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Netflix’s Virgin River is one of the most beloved shows on the streaming service. Based on the romance novels by Robyn Carr, the series chronicles the life of Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), who moves to Virgin River for a fresh start. Upon her arrival, Mel finds herself falling for Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a former Marine and the town’s bar owner.

However, their romance is not without its drama. From the impending arrival of Jack’s unborn twins to a fire and a shooting, things have been challenging. It also appears that one man Detective Mike Valenzuela (Marco Grazzini) may be at the center of it all.

Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady and Marco Grazzini as Detective Mike Valenzuela sitting at an interrogation table in ‘Virgin River’
Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady and Marco Grazzini as Detective Mike Valenzuela in ‘Virgin River’ | Netflix

Who is Mike on ‘Virgin River’?

Mike is a former Marine who toured with both Jack and Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) in Afghanistan. He comes to Virgin River as a favor to Jack in an effort to investigate drug kingpin Calvin (David Cubitt), but something about him isn’t quite right.

He seems to be obsessed with Jack’s sister Brie (Zibby Allen) though she’s rejected his advances. Moreover, he appeared to have a bit of a hot temper, especially where Jack is concerned.

In fact, many Virgin River fans don’t believe he’s who he seems.

Did Mike frame Brady for shooting Jack?

Though Mike appears to have a great relationship with Jack, he has had major animosity toward Brady since their last tour in Afghanistan. It also seems that Brady is aware of some sort of dark secret that Mike has that could tarnish his reputation.

Though Brady and Jack haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye, fans never believe that the younger Marine would shoot the bar owner. In fact, they believe that Mike framed him somehow. Fans also noticed that Mike was gloating to Brie (Zibby Allen) when he was arresting Brady.

“Brie, if you wanna stick around, it’s your call,” he said gleefully. “But if you want my opinion, you’re wasting your time. You could do a whole lot better.” Virgin River showrunner Sue Renney has revealed that fans will know the truth about who shot Jack at the end of season 4. “The audience will be genuinely surprised at who’s behind all of it,” she told TV Insider.

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‘Virgin River’: Jack Might Not Be the Father of Charmaine’s Babies

Is Mike the real father of Charmaine’s unborn twins on ‘Virgin River’?

In addition to possibly setting up Brady to take the fall for shooting Jack, fans are also speculating that he is responsible for getting Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) pregnant. As we know Jack was stunned when his ex-girlfriend revealed her pregnancy at the end of season 1. He’s just ended what he thought was a casual relationship in order to pursue Mel.

Instead of having a clean break, Charmaine revealed that she was pregnant and the pair later discovered that they were having twins. However, Virgin River fans aren’t convinced that Jack is the twins’ father. As we know, Mike came to town to presumably investigate Calvin, but he seemed to have other motives.

Fans noticed that when Jack told Mike about Charmaine’s pregnancy, Mike appeared shellshocked. His reaction was so visibly dramatic that fans believe he and Charmaine may have been carrying on an affair. As we know in Carr’s books, Charmaine does get pregnant by an acquaintance of Jack’s.

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