Friends often come to a culture writer for advice on what to watch. Sometimes, they don't like what you say. For example: "Virgin River." I can't remember why I started watching. It was certainly during the early part of the pandemic. I was certainly bored. And then to my great surprise, I was hooked.
I'm not a soap opera person. I didn't grow up watching them after school, like some of my friends. But "Virgin River" does something different from some daytime dramas. It has the same twists and turns, but it wraps them in warm hugs. It's a soap opera in a sweater, if you will, a borrowed sweater placed upon your shoulders by community members who care, which makes it the perfect cozy trauma for our times.
