Virgin River fans were left in hysterics at a plot hole from a murder trial as they flocked to social media to discuss the bizarre storyline

Virgin River fans couldn’t get over how swiftly Preacher’s murder trial wrapped up . (Image: Netflix )

Season six of Netflix series Virgin River was a rollercoaster, complete with a picturesque wedding and a string of dramatic incidents including betrayals and urgent health crises. Mel Monroe, portrayed by Alexandra Breckenridge, and Jack Sheridan, played by Martin Henderson, were busy with wedding plans while Jack’s best mate Preacher, acted by Colin Lawrence, had to prove his innocence.

With the support of his new love interest Kaia Bryant, played by Kandyse McClure, and sharp attorney Brie, Jack’s sister portrayed by Zibby Allen, Preacher faced trial for the slaying of Wes, Steve Bacic’s character, who was the violent former spouse of Preacher’s ex, embodied by Lexa Doig. Although Jack was originally supposed to testify against Preacher, he ended up affirming his friend’s integrity, and following an impactful closing statement from Brie, Preacher was absolved of murder charges and sentenced to community service instead.

The twist likely delighted fans, but it also puzzled one viewer who criticized how smoothly Preacher escaped the predicament. Heading to Reddit, they titled their post “One day murder trial” and humorously outlined the absurdity of such a brief legal proceeding out of context.

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They wrote: “I got such a good laugh at the one day murder trial,” and pointed out: “In another show maybe they could have pulled off a murder trial in one episode.”

The fan continued jesting about the show’s unrealistic timelines, “But in VR, a woman was pregnant for [five] seasons and here is something that would normally take months boiled down to one episode and what appeared to be one day in the characters’ lives. Lol. Timelines on this show are so funny,” reports the Mirror US.

Preacher was absolved of murder charges and sentenced to community service instead. (Image: Netflix )

The prolonged pregnancy of Jack’s ex-lover Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) has been a recurring issue for Virgin River fans, as it was only at the end of season five that she finally gave birth to twins.

Given that murder trials in the US typically span weeks or even months, some viewers were evidently perplexed when the entire situation was resolved in a single episode.

One confused fan responded: “I laughed out loud when that episode ended with a mistrial and then Brie just being like ‘How about 300 hours of community service? ‘ and the prosecution being like, ‘eh, okay sure.’ WHAT!?”

Another viewer remarked: “And he gets to be home the whole time! No way.”

A fellow fan exclaimed: “Without even an ankle monitor!! Did he spend ANY time in jail?!”

A final critical viewer also noted that Brie’s traumatic encounter with Don (James Kot) lasted significantly longer. “Don’s sexual assault trial lasted longer than Preacher’s murder trial! LOL,” they wrote.

They also highlighted: “It was so unrealistic that Paige was not there. It was in the prosecution’s interest for her *not* to appear so they could pin it on Preach, so I get that part, but any good defense attorney would have told him that they didn’t care how badly he wanted to protect her, she needed to show up.”

“Brie messed up in more ways than just missing the voicemail from Jack’s phone.”

While fans are undoubtedly relieved to see Preacher out of jail, the swift resolution of what could have been a captivating subplot throughout the season has left some viewers feeling short-changed.