‘Virgin River’: Will the Show Ever Address the Pandemic?
Virgin River has become one of the most-watched shows on TV. Based on the beloved book series by Robyn Carr, the drama series chronicles the life of Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse who moves to the small town of Virgin River from Los Angeles for a fresh start.
As she attempts to piece her life back together, Mel finds herself falling in love with the town, its residents, and Virgin River’s resident bar owner Jack Sheridan (Martin Sheridan). Since Mel is a nurse will the show ever address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?
Has ‘Virgin River’ Season 4 begun filming?
Virgin River has continued to dominate the ratings and draw in more fans week over week. However, Netflix has not said anything about renewing the series for season 4. Yet, that doesn’t mean that it’s not in the works. Tim Matheson who portays Vernon “Doc” Mullins on the show recently gave fans a major update on the new season. “Well, Netflix is quite quiet about all that [production updates] – I just hesitate to say anything that they might get upset [about],” Matheson told Radio Times via Hello! Magazine. “My understanding is that it will be like any day now.”
Moreover, the account for The Watershed Grill in North Vancouver, which is the location Virgin River uses for Jack’s bar recently announced on Instagram via Hello! Magazine that they would be closed for a few days due to filming. Though they quickly switched the wording to “maintenance,” Virgin River fans aren’t fooled.
Will ‘Virgin River’ ever address the pandemic?
Virgin River Season 4 might be underway amid a very real pandemic. However, the show will never address what’s going on in the real world. “Mel would be handling the pandemic,” Breckenridge told Oprah Daily of her character. “She’s a strong, strong-willed woman, and she’d be taking care of anybody in Virgin River who got the coronavirus. Luckily, nobody in Virgin River is going to get the coronavirus because it is a fictional place.”
It looks like the showrunner, writers, and producers of Virgin River are determined to make sure that the beloved series serves as escapism for viewers who are trying to navigate what’s going on around them in real life.
Will Mel and Jack break up in ‘Virgin River’ Season 4?
Though Virgin River will never address the COVID-19 pandemic, there is plenty of drama for the characters to navigate through, especially following that shocking season 3 finale. As we know, just as Jack was attempting to propose to Mel, she revealed her pregnancy. She also explained to a stunned Jack that she wasn’t sure if he was the father of her unborn child.
Amid their breakup, Mel decided to through IVF using an embryo she created with her late husband Mark (Daniel Gilles). At present, Jack doesn’t know that and when he finds out we’re not sure if he’s going to be able to deal or if he and Mel will decide to end their relationship for good. It also doesn’t help that Jack is also expecting twins with his ex-girlfriend, Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley).
“If it’s not Jack’s baby, Jack and Mel are naturally going to have some tough times ahead,” Breckenridge told E! News via Hello! “It would be immensely difficult. That would be extremely challenging, especially for Jack. If he’s gonna stick around, if he’s devoted to Mel, that’s gonna be hard to have a baby that’s her dead husband’s baby. That’s just, like, asking a lot.”
