Virgin River enchants in season 5. Therefore, he delivers his best season, as he manages to take risks without leaving his comfort zone.
Virgin River returned for another sweet and sentimental ride, in a series that fulfills its main role: being a comfort series and nothing more. But sometimes, that’s exactly what the public needs, like an escape from reality and a trip to a place that seems like a paradise surrounded by beautiful landscapes and people who are willing to help everyone at all times.
But the fifth season of Virgin River bets big, bringing intriguing and interesting twists that become juicy additions to the plot.
Fire steals the spotlight in the eventful fifth season
Without a doubt, part of Virgin River’s plot for the fifth season was precisely to focus on the fire that hits the city. And this is a recurring reality in California, which annually displaces thousands of local residents. Seeing that paradise on fire was heartbreaking, because in our minds, Virgin River is an untouchable place. But then we see that it is not.
The script for the fifth season works with its possibilities and, while the story is very superficial with layers that could be more in-depth, it succeeds in simplifying what there is no need to become something complex.
This season, while Jack and Mel are settling into the next step in their lives – marriage and parenthood – the characters serve as engines for the series to show that they have become pillars for the community. Jack, with his nobility and defense strength, is ready to jump into a burning forest to save a child. While Mel is also ready to go inside a burning house to save someone. They are soulmates, without a doubt.
However, they must suffer. After all, Virgin River wants the audience to cry as much as they can laugh.
Virgin River supporting actors get their chance to shine
Additionally, the fifth season brings opportunities for many characters to shine. This is the case of Brie, who gets a strong and powerful scene in court, when she testifies against her attacker. At the same time that she finds herself trapped between two men (gorgeous, by the way), Brie doesn’t fall into the stereotype of a damsel that series of this genre generally like to highlight.
Preacher is also another character who gets his share of screen time. He is trapped in a complicated and intense emotional entanglement. To the point of making the public root for a married woman to become his great passion.
Even Vernon and Hope earn their place within the plot, with Vernon needing to deal with the advancement of his illness, while Hope needs to fight for her place in city hall. What can be said is that one of them manages to solve their problem, while the other ends up in a sad dead end without much hope.
In fact, Virgin River even risks exploring ageism when, clearly, it prepares a couple with at least twenty years difference between them. After all, Muriel and the clinic’s new doctor become a favorite couple among the public, going against all bets.
Even Lizzie and Denny get the opportunity to shine, although they will only really have their moment in Part 2. Yes, Netflix really adhered to the scheme of dividing seasons, only to end them at the most intense moment of the narrative point.
Virgin River continues to be the series to warm the heart
Finally, Virgin River enchants. Perhaps, here she delivers her best season, because she manages to take risks without leaving her comfort zone. The fire is the main driver of this risk, to the point where you can see that you care about these characters and hope that everything works out in the end.
Series like this are a comfort, which get the quality of the plot and photography right. And that feeling of feeling embraced by a “silly” plot, but at the same time relevant. Virgin River takes the time to touch on important themes with the lightness that a getaway to the series after a full day of work calls for.
