Preacher's Virgin River Storyline Veers Into Pure Insanity (and We Love It)
The character keeps on giving.
The primary draw for most viewers of Netflix's Virgin River is the complex and entertaining love story between LA nurse Mel and ex-Marine Jack. However, as the plot thickens each season, some fans find themselves more invested in the supporting characters despite their less-than-stellar storylines. Regrettably, the series has devolved into a mundane daytime soap, with the number of absurd plot twists peaking in the first half of season 5.
Despite this, the show continues to attract a large audience. In fact, deriding Virgin River has become a popular pastime, with each episode providing ample fodder for fans to cringe and discuss afterward. No character embodies this sentiment better than John 'Preacher' Middleton, Jack's fellow Marine.
Enigma of a Character
Since the first season, Preacher has been a perplexing character. His lack of chemistry with anyone except Jack makes his scenes a drag to watch. His romantic relationships, also devoid of chemistry, made fans give up on Preacher completely. However, in Season 5, things changed for him in a major way.
New Development
It looks like the writers finally recognized Preacher's flaws and decided to reposition him as someone whose sole purpose on the show is to provide comic relief. In the initial episodes of season 5, Preacher meets a new love interest, and surprisingly, they share some chemistry.
However, the decision of his new girlfriend to change her career after knowing him for just a few days was met with laughter from the fans. A carnival scene featuring the couple only added to the hilarity.
Don't get us wrong, seeing Preacher and his new girlfriend enjoy the carnival was lots of fun, but the way the episode ended with Preach burying somebody's body in the woods was unadulterated cringe.
Although it was later clarified what had happened, fans are now convinced that Preacher has got to be a serial killer. It has to be said, however, that at this point, this plot twist might be the only way for this character to regain relevance in Virgin River.