The Jack Theory That Changes Everything On Virgin River

At the start of Netflix's "Virgin River," Melinda Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) wants to lead a simpler life. She dreams of a life outside of the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, and that life presents itself when she receives the opportunity to take a job in a remote town in Northern California. Life may appear more peaceful initially, but as tends to be the case with quiet towns in television series, things quickly take a turn for the dramatic.

That was on abundant display during the Season 3 finale when police arrested Dan Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) for the shooting of bar owner Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson). The attempt on Jack's life was the major cliffhanger from Season 2, and he spends much of his time in the latest batch of episodes tracking down the assailant. While he's pretty confident Dan was behind the attack, especially seeing how the same gun used in the attempted murder was found in his car, Dan maintains his innocence. It would definitely be in character for the drama series to have someone planting the evidence on Dan, but who could it be?

Fans have developed an intriguing theory that portrays Dan as an innocent man, and it may have you rewatching the series scouring for more clues.

It could be a while until "Virgin River" Season 4 comes to our screens, which is plenty of time for fans to speculate on the shooter's true identity. If you head over to the show's official Instagram page, you'll find ample behind-the-scenes photos, and fans have chosen one, in particular, to guess wildly. The image in question offers a look at the actors who play Dan Brady and Brie Sheridan (Zibby Allen) preparing to film, and numerous fans have started a campaign to prove Dan's innocence. It all points to a vastly different attempted killer — Mike Valenzuela (Marco Grazzini) as a crooked cop.

One user offers this alternate explanation, writing, "I don't think Brady shot jack. I think Jacks 'friend' that is the cop shot Jack." That cop in question is Mike, and plenty of other people go along with the theory, providing more details: "[Mike] hates Brady for a while and now even more since he is with Brie and so Mike might want to cheat on Brady."

It would be a significant betrayal if Mike were the shooter. He served in the Marines with Jack, but perhaps that's why Jack was the perfect target. They have a history together, so no one would suspect Mike would ever try to kill his friend. The books on which the series is based confirm Mike and Brie have a romantic past, so framing Dan could also be his way to get back into her good graces (via The Express). A double-cross would undoubtedly feel right at home within the soap opera-esque show, so hopefully, Season 4 offers more answers.