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Netflix‘s Virgin River Season 5 is currently filming in Vancouver and is slated to release sometime in 2023. The series follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse who moves to the small town and falls for Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a retired Marine who owns the town’s bar.

Virgin River has had its intense moments, but Annette O’Toole, who portrays Virgin River Mayor Hope McCrea, says something huge will happen in the middle of the season.

Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan on the phone and Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe looking worried behind him in 'Virgin River'
Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan and Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe in ‘Virgin River’ | Netflix

‘Virgin River’ Season 5 will be ‘heavy’ and ‘intense.’

Over the course of the past four seasons, Virgin River has put a spotlight on some pretty challenging topics. Emotional abuse, pregnancy loss, sexual assault, death, PTSD, and violence have all been major topics of discussion. However, season 5 is set to be a bit heavier.

“I think this season has started out well, and we’re getting into a few episodes soon that are pretty heavy,” Breckenridge who is currently filming season 5 told New Beauty. “They’re really intense and I think that they’re some of the best episodes we’ve ever done. I think that there’s a high sense of drama that starts to come up this season that it’s going to leave people on the edge of their seats. At least, I hope. I’m excited to get into that.”

Something huge will happen in the middle of season 5

Though Breckenridge only hinted at a “heavy” and “intense” season, O’Toole is warning fans to brace themselves for the mid-season episode of season 5.

“There is a big thing that happens right in the middle of the season that brings the community together in a very big way, and it’s a kind of timely topic that’s happening in our country, and I’m really glad that they’re going there,” she told Hello! Magazine. She added,

I don’t think we’ve ever done anything like this. It’s an important issue and I’m glad that we’re getting into things like that on the show. I don’t know if that will continue but it certainly is something that the town gets to all come together and be part of and work together.

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‘Virgin River’ Season 5 will be very different than past seasons

In addition to the major event that will happen at the halfway point in season 5, Virgin River will also be more diverse than it has been previously. “I’m hoping that in the future, we can bring more conversations to the table,” Breckenridge told Glamour. “In season five, we’re bringing some more LGBTQ+ stories into the show, which I think is absolutely wonderful. I’ve been fighting for diversity on the show since we started, and I think we’ve been slowly moving toward a lot of that. Certainly with our new showrunner and directors. Netflix is really trying to bring more inclusivity into programming.”

With 12 episodes, we can’t wait to see what our favorite characters get into.