When Michael Cordero collapsed to the ground during Jane The Virgin's shocker of a "Chapter Fifty-Four," I swear I could hears millions of hearts simultaneously break. Last Monday's episode ended with a death and a time jump that will change the sunny telenovela forever. Jane's husband Michael died on Jane The Virgin, and actor Brett Dier appears to be leaving the show for good, according to the farewells on his social media. This is a blow to every fan who cherished Michael's dorky sweetness and the couple's one-of-a-kind love story. But wait a minute: this is a show that features a face-changing criminal mastermind, an evil twin, and a mystically omniscient narrator. Surely death doesn't have to be the end for Jane's ex-cop. I'm not ready to accept that he's gone, so I came up with six ways that Michael could return on Jane The Virgin.
What really hurt about Michael's death was how ordinary it was. Jane The Virgin is TV's perfect marriage of soap opera salaciousness and relatable family comedy. The officer on the phone tells Jane that Michael was felled because of the gunshot wound he suffered at the end of last season, but the event itself happened in mundane circumstances — the most mundane, maybe. He was taking a standardized test.
So though I'm by no means convinced that Jane The Virgin will resurrect Michael, I think this hero deserves a little more fanfare than his death entailed. So here are my dream "Michael lives!" scenarios:
1. He Counsels Jane As Ghost Michael
It wouldn't do any good for fans trying to get over Michael, but Jane The Virgin could utilize that ghostly vision trope to portray Jane's grief.
2. Another Secret Twin?
Perhaps Petra's twin Anezka isn't the only sibling doppelgänger who's out there. Though, it would be really cruel to replace Michael with an identical substitute who doesn't have his kind spirit and roster of celebrity impressions.
3. All The Flashbacks
This is probably the most likely scenario. The show does love its flashbacks. Since Michael and Jane were in a committed relationship when Jane The Virgin started, there's much of that courtship that could still be recreated. They've done the first kiss and the first date, but what about the first time they watched Star Wars together? Or the first time they learned about each other's favorite pizza toppings? In hindsight, it's all important.
4. He Faked His Own Death For...Reasons
The Michael Cordero I know wouldn't put Jane and Mateo through a trial like this unless he absolutely had to. But I can't think of any circumstances so dire that they would warrant a faux death as a last resort. Next.
5. All Of This Has Been Jane's Dream
Dream sequences aren't unheard of in Jane The Virgin. But what if the entire show — including Michael's shooting and later death — are all happening in Jane's head while she takes a really long nap?
6. Actual Magic
The series has sidled up next to the supernatural without ever really going there. But Jane The Virgin's Miami seems like a fantasy world sometimes. Maybe there's a kindly sorceress somewhere who can rewind time and make Michael defer the LSATs to go see a doctor, for heaven's sake.
There may be some separation anxiety going on here. Michael is one of the characters who makes Jane The Virgin such a special show, and it's just too hard to let him go.
