Virgin River: 5 good reasons to start the Netflix series

Since its launch in December 2019, Virgin River has established itself as one of Netflix’s essential titles, popular with lovers of romantic series. They let themselves be carried away by the story of Mel, this friendly nurse who arrived in the small town of Virgin River for a change of scenery after a trauma, and fell in love, both with the town in question and with the owner of the local bar, Jack. Carried by Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson, the series already has five seasons under its belt and its future is already assured since Netflix has renewed it for a sixth round of episodes. The streaming platform is clearly banking on this brand to reach its female audience; proof, this year it will offer two special Christmas episodes for the first time, a must for a romantic series. But if you’ve never seen Virgin River and if you are not sure that the series is for you, don’t panic, Télé-Loisirs offers you five good reasons to start this fiction, which is easily catchable.

A model and adorable couple

It’s a bit of an essential part of any self-respecting romantic series, right? A main couple that we believe in and that we want to support 100%! This is the case for Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson). These two are made for each other, the writers made it clear to us from the first exchange of glances, over the bar counter, in episode 1, around a glass of whiskey. And although they have done everything to try to separate them since then (a friend rents again, yes Charmaine, it’s you we’re talking about…, difficult dramas for Mel to overcome…), nothing has worked. Mel and Jack are solid, through the storms, the bullets, the resentful drug dealers, the post-traumatic stress, the hand a little too heavy on the bottle or the fires. They are always there to help lift each other up. A couple who never disappoints us, a bit like Claire and Jamie Fraser in Outlander. But if it rather focused on sex scenes to entice its audience, Virgin River shows herself to be more prudish and wiser, very gently.

An advertisement for Canada

If the history of Virgin River takes place in California, the series is filmed in Canada. And we challenge you not to fall completely crazy for its landscapes. From the first season, you will want, like Mel, to book a one-way ticket to this magnificent region, to breathe the pure air of its forests and its river. Like Mel, we would like to go jogging there (since we are in a fiction, we can dream that we have taken up sport this fall…), and let ourselves be inhabited by this sublime decor to find a little bit of serenity when the tumult of life becomes too pressing.

A mix of drama and good feelings

If you like romantic series but fear the overflow of good feelings, Virgin River has a knack for balancing his intrigues. It therefore mixes many dramas with romance, and even police intrigues. For two seasons, Jack wonders who shot him one night as he was closing the bar. As for the drug trafficking that reigns in the region, this common thread present since the beginning of the series only intensifies to reach its climax in season 5. Enough to counterbalance other more negative aspects of the series , which is certainly not very focused on consistency and plausibility in particular…

Parenthood at the heart of the series

Motherhood and the desire to have children are at the heart of the stories of Virgin River, and not just through Mel. The young woman has always dreamed of becoming a mother and encounters numerous disillusionments, but other characters are also affected by the subject. Jack, too, will be confronted with these questions several times throughout the series, as will other characters. So much so that one might wonder if the creators would not have done better to rename the series Virgin Mother Or Mother River.

Interesting secondary characters

You will have understood, Mel and Jack of course represent the heart and soul of the series Virgin River but many secondary characters are developed and with some talent. Even the ones that were annoying at first eventually became endearing. The other skill of the screenwriters is to have been able to represent all age groups on screen, also with teenage characters and seniors, with the couple of Doc and Hope. Enough to develop other themes, which increase in power as the series progresses.

Netflix will release part 2 of season 5 of Virgin River. It is made up of the two special Christmas episodes. The series has also been renewed for a season 6, filming of which has not yet started due to the writers’ and actors’ strike which is paralyzing Hollywood.