Virgin River Season 5 has many exciting developments, including new romances and shocking twists. It’s a season full of joyous moments and devastating losses. Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) specifically experience a tragedy that will weigh on them for many Virgin River seasons. Mel’s story is one that shocks but it is important because it may resonate with viewers.
Virgin River isn’t a Netflix series that’s afraid to tackle difficult topics, such as domestic abuse, infertility, sexual assault, and many other realistic, traumatic, and emotionally draining situations. Virgin River Season 5 continues to create important discussions with riveting television. Mel’s story has a real-world impact. It’s heartbreaking but relevant.
Warning Virgin River Season 5 Spoilers Ahead. Proceed with caution.
Mel’s Story Represents A Tragedy That Many Women Endure
Mel and Jack face many personal tragedies throughout Virgin River. So many that you may wonder when will they finally get to know peace. The couple has also already faced many challenges during Mel’s pregnancy, including uncertainty about who fathered their child. Mel’s pregnancy was always high risk, but the show gives you a false sense of security about it.
By the end of Virgin River Season 4, you hope that things will sail smoothly for Jack and Mel. This belief (or hope) allows Virgin River to blindside the viewers with Mel's mid-season miscarriage. It seems like a cruel turn of events from the writers. However, her miscarriage represents a sad reality that millions of women face yearly. Television often offers an escape from reality, but it also allows people to connect and feel represented, and it offers a community and a sense of hope during hard times.
Mel’s miscarriage storyline may help some women cope with their own losses and see themselves in her and her pregnancy hardships, tragedies, and challenges.
It Shows Mel’s Struggles With Infertility
Mel’s infertility struggles have always been a major part of Virgin River. Therefore, Mel’s miscarriage isn’t quite a surprise but it is still an unfortunate and devastating event. The decision to have Mel miscarry continues the conversation around the struggles to conceive and the burden and pain that causes some people. Despite this tragedy, the Virgin River writers use this painful event to offer some hope.
By the end of Virgin River Season 5, Mel has once again seen the possibility of having a family with Jack. She sees that a family doesn’t necessarily mean that she has to give birth to her child. Virgin River can be extremely melodramatic at times but it’s also a very hopeful show. Mel’s story is another chance for the series to emphasize its message of hope.
Mel's Story In Virgin River Season 5 Feels Raw And Honest
The Virgin River cast often gives great performances but Alexandra Breckenridge gives a stunning performance this season. You really feel her pain from the moment she miscarries to the aftermath, and even when she begins to find joy again. The show almost makes you feel uncomfortable as you watch Mel mourn. It feels too private and too intimate. In a way, it feels like you’re intruding by watching her grieve.
The show also allows Jack to grieve, which feels just as haunting and gut-wrenching, especially with what he just went through with Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) in Season 4 and Season 5. Jack and Mel grieve apart and then together. Both deal with the loss in a way that’s true to them and emotionally draining to see and feel. However, nothing about their grieving process feels inauthentic. It’s representative of their characters but also true of others who face the same tragedy. Their grieving process matches some of the millions who also have to heal or learn to go on after this type of loss.
It Doesn’t Have A Neat Resolve, Which Makes It Feel More Relevant And Real
Virgin River could have made Mel immediately recover from this loss. She could have quickly started right back to wanting to try to conceive another child with Jack. Instead, she initially didn’t want to start a family with him. At first, I was unsure if this would lead to some conflict between Jack and Mel. However, it just further proved how and why Jack is the perfect partner for her.
He offers more support and accepts that if she doesn’t want to have kids anymore, they won’t have them. He, however, also shows her that her miscarriage doesn’t have to mean the end of their dreams of having a family. They ended Virgin River Season 4 strong but this season shows that they’re almost unbreakable as a pair now. Despite Jack and Mel’s bond growing stronger, the season doesn’t give them a complete resolution on growing their family.
Mel is now open to the idea and wants it too, but we don’t know if this will become something in their near future or ten years down the road. The uncertainty of the next step in expanding their family feels realistic. They just lost a child, so it may take some time before they decide to look into other methods.
They still need time to grieve and heal.
It's The Start Of A New Chapter For Mel On Virgin River
Virgin River Season 5 ends with a bit of a twist. It also ends with Jack and Mel deciding to buy a farm and build a home for themselves and their future children. Mel losing her child represents the end of something for her and Jack, but it also represents a new beginning.
You can’t just replace one child with another, so Mel will always grieve her daughter, as she does her other child. Now, we’ll watch Mel embrace a new journey, whether that means adoption, surrogacy, or some other path to becoming a parent. The upcoming Jack and Mel wedding is one of the most anticipated Virgin River events, but Mel and Jack becoming parents may be the second most important event for the show.
It won’t only be a moment to celebrate but one to reflect on their long journey to this life-changing moment.
It Allows The Audience To Mourn With Her
Watching Mel’s story on Virgin River emotionally resonated with me. I couldn’t help but become overwhelmed with sadness as she endured such a heavy loss. Personally, I have never dealt with something similar to Mel, but I, and many, can easily connect and feel the weight of such devastation.
Virgin River Season 5 does such a respectable, honorable, and caring job of presenting the story of Mel’s miscarriage. Because of the writer’s approach to this storyline, you’re right there with Mel mourning.
Virgin River has already been renewed for Season 6, so we’ll continue to see how Mel’s storyline develops next season and the rest of Season 5. Virgin River Season 5 Part 2 premieres on November 30.
