Virgin River season 4 continues telling the dramatic narrative of Mel, Jack and all the other inhabitants of Virgin River as they fall in love and go through great dramatic instances. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Virgin River is a drama series that largely follows Mel, a nurse practitioner who moves from Los Angeles to a remote Northern California town called Virgin River for a fresh start and meets Jack, a local bar owner.
The story follows them and all the other people in the close knit community as they face drama, love and other issues in life.
The narrative breaks down into multiple plot points, with each character’s storyline diverging into a different sub-plot and this can get hard to fcollow through, and seems a bit unnecessary.
Overall, it is a story full of emotion, dramatic appeal and romantic moments.
Performances
Alexandra Breckenridge provides a great performance as Mel. She incites emotions in the viewers and draws them in with her pure charm.
Martin Henderson as Jack puts forward a moving emotional arc as well, especially in the way he handles more sensitive scenes regarding the character’s mental health.
The chemistry between the two characters is palpable, and their acting serves just the right mix of emotional, dramatic and romantic instances.
The rest of the ensemble cast also provide noteworthy performances with a versatile range of characteristic traits for each. Annette O’Toole as Hope, and Zibby Allen as Brie are two such performances that stand out.
Positives
The plotline for the series is set in a quaint and charming area, with largely likeable characters. This makes even the most excessive and dramatic turns seem essential to add to the wholesome narrative.
With good acting and a feel-good, slice-of-life appeal, Virgin River stands out as an addictive entertainer with no dull moments. There is always something new to add to what we know of the characters’ lives already.
Negatives
While the plotline remains binge-worthy, it is also overly dramatic at certain points and follows a very formulaic approach to keep the viewers hooked. This creates very polarising opinions about the show- one either loves it or despises the predictability.
The multiple plot points for each character in the town can get a bit confusing to follow, and the dramatic twists start to feel quite overdone or feel like they were added in simply for shock value.
The dialogues feel stilted at certain points, and this could be improved in further seasons by making the writing flow more smoothly and naturally.
The pacing could do with some improvements as well. While there is a lot going on in the series, some parts are also quite unnecessarily stretched out.
Verdict
The narrative is nothing new and plays on the same formulaic melodramatic soap approach, with multiple plot twists and cliffhangers. It is not a revolutionary watch but is just about bearable if you are looking for some dramatic entertainment.
Rating: 2.5/5
Also Read: Virgin River season 4 ending explained: Is Jack the father of Mel’s baby?