A Christmas tree decorating competition in which all the inhabitants of the village participate, with frenzy and vivacity? Yes of course.
A toy drive at Jack’s bar for forgotten or disadvantaged children? Absolutely.
A holiday show at the community hall at the Love Actually, scene of all misunderstandings? Inevitable.
Chunky wool hats, cozy green and red sweaters, fun Christmas pajamas, which still have the folds from the store? But of course.
Cups of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows, awkward glances under the mistletoe and completely unexpected gifts slipped under the tree? Yes, I want it.
Christmas is celebrated in Virgin River exactly as you imagine: in a cozy Hallmark movie universe, with an “acoustic folk pop” soundtrack sprinkled with musical appearances from Michael Bublé and Norah Jones.
The two Christmas episodes of Virgin River, online since Thursday on Netflix, “deliver the goods” hoped for and requested from the handsome bearded man. It’s sweet, comforting and warm. And it makes you want to compulsively buy preppy outdoor clothing at LL Bean.
Yes, it will snow in this postcard village when the time is right. Yes, the Boboche skating rink at the Virgin River Christmas Market, the size of a picnic table, will host moments both tender and awkward. It’s a classic, there’s always a blundering character who doesn’t know how to skate, who gets stuck and, phew! who is caught up by his partner, as their intense gazes meet and say to each other what you’ve been wanting them to say to each other for two hours.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NETFLIX
Christmas is celebrated in Virgin River exactly as you imagine: in a cozy Hallmark movie universe, with an “acoustic folk pop” soundtrack sprinkled with musical appearances from Michael Bublé and Norah Jones.
This second part of the fifth season of Virgin River resumes shortly after the end of the 10e episode. In an orgy of fir garlands and crackling fireplaces, our heroes (and fiancés) Jack and Mel prepare to reunite their respective families in Virgin River to celebrate a Christmas like a rococo decor from a Holt Renfrew advertisement, but rustic-chic.”
Obviously, Jack cuts down his own tree in the forest, can it be otherwise given that he wears plaid shirts? Devoted midwife, registered nurse and now private detective, Mel never takes time off: Charmaine, who has been pregnant for five seasons, is (finally) preparing to give birth to her twins, who are not Jack’s, but the villain’s Calvin.
And why is the dapper redhead Mel investigating? She discovered that her mother (deceased), a resident of Los Angeles, had a sultry affair 37 years ago with a man from Virgin River, a mysterious correspondent who is believed to be Mel’s biological father. Pardon. The two lovebirds wrote postcards to each other, which Mel read while drinking mint tea from a large cup. The only clues that the beautiful Mel has? A post office box in Virgin River and a nickname, Champ.
Thank goodness it was the current mayor, the tireless Hope McCrea, who founded the post office in the northern California village and she will fuel Mel’s investigation, which will lead her to the neighboring village of Clear River !
At Jack’s restaurant-bar, the ancestor of Lady and the Ox, West Coast version, Preacher has the perfect romance with Kaia, the firefighter who helps women give birth in Zoom while forest fires consume the enchanting scenery. But (metaphorical) clouds and a (very real) corpse will cool Preacher and Kaia even more than the bath in ice water they take with the smiles of serial killers.
About the “winter” climate of Virgin River, you’ll notice that the characters fog up when the special effects guy is playing. So, not often. And everyone wears their parka unbuttoned, like a 14-year-old teenager, in running shoes, waiting for the bus at -35 degrees.
The couples of Mike and Brie (sans cranberries, LOL) and Brady and Lark will also undergo trials which, in Virgin River, result in eggnog that is too sweet or a light that refuses to blink, damn it.
Once you get here in the text, you’re probably sighing: but it’s way too sweet and exaggerated, call for help! No way. It’s delicious in all its narrative honey.
That’s it, Virgin Riverformer actors of soap with square jaws and actresses with impeccable hairstyles who live in a glass ball that is shaken to activate a whirlwind of snowflakes.
It’s December and it’s finally legal and allowed to listen to Christmas music and movies, so why not? On the other hand, the #$%&@ of naughty elves, you can throw them in the trash, thank you.
I levitate
With The version that interests no one by Emmanuelle Pierrot
One of the most impactful Quebec novels of the fall, even of the year. It’s a very tough book, with incredible momentum, which takes place in Dawson City, in the Yukon, where two best friends from Montreal, Tom and Sasha, end up. The two twenty-somethings build a community of punks/vagabonds like themselves, who live in poorly heated cabins, who take drugs, drink contraband alcohol and play music, between two jobs at the restaurant or as guides at the gold mine. The bohemian fairy tale of Sasha, the alter ego of author Emmanuelle Pierrot, turns into a nightmare when the community of Dawson turns against her. And it hits hard. And it’s not the Klondike anymore.
I avoid it
Tattoos If we loved each other
We must protect the candidates from themselves and ban this annoying habit they have of getting tattoos of significant events from their real TV adventure on TVA. These ink drawings won’t age well, friends, you don’t need a session with Louise Sigouin to understand that. Do you think Sam will daydream about her friend Mélody while looking at her Rocky Mountain-inspired mountain on her upper thigh? What will happen to Marie-Josée’s flock of five bustards if she ever separates from Julien? Regrets written under the skin always hurt.