The Crazy Virgin River Fan Theory That Actually Makes Sense

On the surface, Netflix's "Virgin River" appears like your standard romantic show. Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) moves from the big city of Los Angeles to a far quainter locale of Virgin River. She works as a midwife, and while there, she meets some of the more colorful characters of the town. Mel may still want to recover from her late husband's death in a car crash, but over the course of the first three seasons, she's opened up more and appears more capable of accepting other people's love.

Virgin River may come across as the perfect place to call home, but among the will they/won't they romances, there are specific lingering questions. Namely, why is it that everyone has a tragic backstory? Bar owner Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) has PTSD due to serving in the Armed Forces. Paige Lassiter (Lexa Doig) has an abusive husband, and many of the other residents come with sad backstories. It could just be that people with trauma in their lives seek out the peace and tranquility of a smaller town. Or, according to one Redditor, it could be that Virgin River is actually purgatory for lost souls that need to come to terms with something bothering them while they were alive.

It's become a cliche to assume a TV series will reveal everyone was dead the entire time in the finale. However, u/bantertopia makes a compelling case for why that's a realistic possibility for Netflix's "Virgin River." For starters, the town looks a bit too perfect. The city is gorgeous, and even the grocery stores have beautiful architecture in something reminiscent of what you'd find in a utopia. However, problems persist, and these could relate to each of the issues the townspeople have to contend with before they can officially enter heaven. 

They all have trauma in their past, but what if that trauma led to all of them dying? Mel could've perished in the same car crash that took her husband. Jack and the other residents who were in the military could've died while in a war zone, and all of the numerous older residents could've died from old age. It could all be a coincidence, but then the fan offers this tidbit, "When they go to Eureka, notice how nobody really interacts with them? It's like Bruce Willis in Sixth Sense!! They're dead people!"

It would also explain Lilly's (Lynda Boyd) arc, who died from cancer in Season 3. In her final episodes, she came to terms with leaving her daughters behind, and it's possible her death was her moving onto heaven. It's plausible, and a lot of other viewers underneath the post seem to think there's credence to the idea with comments like "My God, this is amazing" and "I am SO here for this!!!!" Of course, it's paramount to point out that the show's based on a book series, which doesn't end with that grand reveal. Still, the series could always throw everyone for a loop and take a vastly different direction than the novels.