Virgin River: Fans Demand Major Twist That Was In the Books But Ignored in the Show
Not all of the plots from the Virgin River books made it to the Netflix series, and one of the story arcs that resonated with readers is completely absent from the screen adaptation.
In Virgin River, new characters regularly fill out the cast. In season 2, Lizzie, Connie’s 19-year-old niece, moves to the town. Although Lizzie remains a main character in later seasons of Netflix’s Virgin River, she and Connie, her great-aunt who takes her in, often seem to be at odds, with Connie disapproving of many of Lizzie’s choices in the show. When Lizzie arrives in Virgin River in season 2, she is described as Connie’s “troublesome” niece who comes to stay with her. Lizzie is a bit of a rebel and willingly defies her older sister, who is particularly hard on her because she is sexually active, which is why she gets angry when Mel prescribes her birth control pills. This dynamic between Lizzie and Connie seems a bit odd, given that Lizzie is 19 and capable of making her own decisions. However, this aspect of the relationship between Lizzie and Connie can be explained by a story present in the book but removed in the series.
Virgin River: a different plot from the Netflix version
In the Virgin River books, signed by Robyn Carr, Lizzie is a different character than the one in the Netflix series. Lizzie’s original plot in the Virgin River books is that she is pregnant, a plot that was not carried over into the television series. In addition, Lizzie is much younger in the novels, which makes her original story even more dramatic. This explains Connie’s attitude towards Lizzie’s behavior, as Connie is an incredibly traditional woman. What’s wrong then is that Lizzie’s story has been changed in the Netflix version, where she is not pregnant, but her relationship with Connie remains the same. So connoisseurs of the Virgin River literary universe have picked up on this inconsistency!
Several pregnancy stories already
Even though Lizzie’s story in the original Virgin River books explains her dynamic with Connie, it makes sense that Netflix decided to change Lizzie’s story for its adaptation of Virgin River, which has already had a season 6 ordered. The series already has several pregnancy stories before Lizzie is introduced in season 2 of Virgin River, namely Charmaine’s pregnancy with twins and Mel’s fertility issues. Including another pregnancy story in the series might have felt repetitive, which is probably one of the reasons why this particular story from the book Virgin River was not brought to the screen.
