Drown in the waters of Virgin River!

Cold, grumpy and sinuses blocked like all the streets of Montreal, I sank to the bottom, desolate, and I was sucked in by the slightly turbulent and soapy waters of Virgin RiverNetflix’s most popular romantic comedy for five years now.

Yes, it’s bad like soap. The production abuses the melancholy acoustic guitar to mark each moment of emotion, sad or happy, and there are plenty of them. Beige candles burn in each of the scenes – or almost.

A fireplace crackles even in summer, while the characters sip their green tea while readjusting their chic, yet comfortable clothes.

No known actor stars in Virgin Riverapart from those who populate the pulp films of the Hallmark channel.

Netflix injects no dollars into its promotion, and yet the series systematically rises to the top of the viewing charts, even knocking the blockbuster off the podium. Stranger Thingsmade with ten times more money.

A communications professor from UQAM would be scratching his head frantically here: how would Marshall McLuhan explain such a phenomenon? Very simple. Virgin River is a reassuring, calm and comforting series, where mutual aid and optimism are activated when disaster strikes.

A gigantic forest fire threatens to swallow the charming logging town of Virgin River, nestled in northern California? Quickly ! The whole community is mobilizing, led by the valiant mayor whose name is Hope, you can’t make this up.

Virgin River goes against the grain of the frenetic and aggressive series, which are a hit on the major channels. We live peacefully in Virgin River, chatting at Jack’s restaurant-bar, the hub of the village where the intergenerational knitting club meets (of course). In Virgin River, we respect our elders, we listen to them and we never ridicule them, even if they seem overwhelmed by “modern life”.

Residents sleep in cozy log homes, which seem to smell of expensive potpourri and quality filter coffee. In Virgin River, we drive nice trucks vintage that hipsters would be snapped up in Mile End. Fashion oscillates between “sexy lumberjack with three-day beard” and “yoga teacher on break at Starbucks”.

In Virgin River, everyone enjoys an outdoor activity and everyone marvels at the wild beauty of glorious nature. We jog in the dense forest, we fly fish, we climb rock faces, we hike and we always greet each other. How was the clothing collection for fire victims?

Without sinking into pettiness, let us say that the story of Virgin River is more easily followed than that of Twin Peaks. I started in the fifth season, without having seen the previous four, and I understood everything, even though I wasn’t the sharpest file in the beauty kit.

Adapted from the novels by writer Robyn Carr, the series revolves around Melinda Mel Monroe, a grieving supernurse who flees her hectic – and traumatic – life in Los Angeles to take refuge in the soft, leafy arms of Virgin River, almost at home. border of Oregon, where it will reset the counters.

Redhead Mel lands a job at Virgin River’s only medical clinic, a rustic-looking clinic reminiscent of both an après-ski lodge and a highland apothecary. The doctor is gruff and old, but Mel charms him, as she captivates the whole village with her bubbly and engaging personality.

And who says Virgin River says sweet romance, of course. It’s complicated, but Mel has a crush on Jack, a former US Navy officer (hint: post-traumatic shock!) who runs the only restaurant-bar in Virgin River. Other pivotal characters include the villainous Brady, the hired lawyer Brie and the liar Charmaine.

Despite its L. L. Bean catalog appearance, Virgin River experiences its share of problems: fentanyl crisis, opioid trafficking, illegal marijuana cultivation, degenerative diseases, domestic violence, but nothing that cannot be resolved with a large glass of Californian red wine (probably Cabernet Sauvignon) and a frank heart-to-heart chat, preferably with a view of the majestic mountains.

At $3 million per episode, the equivalent of the budget for an hour of The night Laurier Gaudreault woke up, Virgin River is the least expensive television anxiolytic to produce. And the prescription is automatically renewed every year.

I levitate

With The fan war on Noovo

This Phil Roy-led musical romp has slipped under the radar, but it’s probably the closest concept to the infectious energy of Fury for 15 years. We look for the lyrics of well-known songs, we indulge in boring karaoke, in short, we have fun by poking each other on the score. It plays Mondays at 8 p.m., stuck between 5^e Rank And Witches.

I avoid it

Abbreviations that change!

From one Quebec series to another, the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) becomes the Service of Independent Investigations (SEI) or the Bureau of External Investigations (BEE). The DPJ is transformed into DPJQ. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is the Security of Quebec. The DPCP is called the DPCQ, while the SPVM goes into SPDM format. It’s a question of rights, of course, it’s confusing all the same.