Virgin River's Jack Raises Eyebrows with His Cringe-Inducing Behavior
Is Jack & Mel relationship actually toxic?
Since its premiere in 2019, Netflix's romantic drama Virgin River, which follows the journey of midwife Mel Monroe, has been praised by viewers as a perfect escapist show full of compelling romantic stories, beautiful scenery, drama, and memorable characters.
But not all of the characters have been able to connect with viewers. While Mel seems to have found happiness with local bar owner Jack Sheridan, viewers find the character creepy and his relationship with Mel toxic.
In a Reddit discussion dedicated to the questionable character, fans noted that Jack was a bit of a creep when it came to Mel from the very beginning.
Even though he thought she was married, and he was still in a relationship with Charmaine, Jack exhibited some red-flag behavior. The intensity and pressure with which he approached the relationship were reminiscent of a classic love bombing.
Redoing the house for Mel when he had just met her, under the guise of helping the town, felt like an excessive and over-the-top gesture. More than that, viewers noticed that Jack was controlling and condescending to virtually all the women in his life.
Then there are all the issues Jack refuses to deal with. He is a former U.S. Marine and struggles with untreated PTSD. He has a drinking problem, and too much bad stuff has been happening due to that. Yet, he refused to get help for too long, which definitely affected his ability to be a good partner.
What's more, according to fans, Jack behaves like a classic one-dimensional male character with toxic masculinity.
He is clearly used to suppressing his emotions and suffering in silence. This refusal to face his problems and his commitment to being a good, honorable guy for everyone inevitably leads to acting out in destructive ways.
Yes, in Season 4, Jack has begun to own these issues, but recovery is a long and bumpy road. Fans doubt that the Season 4 storyline is enough for Jack to finally be in a good place. The stress of having a newborn, which is bound to come at some point, could definitely send Jack back into an emotional and behavioral tailspin.
He clearly remains a high-functioning alcoholic, and two therapy sessions won't make that go away. And many fans are sure that Mel deserves and needs someone more stable, mature, and thoughtful.