‘Virgin River’: Mel’s Baby Was Originally Going to Be Her Late Husband’s Child
Virgin River Season 4 was intense. After learning about Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) pregnancy, she and Jack (Martin Henderson) were waiting to learn who the biological father of the unborn baby was. As we know, Mel didn’t know if the baby was Jack’s or her late husband Mark’s (Daniel Gillies).
Though things worked out for our favorite Virgin River couple, originally, the baby was supposed to be Mark’s.
‘Virgin River’ fans will learn who fathered Charmaine’s twins in season 5
At the end of season 4, a distraught Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) revealed that Jack is not the father of her unborn twins. Now the audience is left to question who may be the father. There are theories swirling around, but we will all find out when Virgin River Season 5 debuts next year.
“I was told who it was supposed to be in the writer’s minds, but I haven’t seen it written. One thing I know around here is you can’t count your chickens until they’re hatched in terms of plot lines,” Henderson told Glamour. “Because there’s this sense that it could be who you think, but then what’s the more shocking choice? I don’t know where they’ve landed on that, but the one I heard is really, really good. It’s juicy.”
Mark was going to originally be the father of Mel’s baby
At the end of Virgin River Season 3, Jack was stunned when Mel revealed her pregnancy telling him she wasn’t sure if he was the father. As we know, amid their brief breakup, Mel visited LA and went through a round of IVF using an embryo she’d created with her ex-husband. Initially, the writers had decided the baby would be Mark’s.
Henderson says he was taken aback by the choice. “I think I made the assumption that it will be Jack’s,” he told Glamour. “And as we went on, we got wind that actually, no, they were going to make that baby Mark’s. I didn’t love that idea personally, either. But look, I think as a writer, you’ve got to walk this tightrope between giving the fans what they want because that’s what they’re there for.”
Thankfully, Jack and Mel got their happily ever after in the end.
Jack was originally going to be the father of Charmaine’s twins in ‘Virgin River’
In Robyn Carr’s Virgin River books, Charmaine is barely mentioned. Readers learn quickly that she gets pregnant by an acquaintance of Jack’s. However, the writers on the Netflix show don’t often follow the books. Therefore, as they began to plot season 4, they were initially going to make Jack the father of Charmaine’s twins.
However, from the beginning, Breckenridge advocated against it. “I was also like, ‘I think Charmaine having [Jack’s] kids is absolutely bananas as well,’” she told Glamour. “I got my wishes at the end of the season, because that wasn’t really the plan for a minute. I think they were planning to have them go the other direction. I was like, ‘You’re all insane!’”
The actor was so adamant about this not happening that she began writing emails to Netflix. “I don’t know if I made that happen, but I was definitely the squeaky wheel about it,” Breckenridge says. “Every chance I got, I was like, ‘Are you sure we want to do this? I don’t know if it’s the right direction.’”
Thankfully, she was heard.
