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.
Colin Lawrence as Preacher in "Virgin River" (Courtesy Of Netflix)Certainly, Preacher is one of the most eligible characters in town. He can cook; he does it for a living. He's dashing; he plays the king in the weird Renaissance Festival that springs up in the middle of town for some reason. He's also handy. You know the friend you joke whom you can call when you need to dispose of a body? Well, that's Preacher. He does that literally.
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).
Colin Lawrence as Preacher and Chase Petriw as Christopher in "Virgin River" (Courtesy Of Netflix)Not only does Preacher step forward in a parental role for the boy, he does it solo while balancing work and keeping Paige's secrets. "Virgin River" always does an interesting juggling act of looping very realistic storylines — the domestic abuse that Paige survived — with outlandish ones: Wes has a twin brother (!) who comes looking for Paige and finds Preacher, has him drugged and kidnaps Christopher.
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.
Colin Lawrence as Preacher and Lucia Walters as Julia in "Virgin River" (Courtesy Of Netflix)He's in love with Paige, who lied to him but did so to protect herself and her son. Once Paige leaves, Preacher steps into the role of the kid's guardian without a second thought. He finds a day camp for him. He reassures him. He spends every moment he can with the child, and Preacher also forms an unlikely alliance with Connie (Nicola Cavendish) who helps care for the boy in a kind of grandmotherly role. Connie can be an apron-wearing thorn in her petulant niece Lizzy's side, but she provides rock-solid care for Christopher, and Preacher can count on her. She's one of the only people he can reliably depend on.
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.
Colin Lawrence as Preacher and Nicola Cavendish as Connie in "Virgin River" (Courtesy Of Netflix)Preacher's character is a lonely one. He's trusting to a fault, believing not only Paige (who has good reasons for lying) but a woman purporting to be her friend, whose reasons for lying include being an accomplice to the twin and betraying Preacher. Preacher gets betrayed a lot, frankly.
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?
Colin Lawrence as John "Preacher" Middleton and Lucia Walters as Julia in "Virgin River" (Courtesy Of Netflix)
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.
Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.
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.
Shares