Virgin River star Tim Matheson on Doc’s shocking family secret: ‘It’s got to be a scam’
Plus, the time he decided that Doc and Hope were having secret sex.
Doc Mullins sure has a lot on his plate.
The local M.D. played by Tim Matheson on Virgin River ended season 3 facing the prospect of his worsening eyesight and the very real possibility that the love of his life, Hope (Annette O’Toole), might not survive injuries sustained in a car accident.
But there’s another big surprise in store for Doc: Unbeknown to him, a kid claiming to be his long-lost grandchild has checked into the Virgin River B&B. If the show gets picked up for season 4, what will that mean for Doc?
“That’s one of those giant surprises,” Matheson tells EW. “My feeling is, first, he would absolutely deny it and reject it. That’s impossible, the whole improbability of that situation. Because of what he knew happened in his previous life when he was going to medical school and his relationship with women in his life, at that point there were no grandchildren.”
He continues: “First, [he’ll think] it’s got to be a scam; second, it’s got to be wrong. If it proves to be that it actually could have happened or did happen, then it’s like, ‘Wow.’ It’s just such drama, such conflict, such interesting stuff to get into. Especially for a couple that never had children. He really wasn’t ever a father, so now to have a grandchild—that’s pretty radical.”
Matheson has brought the curmudgeonly Dr. Vernon Mullins to life for three seasons on the hit Netflix series, and last season brought him no shortage of drama to sink his teeth into. We caught up with him to discuss Doc’s health, what Hope’s accident could mean for their relationship, and the time he decided Doc and Hope were having secret sex.
TIM MATHESON: In his case, he is faced with a challenge that would affect his career as a doctor. That’s the biggest thing in his life, other than Hope. But Hope will come first over any personal issues. Believe me. He would focus on her.
This season we saw him retreat to some of his more brusque or crabby treatment of Mel [Alexandra Breckenridge] after they’ve come so far. For you, how did you justify that?
For me, it was just that we’re coming from such different places. In his mind, she’s a know-it-all and she doesn’t listen. I just justify it out of self-interest and self-protection. Part of it was underneath at all, it’s his defensiveness that he’s got weaknesses and his human fallibility, and so he’s pushing back against those things. It’s more about that than it is about her, and he’s just taking it out on her.
Doc’s losing his eyesight, but he does seem to have a good care plan. What are your thoughts on his prognosis?
I don’t think it’s a debilitating illness. It’s one of those things you live with. And it wouldn’t affect his functioning as a doctor. Especially as you get older and you get into the third act of your life, you take those things with a stride that is not what you would do when you’re younger. You’re superhuman when you’re younger, and when anything happens, my God. I think that’s the story of Mel: She was young and healthy and had everything, and then lost it all. But what I love about that is, that kind of trauma gives you grit, strength, and character. It gives you a perspective that other people don’t have, knowing that it’s so easily lost. There’s a silver lining to the cloud, which is we do come out stronger, ultimately.
We saw him launch a hunt for a potential replacement for the clinic, only to get cold feet. How much longer can he be the only doctor at the clinic?
It’s a transition phase. It’s time to bring somebody else in. I don’t think that he wants to quit taking care of all his friends. What’s really wonderful to me about a small-town doctor is you know everybody. Every time you walk into Jack’s Bar, there’s 20 of your patients. It requires a different kind of medical mind than somebody in a big city who spends 20 minutes with their patients and doesn’t get personally involved. There’s more invested in your patients because you know who they’re married to, what’s going on in their life, what their losses are and their suffering, and what’s happening. Anecdotally I’ve heard from small-town doctors where you get chickens for payment.
Can Doc ever truly leave the clinic, or do you think he’d still have to keep like an admin position or something because it’s this thing he built?
Oh, I don’t think he could ever leave the clinic. Because you’re taking care of the town, you’re taking care of the people. And the reason he came there was to get away from that big-city thing where you don’t get to know anybody and you don’t have a moment for yourself. As Doc gets older, you reflect on your life and you want to focus more on the people in your life rather than the work in your life. So to make some space for more personal connection would be very important for him.
