Virgin River has finally returned for its sixth season on Netflix with millions of fans gearing up for the wedding of the decade.
Subscribers have been waiting years for Mel Monroe (played by Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) to tie the knot, but will their nuptials go as planned or are there more surprises in store?
Aside from the central romance, there’s always plenty of drama happening around town, including Preacher’s (Colin Lawrence) fledgling romance with firefighter Kaia Bryant (Kandyse McClure).
When fans last left the adorable new couple, Preacher had let slip that he had fallen in love with his new girlfriend, though Kaia wasn’t quite ready to say it back.
Now season six has dropped in its entirety yesterday (Thursday, December 19), fans will be tuning in en masse to find out if Kaia will say those immortal words back at some point in season six.
Speaking exclusively to Screen Time, actress McClure revealed how challenges in her own love life helped her relate to this tricky period in Preacher and Kaia’s relationship.
“Part of the feeling that I had and that I felt I knew about Kaia was some of the intersections from some of my own personal life,” she explained.
“Having come out of kind of a difficult relationship in my early 30s, or mid 30s, and having spent quite a bit of time alone previously, it’s like, when you’re an independent person and all you have to worry about is yourself, you develop a kind of ease about that. Or simplicity or sense of safety.
“I’m not going to disappoint anybody, I’m not going to let anybody down, I’m not going to put my problems on anybody else. I can make clear decisions.”
Kaia was being pulled by multiple responsibilities throughout season five, and finally made the decision to remain in Virgin River as the town’s new Fire Chief.
With the sixth outing fast-forwarding to a point where Kaia will hopefully feel a little more settled in her new role, could her relationship with Preacher take a big step forward?
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SkyMcClure continued: “I think because she takes so seriously, as I do, when you say you love someone, what that really means is, ‘Well, I’m going to be here.
“‘My problems are your problems, we’re going to solve these things together even if we disagree we’re on each other’s side. I’m going to pull for you’.
“And having to make that kind of transition it’s like, ‘Am I really ready for all that? I don’t know what that means, I feel it but am I whole enough for somebody to love?’
“Because even if you feel it it’s like, is it safe? Is it safe for you to love me? Is it safe for me to love you? Can I really stand behind what that means. And she takes it so seriously! So you’ve gotta be careful now what you say and when, you can’t just be throwing stuff around!
“What Kaia and Preacher really share is a sense of self-respect. Things can be going on around them but, Preacher especially [thinks] ‘That’s fine what you’re doing, but things have to align with my own conscience’. That’s why we love and respect Preacher.”
Hopefully Kaia and Preacher’s relationship is stronger than ever in the new season, but Virgin River fans have learned to expect the unexpected.
While there is unlikely to be a second surprise wedding to rain on Mel and Jack’s parade, could bells be ringing for the other fan-favourite pair at some point in a future season?
Virgin River season 6 is available to stream on Netflix.