The Mystery of Virgin River: An Important Detail You Only Notice on Rewatch

Summary

• The friendship between Jack, Preacher and Brady adds to the mystery of the show.
• Many characters have come to Virgin River in search of peace and quiet.
• The biography of the author of VR sheds light on many things depicted in the show.

Since its release in 2019, Virgin River has been captivating hordes of fans from around the world for years. Netflix's flagship romantic drama about the residents of the titular small Northern California town centers on Melinda Monroe, a newcomer who moves there in search of a new life after the untimely death of her husband. In Virgin River, Mel finds a job, makes new friends, and falls in love again – with the town's bar owner and former US Marine, Jack Sheridan.

Before meeting Mel, Jack was considered by the townspeople to be a carefree bachelor with no intention of settling down. His special friendship with Charmaine was the closest he ever came to starting a family. And the only real relationships he had were with his friends and former Marine Corp comrades, John Middleton, aka Preacher, and Dan Brady.

While their friendship doesn't really play a major role in the show's plot, it underscores Virgin River's biggest mystery. Why is this small town so popular with army veterans?

A Place of Peace and Serenity

For what it's worth, Virgin River is a true small town with all the attributes. It has a tight-knit community where everyone knows everything about everyone else. There's greenery everywhere. But most of all, it's quiet and refreshing, which is what really draws Mel there.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that someone with severe PTSD like Jack, who lost one of his Marines, Lonergan, and still suffers from episodes, would choose such a serene place to live. Haunted by his military past, Jack seeks peace and quiet in Virgin River, which offers him another chance at life.

In the town, he starts a business, though not the most beneficial to the community, and finds stability. This stability he creates for himself attracts Preacher and later Brady, who look up to their former sergeant and rely on him, which is why they also come to Virgin River.

Military Background

Before it landed on Netflix as a TV show, Virgin River was a series of novels by Robyn Carr. The author, a nurse by training like the main character of VR, married her high school sweetheart in her early adulthood, just before he left for the Vietnam War. After the war, Robyn followed her husband from base to base, which is why she's so immersed in the world of veterans and the military.

For this reason, veterans play an important role in Robyn Carr's writings. And it's probably important to her to tell as many different stories of ex-soldiers as possible, which is why there are three vets in Virgin River. But strangely enough, you only start to question this only on rewatch.