Romance, charm and a good dose of thriller: the winning recipe for “Virgin River”, which appeared in 2019, still has its effect. Since its release on July 20 on Netflix, the fourth season has not left the Top 10 most-watched series on the platform. If you have not yet traveled to this Californian town that gives its name to fiction, there is still time to take the plunge in this summer period conducive to colorful getaways.
Love always
“Virgin River” is the adaptation of a literary saga by American author Robyn Carr which has 21 volumes published by Éditions Harlequin in the United States (in France the first nine are available from J’ai Lu). Its trademark is to stage a new romance in each volume with its share of crisp sensual scenes. We find on the screen the love story between Mel Monroe, nurse of a large hospital who decides to leave everything to settle in the village of Virgin River, and the owner of the local bar-restaurant, Jack, a former Marine. The duo embodied by Alexandra Breckenridge (“This Is Us”) and Martin Henderson (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is particularly charming and their idyll full of twists and turns. Their friends and loved ones are also entitled to their share of heartbeats, whether they are barely an adult like young Ricky, or much older like the town doctor nicknamed Doc.
Hot scenes
Here and there, the love scenes of “Virgin River” raise the temperature. Even if we are far from the graphic descriptions of the romantic work, the chemistry between the different actors still works and the rooms see just enough action to affirm the sexy side of the whole. However, sometimes you have to be patient because some relationships can be slow to materialize. What maintain the suspense and hold in suspense the spectator eager for passionate and passionate stories.
A refreshing setting
If the action of the series takes place in California, “Virgin River” is filmed in British Columbia, in Western Canada. Built along a river and in the middle of the mountains, the theater of fiction is full of breathtaking landscapes. We find ourselves dreaming of dipping our feet in this clear water or walking the hiking trails in the middle of the forest. A perfect escape, especially in hot weather. The community of people in Virgin River, where everyone knows and helps each other, is also very appealing.
Thriller to shake up the script
Much more complex than the books, the series multiplies the obstacles and pitfalls for its protagonists. Kidnappings, attempted murders, drug trafficking and disappearances are on the agenda. Certainly, some twists are sometimes too big and struggle to convince, but the imagination of the authors stops at nothing. The pace never falters and, even if some characters persist in always making bad decisions which can become annoying, they never cease to make us vibrate.
Delicate themes
Beyond the problems caused by big bad guys who sometimes lack nuance, the much more personal difficulties encountered by the heroes are deeply touching. In this fourth season, for example, Hope, the doc’s wife, is recovering from a car accident. Suffering from a head trauma, she struggles to regain all her faculties. The actress Annette O’Toole, who plays her, is overwhelming in her interpretation, just like Tim Matheson in the skin of her husband. These new episodes also address the post-traumatic stress suffered by former soldier Jack. A season 5 is already being filmed, “Virgin River” has therefore not finished revealing new corners to explore.
« Virgin River », American series by Sue Tenney with Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Tim Matheson… Season 4 (2022), 12 episodes of 41 to 46 minutes each.