Over the course of its first six seasons, Netflix's wildly popular drama series "Virgin River" has introduced viewers to a vast ensemble of characters, even beyond the show's protagonist, Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), and the man she falls for, Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson). While "Virgin River" has a few typical locations, such as Jack's restaurant (fittingly titled Jack's Bar), Mel spends her days as a nurse practitioner working for the town physician, Vernon "Doc" Mullins (Tim Matheson).
And throughout the series' lengthy run (including, it seems safe to assume, both the upcoming seventh season as well as the recently announced eighth season, which will cement the show as Netflix's longest-running live-action scripted drama, even surpassing hits like "You") Doc's home office has allowed Mel to interact with all manner of patients, fellow medical professionals, and other assorted staff members.
Among the relatively recent additions to the series is Dr. Cameron Hayek (Mark Ghanimé), who joined the show in season 4. Because Doc continues to age and has been in danger of losing his eyesight permanently, having a younger doctor on staff made perfect sense. Of course, the fact that Hayek was, quite frankly, easy on the eyes only added to potential romantic complications for Mel and other interested parties in town. But as "Virgin River" ramps up for its seventh season, there's some sad news: Dr. Hayek has departed the series as a regular. But why has Ghanimé left the show?
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Dr. Hayek Has Served His Purpose On Virgin River (For The Time Being)
When Dr. Hayek joined the "Virgin River" ensemble, there was not only a feeling of new possibilities among the folks of the eponymous small California town, but there was also a real sense that the idyllic romance between Jack and Mel was in danger of being broken up. While Mel has always been attracted to the rough-hewn Jack, Cameron represented a possibly more stable romantic option and was never shy about speaking his mind or about calling out what he saw as bad behavior on Jack's part. But when Dr. Hayek seemingly said goodbye in the season 6 finale, it wasn't to Mel but to Muriel St. Claire (Teryl Rothery), an older and vivacious blonde woman in town with whom he'd been connected throughout most of the fifth season. Their bittersweet dance implied that Hayek may be gone for good, but the series' current showrunner, Patrick Sean Smith, has suggested to Deadline that while fans may be sad to see him go, the character may yet return if the story demands it.
"Cameron will always be part of our world, and I would love to see his character come back again," Smith said at the time. "I love Mark, and I love the character, so when opportunity presents itself, I'd love to have him back." Ghanimé has since appeared in a few shows and TV movies, but he was a very minor part of the sixth season despite still being included among the regular cast. Certainly, for dedicated fans of the show, it was a nice surprise that after Cameron had to accept that Mel would not leave Jack for him, he found a new spark with Muriel. (Muriel had, when the show first started, seemed like a romantic threat for Doc, not someone notably younger.) Ghanimé and Rothery had surprisingly effective chemistry with each other and developed a believable love affair between their characters, even if it wasn't built to last like that of the star-crossed love between Jack and Mel. But seeing as Cameron only appeared in three episodes of season 6 (including the finale), fans should take heart that he even got to have some kind of farewell.
Dr. Hayek Made An Impact On Virgin River, So Hopefully He'll Return One Day
Netflix has undeniably found success with comfort-food style TV dramas like "Virgin River," and not just thanks to the tumultuous, soap opera-y twists and turns of the main characters' personal and professional lives. (If you watch the show, you know its title sequence and interstitials are visualized with almost hypnotically beautiful imagery of the Pacific Northwest.) The fact that the series is now going to have lasted longer than something like "Orange is the New Black" is pretty mind-blowing, especially considering it hasn't had the same level of critical acclaim or industry love. But its success is undeniable given its lengthy run, and a show like this can only survive if it has an expansive ensemble that appeals to a lot of different viewers. So, while Dr. Hayek ultimately never posed a serious romantic threat to Jack and Mel, his presence was just one way the show's writers have been able to pull from the original book series by Robyn Carr and keep their creative juices flowing.
Similarly, the character was never part of the show's most intense storyline, like Jack coming up against drug-runners or experiencing PTSD from his experiences in the Iraq War. But thanks to Ghanimé's low-key charming performance, Dr. Hayek proved to be one of the more underrated parts of the middle seasons of the series' run. Hopefully, Smith wasn't just being polite and will actually work with the show's writers to figure out a way for Ghanimé to come back before too long. Indeed, while Mel and Jack may not be too invested in his return, all those fans who want Muriel to remain happy no doubt would -- and will -- be happy for a lovely little reunion.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
