Lauren Jones
TW/ this article discusses trauma, death, stillbirth and miscarriage.
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Since it first came to our screens in 2019, Virgin River has been a romantic drama that hasn’t been afraid to touch on some heavy topics. Series 4 is no exception!
After a year of waiting for resolutions to the massive cliff-hangers at the end of series 3, Virgin River returned to our screens on 20th July. Despite the cosy, cottage core feel of the small-town romantic drama, series 4 deals with some heavy themes – in particular, deep trauma.
Through each character’s journey, we see varying manifestations of trauma and just how all-encompassing it can be.
** THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS **
Hope Feeling Hopeless
Hope is left feeling utterly hopeless at the beginning of series 4, following her accident and Lilly’s death. Throughout the series, Hope battles with post-traumatic stress and intense emotions, including frustration at her lack of independence and memory loss because of her accident. She expresses anger towards Doc and her friends for keeping her in the dark about Lilly’s illness and is hurt and bereaved resulting from the unexpected loss of her best friend. These emotions weigh Hope down throughout the series and lead her to make questionable choices which endanger both her relationships and her health.
“trauma can make people do strange or bad things”
The series shows Hope acting out of character, which disposes of the typical romanticised portrayals of trauma responses, and instead confronts the viewer with an uncomfortable reality: that trauma can make people do strange or bad things. However, this uncomfortable portrayal is offset by some incredibly touching moments. It lightens the mood considerably and is more reminiscent of the typical feel-good vibes of the show.
Among these are the teary heart-to-hearts between Hope and Tara, and some heart-warming scenes involving Hope and Muriel. Ultimately, Hope is reminded that support is available to her when she needs it the most.
Mel’s Struggle For Motherhood
Mel’s journey towards motherhood has been fraught with obstacles and difficulties – an important and well-established storyline for the character.
Throughout the show, Mel and late husband Mark’s relationship is depicted through flashbacks and revisited through Mel’s interactions with Mark’s family. Their relationship has become even more relevant since the reveal of Mel’s pregnancy at the end of series 3. We are frequently confronted with the juxtaposition of Mel’s life and baby with Mark, which ended in devastation, and her life with Jack, where we are all hoping for a happy ending.
Series 4 has been unkind to Mel, and has not allowed her to put the trauma surrounding her stillbirth and Mark’s death out of her mind. From the stillbirth of baby Daisy to the death of the elderly gentleman she cared for at the supermarket, Mel is constantly reminded that death could be waiting just around the corner.
“there is literally a village of people ready to take care of her”
Alexandra Breckenridge’s depiction of Mel is incredible in series 4, especially during scenes like Jack’s disappearance and the miscarriage scare, where it is impossible not to shed a tear. Breckenridge does an excellent job of sensitively portraying a character who is dealing with recent trauma, but is also trying to move forwards in life to find new happiness. Series 4 has shown the strength of Mel’s support system in Virgin River and has demonstrated that there is literally a village of people ready to take care of her.
Jack’s Trauma Journey Is Far From Over
It really has felt like Jack hasn’t been able to catch a break so far in the show, and series 4 is no different.
Between Charmaine’s games and the revelation of Jack’s dark past, once again Jack’s trauma is a significant part of the plot. The reveal of Jack’s childhood trauma was a huge plot twist and showed that trauma is in fact something that Jack has been dealing with for the majority of his life.
“Virgin River shows an unromantic portrayal of trauma”
Throughout the series, Jack is shown to be overwhelmed and out of control, with references to trauma-induced memory loss. The importance of this is highlighted as it shows the extent to which Jack is affected by his trauma and also how this inadvertently affects others, especially Mel.
In this sense, Virgin River shows an unromantic portrayal of trauma. Jack can be hot-headed, avoidant, unreliable, and at times, hurtful, which is epitomised by his failure to show up at Joey’s wedding. While Mel, Preacher, Doc, Hope, and others are incredibly patient with Jack, others like Brady aren’t quite as forgiving. While this is used as a plot device to some extent, it isn’t exclusively utilised for this reason, and is rather a key element of Jack’s backstory.
Excellent character development is a key feature of series 4, and diving deeper into Jack’s past is just one example of this.
Virgin River Is More Than A Show About Trauma
Trauma isn’t the only theme in series 4: love, community, friendship, and hope also play large roles.
Series 4 is largely underpinned by exploring various characters’ trauma and the effects that this has on others, but it is executed so well that the series doesn’t feel like a show solely focused on this, but rather a show that discusses some important effects of trauma and demonstrates how various individuals cope with the hands they’ve been dealt.
“series 4 embodies everything we love about Virgin River”
Through portraying different characters’ trauma, not limited only to those discussed in this article, series 4 creates a space to have important discussions. In spite of the heavy focus on trauma, series 4 embodies everything we love about Virgin River, which includes feel-good moments, shocking plot twists, romance, and characters we’re all rooting for.
The bottom line? Virgin River series 4 remains as gripping and binge-worthy as the first three series!
Featured image courtesy of cottonbro on Pexels. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.
Lauren Jones
Lauren is an Au Pair and a recent languages graduate. She is an aspiring journalist and is particularly interested in politics, social issues, and the arts.