‘Virgin River‘ might seem like a cozy romantic drama, but there are many tragedies and heartbreaks under the surface. In fact, in the Netflix series adapted from Robyn Carr’s book series, there are as many tears as there are smiles. But as it often happens, showrunners have taken creative liberties to make the story and characters more suited to the screen.
There are many changes on Netflix’s ‘Virgin River’ – from Doc and Hope’s love story that was just platonic in the books to Mike being Brie’s true love rather than Brady. Also, Charmaine’s role has been completely redefined from the written material. But we are talking about Mel’s backstory, which was tragic, but not the same as on the book pages.
Mel’s Life Before Virgin River: Books Vs Netflix Series
As famously happened with ‘Bridgerton‘, the ‘Virgin River‘ book series also underwent a series of changes for its Netflix adaptation. Even the protagonists vary in Carr’s works. Mel and Jack aren’t always the focus. But on the show, they are the beating heart of the Hallmark-style comfort watch.
Yet, Mel Monroe has her own tragedy that haunts her. It is what brought her to Virgin River in the first place. She lost her husband, Mark Monroe. The Netflix version shows them going through infertility issues. Mel’s stillborn baby further drives a wedge in her marriage. She wants to continue trying for a child, but Mark thinks they should stop, seeing the physical and mental toll the process was taking on his wife. Mel loses it, and they have a fight. Unfortunately, they never get to resolve it as Mark then dies in a car accident. This haunts Mel for years to come.
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In contrast to this tragic accident, Mark’s death in the books was marked with unnecessary violence. In actuality, Mark was killed in a convenience store robbery. Also, they didn’t have a stillborn in the original books.
The changes made to this backstory were for emotional depth. Mel feels guilty for never getting the chance to reconcile with Mark and heal together after their big fallout. She was contemplating the state of her marriage too as she desperately wanted to be a mother. All these circumstances triggered her trauma in the wake of Mark’s death. That argument played in her head repeatedly, making her hurt more.
How Mel Rebuilds Her Life In ‘Virgin River’
Life came to a standstill for Mel as she lost her husband and the idea of a perfect life with a family of her own. She was slipping into depression, but Virgin River gave her a fresh start. Not only in terms of natural beauty and a tight-knit community of people who look out for each other, but she managed to find love again in the war veteran-turned-bar owner, Jack Sheridan.
He too has his own issues and suffers from sleepless nights because of what he endured in the war and the losses he incurred. Both Mel and Jack have lost people they were close to and this gives them common ground to talk and find a space of understanding without having to explain. Yes, they fall in love.
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While the books are more romantic in the genre, focusing on various love stories of Virgin River residents, on the Netflix series, Mel and Jack go through their own journey and obstacles in trying to build a life together. They manage to get married in a dreamy way in Season 6. And it seems, they will have the joy of parenthood, after the devastation of miscarriages, an adopted child will complete their family.
