TV Review: Virgin River

Virgin River on Netflix is a popular, small-town television show and has just been renewed for season seven.

The reason why I named my website WriteWatchWork was because those three words summed me up in a nutshell. I love to write and I love books, I love to watch good television and cinema, and I work a lot and I do enjoy it.

But I realised I hadn't actually written a blog recently in the 'watch' category. So, here we are.

For the new year, I wanted a little bit of a change, so I moved my television in my room into a different position that now means I can watch TV in bed. Whilst I was unwell a couple of weeks ago, I decided to watch the first episode of a TV show I hadn't seen before.

I watched the pilot episode and I was hooked. That TV show was Virgin River and since then, I can't stop thinking about it.

And because I love it so much, I thought I'd do a blog review of the show, up to where I've got up to. There are seven seasons (seven is yet to be released), but I am only on season two.

However, as an avid TV watcher and as someone studying scriptwriting, I wanted to share my thoughts.

Review of Virgin River

Genre: Romantic drama series

Where to Watch: Netflix

Seasons: 6

What's it about?

Virgin River is an American drama series that follows the story of Mel Monroe, a nurse practitioner. Mel, suffering from loss, moves to a small town, named Virgin River, after taking a job there with a one-year contract.

However, whilst there, Mel and Doc Mullins, otherwise known as Vernon, don't get on. But Jack Sheridan, the local bar owner and good-looking, happy-to-help ex-marine is the first friend that Mel makes in Virgin River.

In cahoots with the mayor, Hope, Jack tries to persuade Mel to stay in Virgin River. Over time, the two become close friends, possibly even more, and Mel finds her place in the small town.

My thoughts

The reason why I sat down and watched Virgin River was because I in fact wanted to rewatch Hart of Dixie. But, I didn't have the DVDs with me at the time.

So, I decided on Virgin River instead because the two shows are actually quite similar and I knew that if Hart of Dixie is one of my top five shows, then there's a good chance I'll enjoy Virgin River too.

And I did.

From a technical point of you, I absolutely loved the plot. The idea of a woman moving to a town she's never been to before to help her deal with her grief intrigued me and the progression of each episode has me hooked.

There's a general rule in scriptwriting that states to get into a scene late and get out early. This means that you want to cut to the chase of the dialogue, action, etc., so that the audience doesn't get bored.

Virgin River does that very well. It uses flashbacks within the present storyline to fill you in on the important context of Mel's character, but it does it in a way that isn't confusing and is very seamless.

Virgin River kept me hooked with a balanced pace and some definite high-tension moments. I'm on season two, episode five (as of writing this) and I love it. There aren't any major time jumps between the first two seasons, so it is a continuation, which is quite nice because the storyline doesn't feel rushed and you get to know the characters really well.

This brings me to my next point. I love the cast of characters. Admittedly, there are some characters I'm not a huge fan of but that's good because I'm pretty sure they're the antagonists.

But I really enjoy the dynamic of Mel and Jack's characters and watching them progress with their character development. Neither of them are simple characters; they are complex, multi-dimensional, and have flaws that only make them more relatable.

Doc and Hope are also some great characters. They kind of mirror Mel and Jack, but they're just older in age.

A funny thing about Doc, though, is that the actor Tim Matheson is also in Hart of Dixie. In Hart of Dixie, Matheson plays the small-town doctor who isn't happy when the new city girl comes to town and works at his practice—the only difference is that in Hart of Dixie, Zoe Hart is a doctor, whereas, in Virgin River, Mel is a nurse and midwife.

The whole show has a sense of familiarity, even though you may not have watched it before or know anything about it. It reminds me of those typical comfort shows, like Gilmore Girls, that are perfect to watch when the weather isn't so great and you need cheering up (despite the sometimes sombre storylines).

So, if you need a new TV show to watch, and you have access to Netflix, give Virgin River a go. It won't be for everyone, but in my opinion, it is a very good show.

Until next time...