Virgin River Holiday Episodes Veer Dangerously into Hallmark Territory
The show resembles a soap opera more and more.
Netflix's Virgin River is arguably the finest melodrama in the streaming giant's repertoire, offering fans feel-good vibes while maintaining a sense of realism and relatability. However, while the show's first two seasons were a masterclass in the genre, subsequent installments of the small-town saga began to resemble a daytime soap opera, with characters becoming one-dimensional and a noticeable decline in the quality of the writing.
Nevertheless, the recently released first part of Season 5 began rectifying this issue from the first episode. It introduced a much-needed dose of realism to the show, depicting conflicts among characters and showing how the residents of Virgin River were challenged to work together to save their town from devastating forest fires. However, a seemingly minor plot twist soured the entire season for fans.
Hallmark's Special
While fans were prepared to hail the first part of Season 5 as the best installment in Virgin River history after viewing the final episode, the concluding plot twist deterred many from doing so. In the last moments of the episode, Mel unexpectedly discovered that her father might not be her biological parent. This revelation came about when her sister found old letters addressed to their mother from an older man residing in Virgin River.
Indeed, this plot twist appears as ridiculous as it does on screen, and fans were quick to accuse the writers of borrowing from their counterparts at Hallmark, suggesting that such a ludicrous revelation could only have originated there.
'This whole storyline just makes the show so much cheesier. So unrealistic like a horrible Hallmark special attached to a dumpster fire season. More unknown daddy drama? This was already played out between Doc and Denny and Mel and Jack and Charmaine. Just stop already,' a fan commented.
This plot twist not only feels contrived and creates a strong soap opera feel, but it also significantly undermines the show's realism. That may deter many fans from tuning in when the second part of Season 5 premieres on Netflix on November 30th.
Source: Reddit.