Virgin River Season 4 launched on Netflix last week, and it featured some huge moments for fans of the romantic drama.
However, the latest season almost ended very differently.
As you’ll recall, if you keep up to speed with our Virgin River reviews, Virgin River Season 4 Episode 12 concluded with Jack revealed to be the father of Mel’s child … and Charmaine dropping the mother of all bombshells:
Jack is not the father of her twins, effectively switching things up in a big way for Virgin River Season 5.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, series stars Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson said those developments were not always canon.
“At the beginning of the season, Charmaine’s babies were still Jack’s. This was the outline. Charmaine’s babies would always be Jack’s and Mel’s baby was going to be Mark’s and then really close to the end, it completely changed,” Breckenridge revealed to the outlet.
“The writers came back and they were like, ‘So Charmaine’s babies are not Jack’s and Mel’s baby is Jack’s,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my god, thank you!'”
“When we talked about the beginning of the season before we started season 4, I really I was like, ‘Ugh, it feels heartbreaking to me if Mel is pregnant with Mark’s baby. It just feels like a letdown,” she added.
Breckenridge said she is “really glad that they decided to go in the other direction.”
Henderson felt the same.
“I felt that at this juncture, season 4, we’re many seasons in. We’ve watched these guys with their mutual troubled pasts come together and there’s this promise of love and their connection and their attraction is undeniable. So the potential can only be for good,” Henderson said.
“But like all the dramas, we didn’t have to watch them navigate through all of the conflict and where they’re incompatible and they try to figure that out, which keeps you compelled,” the star shared with the outlet.
“I think it’s a perfect time to give the audience something to really celebrate.”
“Obviously there’s people who are going to want the wedding and I don’t know if that’s going to happen but there’s certain things that you want to give the audience.”
Virgin River has been a huge hit for Netflix since its launch, amassing a global fanbase, but I think we can all agree that some of the developments of late have been less than thrilling.
It was a good decision to switch this ending up to really put the characters on a different canvas for Virgin River Season 5.
Netflix picked up Season 5 at the same time as Season 4, something that rarely happens on Netflix.
Production on Virgin River Season 5 is well underway, and we have so much to look forward to with these characters.
Understandably, one of the bigger questions will surround who Charmaine’s baby daddy is.
Is it possible that one of the other characters will be revealed to have had a secret relationship with her?
For such a small town, there’s always a lot of drama.
Maybe that’s what makes it so endearing.
What are your thoughts on the original ending?
Do you think it would have worked?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.