Still as addictive as ever, fans are tuning into Virgin River season 6 in their droves, but some viewers have questions - will fan favourite, Preacher, end up in jail?
The popularity of Virgin River shows no sign of slowing down, as fans eagerly drink in every moment of season 6. A sleepy town with a lot of drama, viewers not only want to know where Virgin River filmed, but there's endless questions thrown up by the series - exactly who is Mel's biological father, and the saga of the real father of Charmaine's twins looked like it would never be solved, but finally, we have answers.
With season 6 airing, some burning questions have been answered from episodes that have come before, but more have been raised. Now, viewers are desperate to find out the fate of fan-favourite Preacher in the latest outing, as it looks like he could be off to jail for his part in covering up in Wes's death. Is Preacher leaving the series and the character being incarcerated? Let's find out.
Does Preacher go to jail in Virgin River?
No, Preacher doesn't go to jail in the series, we can all heave a sigh of relief. To recap, Preacher had a romance with Paige, who had been abused by her former partner, Wes. Paige and her son, Christopher, were hiding out in Virgin River to escape Wes, who'd tracked them down and arrived at Paige's house unexpectedly.
Wes once again became violent, and Paige accidentally killed him in self-defence during the attack. Preacher arrived to find a distraught Paige and Wes dead, and helped her dispose of the body in the woods where it was later discovered during season 5. Paige had left Virgin River, once again having to run away because of Wes, and her relationship with Preacher came to an end - he moved on with firefighter Kaia.
Now in the frame for murder once the body is identified as Wes, Preacher faces trial in season 6. Resident Lawyer, Brie, takes his case, and during the trial he admits to burying the body in the woods, but stands firm on the fact he did not kill him - which is the truth. He tells the court that Paige had told him the death was an accident and Wes had fallen down the stairs, but that he didn't call the police because Wes was a police officer and had convinced everyone Paige was lying about the abuse she suffered, and the pair assumed nobody would believe Paige when she said the death was an accident.
When the time comes for the jury to decide Preacher's fate, Brie makes a final plea to convince them of Preacher's innocence. After a long wait, the jury comes back and they're unable to make a unanimous decision. In the end, Brie and the defence team make a deal that sees Preacher receive 300 hours of community service for the disposal of human remains, but no jail time as he's cleared of the murder charge. Everyone is relieved and head to Jack's bar to celebrate the positive outcome - Preacher is staying in Virgin River.
Fans had previously been convinced Preacher was off to prison, as the the actor who plays him, John Middleton, had alluded to filming 'final scenes' on social media. However, it transpired the actor was actually talking about wrapping up filming for the season, not that Preacher would be leaving the show.
The rumour was also fuelled by executive producer Patrick Sean Smith, who said in an interview with Glamour that fans should be worried for Preacher, and 'something big' was coming for the character. He said, "I would be worried. He's a beloved character. You always want to take your most beloved characters and put them in danger."
Of the storyline involving Preacher helping cover up Wes's death, Smith added, "He's such an honourable man, and it was always a loose end from before that we were like, 'Is it worth going back to it?' When we were coming up with the character of Kaia and getting a sense of what their dynamic would be and who she was and what could affect them, it would have to be something big." But thank goodness the 'something big' was the court case, and fans got the outcome they were hoping for.
