Virgin River's Timeline Stopped Making Any Sense, and That's a Problem

Ten days after the release of the fifth season of Virgin River, the Netflix show remains a hot topic. This is hardly surprising, seeing how new premieres are few and far between this fall because of the ongoing strike by writers and actors.

First introduced in pre-pandemic 2019, this Netflix adaptation of Robyn Carr's eponymous novel series quickly became a global hit. Over the span of five seasons, Virgin River has chronicled the lives of Mel Monroe and other residents of the titular town through numerous exciting events. However, the new season's pacing seems intense for some viewers.

Prime Example of Too Many Developments

When Netflix unveiled the trailer for the first part of the yet-to-be-released fifth installment of Virgin River in early August, it was clear that the season would feature lots of developments and plot twists. From Mel's high-risk pregnancy to the wildfires ravaging the town, we have indeed seen a great deal in season 5. Regrettably, this abundance of events has thrown Virgin River's timeline into disarray.

The wildfires came and went rather abruptly. Preacher and Kaia's romance comes across as rushed: the two have known each other for a few days, yet they behave like a long-term couple, displaying trust and understanding. These are just a handful of the issues in season 5. And unfortunately, these detract from Virgin River's overall quality.

Relative Time

It could partially be a matter of perception, too. In shows released on the traditional episode-per-week schedule, even rushed events don't seem to happen too fast because what comes before them took place at least one week previously in the viewers' subjective timeline. There's plenty of opportunity for people to digest new developments.

By contrast, when an entire season or several episodes get dropped all at once, and people binge-watch them one after another, the pace of events can seem too much, and any inconsistencies that would have gone unnoticed in an episode-per-week show tend to stand out.

It should be said, though, that most Virgin River fans don't seem to mind the show's somewhat rushed feel and the occasional timeline inconsistency.

'The timeline in VR is crazy but I think you just have to go with it and don't think about it too much,' a Redditor suggested. 'I think the writers just like to keep the pace fast to maintain interest. The show is really popular so they are obviously happy with the way things are.'

Source: Reddit.