’s one-word
bird
44 Stars are seen
in it
45 Bars on candy
bars, e.g.: Abbr.
49 Disparaging
word
52 “Let me say this
again ... ”
54 “Love, Simon”
co-star
56 Lawyer’s gp.
57 Inventor Whitney
58 $200 Monopoly
props.
59 Fable writer
61 Hooves-on-
cobblestone
sounds
64 Cry for today,
and a hint to the
starts of 17-,
25-, 37- and
54-Across
67 Lone Ranger’s
pal
68 Con job
69 Blend by melting
70 Actress Spacek
71 Locking device
72 Went really fast
DOWN
1 How food may be
salted
2 Broke into and
stole from
3 Mixed with a
spoon
4 Walk nervously
to and fro
5 “Eww!”
6 Indian bread
7 French pancake
8 “Yes, captain”
9 Is suffering from,
as a cold
10 College address
suffix
11 Make larger
12 Appease
13 Bowling x’s
18 “Felicity” star
Russell
22 Bowling pin count
26 Chatted with
online, briefly
27 Pleads
28 Lid inflammation
29 Rip to shreds
31 Opposite of giveth
35 USO show
audience
38 Broadcast with
greater image
resolution, as TV
shows
39 Fat-free milk
40 Spare in a Brit’s
boot
41 Turns down
42 Ill-fated
1967 moon
mission
43 “__ of sugar-
plums danced
in their heads”:
Moore
46 Green bowlful
47 Last train car
48 Attached using a
Swingline
50 U.K.’s continent
51 Defeat decisively
53 Airline to
Tel Aviv
55 Pet adoption org.
60 Letters before
gees
62 Halves of qts.
63 Tofu source
65 Dorm VIPs
66 Mischief-maker
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NOW.
MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN
Daily Arts Writer
I have been through biology labs,
physics labs, chemistry labs and several
neuroscience labs. Who could have
guessed that the lab to bewilder me
the most was none other than the
University of Michigan’s own JazzLab
Ensemble?
This past Thursday, the JazzLab
Ensemble
gathered
in
Rackham
Auditorium for a night of renditions of
classic jazz pieces directed by Dennis
Wilson. A total of 27 musicians filtered
on and off the stage between numbers
as the group swept between different
genres of jazz — from the slow lyrical
jazz of “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” to the
fast-paced moving jazz of “Flight to
Nassau.”
The conductor of JazzLab Ensemble
was energetic and engaged throughout
the entire show and seemed to be truly
enjoying himself leading the student
group. Wilson also kept the crowd
entertained in the dead air between
some of the pieces that involved
shuffling of positions and musicians
with backstories to some of the titles,
as well as some impromptu stand-up
comedy.
When SMTD senior Allison Taylor
started singing, my throat became dry
and my eyes began to water, as though
I had tasted something unbelievably
sweet beyond my gustatory capabilities.
Taylor sang Wilson’s own arrangement
of Victor Young’s “Stella by Starlight”
that left the audience breathless.
SMTD
student
Ben
Powell
performed the other vocal piece of the
set, “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me,” that made
me wonder if I was listening to Sinatra
himself. Powell’s vocal performance
came as somewhat of a surprise to
those who were not familiar with the
group, as Powell spent the first half of
the performance tucked behind the
piano, playing bass. Nonetheless, he
slinked out from his perch and blew the
crowd away, as he bellowed out notes
that mimicked the bass he was playing
just moments ago.
The group’s shining instruments
matched the almost metallic tune. The
golden pick-ups of Ian Thompson’s
hollow-body guitar gleamed in the dim
light of Rackham Auditorium.
The JazzLab jam session
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
ZACHARY M.S. WAARALA
Daily Arts Writer
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
Yesterday morning I was
sitting in the dining room
of my house, a co-op of
20-something
housemates
who are always coming in
and out. The conversations
we have are wonderfully
different every day. One of
my housemates sat near me as
I was working, and we got to
talking about music we loved,
and then poetry we loved,
and then Etheridge Knight. I
pushed my laptop across the
table and told him to read
“Feeling Fucked Up,” then sat
there and tried not to seem
too much like I was watching
him read it, which I was.
It’s hard not to feel this way
about any artistic work, or
any thing, that you really like,
and especially about Knight.
His is the kind of work that
doesn’t just dig under your
skin; it starts under there,
and it only burrows deeper,
past the heart and to the
spirit and the soul. Etheridge
Knight was a major poet of
the 20th century whose first
two
books,
“Poems
from
Prison” and “Black Voices
from
Prison,”
chronicled
the eight years Knight spent
incarcerated, the writing he
produced during that time
and the writings of his fellow
inmates.
I’ve written columns here
in the past about poets who
battled systems of oppression
and incarceration in order to
share their feelings and ideas
with the world, among them
Anna Akhmatova and Nguyen
Chí Thien. Both of these
writers
faced
oppressive
governments in their home
countries
(Vietnam
and
Russia,
respectively),
and
the former emigrated to the
United States later in his life.
It is interesting in somewhat
different ways to examine the
story of Knight, whose story
of oppression is distinctly
and troublingly American.
Knight
enlisted
in
the
U.S. army in 1947 when he
was only sixteen and served
for three years as a medical
technician in the Korean
War. This experience left
him
both
physically
and
psychologically traumatized,
his trauma leading to an
opiate addiction. A decade
later, in 1960, Knight was
arrested for armed robbery.
He would spend most of the
1960s — a socially, culturally
and artistically pivotal time
in America — in prison,
before his release in 1968.
That same year, he published
“Poems from Prison” and
married
Sonia
Sanchez,
another major literary figure
of the Black Arts Movement.
Knight’s
experiences
at
war, his drug addiction, his
time spent in prison — these
were
interlocking
issues,
issues that affected Knight
all throughout his life. Yet
what
truly
characterized
his life and his work was
his undying commitment to
feeling and truth. He was in
all respects a proponent of
passion,
whose
persistent
efforts to access human truth
and spirit through language
and poetry live on through
his literary work and the
effect he has had on other
writers.
His expertise in language
is impressive in its fluidity.
Knight’s work is constantly
shifting
in
terms
of
his
approaches
to
form,
structure, rhyme and other
crucial
poetic
elements.
Any avenue into his work
might offer a different first
impression,
all
more
or
less equally thrilling and
captivating.
There’s
the
lyricism and back-and-forth
structure of “At a VA Hospital
in the Middle of the United
States of America: An Act in
a Play,” which, like much of
Knight’s work, carries the
heavy implication of musical
influence. There’s the prose-
but-not-quite
storytelling
of “A Fable,” and the simple,
heart-rending
lament
of
“Cell Song,” which carries
within its four brief stanzas
a sense of tragedy particular
to Knight’s experience in
prison. What Knight’s rich
and varied array of creative
work has in common, it shares
with the poet himself: a
studious and brave attention
to the human experience,
impossible to divorce from
the deep natures of heart and
soul.
LAURA
DZUBAY
DAILY LITERATURE COLUMN
Etheridge Knight’s great
American poetry thrills