It's been a trying month for fans of Netflix's romantic drama, Virgin River. After waiting almost a year to see what would happen in Season 2, the show hit the streamer the day after Thanksgiving, and offered viewers a lot of twists and turns that landed us in a finale which wrapped with some big questions. These included a big, fat, shocking cliffhanger which could completely alter the type of stories we see in the (recently announced) third season. Now, Virgin River's showrunner is talking about what that major cliffhanger could mean for Season 3.
The folks who live in the remote California town of Virgin River might be enveloped in the warm embrace of several romances and other heart-warming stories, but they are no strangers to also being embroiled in some intense intrigue. Season 2 of Virgin River saw those, more mysterious, plots deepen just like the love stories, and led us to a truly unexpected cliffhanger for Jack and Mel. Showrunner Sue Tenney recently spoke with Parade about what happened, and said this when asked about how one of our favorite couples would fare in Season 3:
In life, relationships are tested by internal and external conflicts–often over and over. Mel and Jack are no different. The question is will they be able to persevere? I think we are all rooting for them, but relationships are complicated and these two characters have a big mountain to climb, even though they share a deep love and emotional connection.
Ummm...Ughughugh, right? I mean, sure, we've already seen Virgin River tackle some very real-life issues in Seasons 1 and 2. The series has explored (and will likely continue to explore), PTSD and other issues that veterans face, domestic abuse, loneliness, the loss of a child, the loss of a spouse, and a whole host of relationship trials. But, even though we enjoy all the strife, can't Mel and Jack just be happy already?!
As Sue Tenney said, the newly-formed couple might be firmly in love and together now, but that doesn't (and, can't) mean that everything will be totally smooth sailing for them. As we saw in the finale, they'll have a much bigger hurdle to clear than Charmaine's machinations when Season 3 starts.
Beware: Spoilers are a'comin'! If you've made it all the way through everything we've seen from Virgin River so far, you'll know that Jack and Mel (but especially Jack) are in a tough spot at the end of Season 2. After enjoying their second night of sexytimes, Mel goes to meet Jack at his bar, only to find him bleeding out on the floor after being shot in the stomach. We have several possibilities for who might have done the deed, but the fact remains that both characters will have a lot of real work to do when the new season starts. End Spoilers!
Everyone who hasn't read the books on which Virgin River is based can rest assured that Jack does survive there, so we likely won't see Mel having to deal with yet another dead beau in Season 3. The question of who, exactly, shot Jack and why still remains, though. In regards to that major mystery, Sue Tenney said:
The only thing I can say is that not everything is as it seems.
Well, dammit. If someone we've never seen before shot Jack, I will be truly shocked, but Tenney makes it sound, at least, like maybe it wasn't one of the goons of criminal mastermind Calvin who did the deed. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd love it if Charmaine lost her remaining crackers and shot Jack. Love it.
Virgin River Season 3 doesn't have a release date just yet, so be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for the latest. In the meantime, you can investigate all the new Christmas movies and specials coming up, and see what will be new to the small screen early next year!
