This One Surprising Thing Ruined Mel and Jack's Chemistry on Virgin River
The cast inadvertently spoiled their fans' view on their on-screen relationship.
Summary
- Virgin River's most recent, fifth season was very eventful.
- Melinda and Jack's romance doesn't feel the same anymore.
- Many fans blame it on the actors' mutual off-screen activities.
Season 5 of Virgin River was full of exciting events. The wildfires that swept through the titular town, Mel's miscarriage, Charmaine giving birth to her twins, Lizzie becoming pregnant with Denny's baby, just to name a few. And of course, for the first time in the show's history, there were two Christmas specials that brought a lot of holiday cheer to viewers.
But like the entirety of Netflix's beloved romantic drama, Season 5 focused primarily on the relationship between Mel and Jack. Virgin River's central duo went through a lot in the fifth installment, and their bond grew stronger. But it seems that the fan-favorite couple lost their original chemistry in the eyes of viewers.
Social Media Activity
During this year's SAG-AFTRA strike, actors were left out of work for months. In turn, the cast of Virgin River resorted to social media to keep themselves busy. For instance, Alexandra Breckenridge who portrays Mel Monroe on the show entertained her fans with cooking videos. These proved pretty popular with her VR fans.
Some of Breckenridge's co-stars, including Martin Henderson, also participated in her cooking vlogs. While it was nice to see the beloved actors together, it had a detrimental effect on the viewer's perception of the Virgin River characters' romance.
Poor PR Strategy
According to some fans of the Netflix show, the actors' friendly off-screen relationship ruined the fragile sense of romance between them.
'On the show there is the huge romantic connection between them (portrayed MUCH better in the first couple of seasons), but when I saw the cooking videos they did together and the [behind-the-scenes] videos they put on IG, I see their dynamic as more of brother and sister and it ruins their romantic image on the show for me,' one Redditor posted.
It's not clear if Virgin River's PR team approved of the actors' off-screen activities together, but those cooking videos didn't end up benefiting the show.
'It seems like the director (or someone) wanted them to develop their off-screen relationship but that relationship was more friendly/sibling-like. I feel like that's why their on-screen relationship doesn't feel the same anymore,' another Reddit user chimed in.
Ultimately, it's nice that Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson are friends in real life, but the sense of disillusionment from their off-screen activities has changed their on-screen romance forever.
Source: Reddit.