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The Virgin River Question About Lizzie That Is Explained In The Books

Netflix's "Virgin River" is a small-town romance drama with a heartwarming tone that makes it a perfect show for "comfort" viewing, as sites such as Collider have opined. Based on Robyn Carr's romance novel series of the same name, the show follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse practitioner who escapes from Los Angeles and moves to a remote town in Northern California. Her past riddled with heartbreak and trauma, this is a fresh start for Mel, and one she hopes to share with Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) a former Marine who happens to own the only bar in town, and who may or may not be the father of Mel's child. 

The uplifting romance series is also one of Netflix's most popular, and alongside the main story of Mel and Jack, it has a plethora of other characters struggling with their own romantic woes. One such character is Lizzie, and while the show spends a lot of time focusing on her story, her role in the series is one that's left many fans scratching their heads.

What's her real purpose on the show?

Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) was first introduced in Season 2, moving to Virgin River with her aunt and quickly developing a budding romance with Ricky (Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey), one of the employees at Jack's bar. In the 3rd season, however, it's revealed that Ricky is enlisting in the Marines, leaving Lizzie's future totally uncertain, and leaving many fans questioning what the point of her story was.

One fan took to Reddit and started a thread questioning Lizzie's purpose, and many commenters echoed that sentiment. As pointed out by u/PippyTarHeel, while the show seems to have left Lizzie's story in a state of total uncertainty, the books have a much different reason for her story progressing the way it does. In the books, Ricky and Lizzie actually have a baby together, but the child is stillborn. The traumatic event leaves both of them utterly devastated, and their story starts to focus on how they deal with their mental health as they grow up together. 

In the end, Ricky is unable to deal with his heartbreak and joins the Marines just to escape from it all. This is a stark contrast to the show's portrayal of their relationship, and from where the series is right now, it's entirely possible that Lizzie might even leave Virgin River next season.