If you live in Virgin River, you've likely been saved by Preacher.
Not in a religious sense. But the aptly named Preacher, cook at Jack's Bar, the riverfront grill of the beloved, fictional place, basically delivers the entire town at one time or another from certain death, a downward spiral, or heartache. The character centers the Netflix show, yet somehow is not at its center. As the show prepares for its fifth season, Preacher deserves his own life — and his own real love – but both might be in danger.
John "Preacher" Middleton, played by the wonderful Colin Lawrence, is a former Marine and a longtime friend of fellow veteran Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), he of the bar. The beloved series, adapted from novels by Robyn Carr, follows the adventures of a nurse named Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) who moves to a beautiful small town in Northern California, fleeing tragedy.
Everyone in Virgin River is running from something. And trouble keeps finding them.
If characters did what was best for them, we'd never have stories at all.
We see the events of "Virgin River" primarily through the lens of Mel, and we see her turn down, turn away from or never consider at all romantic prospects who might be better for her than longtime beau Jack, who has a drinking problem, a commitment problem and is allegedly very fertile. But if characters did what was best for them, we'd never have stories at all.
Case in point: Preacher.
The woman he had been seeing, baker Paige (Lexa Doig) kills her estranged and abusive husband Wes in self-defense, and devoted Preacher takes care of cleanup. That includes the body, disposing of big evidence like a car — and caring for the person Paige leaves behind when she flees: her young son, Christopher (Chase Petriw, holding his own as one of the only minors in town).
It's really hard to keep tabs on this kid, but eventually he's reunited with Preacher as Paige sacrifices herself, making a trade with the evil twin brother for her son. If you're still with us, let's get back to everything noble Preacher is doing here.
Another surprising and appealing aspect of "Virgin River" is intergenerational friendships such as these (friendships that new writer Patrick Sean Smith hinted to Salon we'll see more of in Season 5). But it's frustrating that a character as devoted and loving as Preacher is so alone.
When your boyfriend never shows up to your sister's wedding and you need someone to find him, drunk in his truck, Preacher's the one you call. When you try to go kayaking while intoxicated in a rough current, Preacher's going to warn you. When you need to be rescued from an isolated cabin where you're a hostage, Preacher's gonna find you. Also, he knows martial arts.
But who rescues the rescuer?
Is Preacher truly a tragic hero, whose unselfish devotion to others will ultimately lead to his downfall?
Season 4 gives Preacher an iota of happiness as he begins a relationship with his Aikido instructor, Julia (Lucia Walters), who seems like a decent person. But once Paige re-enters his life, Julia is out. Can you blame her? (The most emotionally healthy people in "Virgin River" seem to hightail it out of town.) And Preacher is right back to saving Paige again. It's hard to express any malice toward a survivor of domestic violence, but Paige's character can be a little grating, especially in how she expects Preacher to always pick up her pieces.
Preacher bails out others to the neglect of himself, displaying a kind of co-dependency in his attraction to and need to be the caring one — his need to be needed. If he wasn't saving everyone all the time, would they still love him? Would he still have a place in town? Or is Preacher truly a tragic hero, whose unselfish devotion to others will ultimately lead to his downfall?
"Virgin River" hasn't exactly followed the books, and we don't know if twin brother Vince is alive or dead, though an Instagram image apparently shows the actor at a table read for Season 5. If the brother's back, that may be more trouble for Preacher, the loyal character who's always helping others out. Preacher seems like he would take the fall for Paige. He takes a lot — and he shouldn't. Yes, Preacher plays a king at the Ren Faire, but he acts more like a knight.
Jack recently asked Preacher to be the best man at his wedding. Preacher's now a partner in Jack's Bar, having turned down a new fancy job for it (there he goes with that loyalty again). But the noble character who once said, "I believe there is nothing more righteous than defending those who can't defend themselves," deserves his own help, his own happiness and a love of his own that will last.
