The death of Mel’s mother has always hung over Virgin River’s central character (played by Alexandra Breckenridge). However, season 6 of the Netflix series gives fans a long-awaited look at her mother Sarah’s life via flashbacks to the 1970s. Jessica Rothe steps into the role, playing the “free-spirited, witty activist from the big city who is trying to avoid a traditional life.”
The flashbacks examine Sarah’s fateful romance with Mel’s biological father Everett (played by Callum Kerr). The relationship was something Rothe found relatable. “We all have that person that was our first love that we never stopped thinking about, that you just are drawn back to time and time again,” Rothe told TV Insider. “I love that Sarah’s practical, but she’s also an optimist. She knew she and Everett were going to find each other again, and she has faith in the world in those ways.”
