Virgin River Season 4 is launching on Netflix. Based on the book series by Robyn Carr, the drama series is set in a picturesque small town. It mainly follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse who leaves behind her life in Los Angeles for a fresh start in Virgin River. The show focuses on her romance with Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), who also owns the town’s bar.
Virgin River fans have always known that the series moves on a strange timeline. However, things move extremely slowly on the show.
Fans have been confused about ‘Virgin River’s timeline for years
As beloved as Virgin River is, fans are still befuddled by the timeline of the series. Charmine has been pregnant with twins since season 1, but she’s not showing yet. One Redditor believes that each season represents just one month in the show’s universe.
Although this is a good theory, it doesn’t quite come together. When Mel returns to Virgin River in season 2, she explained that she’s been in LA for a couple of weeks to sort through her feelings. Also, there was a three-week time jump between seasons 2 and 3.
“Only a few months have passed since the first episode,” another Redditor explained. “Which means that maybe by the end of the final season, Charmaine will have given birth and Mel might just be starting her 3rd trimester, Lilly’s baby will have her first birthday party, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll even find out who shot Jack and what happened to Paige.”
Things move slowly on ‘Virgin River’
It’s clear that the timeline on Virgin River is not at all like the real world. However, Breckenridge thinks that’s some fo the beauty of the series. It allows you to settle in with the characters and the world at your own pace.
“Things move slowly in Virgin River,” she told Glamour. “I think Mel’s only been in Virgin River for maybe four months,” Breckenridge guesses. “It’s a hundred and some odd days; there’s a chart for it. She’s only nine weeks pregnant at this point, and Charmaine is like five months, apparently.”
While time may be crawling in the picturesque town, viewers can still expect a bit of a time jump as season 4 opens.
There is a time jump between seasons 3 and 4
Although things move at a snail’s pace in the series, there is still a small time jump between season 3 and season 4. If you recall, when we last saw Mel and Jack, Mel interrupted the former Marine’s marriage proposal to reveal her pregnancy. Preacher (Colin Lawrence) was left drugged and stranded in the woods, and Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) was arrested for shooting Jack.
When season 4 opens, we will move forward in just a bit of time. Breckenridge told Glamor when asked how much further ahead we would be in time, “I think it’s around seven to 14 days. Somewhere in that zone.”
It should be interesting to see what happens next.
