TV & Movies

Virgin River fans “nervous” over Season 5 baby plot

Daisy Phillipson
Lizzie in Virgin RiverNetflix

Virgin River Season 5 has been a mix of emotions, with Part 2 introducing a new baby plot – but it’s left some feeling “nervous.”

Based on Robyn Carr’s books of the same name, Virgin River has been nothing short of a streaming sensation for Netflix, so much so that it was the sixth most watched series of last year. 

Season 5 Part 1 brought plenty of twists and turns for the residents of the titular town, including its lead characters Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson), who endured a heartbreaking event. 

With the arrival of Part 2 and Season 6 on the way, a number of fans are feeling apprehensive about what’s in store in the future. Warning: spoilers for Season 5 ahead!

Virgin River fans “nervous” over Season 5 baby plot

At long last, it seemed like Mel and Jack were finally set to start a family of their own. However, this all changed in Season 5 Part 1 when Mel had a miscarriage. 

As the couple came to terms with the devastating news, Lizzie found out that she’s pregnant with Denny’s child, a storyline which was explored further in the recently released Christmas specials. 

Mel star Alexandra Breckenridge previously explained why she felt it was an important story to tell, saying: “Not everyone gets their miracle baby.” However, fans aren’t too happy with the narrative in light of Lizzie’s news, with some saying it’s left them feeling “nervous.” 

Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe and Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan in Virgin River Season 5 on NetflixNetflix

“There are so many traumatic birth/pregnancy plot lines, I get nervous when new ones pop up,” said one on Reddit. “So glad they didn’t have anything bad happen to Charmaine’s twins (besides the father).”

Another asked, “Does anyone actually want to watch Lizzie and Denny have a baby? It should be Mel and Jack. For a million reasons not least of which is age and illness. I get life doesn’t work out the way we want but this isn’t life. It’s cheesy melodrama. Think I’m done.”

“You know they say they gave Mel the miscarriage to do justice for those with infertility or whatever but as someone with infertility it doesn’t make ya feel that much better seeing some teenager… easily knocked up by her new boyfriend,” added a third.

“A pregnancy plot is always gonna be somewhat triggering for someone suffering with fertility issues so why give Mel ANOTHER LOSS JUST TO INTRODUCE A NEW PREGNANCY PLOT? Absolutely dumb lol.”

In response to this comment, another said: “Fellow infertile here, completely agree. I feel terrible for Mel, as cliche as it would have been (tv and movies love to throw in the having a child happy ending to infertility). 

“I would have been okay with that working out for them. I very strongly dislike the Lizzie pregnancy storyline.”

Others are predicting what might happen next for Lizzie and Denny, given how other arcs have gone down in Virgin River. “My prediction. They decide to test the baby for genetics and find out that it’s not Denny’s baby,” said one. 

A second suggested: “I’m going to make a prediction – For any number of reasons, some horribly dramatic (Lizzie dies in childbirth) to less dramatic (Lizzie has second thoughts and decides to travel with Denny while his Huntington’s still allows) end result will be that Mel & Jack end up with the baby.”

If you’re upset with how Mel and Jack’s baby journey went, just know that they eventually get their happily ever after in the Virgin River books. And given the show works at a much slower pace, there’s all the chance this could happen in the future. 

Virgin River Seasons 1-5 are streaming on Netflix now. Check out our other coverage below:

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