Both Virgin River's Mel and Charmaine Could Do Better Than Jack

Summary:

• Virgin River is a Netflix TV series based on Robyn Carr’s book of the same name.
• The main romantic couple, Mel and Jack, had to face many difficulties before getting together, including Jack’s ex Charmaine.
• Some fans, however, believe that Jack doesn’t deserve such competition.

Unfortunately, two women fighting over one man has become a fairly common trope in any kind of romance. No matter how intelligent, polite, and overall fulfilled these women are, they are often portrayed as ruthless and dishonest in this competition, which only adds to the stereotype.

Thankfully, the majority of modern television seems to be moving away from such tropes, but Netflix's Virgin River decided to add another, slightly toned down, but still the same, twist with Mel and Charmaine both interested in Jack.

Too bad Jack himself was never a catch to be proud of. At least that's how half of the fandom sees him.

Virgin River’s Jack Sheridan Is The Worst

It's understandable that Jack suffers so much from the trauma that continues to haunt him: as a former U.S. Marine, he's been through a lot, and it doesn't seem like he's quite ready to deal with it. But that doesn't make him a great romantic hero. If anything, it just adds to the toxicity that the writers have already created.

Both Mel and Charmaine, a woman with whom Jack had a complicated friends-with-benefits kind of relationship, seem to turn a blind eye to all of his flaws, while the fans really don't understand why they see him as such a catch.

Sure, Jack can be charming when he wants to be, but most of the time he seems unwanted. And that is a real problem not only for the characters in the universe, but for the audience as well. In a romance show, you have to be able to root for the main characters, no matter what the circumstances.

Jack Sheridan has too much work to do on himself to be the romantic lead we all want him to be. Looking back at both his ex-wife and Charmaine, it's clear that he's not capable of building and maintaining a committed relationship, which should have been a huge red flag for Mel, but she chose to ignore it.

Not only that, but Jack's problems with alcohol and the painkillers he's been taking throughout season 1 are also a huge cause for concern. It makes him a ticking bomb, with the nastiest side still ready to explode at any moment.

Some viewers are hoping that Mel still has a chance to escape her relationship with Jack and try something with the new hot doctor in town. But knowing Netflix, that is highly unlikely.

The best we can hope for is that Jack starts a new passionate romance with therapy and self-reflection, because that's the only thing that could save both him and Mel from further pain.

To see if that will happen in Virgin River season 6, keep an eye out for the release date announcement.