Plus, the time he decided that Doc and Hope were having secret sex.
Doc Mullins sure has a lot on his plate.
If the show gets picked up for season 4, what will that mean for Doc?
Tim Matheson and Gwynyth Walsh on ‘Virgin River’.NETFLIX
“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.
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 grandchildthat’s pretty radical.”
That’s the biggest thing in his life, other than Hope.
But Hope will come first over any personal issues.
He would focus on her.
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.
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.
You’re superhuman when you’re younger, and when anything happens, my God.
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.
Anecdotally I’ve heard from small-town doctors where you get chickens for payment.
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.
So to make some space for more personal connection would be very important for him.
Allyour scenes with Annette O’Toole this seasonwere virtual.
Did you two film those live, or was it all done in post?
We did several versions of it.
We tried to do it live.
It turned out to be very easy because I can act off of what she’s doing.
If she does a take, I can just look at that take and react to it.
But it was basically built into the story line, so it seemed very natural.
Are you excited to bring that to life eventually?
This is something he’s wanted his whole life, since he came to Virgin River.
To just to have a person that you were that committed and that close to.
We decided that even though it seemed like they were falling apart, they were having sex.
We played it like friends with benefits.
It added a little spice and fun and flavor to what we were doing.
We never told anybody that’s what we were playing.
But little secrets like that, I always want to infuse the characters and situations with such added spice.
I think it would only enhance his relationship with her.
Are you worried about her and whether Doc might find her too comfy a shoulder to lean on?
She’s one of those people that puts it all on the table.
What you see is what you get.
There’s no subterfuge.
Muriel and subtlety aren’t usually mentioned in the same sentence.
But she’s such a vivacious and talented and human character.
Is this the best thing for me, or is it that?"
That choice in and of itself creates tremendous conflict.
You learn as you get older that you get stuck in ruts of behavior.
What if I stopped doing that rut of behavior and get out of that lane and do something else?
You do always have a choice.
Do I stay on this side of the line or that side of the line?
That’s the interesting thing for Doc and Muriel.
How might this accident, no matter its outcome, change Doc?
I don’t think you rush into anything.
You honor your relationship, especially in a small town.
You don’t just dump everything and then run off for the temporal excitement of the moment.
